Vanguard Magazine

6 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com S SIT REP General Jennie Carignan Takes the Helm as Chief of the Defence Staff Navigating Tensions: Canadian Warship's Passage Through the Taiwan Strait The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) witnessed a significant leadership change in Ottawa on July 18, 2024 as General Jen- nie Carignan officially assumed her new role as Chief of the Defence Staff, succeeding General Wayne Eyre. The transition ceremony, held at the Canadian War Muse- um, was overseen by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. General Carignan brings a wealth of experience and a dis- tinguished career to her new position. Commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1990, she has commanded two Combat Engineer Regiments, the Royal Military College Saint- Jean, and the 2nd Canadian Division. Her extensive service record includes various international and domestic deploy- ments, leadership of NATO Mission Iraq, and her most recent role as Chief of Professional Conduct and Culture. She holds two master's degrees and has been honored with several acco- lades, including the Commander of the Order of Military Merit and an honorary doctorate. Her promotion to the rank of Gen- eral came earlier this month. General Wayne Eyre, after a remarkable career spanning over four decades, will now transition into retirement. Starting his military journey at age 12 with the Army Cadets, General Eyre's career has been marked by command roles at every level and deployments to Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Korea. He is an alumnus of Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada, with a Bachelor of Science and three master's degrees. General Eyre has served as the Chief of the Defence Staff since February 2021, earning numerous national and international honours throughout his service. Image source: https://x.com/CanadianForces/status/ 1813914252375126123 USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) and the Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Montreal (FFH 336) conduct bilateral operations in the East China Sea. Image source: https://x.com/deptofdefense/status/18191317455 36455004?s=46&t=p4lFEPcgf9Fr62eZ-cDyUA In a move underscoring its stance on maintaining an open Indo-Pacific region, Canada recently saw one of its warships traverse the contentious waters of the Taiwan Strait. This pas- sage, undertaken by the HMCS Montreal frigate on July 31, sparked a critical response from China, which accused Canada of jeopardizing regional peace with this naval maneuver. Canada's defense ministry characterized the transit as rou- tine, with the defense minister emphasizing it as a demon- stration of Canada's unwavering commitment to a "free, open, and inclusive" Indo-Pacific region. Li Xi, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said the passage of the Canadian frigate on July 31 had "harassed and disrupted the situation and undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." China, asserting sovereignty over Taiwan, claims jurisdiction over the approximately 180-kilometer-wide waterway sepa- rating Taiwan from mainland China. This assertion is contest- ed by both Taiwan and the United States, who argue that the Taiwan Strait constitutes international waters. It is not uncom- mon for U.S. warships, and sometimes U.S. Navy patrol aircraft, to navigate these straits, with such transits occurring roughly monthly. Canadian naval appearances in the Taiwan Strait are less frequent. However, last November, a notable joint transit oc- curred involving the U.S. destroyer USS Rafael Peralta and the Canadian frigate HMCS Ottawa. The previous June saw a more dramatic encounter during a joint U.S.-Canada drill when a Chinese warship came within 150 yards of a U.S. destroyer, an act the Pentagon criticized as perilously unsafe.

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