Senior ministers say overhauling the troubled Defence department, including the likely removal of dozens of high-ranking figures, will now be an Albanese government priority after Secretary Greg Moriarty was named Australia’s next ambassador to the US.
The Nightly can reveal Labor is also considering a senior diplomatic appointment for Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, the departing Australian Submarine Agency boss, who could become the next High Commissioner to New Delhi.
On Sunday the Prime Minister ended weeks of speculation on who would replace Kevin Rudd in Washington by declaring Mr Moriarty, a veteran public servant and former Chief of Staff to Malcolm Turnbull, was the best option for the top diplomatic post.
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“Mr Moriarty is uniquely experienced to take forward the Australia-US alliance,” the Prime Minister declared in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles.
“He has unsurpassed credentials across Australia’s international policy from his senior roles in the Australian Public Service, including Secretary of the Department of Defence since 2017”.
“Mr Moriarty has held senior positions in the Office of the Prime Minister, as International and National Security Adviser, and later as Chief of Staff, to then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull,” the statement noted. It claimed that Mr Moriarty had also “overseen an historic increase in the Defence budget under the Albanese Government, as well as the implementation of the National Defence Strategy in response to the Defence Strategic Review.” Earlier this month The Nightly revealed Mr Moriarty had travelled to Washington for high level meetings including with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, where he also praised Donald Trump’s national security strategy as “reassuring” for Australia.
A senior government figure said shaking up the Defence Department was now “high in our minds” amid government frustrations over its performance on numerous military projects and growing global uncertainty over the direction of US foreign policy.
Last year the Albanese government was believed to be drawing up plans to cut 30 percent of 1-star officer and above positions, while also reducing a similar number of comparably ranked defence public servants.
In November it was announced Vice Admiral Mead would step down as Director-General of the Australian Submarine Agency in mid-2026, with a senior figure claiming he is now likely to become High Commissioner to India where he has previously served.
An international search is underway to find a new head of the ASA, with some defence sources claiming Navy Chief Vice Admiral Mark Hammond is a possible local option, while the government also looks to appoint a boss for the new Defence Delivery Agency.
“It’s rather ironic that Moriarty is rewarded when the Government just announced the ‘biggest reform of Defence in 50 years’ which basically attributed the failures of defence acquisition being under the control of the Secretary,” a veteran defence official tells The Nightly.
Australia’s Ambassador to Beijing Scott Dewar is now a frontrunner candidate to take over from Mr Moriarty as Defence Secretary, or possibly the department’s current Associate Secretary Cath Patterson, while former Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg is considered a remote outside chance.
