SIC ITUR AD ASTRA – Next Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force | Aviation royale canadienne
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Major General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet RMC 1994, on promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General, will replace Lieutenant General Eric Kenny as Commander, Royal Commander Air Force, later this year.
Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes – Next Canadian Military Representative (NATO)
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Major General Greg Smith CMR 1993, on promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General, will replace Vice Admiral Scott Bishop as the Canadian Military Representative at NATO, later this year.
PRO PATRIA
READY AYE READY – Next Commander Maritime Forces Pacific/Joint Task Force Pacific, Royal Canadian Navy | Marine royale canadienne
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Rear Admiral David Patchell RMC 1998 will replace Rear Admiral Christopher Robinson as Commander, Maritime Forces Pacific/Joint Task Force Pacific, later this year.
Canadian Army | Armée canadienne – General Officer Retirements
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that the following General Officers of the Canadian Army have released, or will release, from the Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes:
Major General Simon Bernard CMR RMC 1993
Major General Peter Dawe
Major General Rob Dundon
Brigadier General Steven Graham RRMC RMC 1993
Brigadier General Scott McKenzie RRMC 1993
Brigadier General Tod Strickland
Brigadier General Virginia Tattersall RMC 1989
Brigadier General Eric Vandenberg RMC 1993
We thank them, and the families that supported them, for their service to Canada, Canadians and the Canadian Army.
Royal Canadian Air Force | Aviation royale canadienne (RCAF) – General Officer Retirements
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that the following RCAF General Officers have released or will release from the Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes:
Lieutenant General Lise Bourgon CMR 1992
Lieutenant General Blaise Frawley
Lieutenant General Eric Kenny CMr RMC 1994
Major General Sean Boyle, OMM, MSC, MSM, CD RRMC RMC 1987
Major General F. William Radiff RRMC RMC 1992
Major General Simon Trudeau CMR 1993
Brigadier General John Alexander, OMM, MSM, CD
Brigadier General (AWSE) James Hawthorne, OMM, CD RMC 1998
We thank them, and the families that supported them, for their service to Canada, Canadians and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Royal Canadian Navy | Marine royale canadienne (RCN) – Flag Officer Retirements
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that the following RCN Flag Officers have released, or will release, from the Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes:
Vice Admiral Scott Bishop
Rear Admiral Steven Thornton
Commodore Dan Bouchard
We thank them, and the families that supported them, for their service to Canada, Canadians and the Royal Canadian Navy, and wish them fair winds and following seas in the future.
VIGILAMUS PRO TE – Next Chief of Staff, Army Operations, Canadian Army | Armée canadienne Army
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Brigadier General Paul Lockhart CMR 1995 will replace Brigadier General Heather Morrison RMC 1998 as COS Army Operations later this year.
MATERIEL – Next Chief of Staff, Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel) (COS Mat)
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Brigadier General Luc Girouard CMR RMC 1997, upon promotion to the rank of Major General, will replace Major General Rob Dundon as COS (Mat) later this year.
UNANIMI CUM RATIONE – Next Deputy Commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC)
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Brigadier General Tim Arsenault CMR RMC 1998, upon promotion to Major General, will replace Major General Simon Bernard CMR RMC 1993 as Deputy Commander, CJOC, later this year.
JE ME SOUVIENS
UNANIMI CUM RATIONE – Next Director General Support, Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC)
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Brigadier General Heather Morrison RMC 1998 will replace Brigadier General Scott McKenzie OMM CD RRMC 1993 as DG Support CJOC, later this year.
PER SCIENTIAM VIRES – Next Commander Canadian Defence Academy
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Major General Jeannot Boucher CMR RMC 1997 will replace Major General Denis OReilly as Commander, Canadian Defence Academy, later this year.
SIC ITUR AD ASTRA
VIGILAMUS PRO TE – Next Commander, 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div)
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, recently announced that Brigadier General Marie-Christine Harvey RMC 2001 will replace Brigadier General Patrick Lemyre RMC 1995 as the Commander, 2nd Cdn Div, later this year.
QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT/UBIQUE
CAE Defense & Security appoints France Hébert (RMC 1992) as Division President, D&S Canada and Global Operations Lead at CAE, marking a significant milestone for CAE. Read more: https://loom.ly/nyrnmNk
She leads over 1,900 employees globally and is shaping the operational strategy for both CAE’s divisions, Civil Aviation and Defense & Security.
CAE D&S Canada’s success with generational contracts like Future Aircrew Training (FAcT), the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), and designation as a strategic partner to the Government of Canada for Future Fighter Lead-In Training (FFLIT) are unprecedented. CAE is proud to have Hébert continue her contributions to the safety and sovereignty of our nation.
Marcelle Laliberté (CMR RMC 1996) in a TV debate on France24 – Free speech in Trump’s America: Drawing up the battlelines
US President Donald Trump likes to say he’s the protector of free speech. Yet, his administration has already threatened Democratic Congress members with investigation for criticising conservatives while withdrawing federal grants that include language it opposes. This as it sanctioned law firms that represent Trump’s political opponents and arrested the Palestinian organiser of student protests that Trump criticised as “anti-Semitic, anti-American”. The US president is stripping back the government-funded news organisation Voice of America as he accuses it of being “anti-Trump” and “radical”. So will free speech survive in America? And are we merely witnessing the opening salvos of a war on so-called wokeism?
CDR Radio Episode 50 – Christyn Cianfarani – https://canadiandefencereview.com/podcasts/cdr-radio/
CDR Radio sits down with Christyn Cianfarani, (RMC 1995) President & CEO of CADSI, for an exclusive preview of what to expect at CANSEC, Canada’s biggest defence and security event.
For more information about CANSEC visit: https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/CANSEC/
BC Supreme Court welcomes five new judges: Sukstorf, Greenwood, Giltrow, Wolfe, and Bantourakis
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani has announced a series of appointments to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
The newly appointed justices, Sandra Sukstorf RMC 1986, Christopher Greenwood, Maegen Giltrow, Karrie Anne Wolfe, and Y. Liliane Bantourakis, bring a wealth of experience and diverse backgrounds to the bench.
Sandra Sukstorf was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, transitioning from her role as a military judge at the Office of the Chief Military Judge. Her distinguished career includes a Master of Laws from Queen’s University, a Master of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada, and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University. A military veteran, Sukstorf has presided over court martials across Canada and was a key figure in managing the investigations, monitoring, and enforcement department at the Law Society of British Columbia. Her expertise in military, maritime, and international criminal law has been pivotal, particularly as an inaugural legal adviser for the Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia. Her exceptional service has earned her an officer induction into the Order of Military Merit and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
ARCFIELD CANADA: Ready and Able to Support Canada’s New CF-35s – https://canadiandefencereview.com/arcfield-canada-cf-35s-cover-story/
For over 35 years, Arcfield Canada has provided avionics service and support for the RCAF’s CF-18 fighter fleet, ensuring these aircraft remain operational in the most difficult and challenging environments. “Our commitment to excellence has positioned us at the forefront of CF-18 fighter sustainment since the fleet’s inception,” said Jacques Comtois, (RMC 1982)Vice President of Canadian Operations. (He is in charge of Arcfield Canada, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arcfield.) “No Canadian company has been closer, for longer, to the Canadian fighter fleet than Arcfield.”
In 2026, the RCAF will begin receiving the first four of 88 Lockheed Martin F-35 jet fighters (referred as CF-35 in RCAF nomenclature) as it moves to phase out the CF-18 by 2032. Given Arcfield Canada’s proven track record in maintaining the RCAF’s current fighter fleet, it is a natural fit for the company to support the CF-35 as it enters service.
Arcfield Canada is proposing to do so in partnership with OneLogistics, the operator of the European Regional F-35 warehouse, and the largest F-35 supply chain manager outside of the US. “We are ready to continue the meat and potatoes support of the RCAF’s fleet in the future as we have done in the past and are doing in the present,” Comtois told CDR.
9950 Leo Gravelle CMR RMC 1969-1974 was awarded King Charles III’s coronation medal amongst graduates from a military Colleges. He was awarded the medal by the Lieutenant-governor of Quebec, Manon Jeannotte, on Dec 1 2024.
6601 Colonel (Retired) Ernest Cable graduated from RMC Kingston in 1965. He served as a RCAF maritime air navigator accumulating thousands of hours flying anti-submarine and arctic reconnaissance patrols. His career included a three-year exchange posting with the U.S. Naval Air Development Center where he was awarded the “Secretary of the Navy Commendation” for his contribution to improving the U.S. Navy’s P-3C anti-submarine aircraft. Colonel Cable retired from the RCAF in 1995 as Deputy Commander of Maritime Air Group where he was inducted into the “Order of Military Merit” for his career-long advancement of maritime aviation. Following retirement, Colonel Cable volunteered to serve on the Shearwater Aviation Museum’s Board of Directors and as the museum’s historian, positions he filled for over 20 years. During his historical research he noted that many Canadians were unaware that their nation’s naval and RCAF maritime aviation history occurred far out to sea out of the public’s eye and consequently received very little publicity and scant recognition by the public. This motivated him to author innumerable papers detailing Canada’s remarkable unsung naval and maritime aviation heritage. These papers are preserved the museum’s archives and have been published in various media across Canada to not only edify Canadians but also serving and retired military members about the history forged by their forebearers. In 2014, Colonel Cable was invited to join the “Maritime Air Veterans Association” (MAVA), a Department of Veterans Affairs committee member committed to preserving Canada’s naval and maritime aviation history and heritage and advocating for veterans’ benefits. He volunteered to be the MAVA historian and including his tenure as the Shearwater historian he has spent more than 30 years researching and publishing papers documenting Canada’s maritime aviation history, which have been acknowledged by academia. He also volunteered to author the maritime aviation chapters in three books documenting the history of the RCAF and RCN, as well as volunteering to consult and narrate the Battle of the Atlantic segment of the film, “Wings of Honour”, a documentary commemorating the RCAF’s centennial in 2024.
The Department of Veterans Affairs was allocated approximately 250 King Charles III Coronation Medals to be awarded to veterans selected for their volunteerism from more than 70 veterans’ associations. Colonel Cable is grateful to MAVA for nominating him; and to the Department of Veterans Affairs for his selection as one of the 250 veterans to be awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Mama, you rock! Well done, my friend. None of us are surprised. Class of 94 is certainly leaving its mark on the CAF.
Well done Leo! If I’m not mistaken you were one of my Junior Officers for a time at CFB Cornwallis when I was the Base Comptroller in the early 80s.
Cheers
Don Todd (8767)