Spiritual Toughness: The Big Three Questions – CHAP Gav Keating

Oct 19, 2025

Chaplain Gav Keating, a former infantry officer who transitioned from leading troops to becoming an Army chaplain, shares compelling insights on spiritual toughness. He discusses the profound impact of personal loss as a catalyst for exploring life's meaning. Gav defines spirituality beyond religion, emphasizing its role in resilience and understanding identity. He explores the 'big three' questions—Who am I? Why am I here? How shall I live?—and illustrates how inner strength sustains people against adversities, shaping their purpose and fighting spirit.

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ANECDOTE

Personal Loss Triggered Deep Reflection

Gav Keating describes learning of his sister's unexpected death while serving as operations officer in East Timor in 2006.
That shock forced him to reconsider the meaning of his immediate duties versus enduring family connections.

INSIGHT

Spirituality Is Not The Same As Religion

Spirituality is broader than religion and is the search for meaning, purpose and identity.
Gav Keating stresses chaplains provide time and listening rather than forcing religious belief.

INSIGHT

Purpose, Meaning And Identity As Pillars

Gav Keating defines spirituality as the sources people use to answer who they are, why they're here and what their identity is.
Purpose, meaning and identity are the core pillars of spiritual life in his view.

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“It would be so much easier to say, ‘hey, I was riding on my white horse on the road to Damascus and I got struck down by lightning... but that’s definitely not what occurred.’”

In this week’s episode, the host sits down with Chaplain Gav Keating, whose journey through the Australian Army spans from the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, to the Special Air Service Regiment, to commanding the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment and leading Task Group Taji 6 as a Colonel on Operation OKRA—before making the shift to study theology and become an Army Chaplain. Now serving as the padre at 5/7 Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, Chaplain Keating reflects on the link between leadership, purpose, and what he calls spiritual toughness.

We explore how spirituality—defined not as religion, but as the search for meaning, purpose, and identity—underpins resilience and fighting spirit in soldiers. Drawing on his experience leading troops in combat and counselling them in peace, Chaplain Keating discusses the “big three” questions posed by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live? He uses case studies from his own operational experience and Senator John McCain’s time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam to explore what keeps people going when others are deliberately trying to break them.

From the moral component of fighting power to the power of reflection, we unpack how spiritual strength becomes a force multiplier in the profession of arms. Chaplain Keating introduces his concept of a Spiritual Appreciation—turning the Military Appreciation Process inward—and explains what happens when institutions fail to live up to the trust their people place in them.

He closes with a challenge: to take the time to write a personal mission statement and define what truly matters in your life. In a world of relentless tempo and external noise, he argues that clarity of purpose is not something that comes easy—but that it’s the foundation of resilience, leadership, and a strong fighting spirit.

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