Commanding Officer HMAS Creswell
Captain Jaimie Hatcher, AM, RAN
Captain Jaimie C.F. Hatcher, AM, RAN joined the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in January 1986 as part of the first intake to the newly established Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra. He graduated from ADFA in 1988 with a Bachelors Degree in Science, and in 1989 from the Royal Australian Naval College as a Midshipman. Between 1989 and 1991 he completed the Executive Officer’s Application Course, serving in HMA Ships Cessnock and Swan. In 1990, while serving in HMAS Success he deployed as part of Operation DAMASK Naval Task Group (Liberation of Kuwait), he was awarded his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate and Primary Qualification as a Seaman Officer.
He consolidated his bridge qualifications in HMA Ships Torrens and Adelaide. In between each sea posting he completed courses in Anti-Submarine Aircraft Control and Air Intercept Control, which provided a basis for transition to Principle Warfare Officer (PWO) training.
In 1995, Lieutenant Hatcher completed the RAN PWO course, specialising as a Direction Officer. A posting to HMAS Brisbane for two years as the Gunnery Officer where he completed his sea going time as a Junior Officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on completion of his posting to Brisbane in 1997.
In 1998, Lieutenant Commander Hatcher served at the newly established Headquarters Australian Theatre (now HQJOC) as a Maritime Operations Officer. He then served as the Officer in Charge of the RAN Tactical Development Cell in 1999, where he was responsible for the production of Surface Warfare Tactics. Between 2000 and 2001, he was posted to Maritime Command (now Fleet Headquarters) as the Fleet Direction Officer and for a short period the Fleet Gunnery Officer’s role as well. On completion of this posting and in recognition of his work, he was awarded a Maritime Commander’s Commendation for his contribution to sea training and the revision of the Fleet’s Air Warfare training policy.
In 2002, he was posted to HMAS Melbourne as the Executive Officer (XO). The highlight of his brief 12 months as XO was Melbourne’s operational work up and deployment to the Middle East as part of Operation SLIPPER—blockading, and setting preconditions for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He was promoted to Commander during the deployment, to take effect in January 2003.
Commander Hatcher graduated from the Australian Command and Staff College in 2003 with a Masters Degree in Management in Defence Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Maritime Studies. His performance was further recognised by the award of the Chief of Navy’s prize for professional excellence in the Navy single Service module and the Commander Australian Theatre prize for achieving best student results in the Joint Operations module of the course.
Secondment to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in the National Security Division provided Commander Hatcher an exposure to whole of Government policy development in various aspects of national security matters, including current operations and major Defence acquisition decisions. Commander Hatcher then took up a posting as Deputy Director Future Maritime Warfare in Navy Headquarters, where he was responsible for Navy operational concept development and associated operational analysis and experimentation.
In April 2005, Commander Hatcher joined HMAS Toowoomba in Singapore and assumed command. His time in command included completion of a South East Asian Deployment and operational work up and deployment to the Middle East for a third time as part of the ADF contribution to Operation CATALYST—security and stabilisation operations in Iraq. He handed over command of Toowoomba in October 2007 and joined the Capability Development Group to serve in two distinct roles: one in Capability and Plans Branch, actively supporting the Force Structure Review as part of the Defence White Paper 2009 effort, also as the Director Air Warfare Destroyer Capability Development in the DMO, joining the project in May 2008.
He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for exceptional command and leadership of Toowoomba while deployed to the Middle East in the Queen’s Birthday Honour List in 2008, and was promoted to the rank of Captain in January 2009.
He is a Councillor of the Australian Naval Institute and has interests in rugby union, tennis and sailing.
Captain Hatcher assumed command of HMAS Creswell in January 2010.
