Canada/Military/Chief of the Defence Staff
 Canada/Military/Chief of the Defence Staff  | |
|---|---|
| Start | 1964 |
The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the Canadian Armed Forces.
US vetting or training
Since at least the early 2000s, there has not been one Chief of Staff who has not been vetted or trained by the U.S. Armed Forces.[1]
Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) from 2005-08, Rick Hillier graduated from the US Army War College and was the first Canadian Deputy Commander of General III Corps, which is based in Texas.
The next CDS, Walter Natynczk, also attended US Army War College and became Deputy Commanding General III Corps. Through this role Natynczk helped plan the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq from Kuwait and then was Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Corps in Baghdad in charge of 35,000 troops.
Natynczk’s successor as CDS was Tom Lawson (CDS) who led the military until 2015. Deputy Commander of NORAD in Colorado Springs in 2011–2012, Lawson previously attended the United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College and United States Air Force Air War College.
CDS Wayne Eyre was Deputy Commanding General of Operations for the US Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps and was the first non-American deputy commander of the US-led United Nations Command in South Korea.
An Office Holder on Wikispooks
| Name | From | To | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Manson | 1986 | 1989 | Attended the 1989 Bilderberg meeting. |
