Jonathan Vance

Jonathan Vance
Jonathan Vance in 2010
Born	January 3, 1964 Kingston, Ontario
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

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

Military career

Born in Kingston, Ontario,^[2] Vance joined the Armed Forces in 1982 and was commissioned upon graduation from Royal Roads Military College in 1986.^[3][4] 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.^[5][6] He went on to be Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command in September 2014 and Chief of Defence Staff on 17 July 2015.^[5]

Honours and Decorations

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

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Military Merit (CMM)	Commander 26 September 2013 Officer 28 November 2008 [7]
	Meritorious Service Cross (MSC)	With Bar 13 December 2011 [8]
	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[9]
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002 Canadian Version of this Medal [10]
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 Canadian Version of this Medal [11]
	Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)	With 2 Clasps

• 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.

References

1. Media Advisory: Governor General to Present 45 Military Decorations at Rideau Hall Marketwire (December 9, 2011).
2. "Chief of Defence Staff". Retrieved 6 Aug 2015.
3. Lee Berthiaume, Ottawa Citizen More Lee Berthiaume, Ottawa Citizen. "All eyes on new commander as military faces significant challenges". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
4. "Lt.-Gen. Jonathan Vance appointed next chief of defence staff". cbc.ca. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
5. "Afghan vet Jonathan Vance eyed for top general post". thestar.com. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
6. "Gen. Jonathan Vance becomes chief of defence staff, vows to tackle harassment". cbc.ca. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
7. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
8. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
9. "Mention in Dispatches". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
10. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
11. "The Governor General of Canada > Find a Recipient". gg.ca. Retrieved 23 July 2015.