Wayne Eyre promoted to General as Acting CDS

A small promotion ceremony – attended by his spouse Jennifer, and presided over by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada – was held today for Wayne Eyre was who continues to Act as Chief of the Defence Staff, now at the rank of General.

"His work has been absolutely critical in helping Canadians from coast to coast, while pushing forward with the important work of transforming the Canadian Armed Forces," said Defence Minister Sajjan.

Wayne Eyre grew up on a farm near Wadena, Saskatchewan, and spent his high school years in Medicine Hat, Alberta. He joined Army Cadets at age 12 and has been in uniform ever since.

He later attended Royal Roads Military College and Royal Military College. Upon commissioning in 1988, he joined 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), and has spent the majority of his career in deputy command or command positions, including commanding 3rd Battalion PPCLI, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, 3rd Canadian Division and Joint Task Force West followed by Deputy Commanding General – Operations for XVIII (US) Airborne Corps, Deputy Commander Military Personnel Command, and for a short time Commander of Military Personnel Command. 

He became Commander of the Canadian Army on 20 August 2019 and was appointed Acting CDS on 24 February 2021. General Eyre will continue in that role for an unspecified amount of time.

Operationally, he deployed to Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia and to Afghanistan twice with the Canadian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team in Kandahar, advising 1-205 Afghan National Army Brigade in combat, and as the Commanding General of NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan.

More recently, he was the first non-U.S. Deputy Commander of United Nations Command Korea in its 69 year history, and as such is the most senior Canadian officer ever permanently stationed in the Asia-Pacific region. Among various domestic operations, he was involved in the 1997 Manitoba floods, the 1998 British Columbia forest fires, 2010 G8 Summit, and commanded the military response to both the 2015 Saskatchewan wildfires and the 2016 Fort McMurray evacuation.

“I continue to be inspired by the extraordinary work of the Canadian Armed Forces and the broader Defence Team. Their selfless service to Canada is unparalleled and I am proud to be part of the team," said Gen Eyre today. “This has been a tough year and we face more challenges and hard work ahead, but I am confident in our ability to reconstitute the Canadian Armed Forces and transform ourselves to face the increasingly dangerous world.”