Roger is a national security and foreign service professional with over 30 years of experience. His background is primarily as a military officer and senior diplomat with diverse experience at the policy, strategic, operational and tactical levels. He is amongst the most operationally and professionally experienced military officers of his generation. This has included experiences unique amongst Australian officers, including the planning and execution of large scale, complex campaigns such as the liberation of Mosul in 2016. His six tours of operational duty include multiple leadership roles in peacekeeping and combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor.