Major-General (MGen) Chris McKenna assumed command of 1 Canadian Air Division (CAD), Canadian NORAD Region (CANR), Joint Force Air Component (JFAC) and Search and Rescue Region Trenton from MGen Iain Huddleston this afternoon at a ceremony at 17 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg.
The ceremony was presided over by General Gregory Guillot, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); Lieutenant-General (LGen) Eric Kenny, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF); and LGen Steve Boivin, Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC).
MGen McKenna assumes command after a tour as the Director General Air and Space Force Development, where he played a key role in developing and acquiring many of the new capabilities for the RCAF that the Government of Canada has announced in recent years, including the CC-330 Husky Strategic Transport and Tanker Capability, the P-8 Poseidon Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft, and the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System capability, among others.
As a CH-146 Griffon and CH-147F Chinook pilot, he previously served as the Commander of 1 Wing, the RCAF’s tactical aviation Wing; as the Air Task Force Commander for the United Nation’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali; and with Canada’s Special Operations Forces. He has commanded at every level of the tactical aviation community, with multiple deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Mali.
Quick Facts
· The commander of 1 Canadian Air Division is the Force Generator of Canada’s operational air forces. They serve as Commander of the Canadian NORAD Region and as the Joint Force Air Component Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces. The commander also serves as Commander of Search and Rescue Region Trenton, which covers an area of more than 10 million square kilometers: from the British Columbia border in the west to Quebec’s eastern border, and from the U.S. border to the south to the North Pole.
· The Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division / Canadian NORAD Region / Joint Force Air Component and Search and Rescue Region Trenton generates and employs airpower to meet the operational needs of the Canadian Armed Forces at home and abroad.
· Encompassing 11 RCAF Wings across Canada, 16 fleets of aircraft and approximately 14,000 military and civilian Defence Team members, 1 Canadian Air Division provides operationally-ready air forces for rapid deployment and employment, while ensuring its wings and units are ready to meet Canada’s aerospace needs.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
