Daniel Hynes

Background

About Daniel Hynes

I am a Senior Chaplain in the Royal Australian Navy and a former Principal Warfare Officer, with over four decades of operational, pastoral, and strategic leadership across both the Australian and Canadian Navies. My career has included frontline command, multinational deployments, and leading Defence-wide reform in spiritual health and wellbeing. As the inaugural Director of Spiritual Health and Wellbeing within the Australian Defence Mental Health and Wellbeing Branch, I led the Moral Injury Project, helping to define Defence's first enterprise-wide Chaplaincy response to moral trauma. My postgraduate research explores how ADF chaplaincy can support members experiencing moral injury, with a specific case study on the ‘Children Overboard Affair’. I bring a lived and living perspective of high-stakes leadership, spiritual care, and institutional healing. Passionate about leadership, spiritual resilience, and moral repair in complex environments, I believe chaplaincy is uniquely placed to bridge the gap between trauma and trust. Whether at sea, in the field, or in policy reform, I remain committed to the flourishing of people and the restoration of purpose in service life and beyond.