She was Assistant Chief of Staff to General David Petraeus during the Iraq War troop surge of 2007, and was the first female Commanding Officer of the Royal Military College, Duntroon and Commandant at the Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka.

[4] Opportunities for women in the Army were more restricted then, and on graduation she was commissioned and assigned to the Royal Australian Corps of Signals.

[6] In 2007 she went to Iraq as Assistant Chief of staff of General David Petraeus's Multi-National Force during the Iraq War troop surge of 2007, working under the Chief of Staff, Major General John M. Paxton Jr.[4][7] Petraeus's headquarters, which was made up of about 1,800 personnel, was split between the Embassy site in Baghdad and Camp Victory.

So I found it an incredibly steep take off to learn the American military language and the way they did their business inside an HQ, and then the idiosyncrasies of their Department of State and the culture between the two of them.

So the first month was a lot of different things coming at me but it was absolutely fascinating to see how a campaign actually is conducted at that level.

[4]Wilkie was awarded the United States' Bronze Star Medal for her service in Iraq.

[7] Her job also involved liaising with the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, General John R.

[7] She is currently married and lists her leisure activities as home renovation, and playing field hockey and golf.

[6] Asked if she had any advice for young women, Wilkie said: "If you want to serve your country, your gender is not an issue.