Wayne Eyre

General Wayne Eyre retired in 2024 as Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff. In that role, he led Canada’s military through a complex mix of international and domestic crises. During his decades of military service, he led numerous operations in Canada and deployed on missions to Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and South Korea. He was the most senior Canadian military officer ever permanently stationed in the Indo-Pacific region when he became the first non-American deputy commander of United Nations Command in South Korea. He also commanded the reconnaissance platoon in the Battle of Medak Pocket—Canada’s largest battle between the Korean and Afghanistan Wars—and the unit mentoring the Afghan National Army in Kandahar, Canada’s largest-ever combat advisory mission up to that point. Eyre is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, holds three master’s degrees and an honorary doctorate of military science, and is the recipient of numerous high-level Canadian and foreign decorations. Since retirement, he has been writing, teaching, speaking, and advising.