News Release shared from: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2024/07/general-jennie-carignan-assumes-command-as-chief-of-the-defence-staff.html
July 18, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Today, General Jennie Carignan assumed leadership of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) from outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, presided over this morning’s ceremony, which took place at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Canada’s highest-ranking military officer is responsible for advising the government, providing strategic leadership to the CAF, and ensuring military readiness and effectiveness to defend Canada’s interests at home and abroad.
General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, has had a distinguished career since commissioning into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1990. She commanded two Combat Engineer Regiments, Royal Military College Saint-Jean, and the 2nd Canadian Division. She participated in multiple international and domestic deployments, led NATO Mission Iraq and most recently held the position of Chief of Professional Conduct and Culture. General Carignan holds two master’s degrees and has received several honours, including the Commander of the Order of Military Merit and an honorary doctorate. She was promoted to her current rank in July 2024.
Following today’s ceremony, General Wayne Eyre will begin his transition to retirement following a career of more than 40 years of dedicated service to Canada. General Eyre joined the Army Cadets at age 12 and has had a prominent military career, including command roles at all levels and deployments in Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Korea. Educated at Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada, he holds a Bachelor of Science and three master’s degrees. General Eyre has been the Chief of the Defence Staff since February 24, 2021, and has received numerous national and international decorations for his service.
Quotes
“Today, I join Canadians in welcoming General Jennie Carignan as Chief of the Defence Staff. General Carignan has served Canada with great distinction both at home and abroad over the past 35 years – and I am confident that the Canadian Armed Forces will be well-served by her leadership. On behalf of Canadians, I also express my thanks to General Wayne Eyre for his leadership and 40 years of distinguished service to Canada.”
– The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence
“I am deeply honoured to assume the role of Chief of the Defence Staff and to lead the dedicated members of the Canadian Armed Forces. I am committed to continuing our mission of defending Canada and contributing to global peace and security. I extend my heartfelt thanks to General Eyre for his exceptional leadership and service.”
– General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff
“It has been my distinct honour to serve as the Chief of the Defence Staff and to work alongside the incredible members of the Canadian Armed Forces. I have full confidence in General Carignan’s ability to lead and inspire the Forces to face the challenges ahead. This is an institution with great people with no higher purpose and I am proud of what they do in the service of our country every day. They have my most profound thanks.”
– General Wayne Eyre, Outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff
General Eyre’s final message to the CAF
Shared from: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/defence/2024/07/general-eyre-final-message-caf.html
Today, as I hand over command of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to General Carignan, I want to leave you with a final message.
Over the course of the last several years, we have seen the world becoming increasingly tumultuous and dangerous, with non-stop crises arising and a return to the spectre of great power conflict. The world is awash in toxic disinformation, attacking our institutions of democracy, including our own. Our climate is changing, and our society is undergoing massive changes. I am convinced that history will view our current era as a turning point.
In all of this, I firmly believe that the CAF is a force for good. We provide security and stability, and above all hope, the most powerful of human emotions, to a world in dire need of it. In the years ahead these qualities will be in much demand. There is no higher purpose than to answer the call of duty to defend our country and protect its people. In doing so, you are part of something bigger than yourselves.
As an institution, we have had and continue to have our challenges, but our history is replete with challenging times that our predecessors overcame. I know you are up to it. I know ours is an institution with a positive trajectory, an institution on the upswing, and an institution that will continue to deliver.
You have every right to be confident and proud. I have worked with military members from around the world, and I know firsthand that you are world class. Our friends, partners, and Allies recognize this, and want more of you. Within the CAF, we are blessed with exceptional individuals who deliver excellence every day.
Looking ahead, as you continue to serve in our profession, always seek to get better – as individuals, as teams, as units, and as an institution. My parting advice is that you to continue to weave the following habits into the fabric of your daily lives:
- Continually develop the character and competence needed in our profession. Given the rapidly changing character of war, we need learn and improve ourselves every day.
- Remain committed to our values and the defence of our nation. These are our ‘North Star’ that guide all our actions.
- Success is predicated on teamwork, so look after each other, treat everyone with respect and dignity.
- Inoculate yourself and those around you against the toxic disinformation in our society and the cynicism it breeds. We must stop it from seeping into our ranks.
- Commit to personal readiness and resilience, including fitness. We must be able to absorb the shocks and stresses of military life and be able to rapidly respond when the call of duty comes.
- Cultivate the fighting spirit necessary to win. We must prevail in the hard days.
- Take pride in who you are and what you do in the service of our country.
As I reflect on my military journey, and think ahead to yours, I am envious, and would do it all again. You will have many challenges and many rewards along the way, and through it you will learn, grow, and develop deep friendships and have treasured experiences like nowhere else. The value is in the journey itself, not the destination.
I am proud of you and our CAF.
General Wayne D. Eyre
Chief of the Defence Staff
Statement from Minister Blair welcoming General Jennie Carignan as Chief of the Defence Staff
July 18, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement:
“Today, I join Canadians in welcoming General Jennie Carignan as Chief of the Defence Staff. General Carignan has served Canada with great distinction both at home and abroad over the past 35 years – and I am confident that the Canadian Armed Forces will be well-served by her leadership. Throughout her career, General Carignan has had a proven track record of excellence and unwavering commitment on difficult operations, including in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Syria, and during her leadership of NATO Mission Iraq.
“This is a pivotal moment for our national security, as Canadians are confronted with a series of generational challenges. Democracy, freedom, and the rules-based international order that Canada helped build are being increasingly contested by authoritarian states. The character of conflict is changing as technology evolves rapidly. At the same time, our Arctic is warming at four times the global average, opening the region to the world.
“In order to meet these challenges, we must do two things at the same time: invest in our military capabilities, and strengthen the foundations of our institution. Through Our North, Strong and Free, we are making investments in military capability across all domains. I look forward to working with General Carignan to implement this renewed vision for defence.
“At the same time, we must strengthen the foundations of our institution – including by filling the gap between the Canadian Armed Forces’ actual force size and our authorized force size. We need to do things differently – and I know that I can count on General Carignan’s leadership to get this done.
“Of course, our first priority must always be our people and their well-being. Over the past few years as Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture, General Carignan has made great strides in building an organization where all members are treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. We must continue to take action in response to the 48 recommendations given to us by the Honourable Louise Arbour in 2022, as well as other External Review Reports. I thank General Carignan for her work in developing the Comprehensive Implementation Plan (CIP) – and look forward to our ongoing collaboration to implement these recommendations.
“Finally, on behalf of all Canadians, I express my thanks to General Wayne Eyre for his leadership as Chief of the Defence Staff. General Eyre helped guide the Canadian Armed Forces through a series of difficult challenges – and was an instrumental part of the work behind our renewed vision for defence, Our North, Strong and Free. I am grateful for General Eyre’s advice and counsel, and I am sincerely grateful for his 40 years of distinguished service to Canada.
“Canada is fortunate to be a safe, prosperous, and peaceful country, thanks in large part to the service of the Canadian Armed Forces. I believe that Canada is the greatest country in the world – and together with General Carignan and all members of our military, our government will continue to do what is required to defend Canada and Canadians.”
Message from the Deputy Minister and the Associate DM: Please join us in welcoming General Jennie Carignan as Canada’s new Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS)
Today, please join us in welcoming General Jennie Carignan as Canada’s new Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS).
On behalf of the entire Department of National Defence (DND), we are delighted to welcome General Carignan to her new role. General Carignan brings a wealth of exceptional operational and leadership experience to the table, including her most recent critical work as Chief Professional Conduct and Culture. Her experience will serve Canadians and the Defence Team well into the future.
As we welcome General Carignan, we want to take the opportunity to sincerely thank General Wayne Eyre. For four decades, General Eyre has served with unwavering commitment and distinction, and has been an inspiring and exceptional leader since his appointment as CDS in 2021. We have been truly fortunate to have had a leader of his calibre in service to our country for so many years.
General Eyre, thank you for your service and dedication. We wish you the best in retirement!
As we enter this new period of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) leadership, in a time of new and evolving security threats, we know we can count on the Defence Team to continue the critical work you all do in support of DND and the CAF.
Stefanie Beck
Deputy Minister
Natasha Kim
Associate Deputy Minister