Ken Doolan

Rear Admiral Kenneth Allan "Ken" Doolan, AO, RAN (born 15 January 1939) is an Australian naval officer, author, and is currently National President of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL). He was a Rear Admiral in the Royal Australian Navy, his most senior commands being Fleet Commander including Operational Commander of all Australian combatant forces deployed to the First Gulf War.

Early life
Doolan was born in Sydney, and received his primary education in Brisbane.

Naval career
Doolan joined the Royal Australian Navy as a 13 year old Cadet Midshipman in January 1953, attending the Royal Australian Naval College. He graduated in 1956, undertook sea training in the frigate HMAS Swan (U74) in 1957 and in December 1958 graduated from the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Devon. Significant postings held during his 41 year naval career included:
 * aide-de-camp to Governor General Viscount De L’Isle, 1964–1965
 * Military Secretary to Governor General Lord Casey, 1965
 * Direction Officer destroyer HMAS Vampire (D11) during the Indonesian Confrontation, 1966
 * Navigating Officer, guided missile destroyer HMAS Perth (D 38) during the Vietnam War, 1970–1971
 * Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, 1980, including award of a Master Mariner’s Certificate
 * commissioning Commanding Officer, amphibious heavy lift ship HMAS Tobruk (L 50), 1981
 * Commanding Officer, guided missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane (D 41), 1984–1985
 * Naval Attaché, Washington DC, United States of America, 1987–1989
 * Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, 1989–1990
 * Maritime Commander, Australia, 1990–1991, including being appointed Operational Commander of all Australian combatant forces deployed to the First Gulf War
 * Assistant Chief of the Defence Force (Development), 1991 - 1993 (retired)

Second career
After leaving the Australian Defence Force, Doolan has been:
 * Commissioner, Inquiry into the East Coast Armaments Complex, 1994–1996
 * Member, Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal, 1996–1999
 * National Secretary of the Order of Australia Association and Company Secretary of that Association’s Foundation, 2002–2005
 * Member, National Defence Committee of the Returned and Services League, since 2002
 * Established a book publishing company with his wife - Grinkle Press, 2006
 * President, Australian Institute of Navigation, 2007 -
 * President, Returned and Services League of Australia, September 2009 -

He first came to public notice as President of the RSL in late September 2009 when he made statements in support of Breeanna Till, the pregnant widow of an Australian serviceman Sergeant Brett Till who was killed in Afghan war (ADF Operation Slipper) in early 2009.

Family
Doolan is married to Elaine. They live in rural New South Wales near the national capital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Publications

 * Maritime Power in the 20th Century – The Australian Experience Chapter 13, Allen & Unwin, 1998
 * A commanding presence: the life of G.H. Barker bookseller, naturalist and ornithologist, Ginninderra Press, 2002
 * We Were Cadet Midshipmen – RANC Entrants 50 Years On (contributor & publisher), Grinkle Press, 2006
 * HMAS Tobruk: warship for every crisis, Grinkle Press, 2007
 * Steel Cat: the story of HMAS Brisbane: Vietnam and Gulf War veteran, Grinkle Press, 2009