Message from the Acting Chief of the Defence Staff on his promotion to the rank of General

August 13, 2021 - Defence Stories

To All Members of The CAF,

Earlier today, I was honoured by our Commander-in-Chief with a promotion to General. While it is a great privilege to wear this rank, it does not change my approach to you, to the work we must do, or to being your Acting Chief of the Defence Staff. My message is one of stability – we will continue to defend this great country, and protect our population, while rebuilding the CAF after a very tumultuous period.

As the armed forces of this country, we are expected to face complex challenges in a volatile environment. However, the institutional instability we have collectively faced over the last year, along with increased operational requirements on domestic and international fronts and a challenging COVID-19 environment, have magnified the unpredictability we face at home, abroad, in our professional and personal lives.

The constant evolution of our environment, our organization, and the wider Canadian society also demands change. We have already initiated the work to transform our culture, and to create an organization where all members feel they truly belong. But while we face complex challenges internal to the CAF, our support is still needed – and vital. Our responsibility to serve our nation is constant, and the pressure that comes with this responsibility, along with the increased unpredictability of our environment and the stressors of the pandemic have left none of us untouched. There is no doubt that each of us have been impacted albeit differently, but impacted nonetheless.

How do we then still accomplish the tasks given to us when we are in constant flux?

I understand the innate need for stability and clear direction within our ranks to make this possible. Earlier this summer we issued the CAF Reconstitution Plan, focussed on prioritizing effort and resources on people – rebuilding our strength while making much needed changes to aspects of our culture; on readiness – to ensure our ability to continue to deliver on operations; and on modernization – to develop the capabilities and adapt our structure necessary to address the evolving character of conflict and operations. This plan will form the foundation of our activities over the next several years, and is absolutely necessary to ensure we are fit to succeed in our increasingly dangerous world.

Through my career, I have witnessed firsthand the excellence, the professionalism and selfless devotion to Canada of our CAF members, and even more so lately through our recent efforts on Operations LASER, VECTOR, GLOBE, LENTUS and AEGIS. As Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada declared during her Installation speech, “your conviction and courage is of the highest order and represents the very best of all of us.” I firmly believe in those words. We will continue to face uncertainty and unpredictable situations, it is in the nature of our profession. But I have no doubt that we will overcome the challenges we face together, as we all strive to make the CAF better every day we serve – that is certainly my focus.

Thank you and your families for what you do.

General Wayne Eyre
Acting Chief of the Defence Staff