Air Vice-Marshal William Henman AM (Retd)

Air Vice-Marshal William Henman AM (Retd) joined the RAAF as a RAAF Academy Cadet in January 1978.

Following graduation from No 118 Pilots Course, his first flying appointment was with No 3 Squadron on Mirage IIIO in Butterworth Malaysia and later he converted to the F/A-18 in 1989.

Promoted to Wing Commander in 1998, he commanded No 2 Operational Conversion Unit for nearly three years. Following promotion to Group Captain in 2002, he took Command of No 81 Wing. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2003 for his meritorious performance in the successful integration of the Australian Fighter element into the Coalition, as the Commander of Air Combat Wing during Operation Falconer.   Air Vice-Marshal Henman was also awarded the US Bronze Star by the USAF.

In 2006, he graduated from the ADF Defence College and was posted to US Central Command in Florida as Director of the Combined Planning Group within the J5-Plans area of the HQ. He returned to Australia at the end of 2009 to take up the position as the Director General Air Command Operations within Air Force (also Director General Air in HQ Joint Operations Command at Bungendore).

He was promoted to Air Vice-Marshal in 2014 and assumed Command of HQ Integrated Area Defence System under the Five Powers Defence Arrangements in Butterworth Malaysia.

Air Vice-Marshal Henman was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016 for exceptional service and performance of duty to the RAAF. He is also a graduate of the University of Melbourne, RAAF Staff Course, United States Air War College and the Australian Defence College.

After just short of 40 years distinguished service in the RAAF, he transferred to the Air Force Reserve in 2017.

Air Vice-Marshal Henman is very happily married to Molly and his interests include aviation, reading, wine and travel (when their dogs allow).