Following his period of command, Hammond was posted as Assistant Naval Attaché in Washington, D.C. He returned to Australia as Director Future Submarines – Operational Requirements, before being posted to Joint Operations Command as Joint Exercise Director (J75). He subsequently became Director Submarine Sub-Program (Collins and Future Submarines) and, in November 2012, was appointed chief of staff to the Chief of the Defence Force, General David Hurley. Hammond relinquished the post in December 2013 and, in 2014, was made Director General Maritime Operations.[2][3]
Hammond was posted to the United States in 2017 as the Chief of the Defence Force Liaison Officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then General Joseph Dunford.[2][3] The following January, as part of the 2018 Australia Day Honours, Hammond was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his "exceptional service to the Australian Defence Force in senior command and staff roles".[5] The citation for the award, in particular, praised his "demonstrated exceptional professionalism, leadership and dedication" and described Hammond as a "highly accomplished submarine commander".[6] Hammond returned to Australia that March as Deputy Chief of Navy. After two and a half years in the role, he relinquished responsibility to Rear Admiral Christopher Smith in September 2020 and, on 17 November, succeeded Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead as Commander Australian Fleet.[2][3][7]