The Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force () is the institutional head of the

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 ...

. This appointment also includes the title Chief of the Air Force Staff and is based at National Defence Headquarters in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

History of the position

With the creation of the

Canadian Aviation Corps The Canadian Aviation Corps (CAC) was an early attempt to create an air force for Canada at the beginning of the First World War. The unit was created in 1914 and was attached to the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The CAC had a maximum strength of ...

in 1914, a provisional commander was appointed. This small and short-lived organization was dissolved in 1915 and it was not until 1918 that the

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 ...

came into being under the authority of its Officer Commanding. The

was reconstituted in 1920 and the officer in command (Air Commodore Tylee) held the title of Air Officer Commanding. It was also from 1920 to 1922 that Air Vice-Marshal

Sir Willoughby Gwatkin Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Garnons Gwatkin, (11 August 1859 – 2 February 1925) was a British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Canadian Militia during the First World War. Military career The son of a barr ...

served as Inspector-General of the Canadian Air Force although formally command was held by Tylee. Tylee's successors, not being

air officers An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...

, only held the title of

Officer Commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...

. In 1922, the senior Air Force post was redesignated as the Director and in 1924, when the Canadian Air Force was granted its Royal prefix, the officer appointed to command the Air Force continued to hold the title of Director. From 1932 to 1938 the title of Senior

Air Officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...

was used. In late 1938, the Air Force became an independent service and its professional head was retitled Chief of the Air Staff, bringing the Canadian higher command arrangements and nomenclature into line with that of the British and Australian air forces. The title of Chief of the Air Staff was used throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and well into the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

years. However, in 1964, the post was abolished as part of a plan to integrate the Canadian Forces and authority over aviation units was no longer vested in a single post. Air Defence Command and Air Transport Commands continued as before but with no overall air commander, while the Canadian Air Division, Air Training and Air Materiel were all divided up between Mobile and Maritime Commands. This arrangement was eventually judged to be impractical and in 1975 the air units of the Canadian Forces were placed within Air Command under the authority of a lieutenant-general with the title Commander of Air Command. In 1997 the Commander of Air Command was re-designated the Chief of the Air Staff, a title which continued in use until 2011. In 2011 Air Command was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force at which time the appointment was renamed to its present incarnation.Canadian Navy, Air Force 'Royal' Again With Official Name Change
Huffington Post, 15 August 2011

Evolution of the position

Appointees

The following table lists all those who have held the post of Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force or its preceding positions. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure: , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Provisional Commander , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Officer Commanding , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Air Officer Commanding , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Officer Commanding , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Director , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Senior Air Officer , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Chief of the Air Staff , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Commander of Air Command , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Chief of the Air Staff , -style="text-align:center;" !colspan=6, Chief of the Air Force Staff and Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force

Notes

References

* Johnson, Vic. "Canada's Air Force Then and Now". ''Airforce magazine''. Vol. 22, No. 3. 1998. ISSN 0704-6804.

External links

The Armed Forces of Canada 1867-1967 p. 271
{{Chief of the air force by country Military appointments of Canada Royal Canadian Air Force