Commander of the Canadian Army

Institutional head of the Canadian Army

Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff

Incumbent
Lieutenant-General Michael Wright

since 13 July 2024

Canadian Army
Type| Army commander
Abbreviation| CCA
Member of| Armed Forces Council
Army Staff
Reports to| Chief of the Defence Staff
Term length| At His Majesty's pleasure
Precursor| Chief of the Land Staff
Formation| 1875 (as General Officer Commanding the Militia)
2011 (as Commander of the Army)
First holder| Sir E.S. Smyth (as General Officer Commanding the Militia)
Peter Devlin (as Commander of the Army)
Deputy| Deputy Commander of the Canadian Army
Website| Official website

Commander of the Canadian Army (French: commandant de l'Armée canadienne) is the title of the institutional head of the Canadian Army. This appointment also includes the title of Chief of the Army Staff (French: chef d'état-major de l'Armée) and is based at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario.

## History of the position

[edit]

Prior to 1904, militia forces in Canada were commanded by senior British Army officers appointed as General Officer Commanding the Canadian Militia.[1] British regular forces in the Dominion had their own commander until the withdrawal of the last British garrison in 1906. From 1903 to 1904, the Canadian Militia embarked on a new period of modernization that included the creation of a new office of Chief of the General Staff. Between 1904 and 1964, eighteen officers held the position of Chief of the General Staff, with the last of these, Lieutenant General Geoffrey Walsh, having officially stood down the appointment on 31 August 1964 following the official integration of the three armed services into a single Canadian Armed Forces.[2]

Following the unification of Canada's military forces[3] in February 1968, the majority of Canada's land element was assigned to the newly created Force Mobile Command and the senior Canadian army officer was then known as Commander of Mobile Command from 1965 to 1993. The command was renamed Land Force Command, and its senior officer was known as Chief of the Land Staff from 1993 to 2011.[4] Land Force Command was officially re-designated as the Canadian Army in 2011, at which time the appointment was also renamed Commander of the Canadian Army to reflect this.[5]

## Appointees

[edit]

Flag of the Chief of the General Staff

The following table lists all those who have held the post of Commander of the Canadian Army or its preceding positions. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure:[6]

No. | Portrait  | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office

|
|
|
|
|

General Officer Commanding the Canadian Militia

| Smyth, E.Lieutenant-General
Sir Edward Selby Smyth
(1819–1896)| 1875| 1880| 4–5 years

| Luard, R.Major-General
Richard Luard
(1827–1891)| 1880| 1884| 3–4 years

| Middleton, F.Major-General
Sir Frederick Dobson Middleton
(1825–1898)| 1884| 1890| 5–6 years

| Treowen, I.Major-General
Ivor Herbert
(1851–1933)| 1890| 1895| 4–5 years

| Gascoigne, W.Major-General
Sir William Gascoigne
(1844–1926)| 1895| 1898| 2–3 years

| Hutton, E.Major-General
Sir Edward Hutton
(1848–1923)| 1898| 1900| 1–2 years

| Haly, R.Major-General
Richard O'Grady Haly
(1841–1911)| 1900| 1902| 1–2 years

| Dundonald, D.Major-General
The Rt Hon. Earl of Dundonald
(1852–1935)| 1902| 1904| 1–2 years
Chief of the General Staff

| Lake, P.H.N.Major-General
Sir Percy Lake
(1855–1940)| 1904| 1908| 3–4 years

| Otter, W.D.Major-General
Sir William Otter
(1843–1929)| 1908| 1910| 1–2 years

| Mackenzie, C. J.Major-General
Sir Colin Mackenzie
(1861–1956)| 1910| 1913| 2–3 years

| Gwatkin, W.G.Major-General
Sir Willoughby Gwatkin
(1859–1925)| 1913| 1920| 5–6 years

| MacBrien, J. H.Major-General
Sir James MacBrien
(1878–1938)| 1920| 1927| 6–7 years

| Thacker, H. C.Major-General
Herbert Cyril Thacker
(1870–1953)| 1927| 1929| 1–2 years

| McNaughton, A. G. L.Major-General
Andrew McNaughton
(1887–1966)| 1929| 1935| 5–6 years

| Ashton, E. C.Major-General
Ernest Charles Ashton
(1873–1957)| 1935| 1938| 2–3 years

| Anderson, T. V.Major-General
Thomas Victor Anderson
(1881–1972)| 1938| 1940| 1–2 years
10|

| Crerar, H. D. G.Major-General
Harry Crerar
(1888–1965)| 1940| 1941| 0–1 years
11|

| Stuart, K.Lieutenant-General
Kenneth Stuart
(1891–1945)| 1941| 1943| 1–2 years
12|

| Murchie, J. C.Lieutenant-General
John Carl Murchie
(1895–1966)| 1944| 1945| 0–1 years
13|

| Foulkes, C.Lieutenant-General
Charles Foulkes
(1903–1969)| 1945| 1951| 5–6 years
14|

| Simonds, G. G.Lieutenant-General
Guy Simonds
(1903–1974)| 1951| 1955| 3–4 years
15|

| Graham, H. D.Lieutenant-General
Howard Graham
(1898–1986)| 1955| 1958| 2–3 years
16|

| Clark, S. F.Lieutenant-General
Samuel Findlay Clark
(1909–1998)| 1958| 1961| 2–3 years
17|

| Walsh, G.Lieutenant-General
Geoffrey Walsh
(1909–1999)| 1961| 1964| 2–3 years
Commander of Mobile Command

| Allard, J. V.Lieutenant-General
Jean Victor Allard
(1913–1996)| 1965| 1966| 0–1 years

| Anderson, W.Lieutenant-General
William Anderson
(1915–2000)| 1966| 1969| 2–3 years

| Turcot, G.Lieutenant-General
Gilles Turcot
(1917–2010)| 1969| 1972| 2–3 years

| Milroy, W.Lieutenant-General
William A. Milroy
(1920–2006)| 1972| 1973| 0–1 years

| Waters, S.Lieutenant-General
Stanley Waters
(1920–1991)| 1973| 1975| 1–2 years

| Chouinard, J.Lieutenant-General
Jacques Chouinard
(1922–2008)| 1975| 1977| 1–2 years

| Paradis, J. J.Lieutenant-General
Jean Jacques Paradis
(1928–2007)| 1977| 1981| 3–4 years

| Belzile, C. H.Lieutenant-General
Charles H. Belzile
(1933–2016)| 1981| 1986| 4–5 years

| Fox, J.Lieutenant-General
Jim Fox| 1986| 1989| 2–3 years
10|

| Foster, K.Lieutenant-General
Kent Foster
(born 1938)| 1989| 1991| 1–2 years
11|

| Gervais, J.Lieutenant-General
Jim Gervais
(born 1938)| 1991| 1993| 1–2 years
Chief of the Land Staff

| Reay, G.Lieutenant-General
Gord Reay
(1943–2000)| 1993| September 1996| 2–3 years

| Baril, M.Lieutenant-General
Maurice Baril
(born 1943)| September 1996| September 1997| 1 year

| Leach, W.Lieutenant-General
William Leach
(1942–2015)| September 1997| August 2000| 2 years, 11 months

| Jeffery, M.Lieutenant-General
Mike Jeffery| August 2000| May 2003| 2 years, 9 months

| Hillier, R.Lieutenant-General
Rick Hillier
(born 1955)| May 2003| 4 February 2005| 1 year, 9 months

| Caron, M.Lieutenant-General
Marc Caron
(born 1954)| 4 February 2005| June 2006| 1 year, 3 months

| Leslie, A.Lieutenant-General
Andrew Leslie
(born 1957)| June 2006| June 2010| 4 years

| Devlin, P.Lieutenant-General
Peter Devlin| June 2010| 21 July 2011| 1 year, 1 month
Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff

| Devlin, P.Lieutenant-General
Peter Devlin| 21 July 2011| July 2013| 1 year, 11 months

| Hainse, M.Lieutenant-General
Marquis Hainse
(born 1964)| July 2013| January 2016| 2 years, 6 months

| Wynnyk, P.Lieutenant-General
Paul Wynnyk
(born 1964)| January 2016| 16 July 2018| 2 years, 6 months

| Lanthier, J.Lieutenant-General
Jean-Marc Lanthier| 16 July 2018| 20 August 2019| 1 year, 1 month

| Eyre, W.Lieutenant General
Wayne Eyre| 20 August 2019| 16 June 2022| 2 years, 9 months

| Paul, J.Lieutenant-General
Jocelyn Paul| 16 June 2022| 13 July 2024| 3 years

| Wright, M. C.Lieutenant-General
Michael Wright| 13 July 2024| Incumbent| 11 months

## See also

[edit]

* Chief of the Defence Staff, the second most senior member of the Canadian Armed Forces after the Commander-in-Chief
* Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, institutional head of the Royal Canadian Navy
* Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, institutional head of the Royal Canadian Air Force

## References

[edit]

1. ^ British Strategic Withdrawal from the Western Hemisphere, 1904–1906 Archived 2012-07-20 at archive.today University of Toronto Press
2. ^ "Lieutenant-General Geoffrey Walsh". Army cadet history. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
3. ^ Integration and Unification of the Canadian Forces Archived January 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ Chasing the Silver Bullet: the Evolution of Capability Development in the Canadian Army by Major Andrew B. Godefroy CD, Page 59
5. ^ Canadian Navy, Air Force 'Royal' Again With Official Name Change Huffington Post, 15 August 2011
6. ^ "List of commanders of the Army". Government of Canada. Retrieved 14 March 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

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History|

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Structure|

* Structure of the Canadian Army
* List of Units

| Divisions|

* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5

|

Brigade groups|

| Mechanized|

* 1
* 2
* 5
* (former) 4

|

* 31
* 32
* 33
* 34
* 35
* 36
* 37
* 38
* 39
* 41

Support brigades|

* 6 CCSB

Small arms|

* C9 light machine gun
* C7 rifle/C8 carbine
* C6 general purpose machine gun
* Browning .50 calibre heavy machine gun
* Browning-HP 9 mm pistol
* P225, 226
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* C19 rifle
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Crewed weapons|

* Carl Gustav SRAAW(M)
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* 81 mm mortar
* RBS 70 NG MANPADS
* Skyguard
* C3 close support howitzer
* LG1 Mark II 105 mm towed howitzer
* M777 lightweight 155mm howitzer
* C16 CASW

Armoured
fighting vehicles|

* LAV III
* LAV VI
* Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle
* Leopard 2
* Bison APC
* M113A3 and MTVL
* RG-31
* Textron TAPV

Schools|

* Canadian Army Command and Staff College
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Former|

* Biafra
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Former|

* Confederate States

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* Abkhazia
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