Chris Barrie

Chris Barrie   ( mariner)
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	•  North Sydney Boys High School •  Royal Australian Naval College •  Britannia Royal Naval College
Member of	Australian Davos Connection, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre
Australian officer who participated in the Children Overboard coverup. By 2026 lobbied for censorship of "climate disinformation" and the merging of military "security" and "climate action".  Chief of the Defence Force In office 4 July 1998 - 3 July 2002 Employer Australia/Military Recanted his earlier statements in Children Overboard. By 2020s became advocate for censorship

Admiral Christopher Alexander Barrie is a retired senior officer of the Australian Navy, who was Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 1998 to 3 July 2002, when his recanting of his earlier statements about the Children Overboard affair, let the John Howard government off the hook over its actions. By the 2010s he became active in opaquely funded action groups on "climate change", advocating censorship of people disagreeing with him.

Background

Barrie was born in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville, on 29 May 1945.

Education

He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School, and entered the Royal Australian Naval College as a cadet midshipman in 1961.

A graduate of the Britannia Royal Naval College, Barrie completed through part-time study a Bachelor of Arts with majors in International Relations and Politics in 1983 and was conferred a Master of Business Administration in 1996 by Deakin University.

Career

Barrie was part of the commissioning crew of HMAS Brisbane, which included a seven-month tour of duty in Vietnam, during 1969. He also was Commanding Officer of several other ships.

In 1990 to 1991, Barrie held an appointment as Defence Adviser, New Delhi, India. Following this post, he was promoted to commodore and worked as Director RAN Surface Warfare School and Commanding Officer of HMAS Watson from 1991 to 1992. He was appointed Deputy Maritime Commander and Chief of Staff at Maritime Headquarters in Sydney from 1992 to 1995, for which he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994.

On promotion to rear admiral, Barrie worked as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, before being appointed Vice Chief of the Defence Force with the rank of vice admiral in March 1997. The following year, Barrie was advanced to Officer of the Order of Australia.

Barrie was promoted to admiral, and assumed the post of Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) on 4 July 1998. He held this position until his retirement. As CDF, Barrie was involved in the "Children Overboard Affair" of 2001, a high-level political controversy which occurred during the Australian federal election campaign. Barrie was the last Australian Government official to publicly support Prime Minister John Howard's assertion that refugees had thrown their children overboard from their sinking vessel. Barrie retired on 3 July 2002, and was succeeded as CDF by General Peter Cosgrove.

He was made a Commander of the Legion of Merit by the United States in 2003.

Later activities

He was selected Australian chair of the Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change. In 2015 he was an author of a report "Climate Change, Security and the ADF".

In 2026, Barrie, as part of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG), declared that "the fight against the disinformation war would require political courage and decisive action," because of its "undermining renewable energy investment stability, eroding trust in scientific and governmental institutions, and polarising communities around infrastructure projects".

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