2021-22 Command Team

Commanding Officer (CO)

Lieutenant Colonel Brent Hughes

Lieutenant Colonel Brent Hughes was born and raised in Sydney where he attended St Luke’s Grammar School before entering the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2002. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree Brent attended the Royal Military College- Duntroon and graduated into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps in December 2005, posting to the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.

As a Lieutenant, Brent completed the Protected Mobility Vehicle Commander’s course and deployed to both East Timor and Afghanistan on Operations ASTUTE and SLIPPER, respectively. On promotion to Captain, Brent was posted to Papua New Guinea in the Defence Cooperation Program as the Liaison Officer to the 1st Battalion, Royal Pacific Islands Regiment. In this role, he was fortunate to learn Tok Pisin, conduct several border reconnaissance patrols with the PNGDF and assist in the recovery of a downed PNG Airlines flight over the Owen Stanley Ranges. Brent was awarded the PNGDF Commander’s Commendation in 2010 for his efforts.

Brent went on to serve with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, assisting with the relocation to Townsville as the Adjutant and deploying again on Operation SLIPPER. Following this deployment, Brent served as an instructor at the Royal Military College-Duntroon. In this capacity, he twice served as a Package Master and was selected to lead the RMC-D team to West Point to compete in the Sandhurst cup. 

On promotion to Major in 2015 Brent was posted to the 8th/9th Battalion, RAR where he served as company commander for two years and then as Operations Officer in 2017. During his time as company commander he was honoured to command Force Protection Element 5 in Kabul as part of Operation HIGHROAD.

Brent was selected to the Australian Command and Staff College and completed the Art of War program in 2018. Upon graduation, he posted to the USA in a plans role in Experiment
Division at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) in Quantico Virginia. In this role Brent was responsible for designing the Marine Corps Service Level Experimentation
Campaign Plan and delivering future-oriented deliverables related to Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations for the Marine Corps. During this posting Brent also completed a Masters in Foresight to further his understanding of experiments and the Army future Operating Environment. On return from the USA, Brent served in Land Force Design. His team’s focus was on delivering Unified Domain Operations outcomes through experimentation for the future force and preparing the Australian Army for the future of war.

In December 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was honoured to take Command of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment.

Brent is married to Iveta and has a young son, Arnold. His personal interests include family time, military history, economics, fitness and travel.

Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM)

Warrant Officer Class One Darryl Egen

Warrant Officer Class One Darryl Egen is an Australian Army Warrant Officer with over thirty years’ experience across a range of regimental, operational, and training appointments in Australia and overseas. Warrant Officer Egen commenced his new appointment as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment in January 2023.
Warrant Officer Egen enlisted into the Australian Regular Army on the 11 April 1989 and was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps.

Warrant Officer Egen’s regimental experience as a Regimental Sergeant Major has been with the North-West Mobile Force and the 41st Battalion Royal New South Wales Regiment.
Warrant Officer Egen’s early career commenced in Townsville with the 2nd/4th and 2nd Battalions the Royal Australian Regiment, 25th/49 th Battalion the Royal Queensland Regiment, 11th/28th Battalion the Royal Western Australia Regiment and the 6th Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment. 

Warrant Officer Egen’s instructional postings have included the School of Infantry, Singleton as an instructor for Initial Employment Trainees and at the Goldie River Training Depot with
the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, as part of the Defence Co-Operation Program. Warrant Officer Egen was posted to the Combined Arms Training Centre (CATC) in 2019, as the
inaugural Land Range Safety Advisor for the Northern Territory and South Australia regions.

In January 2018, after a break in service, Warrant Officer Egen assisted with the raising of the Regional Force Surveillance Group Headquarters, (HQ RFSG) in Darwin as the Group
Training Warrant Officer and acting Regimental Sergeant Major.

Warrant Officer Egen has served on operations in East Timor, with the 2nd Battalion, OP TANAGER, Afghanistan with the 6th Battalion as part of MTF-1. Warrant Officer Egen was the Regimental Sergeant Major, Combined Task Force 635, Rotation 29, OP ANODE, Solomon Islands, which comprised mostly of soldiers from 8 Brigade and members of the PNGDF and NZDF. Warrant Officer Egen has also served on Operation Resolute during his tenure with the North-West Mobile Force as part JTF 639, the ADF contribution to the Whole of Government effort to protect Australia’s borders with Regional Force Surveillance Unit (RFSU) patrols.

Warrant Officer Egen and his wife Anita are from Brisbane, Queensland and they have two adult children.