Major General Matt Pearse, AO

Head Force Integration

Major General Pearse assumed the role of Head Force Integration on 10 December 2024. He is responsible for leading, designing and assuring the delivery of interoperable capabilities for Defence.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Major General Pearse has had the privilege of commanding defence teams at each rank level including the 1st Brigade [2017-2019] where he led Army’s ready brigade and enhanced regional engagement, and Forces Command [2020-2022] where he led the transformation of Army’s training system to be more scalable and agile.

Most recently he was a team leader in the Defence Strategic Review Implementation Task Force [2023-2024], which coordinated implementation of the Defence Strategic Review, and delivered the inaugural National Defence Strategy.

Major General Pearse has deployed on operational service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and served overseas as an instructor with the British and New Zealand Armies. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School, the Australian Command and Staff College, and is an affiliate of the Australian Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies.