On 8 February Major General Roger Noble addressed the Lowy Institute and provided frontline insights into the war against Islamic State. In his role as Deputy Coalition Land Force Commander Iraq, he is effectively second-in-command in the international fight against IS in Iraq. Major General Noble gave a unique and contemporary overview of the state of the anti-Islamic State campaign, the performance of the Iraqi forces, and likely challenges for the post-conflict future of Iraq. Based on the experience of 2016, he discussed some observations of enduring relevance to the conduct of 21st-century military operations.

Major General Roger Noble enlisted in the Army in 1984 and began military life as a staff cadet at the Royal Military College. From 1989 to 2004, he served in a variety of regimental appointments in cavalry, APC and tank units. In 2007, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed Director of Studies at the Australian Command and Staff College. In 2010, he was promoted to Brigadier, and has completed appointments as Commander 3rd Brigade, Director Special Operations Capability in Special Operations Command, and Director General Land Development, Capability Development Group. He was promoted to Major General in November 2016 and deployed with the US 101st Airborne Division as Deputy Coalition Land Force Commander, Iraq. He will be posted as Deputy Commander US Army Pacific with effect 1 March 2017.