Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the appointment of a new Chief of the Defence Staff on November 25, 2021 – General Wayne Eyre. Up until this point, Eyre has spent the majority of his career in command or deputy command positions. Eyre was previously deployed to Cyprus, Croatia, and Bosnia. He also served twice in Afghanistan. First was in the Canadian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team in Kandahar, then as the Commanding General of NATO Training Mission. Serving as Deputy Commander of United Nations Command Korea, he became the most senior Canadian officer ever permanently stationed in the Asia-Pacific region. On the home front, Eyre has commanded various disaster relief operations, including the military response to the 2015 Saskatchewan wildfires as well as the 2016 Fort McMurray evacuation. In August 2019 Eyre was appointed Commander of the Canadian Army and in August 2021 he was promoted to the rank of General.
The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada had these words to say, “Throughout his career, General Eyre has demonstrated dedicated service to his country and to Canadians. Over the past year, his lived experience has played a vital role in providing strong leadership and helping Canadians across the country as they faced important and increasingly difficult challenges. General Eyre will continue working hard to build and oversee cultural change in the Canadian Armed Forces, and to gain trust and confidence of survivors of sexual misconduct. I know he will keep leading our Armed Forces with distinction and professionalism as they continue to protect Canadians and their values at home and abroad.”
In his new role as Chief of the Defence Staff, General Eyre will oversee ongoing operations of the Canadian Armed Forces in Canada and around the globe. This includes the current emergency assistance being provided to individuals and communities impacted by extreme weather conditions in British Columbia that have resulted in floods and landslides. Eyre will continue working toward the full implementation of Strong, Secure, Engaged, our national defence policy aimed at delivering the standard of service and care Canadians in uniform deserve. He will also continue moving forward with the modernization of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).
Important to General Eyre will be the continuation of work to transform the culture of the Canadian Armed Forces ensuring zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and harassment while eliminating hateful conduct and systemic racism within the organization. Everyone serving in our Armed Forces deserves a safe and respectful work environment. Eliminating all misconduct is a top priority of both the Government of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces.