RCAF celebrates 95 years of service

News Article / April 1, 2019

From Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger, Commander of the RCAF

The RCAF celebrates its birthday on April 1st. Here is the message that the commander of the RCAF sent
to Air Force personnel to mark this year’s anniversary.

On 1 April 2019, we celebrate 95 years of the Royal Canadian Air Force serving Canada and Canadians with pride and professionalism.

In February 1923, King George V bestowed the designation “Royal” on the Canadian Air Force and, a little over a year later, on April 1, 1924, the RCAF was established as a permanent component of Canada’s defence force. The entire air force consisted of 62 officers and 262 non-commissioned members, scattered across the country under the command of Wing Commander William Barker.

As we look towards 2024, five short years away, I have established a project office to plan for our 100th birthday. Common themes are developing, and I will soon be providing direction and guidance on the scope of the celebration and associated activities. 2024 will definitely be a year to remember.

The past year has been a period of high engagement and productivity as you continue to provide the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with relevant, responsive and effective air and space power to meet the defence challenges of today and into the future. We have seen the arrival of our first interim fighter jets, the first deployment of the CH-148 Cyclone onboard a Canadian Navy frigate, the retirement of the CH-124 Sea King after 55 years of exceptional service, and a full transition to Cyclone maritime helicopter operations. Meanwhile, we are also preparing for the transition to a new fixed wing search and rescue fleet next year.

We returned to peacekeeping operations with our year-long deployment of an Air Task Force under Operation Presence, which also marked our first overseas deployment of the CH-147F Chinook. Our personnel in Mali are supporting the UN mission and saving lives, while furthering the RCAF’s operational concepts for that fleet. Operation Impact, the CAF contribution to the Global Coalition and the NATO mission in Iraq, has been extended until the end of March 2021. While we welcomed home our Polaris air-to-air refueling crews from Operation Impact in January, our Hercules and Griffon crews continue to carry out stellar work for Canadians and our Coalition partners.

At home, you carry out our essential mission of defending North America in partnership with the United States in NORAD, while delivering on a wide range of operational effects for Canada—from aeronautical search and rescue services in one of the most challenging and diverse SAR environments in the world, to national disaster relief, to sovereignty missions.

We continue to grow our strengths as leader of the CAF Joint Space Program, a critical role underlined by the new space strategy for Canada released in March. We are now an integral part of the Combined Space Operations Center in California, with a member of the RCAF serving as the combined deputy director. The entire CAF benefits from the increased use of space capabilities in support of domestic and deployed operations, including the use of URSA satellite imagery receiver system and the Sapphire military satellite.

Anchoring all these activities and achievements—and much more—are our people, our defence policy, our program and our posture. First and foremost are our people: you and your families are the lifeblood of our units and central to our mission success. RCAF leaders are working diligently to create the right conditions to support you, retain your exceptional talents, and attract new personnel with the right skills and energy to continue your excellent work and move us toward our second century of service.

I am extraordinarily proud to lead the aviators of the RCAF. I am grateful for your enthusiasm, your dedication and your unparalleled professionalism. You may be assured that your work is deeply appreciated by Canadians, by your colleagues throughout the CAF and DND, and by our allies.

On this, the 95th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force, I wish you all a very happy birthday and I look forward, with all of you, to the year to come.