Vice Chief of the Defence Staff - Biography

Lieutenant-General S. R. Kelsey, CMM, CD

Lieutenant-General S. R. Kelsey, CMM, CD

Stephen Kelsey is currently Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.

He began service in 1985 as a Reserve infantry soldier, commissioning into the Regular Force and Royal Canadian Armoured Corps in 1988. He served with average distinction in West Germany, Canada, and Italy, but was roughly educated on five deployments of increasing rank in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Promoted to the rank of Colonel in 2013, he became J7 (Director- Readiness and Force Posture) at Canadian Joint Operations Command before assuming command of the Kingston Garrison in 2015. He was concurrently Director Royal Canadian Armoured Corps from 2013 to 2016.

In 2016 he deployed to Baghdad with 1st US Infantry Division then 1st US Armoured Division as the Chief of Staff Combined Joint Force Land Component Command HQ. In 2017 he toiled as Army Chief of Staff Strategy before being promoted and appointed as the Canadian Armed Forces Chief of Force Development in 2020. From 2022 to 2024 he was NATO’s Deputy Commander Allied Joint Force Command Naples.

He is a graduate of the National Security Program, holds a Masters in Conflict Analysis, and completed the Senior Executives in National and International Security Programme.

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