New leaders welcomed
Joint Task Force North said goodbye to two of its staff and welcomed their replacements during a change of command ceremony
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Saturday, July 11, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Joint Task Force North welcomed its new commander during a formal ceremony at the squadron hangar Thursday afternoon.
Maj.-Gen. Greg Loos, left, shakes hands with Brig.-Gen. Mike Nixon who is taking over the role of commander of Joint Task Force North. - Meagan Leonard/NNSL photo
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Brig.-Gen. Mike Nixon will be taking over for Maj.-Gen. Greg Loos.
Soldiers, sailors, airmen, RCMP and members of the public attended the event which formally recognizes the transfer of responsibility from Loos to Nixon.
Coming to Yellowknife from Gagetown, N.B., Nixon previously was the commanding officer of the combat training centre there. In the past he has commanded the troop and squadron levels of the Royal Canadian Dragoons and served in Somalia, Bosnia and Croatia as a squadron commander, and chief of operations. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Canadian Forces Staff College and the U.S. Army Advanced Operational Art Studies Fellowship while also holding a bachelor and master's degree in Military Arts and Science.
In his farewell speech, Loos said it didn't take long for Yellowknife to feel like home.
"I would like to thank Canadian Forces North for electing me to this position and our other government partners, in particular our partners in arms from the RCMP division," he said. "To the city of Yellowknife and mayor Mark Heyck, your city is very welcoming and it makes our transition to the North that much easier . Thank you for the last two years - to team north thank you for your professionalism and hard work, you are a small formation with a big heart."
Loos assumed the position in June 2013, previously serving in Rwanda, Uganda, Zaire and more recently Afghanistan, where he was responsible for all NATO communications support for the mission.
He was promoted to the position of chief of staff for the assistant deputy minister of information management in February with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, along with the role of branch leader for communication and electronics. He will be relocating to Ottawa.
The formal event was presided over by Lt.-Gen. Stephen Bowes and included a parade, signing of documents and presentation of gifts.
At the same ceremony, Chief Warrant Officer Ronald Beyerbach took over for Chief Warrant Officer Gerald Blais as Joint Task Force North Formation Chief Warrant Officer.
Joint Task Force North is one of six regional command centres reporting to Canadian Joint Operations in Ottawa. It is responsible for all routine operations in the North including safety, security and defense covering the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut.
