Colin Keiver

Keiver was born and raised on a farm outside of Three Hills, Alberta.^[2] From a young age, he had a keen interest in aviation where he received his glider pilot licence through air cadets at the age of 16 in Gimli, Manitoba.^[3][4] He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Manitoba,^[5][6] a master's degree in defence studies from the Royal Military College of Canada and is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, UK.^[7]

Born in Three Hills, Alberta, Keiver joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1991 and served with the Calgary Highlanders. Progressing from primary flying training on the Beechcraft CT-134 Musketeer at CFB Portage la Prairie to completing basic flying training on the Canadair CT-114 Tutor at CFB Moose Jaw, he went on to multi-engine training returning to CFB Portage la Prairie where he trained on the Beechcraft King Air before transitioning to flying the CC-130 in 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron in 1994.^[8] In 2001, he had been sent on exchange with the United States Marine Corps to fly KC-130's in VMGR-252 as the Director of Safety and Standardization.^[9] In February 2002, while on exchange with the United States Marine Corps, he had been deployed to Afghanistan for 3 months to play a part in Operation Enduring Freedom.^[10]

In 2004, Keiver returned to Canada to Winnipeg, Manitoba, as A3 Transport Operations at 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters. During his time at the 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters, he was deployed to Sudan as the Air Operations Advisor for the African Union Mission in Sudan from late November 2005, to late May 2006.^[11] Upon his return to 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters as A3 Transport where he had played a vital role in introducing both the CC-177 and the CC-130J to service.^[12]

In 2009, he attended the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, Ontario, where he obtained a master's degree in defence studies. Transitioning from the Canadian Forces College to flying the CC-130J in 436 Transport Squadron when it was delivered in June 2010 as the squadron commander,^[13] Keiver has had lots of experience in command roles at CFB Trenton from being the 27th commander of 436 Squadron to becoming the 49th Wing Commander of 8 Wing Trenton in the summer of 2015 until the summer of 2017.^[14] Throughout his time between being the commander of 436 Transport Squadron and the commander of 8 Wing Trenton, he had been in Ottawa as the Director Air Simulation and Training and had attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, United Kingdom.^[15] After finishing his time in Trenton, he was appointed Director Defence Program Coordination in the National Defence Headquarters of Canada for a year.^[16] He was appointed the commander of JTF-I in the summer of 2018.^[17] As of July 2019, he has been the Director General of Air and Space Force Development.^[18] In April, 2021, he was promoted to the rank of major general to be appointed the deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, which he would hold command of up until his retirement in July 2023.^[19]

Keiver has earned the following decorations throughout his military career.

Honours and decorations

Decoration	Description	Notes
	Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot Wings	Awarded in May 1994 upon completion of training in the Beechcraft King Air C90A at CFB Portage la Prairie. [20]
	Canadian Meritorious Service Medal with a clasp	Awarded on June 18, 2007, by, at the time, Governor General Michaëlle Jean for his contributions as Air Operations Advisor for Task Force Addis Ababa, in Khartoum, Sudan. Awarded bar on August 14, 2020, by Governor General Mary Simon for his service as commander of JTF-I. [21][22]
	South-West Asia Service Medal with an Afghanistan clasp	Awarded after Keiver's time having assisted in Afghanistan in 2002 when he had been deployed for 90 days by the United States Marine Corps. [23]
	General Service Medal	Awarded after time as the commander of JTF-I in Iraq in 2018.[24]
	Sudan Operational Service Medal	Awarded in 2008 after a previous deployment as the Air Operations Advisor for Task Force Addis Ababa, in Khartoum, Sudan, from November 28, 2005, to May 25, 2006. [25][26]
	Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal	Awarded after his deployment to Sudan recognizing Canadian Peacekeepers deployed outside Canada for a minimum of 30 days which Keiver had completed.
	NATO Medal for the Former Yugoslavia	Awarded for contributing 30 cumulative days in Former Yugoslavia as a NATO military service member.
	Canadian Forces' Decoration with a clasp	Awarded to Keiver in 2003 after having served 12 years in the Canadian Armed Forces (1991–2003). Awarded a clasp after 10 years of subsequent service. [27]
	Meritorious Service Medal	Awarded while on exchange with the United States Marine Corps in VMGR-252.