General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Raymond Roland Joseph Henault (born April 26, 1949) is a retired

Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Cana ...

officer. He was the Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada from June 28, 2001 to June 17, 2005 and then

Chairman of the NATO Military Committee The Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC) is the head of the NATO Military Committee, which advises the North Atlantic Council (NAC) on military policy and strategy. The CMC is the senior military spokesperson of the 32-nation alliance and pr ...

from 2005 until 2008, when he retired.

Education

Born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, Canada, Henault is fluent in both English and French. He graduated from both the

École supérieure de guerre École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

Aerienne in Paris and the National Defence College of Canada in Kingston. He holds a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree, and an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

, from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

Military career

Henault enrolled in 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 ...

in 1968. On completion of

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

CFB Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Camp Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Forc ...

, Ontario, and CFB Gimli, Manitoba, Henault was transferred to

CFB Bagotville Canadian Forces Base Bagotville , commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville, and also known as Bagotville Airport or Saguenay-Bagotville Airport, is a Canadian Forces base west of Bagotville in the city of Saguenay. Located in the centre of Queb ...

, Québec, where he served as a

CF-101 Voodoo The McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo was an all-weather interceptor aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Forces between 1961 and 1984. They were manufactured by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri for ...

pilot with 425 Squadron. In 1972, he became a

flight instructor A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to operate aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate ...

on the

Musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...

at CFB Portage la Prairie. In 1974, he served a second tour at CFB Bagotville, this time as an

air traffic controller An Air traffic controller (ATC) is a person responsible for the coordination of traffic in their assigned airspace. Typically stationed in area control centers or control towers, they monitor the position, speed, and altitude of aircraft and c ...

. In 1976, Henault was posted to 408 Squadron at

CFB Edmonton Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, commonly referred to as CFB Edmonton is a Canadian Forces base in Sturgeon County adjacent to the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as Edmonton Garrison or "Steele Barracks". History The hi ...

, Alberta, to fly the CH-135 Twin Huey helicopter. In 1980 he moved to

CFB Valcartier 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valc ...

, Québec, as Staff Officer (Aviation) in 5 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters. In 1981, he was promoted to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and transferred to 430^e Escadron at CFB Valcartier, where he served as the Twin Huey Flight Commander. In January 1985, he came to National Defence Headquarters in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

to assume responsibility for Doctrine and International Programs in the Directorate of Land Aviation. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in June 1985, and appointed Project Director for the Canadian Forces Light Helicopter Project at NDHQ. In June 1987, Henault was appointed the Commanding Officer of 444(CA) Tactical Helicopter Squadron at

CFB Lahr Canadian Forces Base Lahr (International Air Transport Association airport code, IATA:LHA, International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: EDTL, former code EDAN) was a military operated commercial airport located in Lahr, Germany. ...

, Germany. In June 1989, he was transferred to Air Command Headquarters in Winnipeg as Senior Staff Officer Requirements. He was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in July 1990, and appointed Base Commander of CFB Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. In July 1992, he was appointed the Deputy Commander of 10 Tactical Air Group at

CFB Montreal 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier, Detachment Montreal, formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Montreal (also CFB Montreal or Longue-Pointe) is a Canadian Forces base, Canadian Forces Base network located in ...

. In August 1993, he was posted to the National Defence College in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

to attend Course No. 47. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in May 1994, and assumed command of 10 Tactical Air Group headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. In July 1995, he was posted to Air Command Headquarters and appointed Chief of Staff Operations. From June to December 1996, General Henault served as Chief of Staff J3/Director-General Military Plans and Operations at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. From January to October 1997, Henault was appointed

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

. He was promoted to the rank of major-general on 1 April 1997. From September 1997 to September 1998, Henault served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. On 15 August 1998 he was promoted to the rank of

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 normall ...

and served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff from September 1998 to June 2001. Henault was promoted to his present rank and appointed Chief of the Defence Staff on 28 June 2001. He holds the rank of Commander of the Order of Military Merit (CMM), The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Serving Member), and Commander of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. Henault was elected to the position of

in November 2004 and assumed that position at

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

headquarters in

Brussels, Belgium Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

in June 2005. He held that position until 2008, when he finally retired from the military and returned to Canada. Keating commands norad1

Awards

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Military Science from the Royal Military College of Canada in 2005, and in 2006 an Honorary Professorship at the University of Pecs in Hungary. The Manitoba branch of the Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada awarded Henault the 2008 recipient the Birchall Leadership Award in July. He was awarded the Order of Military Merit, and received the

Meritorious Service Cross The Meritorious Service Cross () is a State decoration, decoration that is, within the Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Monarchy of Canada, Canadia ...

in November 2009. He was awarded United States Legion Of Merit at the rank of Commander; French Legion of Honour at the rank of Commander; Czech Cross of Merit at the rank of Commander; Belgian Order of the Grand Croix at the rank of Commander; and the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary. He has also been awarded: the Ukrainian Medal of Honour, NATO Meritorious Service Cross, Commander of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He was appointed as a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2023. He currently resides in

Courtenay, British Columbia Courtenay ( ) is a city of about 26,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the largest community and only List of cities in British Columbia, city in th ...

Honours and decorations

Source:

CAN Order of Military Merit Commander ribbon

CAN 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal ribbon

UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon

Post-military career

ADGA RHEA Group of Companies, an engineering consulting company, appointed Henault Chairman of their Strategic Advisory Board in November 2008. In 2013, Henault joined the board of directors of the Pearson Centre.Pearson Centre
/ref> In August 2013, he was appointed Governor to the Board of Governors of New Westminster College.

References

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Henault, Ray 1949 births Living people Canadian military personnel from Manitoba Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada) Canadian Forces Air Command generals Commanders of the Order of St John Commanders of the Legion of Honour University of Manitoba alumni Military personnel from Winnipeg Royal Military College of Canada people NATO military personnel Franco-Manitoban people Air traffic controllers Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) Members of the Order of Canada People from Courtenay, British Columbia Canadian military personnel from British Columbia