Canadian CWO Kevin Mathers confirmed as the 7th ACO CSEL

January 28, 2022 - Defence Stories

By: W. Brett Dodge, OR-6, NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

SHAPE, Belgium - Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Tod D. Wolters announced Canadian Army Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Kevin Mathers is set to become the 7^th Allied Command Operations (ACO) Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Belgium, late April 2022.

CWO Mathers currently serves as the CSEL for NATO’s Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) based in Izmir, Turkey and is a more than 30-year combat veteran with deployments to Cyprus, Bosnia and Golan Heights along with multiple tours in Afghanistan.

“Chief Warrant Officer Mathers is a trusted and capable leader with a breadth of NATO experience that will add tremendous value to ACO as the next Command Senior Enlisted Leader. We are confident that his time serving as the CSEL of LANDCOM has prepared him for this next step and he will bring his wealth of knowledge to the team and to the development of our Allied non-commissioned officers’ corps,” said General Wolters.

CWO Mathers joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1985 where he was first posted as a Crewman to the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (RC) in Calgary. Throughout his career and multiple deployments he served at all three Canadian Armour regiments, worked for the Directorate of Military Careers as part of the Crewman Management team, the Canadian Forces Training Development Centre, served as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Canadian Forces Armour School and prior to his post at LANDCOM, he completed a tour as the Chief Instructor of the CWO Robert Osside Institute.

He will succeed Command Sergeant Major Siim Saliste, who has served as CSEL since April 2019.

“It is with great pleasure that I congratulate CWO Mathers on his appointment as Allied Command Operations CSEL at NATO’s SHAPE. He is the first Canadian to hold this highest NCO position in ACO, a significant achievement for our Armed Forces. I have no doubt he will continue to be an outstanding CAF representative to NATO.”
- General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defense Staff

“Achieving the rank of CWO/CPO1 in the Canadian Armed Forces is a challenging task, but it’s a testament to strong leadership, astute dedication and strength of character. It is these values and talents that will enable CWO Kevin Mathers to support our alliance partners in his next role the as the NATO ACO CSEL. Congratulations Kevin, the CAF and our Chief Corps are so proud of this incredible achievement!"
- Chief Petty Officer 1^st Class Gilles Grégoire, Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer

The Command Senior Enlisted Leader serves as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe's personal adviser on matters affecting the enlisted force. CSEL is responsible for mentoring the Alliance's enlisted force and representing their needs to the leadership.

The CSEL ensures the NATO NCO Bi-Strategic Command Strategy and NCO Guidelines are nested with SACEUR's command priorities; establishes policies, procedures, and responsibilities for all organizations within Allied Command Operations to plan and execute NCO and junior enlisted personnel development programs; and works closely with Allied.

Command Transformation to ensure NATO School's distance learning courses are current, relevant, and nested with the resident curriculum.