Jonathan Vance

General Jonathan Holbert "Jon" Vance CMM MSC CD[1] (born January 3, 1964)[2] is a Canadian Army general who serves as Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Jonathan Vance
Vance in 2018
Birth name	Jonathan Holbert Vance
Nickname(s)	Jon
Born	(1964-01-03) January 3, 1964 Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Allegiance	Canada
Service/branch	Canadian Army
Years of service	1982–present
Rank	General
Commands held	Chief of the Defence Staff Canadian Joint Operations Command Task Force Kandahar 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment
Battles/wars	War in Afghanistan Military intervention against ISIL
Awards	Commander of the Order of Military Merit Meritorious Service Cross Canadian Forces Decoration
Alma mater	Royal Roads Military College Royal Military College of Canada

Military career

Vance (right) and Hulusi Akar (left), Chief of the Defense Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, at the Halifax International Security Forum in 2017

Born in Kingston, Ontario,[3] Vance joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1982 and was commissioned as an infantry officer upon graduation from Royal Roads Military College in 1986.[4][5] He served as deputy commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples, and Commander of the Canadian Task Force in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.[6][7] He went on to be Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command in September 2014 and Chief of Defence Staff on July 17, 2015.[6]

Vance holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Military and Strategic Studies from Royal Roads Military College, and a Master of Arts degree in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada.[8]

On July 23, 2020, Vance announced his intention to retire as Chief of Defence Staff after 5 years in office, and will serve until his replacement is named. Despite being a potential candidate for an upcoming vacancy as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, the federal government announced its intention not to pursue the competition.[9]

Family

His father, Jack Vance, was a Canadian Lieutenant-General who had been the Vice Chief of Defence Staff in 1985.[10]

Honours and decorations

Vance has received the following orders and decorations during his military career:

Honours and decorations

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Military Merit (CMM)	Commander 26 September 2013 Officer 28 November 2008 [11] [12]
	Meritorious Service Cross (MSC)	With Bar December 13, 2011 [13]
	General Campaign Star	Southwest Asia With two rotation bars
	Special Service Medal	With "NATO" Bar
	Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
	UNPROFOR	With MID Oakleaf 10 March 1995[14]
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002 Canadian Version of this Medal [15]
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 Canadian Version of this Medal [16]
	Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)	With 2 Clasps
	Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour	Foreign honour from the French Republic Filed with the Canada Gazette on 30 September 2017 [17]
	Order of Viesturs, First Class	Foreign honour from the Republic of Latvia Filed with the Canada Gazette on 29 September 2018 [18]
	Commander of the National Order of the Star of Romania	Foreign honour from the Republic of Romania Filed with the Canada Gazette on 29 June 2019 [19]

• General Vance Has Received the Canadian Forces Parachutist Badge.
• By virtue of his position, he serves as an Aide-de-camp to the Governor General of Canada, and as such he wears the Gold Aiguillette to denote this.

References

1. Media Advisory: Governor General to Present 45 Military Decorations at Rideau Hall Marketwire (December 9, 2011).
2. "General Jonathan Vance". NATO. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
3. "Chief of Defence Staff". Retrieved August 6, 2015.
4. Lee Berthiaume. "All eyes on new commander as military faces significant challenges". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
5. "Lt.-Gen. Jonathan Vance appointed next chief of defence staff". cbc.ca. April 27, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
6. "Afghan vet Jonathan Vance eyed for top general post". thestar.com. April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
7. "Gen. Jonathan Vance becomes chief of defence staff, vows to tackle harassment". cbc.ca. July 17, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
8. "Chief of the Defence Staff". Government of Canada. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
9. Brewester, Murray (July 23, 2020). "Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff, announces retirement". CBC News. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
10. "Jonathan Vance: 6 Facts About Canada's Next Defence Chief". Huffington Post. April 27, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
11. "Canada Gazette" (PDF). June 13, 2009.
12. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
13. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
14. "Mention in Dispatches". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
15. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
16. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
17. "Awards to Canadians". canadagazette.gc.ca. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
18. Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (September 29, 2018). "Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 152, Number 39: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". canadagazette.gc.ca.
19. "Awards to Canadians". canadagazette.gc.ca. Retrieved January 11, 2020.

External links

Media related to Jonathan Vance at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Tom Lawson	Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada) 2015–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Stuart Beare	Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command September 2014 – June 2015	Succeeded by Stephen Bowes