Advertisements
Spread the love

 

Canada’s Prime Minister Wednesday announced Wednesday the appointment of Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan to lead the G7 and NATO member nation’s military. With the appointment, Carignan becomes the first woman to lead the G7 and NATO military.

Following the appointment, Carignan will be promoted to the rank of General. She will also take over from retiring General Wayne Eyre as Chief of the Defense Staff at a ceremony on July 18.

Announcing the appointment, the Prime Minister said, “I am confident that, as Canada’s new Chief of the Defence Staff, she will help Canada be stronger, more secure, and ready to tackle global security challenges.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disclosed this at a press conference in Montreal. He added that Carignan takes over the leadership of the military at a pivotal moment marked by “complicated geopolitics and increased threats.”

Trudeau remarked that Canadian Armed Forces are also grappling with a toxic culture described in a damning 2022 external report as “hostile to women… (and) conducive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault.”

According to reports, Carignan was tasked over the past three years with reforming this culture to be more respectful and inclusive. This followed hundreds of sexual misconduct accusations, including some against top brass against the Canadian soldiers.

AFP stated that women make up 16 percent of the Canadian military, according to government data.

A highly decorated soldier and mother of four children, two of whom serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.

“Carignan grew up in the mining town of Asbestos, Quebec, as the daughter of a policeman and a teacher.

“She joined the military in 1986, three years before Canada allowed women in combat roles.

She trained as a combat engineer; a role in which soldiers clear bombs and erect and destroy battlefield structures.

Carignan rose quickly through the ranks, shattering preconceptions about women warriors.

“She went on to become the first woman to lead a Canadian combat unit. She was deployed to Afghanistan where she narrowly avoided a suicide bomber. As well as an improvised explosive device that mangled a vehicle in her convoy.

Carignan has also served in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Syria. She also led NATO’s training mission in Iraq from 2019 to 2020.  And commanded the 2nd Canadian Division — the military’s largest regiment with more than 10,000 troops.

AFP

 

 

Follow us for more news on our WhatsApp News Channels @

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaC505jB4hdZ5Yx9g82U

By admin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *