Lieutenant Colonel I.C. Hope

Commanding Officer Canadian Battle Group (Task Force Orion)

Lieutenant-Colonel Hope was born the son of an Artillery Non-Commissioned Officer and joined the Infantry as soon as he was safely away from home. He first served in the ranks in the West Nova Scotia Regiment and for a year with the British Army. He was commissioned in the West Novies in 1981, and subsequently sought and secured a transfer to Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 1985, serving initially as a platoon commander with the 1st Battalion in Calgary. He then commanded platoons in the 2nd Battalion in Germany and in the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Petawawa, Ontario. As the exchange officer to the Parachute Regiment in the United Kingdom he served in the capacity of company second-in-command and company commander. In 1995 he joined the 2nd Battalion in Winnipeg, serving as Operations Officer, Rifle Company Commander, and Officer Commanding Combat Support Company.

From 1998 to 2000 Lieutenant-Colonel Hope completed the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, followed by the United States Army School of Advanced Military Studies. For four years he was employed as a staff officer of training and doctrine, and as a strategic planner in Land Forces Training and Doctrine System in Kingston. He has been on operations in Europe, the Balkans, and Africa. After September 11th 2001, he was seconded to United States European Command to conduct strategic counter-terrorist operations planning, and in May 2004 he deployed to the Headquarters International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan to formulate an Afghan national strategy.

On 29 September 2004 LCol Hope took command of the 1st Battalion PPCLI. Preparations for the current operation in Afghanistan began in earnest in October 2004. He commanded Task Force ORION in Afghanistan.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hope has a Bachelor of History (Honours) Degree from Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia; a Masters of Military Arts and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College; and is currently working on his PhD dissertation in history with Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/operations/archer/bios/hope_e.asp