New face in a new place – 3rd Canadian Division gets new commander
August 17, 2022 - Tim Bryant, Western Sentinel
In being posted to assume command of 3rd Canadian Division in Edmonton, Brigadier‑General Steve Graham has finally completed his Western Canada bingo card.
As the son of a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) member, BGen Graham lived a nomadic early life.
“I grew up moving all over the place,” he said shortly before being sworn in as the new division commander on Aug. 10. “In fact, I grew up mostly in Western Canada. I lived in B.C. and lived in Saskatchewan and lived in Manitoba for many years.
“Alberta is actually one of three provinces in the country that I haven't lived in. I’m super excited to be coming to Alberta now.”
BGen Graham comes to 3rd Canadian Division after a military career that dates back to joining the Reserves in 1987. However, his involvement in the military dates back even further to when he was in the Cadets in his even younger days.
He made the jump from the Cadets to the Reserves for two reasons. One was his father’s RCAF career.
“My initial feeling was to follow him in the Air Force,” BGen Graham said.
The other was a friend he had in the Cadets who quit the Cadets and joined the Reserves. The friend’s rationale? If they were already doing military‑adjacent activities in the Cadets, why not instead join the Reserves and get paid for it?
“This is me and a couple of other friends, and we had a great time doing it,” BGen Graham said. “That’s what, after a couple of years in the Reserves, prompted me to go into the Regular Force – not the Air Force but into the Army.”
He applied for and was accepted into the Regular Officer Training Plan and made his way through Royal Roads Military College, graduating in 1993 as a member of the armoured corps. From there, he made his way up the ranks and served on tours to Bosnia and Afghanistan before assuming command of The Royal Canadian Dragoons in 2014 as a Lieutenant‑Colonel.
His last role was as Commander Operation PROTEUS in Israel and the Palestinian Territories from May 2021 until being appointed Commander 3rd Canadian Division in August 2022.
Having that breadth of experience should allow BGen Graham to navigate the challenges that come with leading 3rd Canadian Division.
“I spent a number of years in Army Headquarters, listening to commanders and key staff of 3rd Canadian Division talk about how it's different and they have other challenges and other experiences that they don't have in other places,” he said.
Those challenges were laid bare as he drove from Kingston, Ont. to Edmonton, when he stopped for the night in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Caption
Brigadier‑General Steve Graham, Commander 3rd Canadian Division, addresses the guests and military members for the first time as division commander on Aug. 10 during the 3rd Canadian Division Assumption of Command Ceremony at the Edmonton Garrison Officers’ Mess.
Photo by Robert Schwartz, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
The 3rd Canadian Division Assumption of Command signing ceremony on Aug. 10.
(L-R): Brigadier‑General Steve Graham, incoming Commander; Major‑General Conrad Mialkowski, Deputy Commander Canadian Army; and Brigadier‑General David Awalt, outgoing Acting Commander.
Photo by Robert Schwartz, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
“This is the edge of my area of operations,” he recounted thinking. “Then you spend the next four days basically driving here knowing that there's still 1,000 miles to go and you realize how big it is and how spread out it is and how much more challenging it is.
“It's different when you work in a division where you can literally drive to every one of your bases in a couple of hours, where here is it's more than days,” he added. “That will make things harder to support, and that will make things harder to bring the whole team together.”
However, he’s confident he and his new team will be able to make it work.
“I'm hoping my experience at Army Headquarters and my experience on the Strategic Joint Staff, and my understanding of how things work in Ottawa, with all the years I've spent within the Army, I can come and try and help develop and build on the initiatives that my predecessors started, so that we can truly have one team.”
It is also important to BGen Graham that he works closely with his team to make the most of the situation.
“My experience, especially when you're working in a higher headquarters, is that if you take the time to listen to people, to get different perspectives, to get the benefit of their experiences, ultimately you make a better decision and at the same time people feel like they're part of the process,” he said.
Despite never living in Alberta until now, BGen Graham said coming to Edmonton “feels like I’m coming home,” as his parents and brother live in British Columbia and his sister is in Calgary.
“It seems like most of my family is out here in Western Canada and so for the first time, literally since I left home in 1989, I will be in a position where I can drive to see family members and not have to get on a plane,” he said.
In addition, he said he’s eager to work with the Reserve units in Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg, some of which have commanders he trained at the armoured school.
All that said, BGen Graham said being trusted to command a division is an honour.
“Regardless of what division you get command of, to get that opportunity is pretty special,” he said. “I feel really fortunate to be here in Edmonton. There are 12,000 folks in 3rd Canadian Division, and I'm super looking forward to the challenges the next couple years.”