[1] He has a lifelong interest in flying and aviation – as an adolescent, he would build Airfix aircraft models and affix them to his bedroom ceiling.

He did not consider a career in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), however, until a high school friend suggested they visit a recruiting office.

In 1995, as part of the exchange, Iervasi flew the Panavia Tornado F3 in support of Operation Deny Flight, helping to enforce the no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He was part of the inaugural Australian Command and Staff College course at Weston Creek in 2001, graduating with a Masters of Management in Defence Studies from the affiliated University of Canberra, and was posted to the Capability Systems office in RAAF Headquarters as Deputy Director Firepower.

[1][3][4] In September 2006, Iervasi flew Federal Treasurer Peter Costello on a combat training exercise to demonstrate the upgrades to the F/A-18 Hornet; the pair reached speeds of 850 kilometres per hour (530 mph) and six times the force of gravity, and Costello was left with a bloodied right ear (ostensibly from a helmet injury).

[1][3][9] As Task Unit 664.2.1, Iervasi commanded surveillance and fighter aircraft from the wing as part of the security and counter-terrorism measures for the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth.

Iervasi returned to Australia in July 2014 as Director General Air and,[1][3][4] in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his "exceptional service in air combat capability development and military operations".

[1][3] He remained in the Middle East until June 2019 and,[13] for his "outstanding achievement... exceptional operational oversight, [and] critical leadership" as Commander Joint Task Force 633, was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours.

[16] Iervasi was briefly, in February 2024, appointed an Assistant Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force to support an independent inquiry into the fatal crash of an MRH-90 Taipan helicopter during Exercise Talisman Sabre the previous year, which killed four crew;[17] he was replaced by Air Vice-Marshal Geoffrey Harland in March.