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Who'll be the next CDS? Speculation here, please!!

Modelling the modern general
The new chief of defence staff won't be another Rick Hillier - nor should he try to be
Paul Manson    Citizen Special Friday, May 02, 2008

Advice for the new chief of the defence staff: Don't try to out-Hillier Hillier.

It can't be done. Living up to his predecessor's legacy will be just one of the challenges facing the senior military officer soon to be chosen by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to succeed Gen. Rick Hillier as Canada's chief of the defence staff.

It will be an important political decision, not just because of the remarkable profile that Gen. Hillier has brought to the office of the CDS, but also because of the tough agenda that the new incumbent must handle from his first day in office.

Historically, the question of who will be the next chief is not one that was often asked outside of the Canadian Forces and the small circle of those having an interest in national defence. The Canadian public, by and large, didn't much care about the job of CDS nor the person occupying that office. But Gen. Hillier changed all of that, by sheer force of personality. With his decision to retire this summer at the conclusion of an impressive, highly visible three-year tenure, speculation is rampant about who his successor might be.

The decision is the prime minister's alone, although he will no doubt receive plenty of advice, notably from the ministers of national defence and foreign affairs, the deputy minister of national defence and other senior bureaucrats, and of course Gen. Hillier himself.

It won't be an easy decision, if only because, perhaps as never before, Mr. Harper has a truly impressive slate of candidates from which to choose. It is a solid military tradition in Canada, based on much experience, that the head of the armed forces be chosen from among the most senior serving officers, which means those holding lieutenant-general/vice-admiral rank (the "three-star" level, in common usage). Of the 11 officers currently holding this rank, five are viable contenders for promotion to the CDS position, the remaining officers being unlikely candidates for one reason or another, for example being on the point of retirement or having recently been appointed to an international assignment.

Of the five front-runners, three are senior army officers in key positions. They are Lt.-Gen. Walter Natynczyk (vice-chief of the defence staff), Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie (chief of the land staff), and Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier (commander of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, in charge of all overseas operations). The other two prime candidates are Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson (chief of the naval staff) and Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt (chief of the air staff).

The prime minister, in his review of these contenders, will be struck by some quite significant - and encouraging - qualifications common to all five. They have all had extensive operational command experience in volatile regions such as the former Yugoslavia, the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan. They all likewise have commanded high-level formations in Canada, as well as having served extensively in senior staff assignments in the Ottawa environment, notably at National Defence HQ.

This hands-on operational experience is balanced, in all five cases, by a notable intellectual capacity. Among them, they hold enough post-graduate degrees to form a small university. All five are comfortably bilingual. (Lt.-Gen. Gauthier, a francophone, is equally articulate in English and French.)

So, with all of this talent, how is the prime minister going to choose his next CDS? Looking at the question from his point of view, here are some important qualities that he will seek.

First and foremost, he will want the new CDS to display strong military leadership. Students of military history know that there is no single leadership style that is essential to success; consider, for example, the widely divergent approaches displayed by Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton in the Second World War, each of whom in his own distinct way provided the kind of military leadership called for by the circumstances of the day. History is replete with similar examples.

Thus the new CDS needn't be a Hillier clone. In fact, given the friction that Gen. Hillier's brash style occasionally generated at the political level, Mr. Harper will likely be looking for a CDS who is somewhat less aggressive, at least in his public pronouncements. This raises an interesting point. Whatever his leadership style, the new incumbent has got to be an effective communicator, able to express himself clearly and effectively to the military, the media, the public and the government alike. At the outset, it will be the first of these where he will meet his greatest challenge. Gen. Hillier earned enormous respect from the rank and file of the military and their families, to the point of adoration. It will be a tough act to follow, but the military family is a loyal bunch, and it will give the new CDS ample opportunity to prove himself.

Communicating with the other three audiences - the media, the public and the government - will be no less important. As Canada's senior military officer, the new chief will bear the heavy responsibility of bringing to his minister, the cabinet and the prime minister himself a logical and achievable plan for the development and funding of the Forces, presented in such a way that it has the promise of public support. This is critically important at a time when the armed forces face the dual challenge of fighting a tough war in Afghanistan while simultaneously recovering from the severe rundown of personnel and equipment that has resulted from five years of conflict, on top of the sad legacy of the reductions imposed upon the military in the '90s. As if that is not enough, the domestic security tasking in connection with the 2010 Olympics will add heavily to the operational burden, as will the growing focus on the Arctic and the Asia-Pacific regions, and of course defence against terrorism at home and abroad.

Here's a factor that may not be in the forefront of the Mr. Harper's mind, but one that is important: stamina. The CDS job is incredibly demanding, which is why the term of office rarely exceeds three years. The physical strain of constant globetrotting alone calls for physical fitness and endurance rarely faced by people in their mid-fifties. Incidentally, the frequent absence from Ottawa implies the need for another vital quality, namely the ability to delegate responsibility. Trust and teamwork behind the scenes are essential to a CDS's success.

Finally, more than ever before the incoming chief of the defence staff must exhibit a generous measure of diplomacy and political sensitivity, on top of all his military skills.


Mr. Harper, when he puts all of these factors and more together in making his choice, will certainly have a sense of comfort in the knowledge that he has a lot of outstanding talent to choose from. Whatever his decision, it will inevitably have an important influence on the future course of Canada's military, and of the nation itself.

General (Ret'd) Paul Manson was Canada's chief of the defence staff from 1986 to 1989 and is past president of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.

 
Article Link

PM to name Natynczyk as Hillier's replacement
Updated Fri. Jun. 6 2008 8:59 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Gen. Rick Hillier, the outgoing chief of defence staff of the Canadian Forces, will be replaced by Lt.-Gen. Walter Natynczyk, CTV News has learned.

Natynczyk, who currently serves as vice-chief of defence staff, will replace Hillier after he steps down on July 1.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make the announcement in the House of Commons foyer Friday morning, said CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife.

More on link

 
.... let's wait and see before anyone else starts to post on this thread......
 
TWO black hatter's in a row?  SACRILEGE!  (j/k)

IF this turns out to be true, congrats to the General!
 
The Dragoon mafia strikes again!!!!

A great man for us once again.
 
Two Generals with serious operational command experience (IE, commmanding multinational forces in a theatre of war), as well as both having been in the command team of corps (and for Nat, army) sized formations.

I see good things ahead. I hope.

Congrats General Natynczyk!
 
That's about the worst-kept secret in Ottawa, but I'm glad they're making it official. Natynczyk has struck me as not only a very intelligent and competent commander the times I've talked to him when he was VCDS, but also extremely concerned about both the troops and their families. He'll be a good replacement for Hillier.
 
    JTF2 has a squadron of them tucked away at Dwyer Hill

  One has been dispatched and is on it's way to your location as we speak. Don your asbestos underwear.
 
Aw crap.  Anyhow.. back on track.. I am glad we'll have another "operational" CDS.  I suspect though that he won't have the same charismatic charm that General Hillier had, we'll see!!
 
Dragons! Yes it's about time!!
:evil:
I've been an advocate of dragons for some time now!!
 
Bzz

I met Walt and found him very charismatic and easy to talk to justr like Hillier. I think we are in very good hands. Also gald to see that SOF will have another proponent at the helm and not some ego freak who wants to fire them all.
 
My mistake.  I meant charismatic towards the public.  We know the celebrity status of Hillier will be hard to match.  I mean, he was on The Hour with George Strombolopoulous the other night.. that's cool stuff.
 
Ahh, It's all coming clearer now.  Just returned from a ceremony here in my building, and through a very garbled PA system, thought I heard Gen Hillier talking about LGen Natynczyk and say "he's going to make an excellent CDS."  I thought "huh? did I miss an announcement?"

So from the horse's mouth (sort of)
 
Prime Minister's statement (llink to be posted when available)....

PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE STAFF

June 6, 2008
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that Lieutenant-General
Walter J. Natynczyk, currently Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, has been
appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, and promoted to the rank of
General. The change of command ceremony will take place in the coming
weeks.

“Lieutenant-General Walter J. Natynczyk brings strong leadership and
unparalleled experience to his new position,” said Prime Minister
Harper. “His service record includes a broad range of achievement at
home and abroad. The Canadian Forces are a vital institution making a
tremendous contribution to our country. Walter Natynczyk is the ideal
person to lead the Canadian Forces forward.”

General Natynczyk assumed his current position as Vice Chief of the
Defence Staff on June 28, 2006. He has extensive experience leading
forces abroad and at home. He joined the military in 1975 and has held
progressively more senior positions since that time, including the
command of the Canadian Task Force in Bosnia and deputy command of the
U.S. Army Corps in Fort Hood, Texas. This led him to a 15-month
deployment in Iraq as Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National
Corps. He has served as the Chief Transformation Officer responsible for
the implementation of Canadian Forces restructuring. General Natynczyk
was born in Manitoba and attended Royal Roads Military College and
Collège Militaire Royal, graduating with a degree in Business
Administration.

The Prime Minister took the opportunity to thank General Rick Hillier
for his leadership as the Chief of the Defence Staff since February 2005
and wished him all the best in his future endeavours.
 
I think this is good news for all concerned: Navy, Army and Air Force.

There will, no doubt, be some weeping and rending of garments in some blue sited cicles but those people are ignoring the fact, and I'm certain it is a fact, that by the time peole get to the three star level they are well schooled in the Joint business and well aware of the requirments for and of navies and air forces.

Gen. Natynczyk, having been VCDS, will be acutely aware of the problems facing all three services and the purple parts, too, and he is equally aware of the resources needed to address those problems and fight a war a the same time.
 
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