Mr McBride told the Central Western Daily the appointment of the navy admiral could prompt reform in the Australian Defence Force.

"It's good to have a break from an army Chief of Defence Force as it may enable reform to be taken at arms length and with some objectivity," Mr McBride said.

"Mr Johnston is a reformer who is aware of some of the problems of the clash of politics and defence."

In November Mr McBride pleaded guilty to three offences, including stealing commonwealth information and disclosing it to journalists at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The ABC then used the information to form their investigative program, The Afghan Files, exposing war crimes in Afghanistan.

Mr McBride told the CWD his intention in leaking the documents was to expose inconsistencies in defence investigations and to hold leadership accountable for failing to address poor conduct correctly.

The former army lawyer is facing up to a life sentence in prison for the offences with his sentencing date scheduled on May 6.

When asked how he felt about the prospect of the sentence he said he feels imprisonment is likely, but he "will not sit at home and worry".

"I may as well get out and see a bit of Australia and if nothing else, I'll have some nice memories when I'm locked up," he said.

"I'm going to rest and try to get my head together, so I can handle whatever happens with as much dignity as possible."

Despite Mr McBride welcoming David Johnston's appointment, he has previously criticised the leadership of the Australian Defence Force, stating the need for top-down reorganisation.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with the ABC series The Afghan Files for targeting only soldiers, rather than holding both soldiers and generals accountable.

"My job as a legal officer was to make sure the law was applied or that the law applies evenly to everybody," he said.

"Nobody has ever pointed the finger at what effect the leadership is having.

"I still hope that I can change the relationship between the leadership of the Defence Force and hopefully if I can make that happen it'll all be worth it."

While preparing for the possibility of imprisonment, Mr McBride has chosen to explore regional Australia, which he has described as a "breath of fresh air".

His father, William McBride owned a wheat and sheep farm in Condobolin, two hours from Orange.

Mr McBride has fond memories of the farm as a young boy and teenager shooting rabbits, kangaroos, driving around in utes and playing in the river with his brother.

His father called the property "The Island" as the Lachlan River's tributaries wrapped around all sides of the farm.

"The farm was always my father's favourite place in the world, so it's nice to be back," Mr McBride said.

"It had a lot of trees and I used to always imagine as a kid that bushrangers like Ben Hall would live in an area and that would kind of inspire me."

Mr McBride hosted a book signing event in Orange this week for his 2023 book in The Nature of Honour.

He said he hopes to meet "the real Australia" on his regional trip and to promote his book to as many people as possible.