Surprise retirement leaves military searching for sixth vice-chief in four years

Canadian Army Lt.-Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier, left, addresses Ukrainian soldiers as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, right, stands by during military drills in base Honcharivske, Chernihiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Efrem Lukatsky)

OTTAWA — The Canadian military is searching for its sixth second-in-command in under four years after Lt.-Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier's surprise decision to retire this summer.

The churn in the vice-chief of the defence staff's office has been of concern to many observers given the importance of the position, which is responsible for much of the day-to-day financial oversight and management of the Canadian Armed Forces.

In a statement released by the Department of National Defence, Lanthier said he chose to retire less than a year into the job to spend more time with his family after more than 30 years in uniform.

"This is not an easy decision, nor is it one that I take lightly," he said. "I am truly grateful for the support my wife Pam has provided throughout the years and am in constant awe of her incredible strength."

Lanthier was installed as vice-chief last July, bringing what many hoped would be some much-needed stability to the position after years of turnover that began with Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's suspension in January 2017.

Norman himself had served five months as vice-chief before he was suspended and eventually removed altogether due to an RCMP investigation that led to him being charged with breach of trust for allegedly leaking government secrets -- a charge that was eventually dropped.

Two other military officers -- Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd and Lt.-Gen. Alain Parent -- served as acting vice-chiefs of the defence staff while Norman was being investigated before Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk was appointed as his full-time replacement in July 2018.

But Wynnyk announced his own retirement last summer after chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance tried to reappoint Norman into the position, only to see Norman accept a financial settlement from the government and retire.

The Opposition Conservatives have previously blamed the Liberal government for the upheaval that has plagued the top brass since the investigation against Norman began, while others have questioned Vance's leadership.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2020