Paul Wynnyk
Lieutenant General Paul Francis Wynnyk, CMM, MSM, CD (born June 29, 1964) is a former Canadian Army officer. He served from 2016 to 2018 as Commander of the Canadian Army. On July 16, 2018, he became the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, until his retirement in July 2019.
Early life[change | change source]
Paul Wynnyk is of Ukrainian descent. He was the grandson of emigrants in Alberta from Radvantsi, Lviv region, in Western Ukraine.[1] He was born in Edmonton on June 29, 1964, and was raised in the village of Breton, Alberta.[2]
Wynnyk attended Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada. He was commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1986.[3] He became commanding officer of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment in Edmonton in 1997. Then he became the commander of 1 Area Support Group in 2004. Later, he was sent to Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan as Assistant Commanding General in March 2009.[3] He went on to be commander of Land Force Western Area in 2010. He became as deputy Commander of the Canadian Army in 2012 and Commander of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command and Chief of Defence Intelligence in July 2014.[3]
In January 2016, it was announced that he would become Chief of the Army Staff and Commander of the Canadian Army.[4] On July 16, 2018, he was named Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.
In July 2019, he claimed that Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance planned to replace him as the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff with Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.[5] Then he give his resignation from his position.
Post-military career[change | change source]
In October 2019, Wynnyk was appointed as Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs for the Government of Alberta.[6]
Awards and decorations[change | change source]
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
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Order of Military Merit (CMM) | |
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Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) |
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South-West Asia Service Medal |
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General Campaign Star |
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| Special Service Medal |
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| Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal | ||
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United Nations | Advance Mission in Cambodia Medal
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United Nation | Transitional Authority in Cambodia Medal
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|
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United Nation | Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Medal
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| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
| |
| Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) |
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| Alberta Centennial Medal |
| |
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Order of Military Merit (Brazil) |
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Order of Military Merit José María Córdova |
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| Baryaal Darajaah Uak Medal |
| |
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Legion of Merit |
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He was a qualified Paratrooper and as such wore the Canadian Forces Jump Wings with Red Maple Leaf
Command Commendation
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "New commander of Canadian army has Ukrainian roots". Unian. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ↑ Lydia Neufeld. "New head of Canada's Army from Breton, Alberta". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, July 14, 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Major General PF Wynnyk: Biography". Canadian Army. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ↑ "Top ranks of Canadian Forces get shake-up with new army, navy commanders". CBC. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ↑ "Vice-chief of defence staff resigns, citing plan Mark Norman was to replace him - National | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. July 9, 2019.
- ↑ "Former Canadian Forces second in command appointed municipal affairs top civil servant | Edmonton Journal". October 5, 2019.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Order of Military Merit List". The Governor General of Canada.
- ↑ "Meritorious Service Decorations List". The Governor General of Canada.
- ↑ "The Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal List". The Governor General of Canada.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Canada Gazette, Part 1". Gouvernment of Canada.
- ↑ "Canada Gazette" (PDF). Gouvernment of Canada.
Other websites[change | change source]
Media related to Paul Wynnyk at Wikimedia Commons