Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force

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The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) (French: Chef d’état-major de la Force aérienne or CEMFA) is the professional head of the Canadian Air Force, officially known as the Canadian Forces Air Command. The Chief of the Air Staff is based at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa from where he commands and provides strategic direction to the Air Force under the overall direction of the Chief of the Defence Staff. The post also existed in the former Royal Canadian Air Force.

History of the post

With the creation of the Canadian Air Force in 1920 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 served as Inspector-General of the Canadian Air Force although formally command was vested in Tylee. Tylee's successors, not being air officers, only held the title of Officer Commanding. 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 was used. In late 1938, the professional head was retitled Chief of the Air Staff, bring the Canadian usage into line with the British and Australian air forces.

The title of Chief of the Air Staff was used throughout World War II and well into the Cold War 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. This arrangement was eventually judged to be impractical and in 1975 air units of the Canadian Forces were placed within Air Command under the authority of a lieutenant-general. In 1997, the Canadian Forces reverted to their former title by redesignating the Commander of Air Command as the Chief of the Air Staff, a practice that has continued to the present day.

Officers commanding (1920 to 1922)

The following officers served as Officer Commanding (or Air Officer Commanding in the case of Tylee) the Canadian Air Force from 1920 to 1922:

Directors (1922 to 1932)

The following officers served as Director of the Canadian Air Force (to March 1923) and RCAF thereafter:[2]

Senior air officers (1932 to 1938)

The following officers served as Senior Air Officer of the RCAF:[2]

Chiefs of the Air Staff (1938 to 1964)

The following officers served as Chief of the Air Staff of the RCAF:[2]

Commanders (1975 to 1997)

The following officers served as Commander of the Canadian Forces Air Command:

  • Lieutenant-General Bill Carr 1975–1978[3]
  • Lieutenant-General George Allan MacKenzie 1978–1980[4]
  • Lieutenant-General Kenneth Lewis 1980–1983[5]
  • Lieutenant-General Paul David Manson 1983–1985[6]
  • Lieutenant-General Donald Malcolm McNaughton 1985–1986[7]
  • Lieutenant-General G. Scott Clements 1993–1995[8]
  • Lieutenant-General Allan Marvin DeQuetteville 1995–1997[9]

Chiefs of the Air Staff (1997 to present)

The following officers served as Chief of the Air Staff of the Canadian Forces Air Command:

Notes

  1. ^ http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/collection_2009/forces/D63-2-2E.pdf
  2. ^ a b c Johnson 1998, p. 16.
  3. ^ "Thirty Years of Air Command: LGen Bill Carr Recalls AF Re-birth". Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  4. ^ "Canadian Who's Who 1997". Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  5. ^ "A Long Forgotten Piece of History". Retrieved 2010-04-03.
  6. ^ "Advisory Council". Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  7. ^ "Canadian Who's Who 1997". Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  8. ^ "Canadian Who's Who 1997". Retrieved 2009-07-09.
  9. ^ "Canadian Who's Who 1997". Retrieved 2009-07-09.

References

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