Congratulations on being recognised as one 23 Millennial Influencers by Associated Christian Schools. Full publication here.

Deanna Garbutt grew up in Brisbane, Queensland and graduated from Northside Christian College in 2003. Immediately following school, she joined the Royal Australian Navy as a Midshipman in January 2004. 

Following 12 months of the initial entry training at the Royal Australian Naval College and at sea in HMAS Melbourne, she posted to the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) where she undertook academic and military studies, graduating in December 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Management and Military History . After graduation, Sub-lieutenant Garbutt returned to the fleet to continue her Maritime Warfare Officer training culminating in the award of her Bridge Warfare Certificate (BWC) in 2010.  

She consolidated her training as an Officer of the Watch  in Melbourne for two years which included the ship’s Operation SLIPPER  deployment to the Middle East Region in Aug 2010 – Feb 2011. Shortly after returning to Australia, Lieutenant Garbutt deployed again, this time to East Timor (Operation ASTUTE ) for 7 months during the second half of 2011 as a watchkeeper in the Headquarters of Joint Task Force 631, as part of the International Stabilisation Force based in Dili. On completion of that deployment she took up a posting as Executive Officer  of the patrol boat crew ARDENT SIX, based out of HMAS Cairns and primarily assigned to HMA Ships Bundaberg and Childers. The two and a half years in that posting included frequent patrols in support of Operation RESOLUTE. 
 
In June 2014, Lieutenant Garbutt received a brief shore respite with a 6 month posting as a divisional officer  at ADFA before joining HMAS Sydney in January 2015 for the frigate’s decommissioning voyage. Lieutenant Garbutt then commenced Principal Warfare Officer Course 52 in May 2015 at HMAS Watson, graduating as a Force Surface Warfare sub-specialist in May 2016 and immediately posting to HMAS Arunta as the Gunnery Officer . From November 2016 to July 2017, Arunta deployed for 9 months to the Middle East in support of Operation MANITOU . On return from that deployment, she took up the role of Operations Officer  in Arunta.

In January 2018, Lieutenant Garbutt was posted on exchange to the United Sates Navy (USN) as the Assistant Operations Officer to the USN Amphibious Squadron Eleven, part of the US Seventh Fleet based in Sasebo Japan. That posting involved multiple deployments as part of the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) in and around Japan, North and South Korea, China and the greater Asian Region conducting multiple operations and exercises. 

On completion of that posting and return to Australia, Lieutenant Commander Garbutt took up her present position as Plans and Future Operations Officer at the Australian Fleet Battle Staff, part of the ADF’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters (DJFHQ) based at Gallipoli Barracks in Enoggera, Brisbane.