Hannah Jude-Smith graduated from Strathcona in 1998 and joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1999 as an Intelligence Officer. She conducted her initial training at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
On graduation, she was awarded the Commander in Chief’s Medal, an Honours Degree in Arts, and a University Medal from the University of New South Wales.
In 2003, Hannah trained as an Intelligence Officer at the Defence Intelligence Training Centre and then provided intelligence to Air Force missions, both in Australia and on deployments in the Middle East.
Hannah has worked with intelligence professionals from United States and the United Kingdom during multiple deployments to the Middle East. She deployed as a Senior Intelligence Officer on the first Air Force rotation to combat Islamic State in Iraq in September 2014. Hannah also posted to the Defence Signals Directorate as an Operations Officer. As part of this role, she deployed to Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan with the Australian Army’s Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force.
Hannah has served as a Commander of 87 Squadron, the Air Force’s mission intelligence squadron that provides intelligence to the Australian Air Force’s training and operations.
Outside her intelligence roles, Hannah has also represented Australia as the Assistant Air and Space Attache at the Australian embassy in Washington D.C, promoting Australian interoperability with the United States Air Force, Navy and Space Force.
Hannah has a Master of Arts (International Relations) from Deakin University, and a Masters of Military and Defence Studies from the Australian National University. Hannah was awarded the Air Force and Governor General’s prizes on graduation from the Australian Command and Staff College in 2017.
In 2024, Hannah was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for exceptional service in intelligence capability development, strategic planning and international relations for the Australian Defence Force.
Hannah is currently the Chief of Staff to the Chief of the Defence Force and next year will return to intelligence roles in the National Intelligence Community.
The Strathcona Medal is awarded at Presentation Evening each year to an Old Strathconian. The Medal is given in recognition of excellence in a profession and exceptional service to the wider community in the spirit of the School’s motto: Bravely, Faithfully, Happily. All Old Strathconian’s are eligible for nomination.
