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Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier, Chief of Canada's land forces and the next commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul Afghanistn, talks with reporters at a news conference in Ottawa Wednesday Oct 29, 2003. Hillier, a Newfoundlander who headed the NATO mission in Afghanistan last year, has been named chief of defence staff.(CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/Tom Hanson)
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INDEPTH: RICK HILLIER
Canada's new top soldier
CBC News Online | January 14, 2005
Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier's appointment as Canada's top soldier comes after a military career that has spanned three decades. Born in Newfoundland, he joined the army as soon as he graduated from Memorial University.
Immediately prior to being named chief of defence staff, he was the head of the army (technically, chief of the land staff). He commanded the NATO-led multinational Afghanistan mission in 2004.
He has an enormous amount of operational experience, having served in Europe, the United States and across Canada. His Defence Department biography says he's spent so much time with UN and NATO forces in the former Yugoslavia that "he is eligible to vote there."
In 2004, he said he was working on a plan to train Canadian troops in jungle warfare, saying he wanted them to be ready to fight in any environment.
Known as a strong promoter of the army, one of his first tasks in the top job will be to work on the government's extensive review of Canada's defence policy.
He replaces Gen. Ray Henault, who will head to Brussels to become NATO's chief military adviser.
Hillier, according to his official biography, "enjoys most recreational pursuits but, in particular, runs slowly, plays hockey poorly and golfs not well at all."
Hillier is married with two sons.
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