Heston Russell

Heston Russell is an Australian retired Special Forces officer.

Heston Russell
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAustralian Army
RankMajor
Commands heldSpecial Operations Command
Known forVeteran Support Force VSF.org.au
Battles/warsIraq War, War in Afghanistan
Websitehestonrussell.com

Early life and education

Russell joined the Australian Army at the age of 17 and graduated from the Royal Military College of Duntroon in 2006. While at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Russell completed a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales, majoring in history and Indonesian.[1]

Career

Following his graduation from the Royal Military College of Duntroon Russell was posted to his first commissioned appointment as a platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR), where he deployed to East Timor to carry out peacekeeping operations.

During his tenure within 2 CDO REGT, Russell completed the commando platoon commander, CEO, and adjutant appointments. These appointments also included four operational deployments to Afghanistan[2][3] and the Middle East Area of Operations and saw Operational Service in support of several Counterterrorism operations within the Asia-Pacific Region.[4]

In 2016, Russell completed his final operational deployment to Iraq as the Special Operations joint lead planner within the Special Operations Joint Task Force combating ISIS.[5]

In 2017, following his return from his deployment, Russell worked to expand Barry's Bootcamp, the US-originated boutique fitness brand to Australia and Singapore.[6] Later, Barry's Bootcamp, was brought to Australia and Russell was appointed as its head of operations.[7] In January 2019 Russell was officially discharged from the Australian Defence Force.[8]

Between October 2020 and March 2021, Russell successfully launched and lead the campaign to retain the Meritorious Unit Citations for over 3,000 Special Forces personnel.[9] During this time Russell was also responsible for lobbying members of the Federal Government to unanimously vote for a motion to support the calling of a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.[10]

Following the successful results of these campaigns, Russell established the Charity Veteran Support Force LTD to support Veterans and their families during the conduct of the Royal Commission.[11]

In September 2021, Russell founded the Australian Values Party, registering with the Australian Electoral Commission as a political party that focuses on veterans' rights.[12][13][14]

Russell is now the Managing Director of Veteran Support Force (VSF) after stepping down from the [Australian Values Party] in January 2023.[15]

Campaigns

Russell launched, led, and supported several campaigns supporting veterans:

References
  1. "Heston Russell". Saxton Speakers. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. "'We lost our way': ex-soldiers regret how Australia got bogged down in Afghanistan". the Guardian. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  3. "Australian special forces soldiers incensed at war crimes inquiry clearing commanders of blame". the Guardian. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  4. "Heston Russell Archives". Veteran Support Force. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  5. "Afghanistan: Final Phase Failure". Penthouse Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  6. "Barry's Bootcamp boss buys unit a day after Australian launch - realestate.com.au". www.realestate.com.au. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  7. "Insane celebrity workout 'burns 1000 calories': Barry's Bootcamp is opening in Australia".
  8. "Heston Russell Archives". Veteran Support Force. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  9. "Heston Russell Archives". Veteran Support Force. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  10. "Veteran Support Force". Veteran Support Force. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  11. "Veteran Support Force". Veteran Support Force. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  12. "Retired SAS commander Heston Russell addresses Queensland hotel quarantine mix-up for Afghanistan troops - Drive with Jim Wilson". omny.fm. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  13. "Russell says people have had too many freedoms taken away by those in power".
  14. "Heston Russell, Special Forces Major (ret'd): Learning through Crisis, from Military Combat Operations & COVID – Rotary Club of Sydney". Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  15. "Australian Values Party". Australian Values. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  16. "Aussie vet labels Afghan departure a 'monumental failure'". The West Australian. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  17. Curtis, Katina (30 November 2020). "Defence Force chief Angus Campbell backs down on stripping SAS awards". The Age. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
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