Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Peter John Devlin was a senior officer in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

and is currently President of

Fanshawe College Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology, commonly shortened to Fanshawe College, is a public college in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is partnered with private ILAC International College. One of the largest colleges in Canada, it ha ...

. He served as

Commander of the Canadian Army Commander of the Canadian Army () is the title of the institutional head of the Canadian Army. This appointment also includes the title of Chief of the Army Staff () and is based at National Defence Headquarters (Canada), National Defence Headqua ...

from 2010 to 2013.

Military career

Educated at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

, Devlin was commissioned into The

Royal Canadian Regiment The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the primary reserve. The RCR is ranked first in the order of precedence amongst Canadi ...

, having joined the Canadian Forces in 1978. Devlin served in an operational role in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

between 1984 and 1985 and in the

Former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

in 1992, 1996 and 1998. In 1994, following his experiences in the Former Yugoslavia, Devlin published a report which was critical of the fact that the international community "had no International Peacekeeping Training Centre". He was appointed

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of 1st Battalion of The

in 1997. Then, in 1998, he was the Canadian Battle Group Commanding Officer in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. He became

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2CMBG; ) is a Canadian Forces brigade group that falls under 4th Canadian Division of the Canadian Army. It is currently based at CFB Petawawa. One of its three infantry battalions is administered by 5th C ...

in 2002. He served with the

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

as Commander of the Kabul Multinational Brigade in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

from 2003 to 2004. He was appointed Deputy Commanding General of III (US) Corps and

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Cavazos is a United States Army Military installation, post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located ha ...

in 2005 and deployed with the Corps to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. He was Deputy Commanding General of the

Multi-National Corps – Iraq Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I) was a formerly multinational, later U.S. only, army corps created on 15 May 2004, fighting the Iraq War. Its superior body, the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) had replaced Combined Joint Task Force 7 on ...

from 2006 to 2008 – in that capacity he told the

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

that the Multi-National Force was giving "greater legitimacy to the effort here in Iraq.". In 2008 he was made Deputy Commander of the

Canadian Expeditionary Force Command Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM, French: ''Commandement de la Force expéditionnaire du Canada'' or ''COMFEC'') was an operational element of the Canadian Forces for operations outside of Canada, created in 2006 and merged into the ...

. In March 2010, it was announced that Devlin would be appointed Chief of the Land Staff within the year. The change of command took place on 21 June 2010. On 6 February 2013, Devlin announced he would be retiring from the service with Lieutenant-General

Marquis Hainse Lieutenant General Marquis Hainse CMM, MSC, CD is a Canadian Army officer who served as Chief of the Army Staff and Commander of the Canadian Army. Military career Hainse joined the Canadian Forces in 1977 and was commissioned into the Royal ...

to be his replacement. On 18 October 2024, Devlin was appointed Colonel of The Royal Canadian Regiment during a formal ceremony at

Garrison Petawawa 4 Canadian Division Support Base Petawawa, commonly referred to as Garrison Petawawa, is located in Petawawa, Ontario. It is operated as an army base by the Canadian Army. Current use The Garrison is located in the Ottawa Valley in Renfrew ...

, Ontario.

Later career

On 8 June 2013, it was announced that Devlin would be the 5th President of

in London, Canada. His appointment was effective as of 9 February 2013.

Honours

CAN Order of Military Merit Commander and Officer

BRA Ordem do Merito Militar Grande Oficial

* He also wore the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

Jump Wings With Red

Maple Leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is most widely recognized as the national symbols of Canada, national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devlin, Peter Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian generals Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration University of Western Ontario alumni Commanders of the Canadian Army Royal Canadian Regiment officers