CDS stepping down!

[BernDawg]

You are Canada’s greatest credentials, our national treasures, and I am so very proud of you.  It has been my honour and privilege to be your Chief of the Defence Staff.


Thank You sir and it has been an honour to have served with you as well.  :'(

 

[kilekaldar]

He's a fantastic leader and CDS, as someone with a tour in Afghanistan and returning there in September I'll be sad to see him go.

 

[Yrys]

He (apparently) joke that after stepping down, he would like to be general manager of the Maple Leafs !

 

[neilinkorea]

I agree that General Hillier was a great CDS.  He came in at a time when the military was in the spotlight, due to the post 9-11 increase in offensive military missions, and took full advantage of that reality to fight for what he felt the forces needed.  Hillier has been very political compared to past CDSs.  It will be interesting to see if he goes into politics in the next federal election, or takes a private sector job with one of the many companies that the CF have given big contracts to during his tenure.  I really hope hedoesn't become a lobbyist.  Even his strongest supporters will have a hard time defending that one.  Thanks General, and good luck in whatever you do.

 

[Gazoo]

Considering the fact that neither the CDS nor Danny Williams(Premier of NFLD) has been geting along with the Prime Minister, maybe a position as a provincial politican in NFLD(OK, I know it is NL now) is in his future.  At the very least I hope he comes home to NL.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Video here of General Hillier's news conference, about 30 seconds into the clip:
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip45887#clip45887

A great "silver-tongued devil":
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2006/04/silver-tongued-devil.html

Yrys: As for the Laffs (Sens too?): An excerpt from my post  at The Torch on the Conference of Defence Associations meeting, Feb. 21-22:
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2008/02/conference-of-defence-associations.html

He said the speech was probably his last to the CDA as CDS--especially if he gets an offer to be the Maple Leaf's general manager [a joke with a message, I think].

No joke after all. Pity.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[RangerRay]

Listening to the "Christy Clark Show" on CKNW Vancouver (she's annoying, but that's not the point)....

...her guest was Sunil Ram, a military analyst.  He says the CDS was pushed out despite what he publicly said.  Any truth to that?

 

[aesop081]

...her guest was Sunil Ram, a military analyst.  He says the CDS was pushed out despite what he publicly said.  Any truth to that?

I think you answered your own question 

 

[Kalatzi]

Kudos to the CDS and everyone else if the CF
There can be extensions, of course, but it seems to me that most senior appointments are a three year term.
Thus, not a total surprise.
All the best

 

[a_majoor]

I once had the pleasure of meeting Gen Hillier (as the commander of a Quarter Guard, natch!), and he made a routine parade into a memorable experience for all, taking time to talk to the troops and noticing the most unlikely things as he did his inspection (no drive by inspection there!).

He set out to overturn decades of cultural inertia and remold the biggest of all government departments into a new shape to meet the challenges of the 21rst century. We may not like or agree with everything he has done, but he still deserves all the credit for recognizing the problem, building a team of capable people to look at the issues and actually getting the work in motion.

It was a pleasure serving with you, sir. All the best in your future endeavors.

 

[vonGarvin]

wow .. Wikipedia is updated already

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Hillier

Wikipedia takes a mere 15 seconds for change to be put into it.

 

[vonGarvin]

Listening to the "Christy Clark Show" on CKNW Vancouver (she's annoying, but that's not the point)....

...her guest was Sunil Ram, a military analyst.  He says the CDS was pushed out despite what he publicly said.  Any truth to that?

Sunil Ram, Military Analyst.  Upon what did he base this allegation?

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

He based it on the need to be heard and to appear to know something........

 

[MarkOttawa]

Audio of an interview this morning with CDS General Hillier about his tenure and stepping down, by Steve Madely, CFRA Ottawa (along with Canwest's Don Martin). The general even quotes Disraeli.
http://www.cfra.com/chum_audio/Rick_Hillier_Apr16.mp3

He also says:

I'm not going into political life.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[OldSolduer]

Regarding Sunil Ram and Scott Taylor.....I wouldn't put a lot of credence in what they say. For instance, MR. Ram, as smart as he is, chastisized the military for discouraging soldiers from posting items on Facebook etc. Mr. Ram cried "Censorship".  Well, some censorship is needed as criminal and terrorist orgs cruise the social network websites, picking up info that they can use.
Scott Taylor is an editor of what can be best called a military tabloid. Its not as good as the regular tabloids though, as he doesn't publish Sunshine girls.

 

[stegner]

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/top-soldier-resigning/#clip46002

 

[dapaterson]

I think I've been reading too many articles about this - because I just found the following transposition:

Chief of defence a superstar who worried about privates
Don Martin

I don't want to sit on the couch scratching my belly in my underwear watching the soaps.
Gen. Rick Hillier

 

[Lance Wiebe]

I've had the great pleasure of first serving with Gen Hillier in 1977, when he showed up as my troop leader in the 8CH.  I served under him later, as well.

Gen Hillier was, quite simply, the right man for the job at the time.  He displayed the backbone that no other CDS, in my memory, has ever shown.  While the CDS has many duties, and even more responsibilities, he actually took his seriously.  How many officers in senior command appointments actually rocked the boat, and shamed politicians the way he did?  He saw what was broken, and did his utmost to fix it.

The General actually cared about the the men and women serving under him, and this must have placed him under a great deal of stress when he received news of death or injury.  I cannot imagine how he dealt with it, it must have been very tough on him.

You may realize by now that I have nothing but respect for Gen Rick.

I wish him and his wife Joyce nothing but the best in the future, whatever that may hold.

Godspeed, General!

 

[lyned]

S@#$%t. Big shoe to fill. I hope the Gen. recommends to Harper someone worthy to replace him. I was hoping he'd stay untill the end of the mission. He's done a great job of looking after our "kids". Damn!

 

[geo]

The CDS' spot is an appointment that usually lasts 3 years... can be more, can be less.
FWIW, I think that the Codfather has done a tremendous job in the time he has been in place & I will mourn the day that he leaves - but I do not think it would be fair to the man to burn the cnadle at both ends for another 3 years.

That having been said, an organisation is in sad shape if it does not have a bunch of "heir apparent" available to fill those big shoes.  At present, there is a list of 4 or 5 LGens available for the MND and the PM to choose from.

Let's hope that they pick one that is competent and not one that will bend to their political will.