Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada’s defence chief, will retire this summer

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre is set to retire this summer, after nearly three years in the position.

The Prime Minister’s Office made the announcement Friday afternoon and thanked Eyre for his service.

“As Chief of the Defence Staff, General Eyre helped stabilize the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) during a period of turmoil and led the institution in responding to the many security crises and challenges facing our country and the world,” said Mohammad Hussain, press secretary to the prime minister.

Eyre has been with the Canadian Armed Forces for 40 years.

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He took over as chief of the defence staff in 2021, as the military grappled with a sexual misconduct crisis involving multiple senior leaders and spurred by months of exclusive reporting by Global News.

“In a period of significant change, General Eyre championed efforts to modernize the CAF’s capabilities, rebuild its readiness, and make it an inclusive and respectful organization that attracts and retains talent from all segments of Canadian society while continuing to deliver operational excellence,” said Hussain.

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The Prime Minister’s Office says a selection process will soon begin to find Eyre’s replacement.

“General Eyre will continue to serve in his role until the appointment of his successor and the completion of a deliberate transition period,” the statement said.

During his 40 years with the Canadian Armed Forces, Eyre was deployed to Croatia, Bosnia, Cyprus and Afghanistan and on domestic missions.

In this role as Canada’s defence chief, Eyre made repeated warnings about the country’s ability to confront increased global security threats.

He also expressed frustration over a personnel shortage, aging equipment and cuts.

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Ottawa has asked the Department of National Defence to slash $1 billion from its budget.

“Our people see the degrading, declining security situation around the world, and so trying to explain this to them is very difficult,” Eyre told MPs MPs sitting on the House of Commons national defence committee back in November.

At the time, Defence Minister Bill Blair defended the move, saying given the current “fiscal environment,” the government needs to be careful with how it spends taxpayers’ dollars.

The Prime Minister’s Office says a selection process will soon begin to find Eyre’s replacement.