Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Jocelyn Paul, (born January 3, 1964) is a senior

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

officer that currently serves as commander of the Canadian Army and chief of the Army Staff since June 16, 2022.

Early life and education

Paul was born and raised in Wendake, a

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

community in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. He is a member of the Huron-Wendat. Paul attended the

Université du Québec à Chicoutimi The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) is a branch of the Université du Québec network founded in 1969 and based in the Chicoutimi borough of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada. UQAC has secondary study centres in La Malbaie, Saint-Félicien ...

, where he studied history and earned a bachelor's degree in 1988. He then went on to complete a master's degree in anthropology at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

in 1991.

Military career

Paul joined the

reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

in 1988 as an infantry officer with the

Régiment du Saguenay Le Régiment du Saguenay is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces based in Saguenay, Quebec. The regiment was founded in 1900 in Roberval, Quebec as the 18th Saguenay Battalion of Infantry. See also * The Canadian Crown and ...

and

Régiment de Maisonneuve Le Régiment de Maisonneuve is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The regiment is Canada's twenty-sixth most senior reserve infantry regiment, and comprises one battalion serving as part of the Canadian Army Reserves. Lin ...

. He transferred to the

regular force In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, career ...

in 1991 as part of the

Royal 22e Régiment , colors = Scarlet with blue facings (full dress and mess dress) , march = Quick: ''Vive la Canadienne''Slow: ''Marche lente du Royal 22e Régiment: La Prière en famille'' , mascot ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 2021, when he was appointed Deputy Commander Allied Joint Forces Command Naples. On April 21, 2022, the Department of National Defence announced that Paul had been selected to become the next

commander of the Canadian Army The commander of the Canadian Army (french: commandant de l'Armée canadienne) is the institutional head of the Canadian Army. This appointment also includes the title Chief of the Army Staff (french: links=no, chef de l'état-major de l'Armée) ...

. He took over the role on June 16, 2022. He will be the first Indigenous person to serve in this position.https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jocelyn-paul-canadian-army-armed-forces-1.6491703

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Jocelyn 1964 births Canadian generals Canadian military personnel from Quebec Commanders of the Canadian Army Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) Living people Officers of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration