Desmond served in the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), the Royal Navy (RN), the British Army and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as an education officer teaching leadership, naval and military history and strategic studies to junior officers and senior NCOs. He retired from the RAN in June 2023.
He holds a BA in Modern History from the University of Canterbury, NZ, a Masters in Political Science from the University of Southampton UK and a Masters in Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales.
In addition to being an officer holder in the ACT Branch of the AIIA since 2015, he is a Councillor of the Australian Naval Institute and an active member of the Naval Historical Society of Australia (NHSA) and the United Services Institute. He is a contributor of articles, book reviews, obituaries and speeches to Australian and international defence journals. Desmond is also an active member of Legacy (ACT) and the Rotary Club of Canberra.
He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (Mil) in 2022 for his work preserving the Navy’s heritage and his care for the families of deceased RAN veterans.
