General Wayne Donald Eyre, (born 1966/1967) is a Canadian Forces officer serving as the chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). Eyre was named acting CDS on February 24, 2021, and appointed to the full position on November 25, 2021. He was also the commander of the Canadian Army and chief of the Army Staff.

Early life

Eyre was born on a farm near Wadena, Saskatchewan, joining the Army Cadets at age 13. He spent his high school years in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Eyre attended Royal Roads Military College and the

Royal Military College Royal Military College may refer to: ;Australia * Royal Military College, Duntroon, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory ;Canada * Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario * Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean, Quebec ;Mala ...

Military career

Eyre was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion,

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

in 1988. He became commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 2004. He went on to become commander of

2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2CMBG; french: 2e Groupe-brigade mécanisé du Canada, 2GBMC) is a Canadian Forces brigade group that is part of 4th Canadian Division of the Canadian Army. It is currently based in CFB Petawawa. One of its thre ...

in 2009 and, after that, Deputy Commanding General of Operations for the United States Army's XVIII Airborne Corps in 2012, in which role he was deployed to Afghanistan. He was appointed General Officer Commanding

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...

and Joint Task Force West in 2014. In May 2018, Eyre became the first non-American to serve as deputy commander of the United Nations Command in South Korea. He was succeeded by Vice Admiral

Stuart Mayer Vice Admiral Stuart Campbell Mayer, (born 1965) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy. He joined the navy via the Royal Australian Naval College at HMAS Creswell in 1984 and qualified as a Principal Warfare Officer in 199 ...

of the Royal Australian Navy in June 2019, and returned to Canada as Commander Military Personnel Command. On July 12, 2019, it was announced Eyre would be appointed the commander of the Canadian Army, effective from August 20. Eyre was appointed acting chief of the Defence Staff on February 24, 2021, following the stepping aside of Admiral Art McDonald pending an investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service. He was promoted to full general on August 13, 2021 and appointed as the official Chief of Defence Staff on November 25, 2021. Eyre was made a Commander of the United States'

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

on April 24, 2021. He had previously been appointed as an officer of the American order while a brigadier-general in 2015 and, in 2020, was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster (second award) to the Legion of Merit. On March 15, 2022, Eyre, along with 313 other Canadians, was banned from entering Russia, in protest of the Government of Canada's opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Eyre, Wayne Canadian generals Canadian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Living people Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration Commanders of the Canadian Army Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry officers 1960s births