Lieutenant Colonel Michael Crane was appointed as the Commanding Officer of 4th Field Regiment RAA in December 1997.

Michael was born in Hobart and educated at St Virgil’s College and the Royal Military College, Duntroon.  He was commissioned into the Royal Australian Artillery in 1980.  His early regimental appointments were in 4th Field Regiment and 8/12th Medium Regiment.  He also served as a tactics instructor at Duntroon and, following advanced gunnery training in Canada, as a gunnery instructor at the School of Artillery.  As a major, Michael served as Operations Officer/Battery Commander HQ Battery and Battery Commander 108th Field Battery in 4th Field Regiment, then as Staff Officer to the Army’s Chief of Personnel.  On promotion to lieutenant colonel, he worked as Deputy Director Military Strategy in Australian Defence Force Headquarters before returning to 4th Field Regiment as Commanding Officer. 

During his tenure as Commanding Officer, the Regiment was increasingly occupied with operations.  In May 1999, command and control elements and evacuation parties deployed to Darwin for potential evacuation operations in Indonesia as part of Operation BRANCARD.  From September that year, the Regiment provided command and control elements, civil military teams and a rifle company as part of 3 Brigade’s deployment to East Timor on Operation WARDEN.

Michael was promoted to colonel in 2000 to command the Army Recruit Training Centre.  From 2003, as a brigadier, he served as Director General Pacific in the Department of Defence’s International Policy Division; Chief of Staff in Headquarters Joint Operations Command; Commander Joint Task Force 633; and Director General Policy Support in Defence’s Policy Development Division. 

In 2008, Michael was promoted to major general, serving as Head Military Strategic Commitments; Deputy Director of Operations at United States Central Command; special projects officer for the Chief of Defence Force; and again as Commander Joint Task Force 633.  He retired from the Australian Regular Army in May 2014.

In January 2002, Michael was appointed a Member in the Order of Australia for his service as Commanding Officer 4th Field Regiment and Commandant Army Recruit Training Centre.  In January 2008, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service in the Middle East.  In January 2011, he was awarded the United States Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer) for his service at Central Command.

In June 2014, he was awarded the Bar to the Distinguished Service Cross for his further service in the Middle East.