Canada gets new armed froces chief - (Has served in Iraq with the Coalition forces)
Canada on Friday named a new chief of the country’s armed forces, Lieutenant-General Walter Natynczyk, who signaled no change in strategy in Afghanistan where Canadian troops are deployed.
Natynczyk replaces retiring chief of defense staff Rick Hillier who once praised his “strategic vision.”
“We are extremely pleased that General Natynczyk has accepted this important position to lead the Canadian Forces,” said Defense Minister Peter MacKay, describing Canada’s new top soldier as “a gentleman general.”
The official change in command will take place in the coming weeks, he said.
Although declining to reveal his priorities just yet, Natynczyk indicated that his appointment would not result in any shift in strategy in Afghanistan, where 2,500 Canadian troops are fighting insurgents as part of a NATO-led force.
“We have a great strategy happening right now (in Afghanistan) … it’s a question of how do you accelerate that,” he told reporters.
A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Natynczyk joined the Canadian military in August 1975, and has since held progressively more senior positions until he was hand-picked by Hillier in 2006 to be his second in command.
He led Canadian troops in Bosnia, Herzegovina.
As well, Natynczyk served in a 15-month deployment in Iraq as deputy commanding general of the Multi-National Corps in 2004.
“There’s not really a big difference between the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Natynczyk said. “There are extremists, fundamentalists (in Iraq), same thing applies in Afghanistan.
“So the tactics and techniques and procedures are exactly the same. And the risks are identical as well,” he said.
Natynczyk’s key appointments include commanding officer of the venerable Royal Canadian Dragoons; deputy commanding general, III Corps; and commander of Land Force Doctrine and Training System in Canada.
Most recently, he was responsible for carrying out a restructuring of the Canadian Forces.