Chief of the Defence Staff announces Canadian Armed Forces General and Flag Officer senior appointments, promotions, and retirements

January 31, 2017 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, is pleased to announce the initial list of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) General and Flag Officer senior appointments, promotions, and retirements that will occur in 2017.

This announcement results in the largest number of women (nine) in the senior ranks of the CAF in history. These officers lead the CAF in defending our country’s values and interests, here at home and abroad. 

Promotions and appointments resulting from retirements are as follows:

• Major-General K.D. McQuillan retired from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Brigadier-General J.S. Sirois was promoted to the rank of Major-General and was appointed Chief of Staff – Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), at National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, replacing Major-General K.D. McQuillan.
• Colonel M.C.D. Savard was promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General and was appointed Director General Military Personnel Management Capability Transformation Project, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General J.S. Sirois.
• Major-General J.G.E. Tremblay retired from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Commodore L. Cassivi will be promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral and will be appointed Commander Military Personnel Generation/Canadian Defence Academy, in Kingston, Ont., replacing Major-General J.G.E. Tremblay.
• Captain (Navy) S.M. Waddell will be promoted to the rank of Commodore and will be appointed Director General Naval Strategic Readiness, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Commodore L. Cassivi.
• Major-General A.C. Patch will retire from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Brigadier-General P. Ormsby will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and will be appointed Deputy Chief of Staff – Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel), at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Major-General A.C. Patch.
• Colonel S.Y. Menard will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and will be appointed Deputy Commander Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR), in Tyndall, Florida, replacing Brigadier-General P. Ormsby.
• Brigadier-General G.D. Corbould will retire from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Brigadier-General S.A. Brennan will be appointed Commanding Officer Joint Personnel Support Unit (JPSU), at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General G.D. Corbould.
• Colonel D.A. MacIsaac was promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General and was appointed Joint Task Force Commander for Operation IMPACT, Rotation 4, replacing Brigadier-General S.A. Brennan.
• Brigadier-General H.C. MacKay will retire from service, resulting in the following promotion and appointment:
• Colonel A.M.T. Downes will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Commander Canadian Forces Health Services Group/Surgeon General for the Canadian Armed Forces, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General H.C. MacKay.
• Brigadier-General N.E. Russell will retire from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Brigadier-General (acting while so employed) M.M.L. Rafter was promoted substantive to the rank of Brigadier-General and will be appointed Strategic J4 for the Canadian Armed Forces, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General N.E. Russell.
• Brigadier-General S.G. Friday will be appointed Chief of Staff for the Vice Chief of Defence Staff, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General M.M.L. Rafter.
• Colonel S. Bouchard will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed  Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada, in Kingston, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General S.G. Friday.
• Brigadier-General P. Rutherford will retire from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Brigadier-General F.J. Allen will be appointed Director General Information Management Operations, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General P. Rutherford.
• Captain (Navy) R.A. Feltham will be promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Commodore and appointed Director General Cyberspace, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General F.J. Allen.

The following promotions and appointments result from new and continuing service requirements:

• Lieutenant-General C.T. Whitecross was appointed to a new position as Commander of NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Major-General C.A. Lamarre will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and appointed Chief of Military Personnel/Commander Military Personnel Command, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Lieutenant-General C.T. Whitecross.
• Major-General A.D. Meinzinger will be appointed Director of Staff, Strategic Joint Staff, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Major-General C.A. Lamarre.
• Major-General (acting while so employed) T.L. Harris will be promoted substantive to the rank of Major-General and appointed Deputy Commander Royal Canadian Air Force, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Major-General A.D. Meinzinger.
• Brigadier-General D.W. Lowthian will be appointed Chief of Staff for the Chief of Defence Staff, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Major-General (acting while so employed) T.L. Harris.
• Colonel S.T. Boyle will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Deputy Commander 1 Canadian Air Division, in Winnipeg, replacing Brigadier-General D.W. Lowthian.
• Major-General J.M. Lanthier will be appointed Chief of Programme Division at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Major-General J.C. Madower, and resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Brigadier-General S.C. Hetherington will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and will be appointed as Commander Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, in Kingston, Ont., replacing Major-General J.M. Lanthier.
• Brigadier-General T.J. Cadieu will be appointed commander of 3 Canadian Division/Joint Task Force (West), in Edmonton, replacing Brigadier-General S.C. Hetherington.
• Colonel C.J.J. Mialkowski will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and will be appointed to Operation PROTEUS, replacing Brigadier-General T.J. Cadieu.
• Rear-Admiral J.F. Newton will be appointed to a new position as Veterans Affairs Canada Liaison Officer, in Charlottetown, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:
• Commodore C.A. Baines will be promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral and will be appointed as Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic/Joint Task Force (Atlantic), in Halifax, replacing Rear-Admiral J.F. Newton.
• Captain (Navy) C.T. Skjerpen will be promoted to the rank of Commodore and will be appointed as Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic, in Halifax, replacing Commodore C.A. Baines.
• Brigadier-General J.P.A. Pelletier will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and will be appointed to a new position as RCAF Fighter Program Lead, at NDHQ in Ottawa.
• Brigadier-General N. Eldaoud will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and will be appointed to a new position as Chief of Military Personnel Programs, at NDHQ in Ottawa, resulting in the following appointment:
• Commodore H.C. Edmundson will be appointed Chief of Staff – Military Personnel Command, at NDHQ in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General N. Eldaoud.
• Brigadier-General J.B. Ploughman will be appointed Assistant Chief of Staff J5 Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), in Casteau, Belgium.
• Brigadier-General D.J. Anderson will be appointed Chief of Staff Readiness – Canadian Joint Operations Command, in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General J.B. Ploughman.
• Brigadier-General S.J.R. Whelan will be appointed Ministerial Liaison Team Director – Operation IMPACT, replacing Brigadier-General D.J. Anderson.
• Colonel V.C. Tattersall will be promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Deputy Commander Military Personnel Generation/Canadian Defence Academy, in Kingston, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General S.J.R. Whelan.
• Brigadier-General J.J.M.J. Paul will be appointed to a new position as Chief of Staff – Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, at NDHQ in Ottawa.
• Brigadier-General J.S.S.D. Fortin will be appointed Senior Military Advisor, at the Privy Council Office, in Ottawa, replacing Brigadier-General J.J.M.J. Paul.
• Colonel M.H. St-Louis was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and will be appointed Deputy Commanding General (US) I Corps, in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, U.S., replacing Brigadier-General J.S.S.D. Fortin.
• Brigadier-General (acting while so employed) G.R. Smith was promoted substantive to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Canadian National Military Representative to SHAPE and Formation Commander Europe, in Casteau, Belgium.
• Brigadier-General (acting while so employed) E.J. Kenny was promoted substantive to the rank of Brigadier-General and will continue to serve in his current appointment, Deputy Commander Force Generation, in Winnipeg.
• Brigadier-General (acting while so employed) M. Leblanc was promoted substantive to the rank of Brigadier-General and will continue to serve in his current appointment, Deputy J3 U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• Brigadier-General (acting while so employed) S.N. Clancy was promoted substantive to the rank of Brigadier-General and will continue to serve in his current appointment, Director General Air Readiness, at NDHQ in Ottawa.
• Colonel J.P.R. Prevost will be promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed to a new position, Deputy Chief of Staff Plans, Canadian Joint Operations Command, in Ottawa.
• Colonel S.M. Lacroix will be promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Director General Inter-American Defense Board, in Washington, D.C.
• Colonel S.R. Kelsey was promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Chief of Staff for the Coalition Force Land Component Command (CFLCC-I), replacing Brigadier-General G.R. Smith.
• Colonel D.C. Aitchison will be promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General and will be appointed Chief of Staff for the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC-I), replacing Brigadier-General (while so employed) S.R. Kelsey.

After distinguished service to Canada and the CAF, the following General and Flag Officers have retired or will retire in 2017:

• Major-General K.D. McQuillan 
• Major-General A.C. Patch
• Major-General D.W. Thompson
• Major-General J.G.E. Tremblay 
• Brigadier-General G.D. Corbould
• Brigadier-General H.C. Mackay
• Brigadier-General N.E. Russell
• Brigadier-General P. Rutherford

Biographies of senior officers may be made available upon request by contacting Media Relations.

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Quotes

“My congratulations go out to the newest General and Flag Officers of the Canadian Armed Forces, and also to those promoted within those ranks. I expect much of you, the most senior members of the profession of arms in Canada. `People first–mission always` must be your ongoing focus. To those retiring, I thank you for your superb service to our country, and wish you all the best in your future endeavours.”

General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff

Quick Facts

• This announcement results in the largest number of women in the senior ranks of the CAF in history. They are as follows: Lieutenant-General Chris Whitecross, Major-General Tammy Harris, Rear-Admiral Jennifer Bennett, Brigadier-General Frances Allen, Brigadier-General Lise Bourgon, Brigadier-General Jennie Carignan, Brigadier-General Danielle Savard, Commodore Marta Mulkins, and Colonel Virginia Tattersall (who will be promoted acting while so employed to the rank of Brigadier-General).
• Major-General Harris is the first woman to be deputy commander (second in command) of the Royal  Canadian Air Force. This follows on another “first,” the promotion in June 2016 of Brigadier-General Carignan as the first female general in the CAF combat arms.

Associated Links

• Women in the Forces

Contacts

Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-996-2353
Toll-Free: 1-866-377-0811
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca