Air Vice Marshal Julie Hammer, (born 17 February 1955) is an Australian engineer and a retired senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). She was the first woman to be promoted to one-star rank, and also the first woman to be promoted to two-star rank, in the Australian Defence Force. She was also the first woman to command an operational unit in the RAAF. Early life Julie Margaret Hammer was born in Brisbane on 17 February 1955. She was educated at Brisbane Girls Grammar School. Graduating in 1971, she was placed eighth in the State of Queensland in the Senior Public Matriculation Examination. She attended the University of Queensland where she majored in Physics, graduating with a Bachelor of Science with Honours. Service history In 1977, Hammer joined the RAAF as an Education Officer, serving in the engineer cadet squadron at Frognall, Melbourne until 1979, and then Instructor at the RAAF School of Radio at Laverton. In 1981, the Engineer Branch was opened to women and she transferred to the Electronics Category. She managed deep-level maintenance on the RAAF's F-111, UH-1 Iroquois, CH-47 Chinook, and Canberra aircraft with No. 3 Aircraft Depot at RAAF Base Amberley. She then worked at Headquarters Support Command in the engineering management of avionics equipment for the RAAF fleet. In June 1985 she was promoted to squadron leader, and became Sub-Section Head in the Aircraft Equipment Engineering Division (AEENG3) of Headquarters Support Command at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne. After 16 months study at No. 5 Advanced Systems Engineering Course at RAF Cranwell, she became a liaison officer in the Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence in London. After the completion of her Master of Science thesis in Aerosystems Engineering in 1987, she became a technical intelligence analyst with the Joint Intelligence Organisation in Canberra. This was followed by work on the P-3 Orion ESM Project, first as project engineer and then, following promotion to wing commander, as project manager. In 1992, she assumed command of the Electronic Warfare Squadron at RAAF Base Edinburgh, becoming the first woman to command an operational unit of the RAAF, for which she was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in the Australia Day list in 1997. She was also the recipient of the 1996 Association of Old Crows (Australian Chapter) Award for Distinguished Service to Electronic Warfare. Returning to Canberra in 1996, she took