General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Thomas James Lawson (born 2 November 1957) is a retired
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
general. Lawson was
Chief of the Defence Staff of the
Canadian Armed 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.
...
from October 2012 to July 2015. He previously served as Deputy Commander of the
North American Aerospace Defence Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...
.
Family and early life
Thomas James Lawson was born on 2 November 1957 in
Etobicoke
Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...
, Ontario.
["How old is Canada's new top general? He's 54"]
CBC News 30 August 2012 His father George Lawson (1920–2011) was a fighter pilot during World War II, flying Mustang and Spitfire aircraft in the fighter-reconnaissance role with 239 Squadron of the RAF and 414 Squadron of the RCAF.
His grandfather, Norman Moran (1895–1973), was a fighter pilot during World War I, flying Sopwith Camels.
Military career
Cadet officer
Lawson enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1975, attending the Royal Military College in Kingston. In 1976, he was awarded the Queen’s University Challenge Shield as the top First Year Cadet. While at RMC, Lawson was a member of the College swim and cross-country running teams. In 1978, he was selected to be the Cadet Wing Commander for his final year. In 1979, Lawson graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, majoring in Electrical Engineering. On graduation parade, he was awarded the Sword of Honour as top all-round graduate.
Junior officer
In 1980, following completion of training at CFB Moose Jaw, his father pinned on Lawson's wings during graduation parade making him a third-generation RCAF pilot. In 1981, Lawson completed fighter training on CF-5 and CF-104 aircraft at CFB Cold Lake. On completion of his CF-104 training, he was awarded the top graduate trophy. He was then posted to
421 Squadron at
CFB Baden–Soellingen
Canadian Forces Base Baden–Soellingen or CFB Baden–Soellingen, formerly known as RCAF Station Baden–Soellingen (Baden), (IATA:FKB, ICAO: EDSB, former code EDAL) was a Canadian Forces base located near the farming community of Söllingen, ...
. During a four-year tour, Lawson gathered over 1000 hours on the Starfighter. He returned to Royal Military College in 1985 to complete a Master of Science in Engineering, specializing in Electrical Engineering, and then served as a lecturer with the Electrical Engineering department staff.
Senior officer
In 1988, Lawson was promoted to
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
and was posted to
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, to attend the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
Air Command and Staff College
The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Uni ...
.
While posted in Alabama, he completed a Master of Public Administration at
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...
. In 1991, he was posted to
CFB Cold Lake
Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake , abbreviated as CFB Cold Lake, is a Canadian Forces Base in the City of Cold Lake, Alberta.
The facility is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is approximately south of the ...
and completed
CF-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...
training, graduating with the Top Gun and Top Overall Graduate awards. He then returned to CFB Baden-Soellingen to fly operationally with
421 and
439 Squadrons. After the base closed, Lawson returned to CFB Cold Lake, joining
410 Squadron as a CF-18 instructor, where he was in charge of the annual Fighter Weapons Instructor Course.
Lawson was posted in 1996 to
National Defence Headquarters
National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) ( French: ''Quartiers généraux de la Défense nationale'' (''QGDN'')) was created through the integration of Canadian Armed Forces Headquarters (CAF HQ) with the civilian Department of National Defence (DN ...
as a career manager and promoted to
lieutenant-colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
[ In 1998, he was appointed commanding officer of 412 Squadron, where he flew the CC-144 Challenger until 2000. Lawson was placed in charge of career management for Air Command and he completed the ]United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
Air War College
The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operation ...
.[
In 2003, Lawson was promoted to ]colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
and held various staff positions with the Air Force before joining the CF Transformation Team in 2005 and leading the stand-up of the Strategic Joint Staff. In 2006, Lawson was posted to CFB Trenton
Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hu ...
and completed a year in command of that base also carrying out flying duties on the CC-150 Airbus.
General officer
In May 2007, Lawson was promoted to Brigadier-General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
and appointed Commandant of his alma-mater, the Royal Military College of Canada.
Lawson was promoted to major-general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
and appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff in September, 2009. While in this role, he represented the RCAF during Cabinet discussions leading to the early selection of the F-35 as Canada's next fighter jet. In this role, he said the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide ele ...
's stealth could help defend Canadian sovereignty, as Russian bombers would be faced with an "undetectable threshold". Lawson was again promoted in July 2011, to lieutenant-general and, on August 15, 2011, was appointed deputy commander of NORAD and posted to Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
.
On August 27, 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
announced the appointment of Lawson as Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), replacing General Walter Natynczyk
Walter John Natynczyk, ( ; born October 29, 1957) is a Canadian public servant and retired Canadian Army general who has served as Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs from 2014 to 2021. He was the President of the Canadian Space Agency fro ...
. In April, 2014, he oversaw the commencement of Operation Reassurance, Canada's military response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. In September, 2014, Lawson oversaw the deployment of Special Operations troops and RCAF units to Iraq and Kuwait in support of Operation Impact, the international coalition against ISIS. In the summer of 2015, Lawson oversaw preparations for Operation Unifier, Canada's contribution to NATO's training effort in Ukraine.
Lawson pinned wings on his eldest and youngest sons in 2008 and 2013. Upon receipt of their wings, they each became fourth-generation RCAF aircrew.
In 2014, in response to press reports of allegations of sexual misconduct in the Forces, General Lawson asked retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps to carry out an investigation. In April 2015, her report was released to the public. In a June interview with Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge (born July 6, 1948) is a British-born Canadian retired news anchor. From 1988 to 2017, he was chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of '' The National,'' CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. He was also host of CB ...
, Lawson agreed that sexual misconduct is an issue and will continue to be an issue because "we're biologically wired in a certain way and there will be those who believe it is a reasonable thing to press themselves and their desires on others. It's not the way it should be." While public reaction to his interview was mixed, some opposition party members and individuals on social media disagreed with his comment and called for Lawson's resignation. Lawson later defended his statement, but agreed that it was an "awkward characterization".
Retirement and beyond
On July 17, 2015, Lawson was replaced as Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed 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.
...
by Lieutenant-General 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 ...
.
In 2016, Lawson commenced a career as a strategic consultant.
Medals and decorations
Lawson's personal awards and decorations include the following:
*
He was a qualified RCAF Pilot and as such wore the Royal Canadian Forces Pilot Wings.
Notes
References
External links
New CDS & His College Roots – RMC Club of Canada e-Veritas
NORAD – 2011 Biography – T. J. Lawson, CMM, CD CANADIAN ARMED FORCES archived
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Thomas James
Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada)
Royal Canadian Air Force generals
Canadian Forces Air Command generals
People from Etobicoke
Living people
Military personnel from Toronto
1957 births