LGen Mike Hood appointed new RCAF commander 

Mike Hood has been promoted to Lieutenant-General and will become the next commander of the Royal Canada Air Force when LGen Yvan Blondin retires later this year.

The announcement by General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, was one of a lengthy series of promotions and position changes across the Canadian Armed Forces. Of particulare note, Christine Whitecross, a trailblazzer throughout her extensive career in the Forces, is being promoted to Lieutenant-General and appointed Chief of Military Personnel, the first woman to receive that rank. She will replace LGen David Millar, who is retiring.

More from the press release:

The following retirements, and resulting promotions and appointments, will occur this year:

Lieutenant-General J.A.J.Y. Blondin will retire from service, resulting in the following promotion and appointments:

• Major-General M.J. Hood will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and appointed Commander Royal Canadian Air Force, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Lieutenant-General J.A.J.Y. Blondin.
• Major-General C.A. Lamarre will be appointed Director of Staff, Strategic Joint Staff, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Major-General M.J. Hood.

Lieutenant-General D.B. Millar will retire from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:

• Major-General C.T. Whitecross will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and appointed Chief of Military Personnel / Commander Military Personnel Command, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Lieutenant-General D.B. Millar.
• Brigadier-General K.D. McQuillan will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and appointed Chief of Staff for Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment) / Chief Military Engineer for the CAF, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Major-General C.T. Whitecross.
• Colonel J.P.H.H. Gosselin will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Chief of Staff Land Operations, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General K.D. McQuillan.

Rear-Admiral P.T.E. Finn will retire from service, resulting in the following promotion and appointment:

• Brigadier-General A.C. Patch will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and appointed Chief of Staff for Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel), in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Rear-Admiral P.T.E. Finn.

Major-General R.D. Foster will retire from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:

• Brigadier-General A.D. Meinzinger will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and appointed Deputy Commander Royal Canadian Air Force, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Major-General R.D. Foster.
• Brigadier-General S.G. Friday will be appointed Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada, in Kingston, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General A.D. Meinzinger.
• Brigadier-General P. Ormsby will be appointed Director General Air Readiness, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General S.G. Friday.

Major-General N.E. Matern will retire from service, resulting in the following appointments and promotions:

• Rear-Admiral W.S. Truelove will be appointed Commander Canadian Defence Liaison Staff (Washington) / Canadian Defence Attaché, in Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., replacing Major-General N.E. Matern.
• Rear-Admiral J.P.G. Couturier will be appointed Commander Maritime Forces Pacific / Joint Task Force Pacific, in Victoria, B.C., replacing Rear-Admiral W.S. Truelove.
• Commodore S.E.G. Bishop will be promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral and appointed Director General International Security Policy, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Rear-Admiral J.P.G. Couturier.
• Colonel P.S. Dawe will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Director General Operations, Strategic Joint Staff, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Commodore S.E.G. Bishop.

Major-General D.G. Neasmith will retire from service, resulting in the following promotions and appointments:

• Brigadier-General G.D. Loos will be promoted to the rank of Major-General and appointed Chief of Staff for Assistant Deputy Minister (Information Management) / J6 for the CAF, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Major-General D.G. Neasmith.
• Colonel M.A. Nixon will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Commander Joint Task Force North, in Yellowknife, N.W.T., replacing Brigadier-General G.D. Loos.

Brigadier-General J.R. Giguère will retire from service, resulting in the following appointments and promotion:

• Brigadier-General K.R. Cotten will be appointed Commandant of the Canadian Forces College, in Toronto, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General J.R. Giguère.
• Brigadier-General T.L. Harris will be appointed Director General Public Affairs, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General K.R. Cotten.
• Brigadier-General J.J.M.J. Paul will be appointed Senior Military Advisor, at the Privy Council Office, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General T.L. Harris.
• Colonel F.J. Chagnon will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Commander Task Force Jerusalem, replacing Brigadier-General J.J.M.J. Paul.

Brigadier-General J.J.R.G. Hamel will retire from service, resulting in the following appointments and promotion:

• Brigadier-General J.H.C. Drouin will be appointed Deputy J5 Strategy, Policy and Plans, at North American Aerospace Defence Command and U.S. Northern Command, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, U.S., replacing Brigadier-General J.J.R.G. Hamel.
• Colonel D.W. Lowthian will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Deputy Commander (Force Generation), at 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters, in Winnipeg, Man., replacing Brigadier-General J.H.C. Drouin.

Brigadier-General M.A. Matheson will retire from service, resulting in the following appointment:

• Brigadier-General J.P.L. Meloche will be appointed Director General Compensation and Benefits, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General M.A. Matheson.

Brigadier-General J.M. Fletcher will retire from service, resulting in the following promotion and appointment:

• Colonel J.J.G. Chapdelaine will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Chaplain General for the CAF, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General J.M. Fletcher.

Brigadier-General J.J.R.S. Bernier will retire from the Regular Force and transfer to the Reserve Force, resulting in the following promotion and appointment:

• Colonel H.C. MacKay will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Commander Canadian Forces Health Services Group / Surgeon General for the CAF, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General J.J.R.S. Bernier.

In addition to the retirements listed above, Commodore J.P.G.M. Charron, Commodore D.M. MacKeigan, and Brigadier-General J.B. Simms, will also retire from service.

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

• Brigadier-General D.W. Joyce was promoted to the rank of Major-General and appointed Assistant Chief of Military Personnel / Deputy Commander Military Personnel Command, in Ottawa, Ont.
• Captain (Navy) H.C. Edmundson was promoted to the rank of Commodore and appointed Director General Military Careers, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General D.W. Joyce.
• Colonel S.J.R. Whelan was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and remains Chief of Staff for Military Personnel Command, in Ottawa, Ont., until he is appointed Deputy Commander Canadian Defence Academy, in Kingston, Ont., later this year.
• Brigadier-General N. Eldaoud will be appointed Chief of Staff for Military Personnel Command in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General S.J.R. Whelan when he is appointed Deputy Commander Canadian Defence Academy.
• Brigadier-General C.J. Turenne will be appointed Commander 5th Canadian Division, in Halifax, N.S., replacing Brigadier-General N. Eldaoud.
• Colonel J.S.S.D. Fortin will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Deputy Commanding General (U.S.) I Corps, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington, U.S., replacing Brigadier-General C.J. Turenne.
• Colonel K.W. Horlock was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Chief of Staff (Support), at Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC), in Ottawa, Ont.
• Brigadier-General S.A. Brennan will be appointed Chief of Staff (Operations), at CJOC, in Ottawa, Ont.
• Brigadier-General T.N. Balfe will be appointed Chief of Staff (Readiness), at CJOC, in Ottawa, Ont.
• Commodore J.R. Auchterlonie will be appointed Director General Plans, Strategic Joint Staff, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General T.N. Balfe.
• Captain (Navy) J.B. Zwick will be promoted to the rank of Commodore and appointed Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific, in Victoria, B.C., replacing Commodore J.R. Auchterlonie.
• Brigadier-General R.G. Mazzolin will be appointed Liaison Officer to the U.S. Cyber Command, in Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S.
• Brigadier-General P. Rutherford will be appointed Director General Information Management Operations, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General R.G. Mazzolin.
• Colonel G.D. Corbould will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Deputy Director J5 U.S. Central Command, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, U.S., replacing Brigadier-General P. Rutherford.
• Commodore M.J.M. Hallé will be appointed Assistant Chief of Staff J4 (Logistics), at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), in Casteau, Belgium.
• Captain (Navy) J.A.S. Page will be promoted to the rank of Commodore and appointed Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Commodore M.J.M. Hallé.
• Acting Brigadier-General J.R.P. Laroche will be promoted substantive and remain Al Udeid Combined Aerospace Operations Center Director, until he is appointed Deputy Commander Alaskan NORAD Region,at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Alaska, U.S.
• Brigadier-General M.P. Jorgensen will be seconded to Veterans Affairs Canada.
• Commodore B.W.N. Santarpia will be appointed Chief of Staff for Vice Chief of Defence Staff Group, in Ottawa, Ont., replacing Brigadier-General M.P. Jorgensen.
• Brigadier-General J.B. Ploughman will be appointed Director General Air Staff, in Ottawa, Ont.
• Colonel D.B. Cochrane will be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and appointed Commander 2 Canadian Air Division, in Winnipeg, Man., replacing Brigadier-General J.B. Ploughman.