Michael Norman Rouleau
(born July 4, 1967) is a
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 serving as a
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 ...
in the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
. He was the
vice chief of the Defence Staff from July 15, 2020 until June 14, 2021.
Education
Rouleau obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.[Royal Military College of Canada
'')
, established = 1876
, type = Military academy
, chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister)
, principal = Harry Kowal
, head_label ...](_blank)
with a Masters in Defence Studies and a Master of Arts Degree in Security, Management, and Defence Policy.
Military career
Rouleau joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1985 as an artillery officer.
In 1994 he became a Special Operation Assaulter with
Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2)
In 1999, he retired from the CAF and joined the ranks of the
Ottawa Carleton Regional Police Service as an emergency response officer.
However, he re-enrolled in the CAF in 2002 following the events of the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
against the United States.
Rouleau was appointed Commander of the
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM; french: links=no, Commandement des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada; COMFOSCAN) is a command of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is responsible for all special forces operations that are ...
in February 2014.
He was Commander of the
Canadian Joint Operations Command
The Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC; french: links=no, Commandement des opérations interarmées du Canada) is one of the two unified commands of the Canadian Armed Forces, the other one being the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command ...
from June 2018 to March 2020 before being replaced by Lieutenant-General
Christopher J. Coates.
In July 2020, Rouleau was named
Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. In March 2021,
Frances J. Allen was announced as his successor and he was named a strategic advisor to the
chief of the Defence Staff on future capabilities, pending Allen's completion of service as Canada's Representative to the
NATO Military Committee
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Military Committee (NATO MC) is the body of NATO that is composed of member states' Chiefs of Defence (CHOD). These national CHODs are regularly represented in the MC by their permanent Military Representative ...
.
He resigned prematurely from the role on June 14, 2021, after controversy over a golf game he played with former Chief of the Defence Staff
Jonathan Vance
General Jonathan Holbert Vance (born January 3, 1964) is a retired Canadian Forces officer who served as a general in the Canadian Army. Vance was the chief of the Defence Staff from 2015 to 2021.
In July 2021, Vance was charged with one cou ...
during an investigation into the latter for sexual misconduct.
As Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Rouleau was the immediate superior to the
Provost Marshal
Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...
in charge of the
Canadian Forces National Investigation Service
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) is the investigative arm of the Canadian Forces Military Police. The CFNIS is an independent military police unit that provides an independent investigative capability for the purpose of ...
.
He retired in September 2022.
Honours and decorations
Rouleau has received the following orders and decorations during his military career:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rouleau, Michael
Canadian generals
Living people
1967 births
University of Manitoba alumni
Royal Military College of Canada alumni
Vice Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada)
Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada)
Canadian police officers