About the Speaker

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle enlisted as a soldier in the Army Reserves in 1987 before completing a Science degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy and graduating from the Royal Military College in 1992 into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. Appointed Chief of Joint Capabilities Group in July 2024, she proudly leads the Space and Cyber Domains and National Support for Defence.

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle has worked at the tactical, operational and strategic levels and is fortunate to have had multiple opportunities to command. Key appointments have included Head Information Warfare, Commander Forces Command, Commander Joint Task Force 633, Commander 6th Brigade, Commander Task Group Afghanistan and Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment. She has deployed to Timor Leste, Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle holds three post-graduate Masters and is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Army War College and an alumnus of the Harvard Advanced Management Program.

Lieutenant General Coyle was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for Commander Joint Task Force 633, a Distinguished Service Medal as Deputy Commander JTF 636 / Commander Task Group Afghanistan, and a Conspicuous Service Cross as Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment. Whilst posted to the United States, she received the U.S. Army Commendation Medal as 11th Signal Brigade Satellite Engineer.

Susan is married to Mark, an Engineer in the Army, and together they have three wonderful and mostly charming millennials – Jessica, Susie and Jack. Her hobbies include attending musical theatre, reading anything and travelling anywhere.