A talk by Mike Kelly on “Through the Looking Glass Darkly - The Contemporary Information Warfare Landscape” Israel, the Middle East and the security challenges ahead for all. 

COL The Honourable Dr Mike Kelly, AM (retd)

While working his way through university, Mike worked as a storeman and packer, a cleaner, and a labourer. Upon graduation from university and the College of Law, Mike worked at a law firm in Sydney fighting for the rights of injured workers, helping with campaigns for those suffering from asbestos related diseases.

Mike joined the Army in 1987 and has extensive military experience including a number of operational deployments, finishing his career at the rank of Colonel. He served in Somalia (for which he was awarded the Chief of the General Staff’s Commendation and made a Member of the Order of Australia); and was seconded to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia. He deployed on a successful hostage recovery mission to Kenya; and was a member of the UN Peacekeeping Force in East Timor, where he was awarded the Force Commander’s Commendation. He also served a year in Iraq from 2003-2004. 
His last full posting with the Army was in Strategy Group, responsible for the Middle East, NATO and peacekeeping. In this posting he was involved in the management of the 2006 crises in Timor Leste and Lebanon.   

Mike has been a regular speaker at military training programs and conferences around the world and is a leading expert on peace and stabilisation operations, post conflict reconstruction and counter-insurgency. He has published two books along with numerous articles and chapters in books. His research led to the awarding of a PhD from the University of New South Wales in 1997.

Mike was elected as the Member for Eden Monaro in November 2007. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support in the Rudd Labor Government. On 25 February 2009, Mike was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Water in addition to his existing duties.
Following the 2010 election, Mike was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in the Gillard Labor Government on 14 September 2010.

On 14 December 2011 Mike was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, with responsibility for Afghanistan Transition. He was made Minister for Defence Materiel in February 2013.

After the 2013 elections Mike took up the position of National Security Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition Mr Bill Shorten, covering Foreign Affairs, Defence, Veterans Affairs and Domestic Security.

Mike was re-elected to the seat of Eden Monaro in 2016 and again in 2019. He served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence and was a member of the Shadow National Security Committee of Cabinet and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. 

In 2020 Mike resigned from Parliament due to health reasons related to his military service and was appointed President of Palantir Technologies Australia.

Mike is one of the founding Co-Conveners of Labor Friends of Israel, established in late 2023.