Wayne Eyre

General

Wayne Eyre

CMM MSC CD
Eyre in February 2024
Birth nameWayne Donald Eyre
Born1966 or 1967 (age 57–58)[1]
Wadena, Saskatchewan, Canada[2]
AllegianceCanada
Service / branchCanadian Army
Years of service1988–2024
RankGeneral
CommandsChief of the Defence Staff
Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff
Military Personnel Command
Deputy Commander United Nations Command
3rd Canadian Division
2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Battles / warsWar in Afghanistan
Croatian War of Independence (Peacekeeping)
AwardsCommander of the Order of Military Merit
Meritorious Service Cross
Canadian Forces' Decoration
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)[3][4]
Commander of the National Order of Merit (France)[5]
Order of National Security Merit, Gukseon Medal (South Korea)[6]

General Wayne Donald Eyre CMM MSC CD (born 1966/1967) is a retired Canadian Forces officer who served as the chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) from 2021 to 2024. Eyre was named acting CDS on February 24, 2021, and appointed to the full position on November 25, 2021. He was also the commander of the Canadian Army and chief of the Army Staff.

Early life

Eyre was born on a farm near Wadena, Saskatchewan, joining the Army Cadets at age 13. He spent his high school years in Medicine Hat, Alberta.[2] Eyre attended Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College.[7][8]

Military career

Eyre was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 1988.[3]

In 1993 Eyre, who was a captain at the time, was deployed to Croatia as part of the United Nations Protection Force. He took part in Operation Medak Pocket in which he commanded a reconnaissance platoon, which witnessed the aftermath of ethnic cleansing in the village of Lički Čitluk.[9]

He became commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 2004.[10] He went on to become commander of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in 2009 and,[3] after that, Deputy Commanding General of Operations for the United States Army's XVIII Airborne Corps in 2012, in which role he was deployed to Afghanistan.[10] He was appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd Canadian Division and Joint Task Force West in 2014.[10]

In May 2018,[11] Eyre became the first non-American to serve as deputy commander of the United Nations Command in South Korea.[11][3][12][13] He was succeeded by Vice Admiral Stuart Mayer of the Royal Australian Navy in June 2019, and returned to Canada as Commander Military Personnel Command.[14]

On July 12, 2019, it was announced Eyre would be appointed the commander of the Canadian Army, effective from August 20.[14][15]

Eyre was appointed acting chief of the Defence Staff on February 24, 2021, following the stepping aside of Admiral Art McDonald pending an investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.[16][17][18] He was promoted to full general on August 13, 2021[19] and appointed as the official Chief of Defence Staff on November 25, 2021.[20]

Eyre was made a Commander of the United States' Legion of Merit on April 24, 2021.[4] He had previously been appointed as an officer of the American order while a brigadier-general in 2015 and,[21] in 2020, was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster (second award) to the Legion of Merit.[22]

On March 15, 2022, Eyre, along with 313 other Canadians, was banned from entering Russia, in protest of the Government of Canada's opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Audio: Col. Wayne Eyre talks to Graham Thomson". Edmonton Journal. February 26, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "NATO biography". NATO. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Deputy Commander UNC". United States Forces Korea. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (April 24, 2021). "Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 155, Number 17: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". canadagazette.gc.ca.
  5. ^ "Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 155, Number 44: GOVERNMENT HOUSE".
  6. ^ "Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 155, Number 9". Government of Canada. February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  7. ^ General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Colonel Wayne Donald Eyre". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Lawrence, Richard (August 21, 2019). "Canadian Army Change of Command Parade". Esprit de Corps. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "'We could hear the burning': Canada's top soldier remembers the Battle of Medak Pocket". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Dykstra, Matt (July 18, 2014). "Command of the 3rd Canadian Division changes hands at Edmonton Garrison". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Chase, Steven (May 13, 2018). "UN Command names Canadian to key post in South Korea for the first time". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Pinkerton, Charlie (November 5, 2018). "Canadians at centre of 'potentially historic turning point' in Korea". Ipolitics.ca. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  13. ^ Shorrock, Tim. "Can United Nations Command become catalyst for change in the Korean peninsula?". The National Interest. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Lieutenant-General Jean-Marc Lanthier to become Vice Chief of the Defence Staff amid other senior staff changes". Canadian Army. July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  15. ^ Pugliese, David (July 12, 2019). "Lt.-Gen. Lanthier named as new vice chief, more generals promoted". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  16. ^ "National Chief of Defence Staff steps aside amid investigation". CityNews. The Canadian Press. February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  17. ^ Jackson, Hannah (February 24, 2021). "Canada's chief of defence staff to step aside amid CFNIS investigation: defence minister". Global News. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  18. ^ Pugliese, David (February 24, 2021). "Admiral Art McDonald steps aside as Defence Chief as military police launch investigation". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  19. ^ "Liberals promote Eyre to general, signalling plan to keep him as defence chief". Globe and Mail. August 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  20. ^ "Prime Minister announces the appointment of the Chief of the Defence Staff". Prime Minister of Canada. November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  21. ^ Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (April 4, 2015). "Canada Gazette – GOVERNMENT HOUSE". canadagazette.gc.ca.
  22. ^ Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (February 29, 2020). "Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 154, Number 9: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". canadagazette.gc.ca.
  23. ^ "Justin Trudeau among 313 Canadians banned from Russia - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wayne D. Eyre.
Military offices
Preceded by Deputy Commander United Nations Command
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the Canadian Army
2019–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of the Defence Staff
2021–2024 		Succeeded by