Australia's defence department chief, Greg Moriarty, has been appointed as the next ambassador to the United States, succeeding Kevin Rudd. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the appointment on Sunday, with Moriarty set to take up the post in Washington from April.
Moriarty, a career public servant and former chief of staff to Malcolm Turnbull, has led the Department of Defence since 2017. He previously served as Australia's ambassador to Iran and Indonesia, and as the country's inaugural counter-terrorism coordinator. His experience includes working in US Central Command during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and negotiating the peace monitoring group for Bougainville.
Prime Minister Albanese praised Moriarty as an outstanding public servant who has served both Labor and Coalition governments. He highlighted Moriarty's role in advancing the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement, which is central to Australia's relationship with the US. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also welcomed the appointment, describing Moriarty as a safe pair of hands to strengthen the alliance.
Moriarty's appointment follows consultations with the Trump administration. He was among several frontrunners for the role, including former Labor ministers Joel Fitzgibbon and Stephen Conroy. Kevin Rudd, who is leaving Washington a year early, will become global president of the Asia Society and head its Center for China Analysis.
Moriarty's successor at Defence will oversee a major overhaul of the department, including the merger of three agencies and the creation of a new independent delivery agency for complex defence projects. The changes, announced by Defence Minister Richard Marles in December, aim to address budget and timeline blowouts.
