Major-General Dany Fortin, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, is set to be appointed as Commander of new NATO Mission-Iraq (NMI). MGen Fortin, currently the Commander of the 1st Canadian Division Headquarters in Kingston, Ontario, is expected to take up his new position in the fall where he will command NATO’s training and capacity building mission.
Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan said that this appointment is a demonstration of Canada’s leadership and strong commitment to the Alliance. “Assuming command of the new NATO training and capacity building mission will provide important multilateral assistance to Iraqi Security Forces,” he added.
About 580 NATO personnel will participate in this mission, of which, Canada will provide about 250 CAF members over a one year period. The CAF will also contribute a dedicated aviation detachment of up to three helicopters for transporting personnel and equipment in support of NMI.
At the Brussels Summit last month, NMI was announced in response to a request from the Government of Iraq. According to a press release, Canada’s contribution will help build security capacity and improve democratic governance. The CAF members will “join partner countries in helping Iraq build a more effective national security structure and improve training for Iraqi security forces.”
Canada is already contributing in Iraq under Operation IMPACT by providing training and assistance to the Iraqi security forces and helping local troops build their capacity. The new NATO mission will complement Canada’s ongoing support to Iraq and the fight against Daesh.
In response to being designated as the Commander of this NATO mission, MGen Fortin said that he is confident that the CAF’s contribution will meet the expectations of Canadians, Allies and partners and especially the people of Iraq.
(Photo Credit: CAF Operations Facebook page)
