Lieutenant Commander Andrew Macalister
Lieutenant Commander Andrew Macalister, RAN, joined the Royal Australian Navy in March 1996 as a MIDN at the Royal Australian Naval College. He commenced Seaman Officer training in January 1997, which included training in HMA Ships Bendigo (II), Perth, Cessnock (II), Balikpapan, and Adelaide (II), and was promoted to SBLT in 2000.
Sub-Lieutenant Macalister’s post training career commenced as a Navigator and after completing the Intermediate Navigation Course Dec 2000, he served as Navigation Officer in HMAS Townsville until Dec 2002.
With aspirations of becoming a Principal Warfare Officer (PWO), Lieutenant Macalister was posted to Fleet Operations where he spent seven months working as a Duty Fleet Operations Officer during Operation Falconer and the Coalitions’ invasion of Iraq. Lieutenant Macalister then posted to the Surveillance and Control Training Unit at RAAF Williamtown. Here he completed the Air Defence Controllers Course in Dec 2003 and then assumed duties as Air Intercept Controller and Assistant Principle Warfare Officer in HMAS Newcastle in preparation for PWO course the following year.
Lieutenant Macalister completed PWO Course in Aug 2005 and posted to HMAS Ballarat. Here he assumed duties as the Anti Submarine Warfare Officer and saw operational service in the Middle East Area of Operations. Once Ballarat returned to Australia in Sep 2006, Lieutenant Macalister assumed the duties of Operations Officer onboard and participated in Operation Relex II and Anti Submarine Warfare Exercise 2006. A highlight of this period was conducting a family’s cruise from Melbourne to Sydney where he was able to embark his mother, Judy, and father, Dale, for the trip.
In March 2007, Lieutenant Macalister joined the FFG Capability Element Manager and assumed the challenging role of Capability Requirements Manager. In this role he was lucky enough to assist in facilitating an Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile firing from HMAS Sydney at the Pacific Missile Firing Range in Hawaii. He was also provisionally promoted to Lieutenant Commander in Jan 2008 and commenced sub-specialist training in Communications and Anti-Submarine Warfare later that year.
In Jan 2009, Lieutenant Commander Macalister posted as Operations and Communications Officer of HMAS Manoora. This proved to be a very busy but rewarding posting as he was exposed to Amphibious Operations through the multi-national exercises Commando Rajah 09 (with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines) and Talisman Sabre 09 (with the US Navy and US Marine Corps). It was on completion of Exercise Talisman Sabre 09 that he left Manoora for his Commanding Officer Designate Course.
LCDR Macalister assumed Command of Attack Five 15 Dec 2009 and rotates between HMA Ships Armidale and Bathurst with Attack Two and Attack Six.
LCDR Macalister is married to Lynne and they live in Larrakeyah with their three children, Lachlan, Liam and Cate. LCDR Macalister’s sports and interests include cycling, swimming, rugby, camping, fishing, exploring and maintaining his aging 80 series Landcruiser.
