Major-General Jennie Carignan, NATO Mission Iraq commander, and British Major-General Gerald Strickland, a deputy commander with Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, consult with quick reaction force troops at Camp Taji, Iraq, on Feb. 7, 2020. (SPC. CAROLINE SCHOFER/U.S. ARMY)

First female defence chief faces daunting challenges

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan, a 35-year military veteran who headed the forces’ topical professional conduct and culture directorate, has been named the first woman to serve as Canada’s chief of the defence staff.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement July 3, congratulating Carignan and saying “her exceptional leadership qualities, commitment to excellence, and dedication to service have been a tremendous asset” to the forces.

“I am confident that, as Canada’s new Chief of the Defence Staff, she will help Canada be stronger, more secure, and ready to tackle global security challenges.”

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Blast cloud from Bedford Magazine Explosion.(WIKIMEDIA)

The second Halifax explosion

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

The date wasn’t Dec. 6, 1917, but rather July 18, 1945.

The location broadly remained the same, although the circumstances were markedly different. Nevertheless, a degree of hubris could be attributed to both.

Back on that cold and unforgiving winter day, with the First World War having reached a fiery crescendo overseas, two vessels collided in Halifax Harbour. One, a heavily laden munitions ship, became the epicentre for the largest humanmade explosion before the atomic bomb detonations in Japan.

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