Jennie Carignan

Jennie Carignan, born in Quebec in nineteen sixty-eight, is a distinguished officer in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who has made history as the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) since July twenty twenty-four. A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) in Kingston, Ontario, she specialized in military engineering and has played a pivotal role in various Canadian military operations throughout the 1990s and 2000s, including missions in the Golan Heights, Bosnia, and Afghanistan.

In two thousand thirteen, Carignan took on the role of Commandant at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean, marking a significant step in her career. Her ascent continued when she was promoted to brigadier-general in June two thousand sixteen, making her the first Canadian female general to lead a combat command. This groundbreaking achievement paved the way for her subsequent promotion to major-general in two thousand nineteen, where she commanded NATO forces in Iraq.

Carignan's leadership journey reached new heights in two thousand twenty-one when she was appointed as the CAF’s first chief for Professional Conduct and Culture, further demonstrating her commitment to fostering a positive military environment. On July third, two thousand twenty-four, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced her historic appointment as the first woman to serve as Chief of the Defence Staff, with the official change of command ceremony taking place on July eighteenth, two thousand twenty-four.