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Senior promotions, appointments and retirements (merged)

He was cited in a recent news report as being "tone deaf" whilst being Commandant of RMC. The "Night of the Long Knives" fallout continues.
Roger that, I remember now. The purges will continue I am thinking. BGens and Colonels are next.
 
Friday is the one that essentially sided with the officer-cadets that were making violent and aggressive sexual comments towards underage female cadets right? He thought the other officer-dude blasting the officer-cadets for their behavior was too harsh and not RMC like.
 
Friday is the one that essentially sided with the officer-cadets that were making violent and aggressive sexual comments towards underage female cadets right? He thought the other officer-dude blasting the officer-cadets for their behavior was too harsh and not RMC like.

Some details here

 
I worked for LCol Popov when he was at 1 Cdn Div HQ. He struck me as someone who lived and breathed the military ethos and was very much a "if its messed up, let me know and lets figure it out" kind of leader. He has my respect to this day.

He got put through the wringer because he didn't play politics. He didn't see his position as one to springboard to the next higher role. He was trying to fix a military problem with a military solution.

I have been formed up and blasted multiple times in my career for everything from one dude getting arrested for assault downtown to getting a blast for someone putting wood in the metal dumpster behind the RQ. I also got a blast as a 15 year old in civiland when someone accepted expired coupons at my afterschool job. When warranted, it is useful to get the point across.

If it is against the sensibilities of these future leaders to get a dressing down, how are they going to survive as a Troop Commander, or worse, as a Staff Officer? And given the topic of the blast... damn right I would have given the same speech.

I am glad that Friday is stepping aside. I also wouldn't be surprised to see him investigated in the future. His actions and judgement, if LCol Popov is to be believed true (which I have every reason to), are disgraceful and bordering on criminal. I hope he gets what's coming to him.
 
I worked for LCol Popov when he was at 1 Cdn Div HQ. He struck me as someone who lived and breathed the military ethos and was very much a "if its messed up, let me know and lets figure it out" kind of leader. He has my respect to this day.

He got put through the wringer because he didn't play politics. He didn't see his position as one to springboard to the next higher role. He was trying to fix a military problem with a military solution.

I have been formed up and blasted multiple times in my career for everything from one dude getting arrested for assault downtown to getting a blast for someone putting wood in the metal dumpster behind the RQ. I also got a blast as a 15 year old in civiland when someone accepted expired coupons at my afterschool job. When warranted, it is useful to get the point across.

If it is against the sensibilities of these future leaders to get a dressing down, how are they going to survive as a Troop Commander, or worse, as a Staff Officer? And given the topic of the blast... damn right I would have given the same speech.

I am glad that Friday is stepping aside. I also wouldn't be surprised to see him investigated in the future. His actions and judgement, if LCol Popov is to be believed true (which I have every reason to), are disgraceful and bordering on criminal. I hope he gets what's coming to him.
Friday has been part of the problem for awhile now, in the mid 2000s he was disappointed with a guilty verdict of a NAV officer in our squadron on sexual assault charges. He expressed in a morning briefing after another officer was found not guilty of an alcohol charge not long after; his faith was a little bit restored in the court martial system.

Context, the person who the officer assaulted called me directly telling me about the incident that was witnessed by others in the "hotel room debriefing." Unlike the AC who put the ball in the victims court to go to the military police I told them I am going directly to your CWO and if they ignore it I will happy accompany you to the RCMP. The CWO understood my willingness to take the victim to the RCMP...
Our Harassment and Discrimination ( I hope these titles have become more then who did the wknd course and its a good professional development tick on your PER) Officer expressed how hasn't everyone done this at one time or another? His faced dropped when he found out that the victim came to me and it was me who moved forward.
Members careers have been ended and worse by these very typical attitudes.
 
Congrats to the latest batch announced today!
· Lieutenant-General J.J.M.J. Paul will be appointed Commander Canadian Army, in Ottawa.


· Major-General S.R. Kelsey will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and appointed Deputy Commander Allied Joint Force Command Naples, in Naples Italy, replacing Lieutenant-General J.J.M.J. Paul.


· Major-General E.J. Kenny will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and appointed Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in Ottawa, replacing Lieutenant-General A.D. Meinzinger, who will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces.


· Rear-Admiral A.I. Topshee will be promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral and appointed Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, in Ottawa, replacing Vice-Admiral C.A. Baines, who will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces.
 
I haven't been paying much attention to these things for long, but isn't it a bit odd to have new commanders for the RCN, CA, and RCAF appointed at the same time?
No. Remember, all LGen / VAdms are well past the point where they can retire. Attrition at that level is to be expected.
 
Happy to see Topshee as CRCN. Sailed with him on TOR back in ought 6 for a couple years, he was our XO.

Great crew and command team back then.
Agreed. He was my CO in ALG in 2010/11 (I was CERA) and we've had sporadic contact since. Mayhaps he'll have the floundering MARTECH trade taken out back of the barn and put out of it's misery. One can hope......
 
No. Remember, all LGen / VAdms are well past the point where they can retire. Attrition at that level is to be expected.
I suppose what I was getting at is more along the lines of, it seems odd to me that the commanders of the three elements are all leaving at once, weeks after an absolute dud of a defence budget.
 
Well, Lt. Gen (retired) Cadieu was supposed to be appointed last year as CA, but that was paused for the sexual misconduct investigation so has been an actor there for a while. VAdm Baines didn't make any friends for golfing with the deadbeat dad and greasy sex pest Vance, so probably for the best, but he eaked out just under a year.

If things had gone normally, CA would have been in last year, RCAF this year, and RCN maybe next year or year after, but not sure if that would have been intentional or just a coincidence.
 
LGen Cadieu was right to retire. As he said, even if he's exonerated, his reputation is tarnished such that it would make being the commander of the Army untenable.
 
LGen Cadieu was right to retire. As he said, even if he's exonerated, his reputation is tarnished such that it would make being the commander of the Army untenable.
I agree, and same with Baines. Even though he was allowed to stay in his job, he lost the moral authority to lead a large portion of the RCN.
 
Topshee spoke to our JCSP class, and we were all impressed by his attitude. If he sticks to his guns, three will be a slew of Cdrs and above being told to prepare for shore duty permanently, because they don't cut it. He had a great distaste for individuals who used box ticking and nepotism to get ahead.
 
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