Chief of the Defence Staff
General Walt Natynczyk, CMM, MSC, CD - Chief of the Defence Staff
General Walt Natynczyk is originally from Winnipeg and joined the Canadian Forces in 1975 after spending 5 years as an Air Cadet. He has served in numerous regimental command positions at all levels from tank troop leader up to commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Dragoons.
General Natynczyk's operational experience consists of 4 years on NATO duty in Germany; six months of UN peacekeeping duties in Cyprus (1984); a one-year-long mission with the United Nations in the Former Yugoslavia as Sector South-West Chief of Operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1994) with British forces, then as the Chief of Land Operations, UNPROFOR HQ in Zagreb, Croatia. He commanded the Royal Canadian Dragoons in domestic operations during the Winnipeg floods of 1997 as well as in the Ottawa region during the 1998 Ice Storm, and he served as the Canadian Contingent Commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1998.
He became the third Canadian to serve as Deputy Commanding General, III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas and deployed with III Corps to Baghdad, Iraq in 2004 serving first as the Deputy Director of Strategy, Policy and Plans and subsequently as the Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Corps. Upon his return to Canada, he assumed command of the Land Force Doctrine and Training System. He was subsequently appointed Chief of Transformation where he was responsible for implementation of the force restructuring and the enabling processes and policies.
He has fulfilled various staff appointments including serving as Squadron Commander at the Royal Military College (Kingston, Ont.), on the Army Headquarters staff (St. Hubert, Quebec), and in Ottawa as Assistant Director to the National Defence Headquarters Secretariat, J3 Plans and Operations during the period of CF deployments to Kosovo, Bosnia, East Timor and Ethiopia-Eritrea, and most recently as the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. General Natynczyk was promoted to his present rank on 2 July 2008, when he assumed his duties as Chief of the Defence Staff.
General Natynczyk holds a Business Administration Degree from Royal Roads Military College and Collège militaire royal and is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, the U.K. All Arms Tactics Course and the U.S. Army War College.
He enjoys jogging and sailing and he and his wife Leslie have three children, Margaret, William and John, who serve in the Navy, Air Force and Army respectively.
Responsibilities
As defined in the National Defence Act, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) has direct responsibility for the command, control and administration of the Canadian Forces, and is appointed by the Governor-in-Council, on the advice of the Prime Minister.
The CDS also has a special relationship with the Governor General who, as the Queen’s (or King’s) representative in Canada, exercises virtually all of the powers of that office under the Constitution and hence serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces (CF). Formally speaking, though not in practice, there is a direct “line of command” from the Head of State (the King or Queen) to the Governor General, through the CDS to all the officers who hold the Queen’s Commission, and thus through them, to all members of the CF.
In keeping with the responsibility to command, control and administer the CF, the CDS also advises the Minister of National Defence on these subjects as required. This provision of advice can cover subjects such as current and future military requirements, force capabilities, and possible courses of action and the consequences of undertaking (or failing to undertake) various military activities.
The CDS is accountable to the Minister of National Defence for the conduct of all CF activities, as well as for the readiness and the ability to fulfill military commitments and obligations undertaken by the government. The CDS implements government decisions that involve the CF, by issuing orders and instructions.
Whenever required, the CDS also advises the Prime Minister and Cabinet directly on major military developments and issues. The Chief of the Defence Staff is the senior serving military advisor to the Government of Canada.
CDS's Image Gallery
April 12, 2012 - General Natynczyk and fellow northern Chiefs of Defence discuss shared Arctic interests
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walter Natynczyk, hosts the Chiefs of Defence and senior military officials from the seven other Northern nations during a two-day meeting held April 12-13 in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
April 12, 2012 - General Natynczyk and fellow northern Chiefs of Defence discuss shared Arctic interests
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walter Natynczyk, hosts the Chiefs of Defence and senior military officials from the seven other Northern nations during a two-day meeting held April 12-13 in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
April 12, 2012 - General Natynczyk and fellow northern Chiefs of Defence discuss shared Arctic interests
The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walter Natynczyk, hosts the Chiefs of Defence and senior military officials from the seven other Northern nations during a two-day meeting held April 12-13 in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
March 8, 2012 - Chief of the Defence Staff visits China (March 8, 2012)
General Walt Natynczyk, members of his staff, and his hosts from the People's Liberation Army’s 179th Motorized Infantry Brigade pause for group photo in front of Type 99 Main Battle Tank during a visit to Nanjing Region, China.
