Kahlil Fegan DSC AM, Repatriation Commissioner

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Mr Kahlil Fegan DSC AM was appointed as Australia’s Repatriation Commissioner on 15 September 2023.

Kahlil is the son of a Vietnam War veteran and his mother is a war widow supported by DVA. He followed his father into the Australian Army and served for almost 34 years leading and managing people and supporting families. His last appointment was a three-year tenure as the Commander of the 3^rd Combat Brigade in Townsville.

Kahlil served on multiple operational deployments and has led multi-national teams including the accomplished Mentoring Task Force – 4 in Afghanistan, and the Divisional Coalition Plans team responsible for the planning that assisted in the 2017 successful recapture of Mosul in Iraq.

Other high-profile roles include his three-year command of the 8/9^th Battalion and appointments as a senior infantry instructor to the Canadian Military Forces, as the personal Policy Officer to the Chief of the Defence Force, as the Chief of Staff of the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters and later as Chief of Staff to the Chief of Army.

His academic qualifications include a Masters Degree in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University (Washington DC), and a Masters Degree in Management from the University of New South Wales. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Newcastle and is a Graduate of the Royal Military College, the Australian Joint Command and Staff College, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course.

Kahlil’s Australian Honours include the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his command and leadership in warlike operations in Afghanistan in 2012; a Commendation for Distinguished Service for his command of a combat team security detachment in Iraq in 2004; and a second one for his time as Director of the Divisional Coalition Plans team also in Iraq. In 2023, Kahlil was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for exceptional service in the Australian Army.

As Repatriation Commissioner, Kahlil is independent of DVA.

Contact the Repatriation Commissioner:

REPATRIATIONCOMMISSIONER [at] dva.gov.au (REPATRIATIONCOMMISSIONER[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au)