The Torch: CDS Hillier defended by Liberal/Janice Stein online at <i>Globe</i> Nov. 19

Eugene Lang, for whom I have had little time (nor has Scott Taylor), to my amazement defends CDS Hillier's public role. I couldn't find anything between the lines, except maybe the reference to UK CGS Dannatt's evangelical Christianity, and the reference to Gen. Hillier's being "the architect of the Kandahar mission"--no doubt paranoia on my part.

Don't leave talk to the politicians

For the first time in several decades, a serving military officer, General Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff, has emerged as one of Canada's leading public figures. Since his appointment in 2005, he has occupied centre stage on the war in Afghanistan, and he has spoken out on many other military issues.

Is this very public general encroaching on the terrain of politicians? Is he overstepping his authority? These questions are on the minds of many.

While Gen. Hillier is undoubtedly charting a new course for Canada's military leaders, his actions remain in keeping with basic principles delineating the respective roles of generals and their civilian masters. Moreover, comparison of his actions to those of top generals in other democracies suggests he is well within accepted parameters...

...if some Canadians think Gen. Hillier has been too vocal, treading on the politicians' turf — especially in his recent musings about the length of time required to establish an effective Afghan army — they should consider some of the public comments of Sir Richard Dannatt, head of the British Army. Gen. Dannatt has waded deeply into foreign policy debates and domestic politics. He has openly questioned the British military's involvement in Iraq and has linked Britain's "difficulties around the world" to its presence in Iraq. An evangelical Christian, Gen. Dannatt has expressed his concern about the decline of Christian values in Britain, which he claims has allowed Islamic extremism to flourish [emphasis added]. He has criticized the Bush administration's recent positioning on Iran, saying, "Dialogue and negotiation make eminent sense and military posturing doesn't."

Gen. Dannatt is well over the political-military dividing line. Yet he keeps his job, and the British press has labelled him "the honest general." He makes Gen. Hillier look positively cautious...

Gen. Hillier has chosen to be a public figure at the top of an important national institution. He is a passionate promoter of, and advocate for, all things military. He is an effective communicator with an astounding ability to connect with the rank and file, the general public and the media. Canada has probably never had a senior military officer with such profile and such common touch.

By contrast, in the two decades before Gen. Hillier's appointment, chiefs of the defence staff were hardly known to the public. That is how governments of the day wanted things. The CDS tended to be cast in the mould of deputy ministers: powerful figures operating behind the scenes but rarely in the public space, except for ceremonial duties. The position reflected the realities of the Canadian Forces; this was the era of military downsizing and budget-cutting. It was also a period of deep-seated morale and image problems for the Canadian Forces, stemming from the infamous Somalia scandal. The Forces were in serious decline as an institution, with a tarnished image. There wasn't a positive story for senior military leaders to tell the public, if they had wanted to do so.

Things are now much different. The CF is experiencing a renaissance and growing by several thousand personnel. Its budget is being increased radically by Canadian standards, by $18-billion in the next half-decade. It is re-equipping itself and becoming an operationally focused post-Cold War force that can act as a key instrument of our foreign policy and national security. The war in southern Afghanistan is its largest and most challenging deployment in decades.

This is a new era for Canada's military, calling for a new kind of leadership. Today, there is a compelling narrative to convey to the public about the Forces. And Gen. Hillier is creatively seizing the opportunity...

Undoubtedly, Gen. Hillier is redefining the role of the CDS. But it is hard to argue he is overstepping his authority or getting ahead of government policy.

Rebuilding the military, and restoring its image, have been objectives of both the previous Liberal and the current Conservative governments. Gen. Hillier has been working assiduously on this project for two prime ministers, advancing the government's agenda.

The Afghanistan mission adds another vital dimension to Gen. Hillier's public role. The Canadian Forces, for the first time in decades, are fighting a war. More than 70 CF personnel have lost their lives and hundreds have been wounded in the Afghan war. When the military is at war, it should come as no surprise that Canadians are hearing more from the generals. Indeed, in such times, the public should want to hear directly from the military leadership to get the unvarnished facts. It is not Gen. Hillier's job to stay "on message," as some have implied. That would be inappropriate. His job is to lay out the facts, both behind closed doors and, to a degree, in public.

The CDS would be crossing the line — wading inappropriately into the political domain — if he advocated publicly a specific policy direction.

Gen. Hillier has more influence over defence and foreign policy than any CDS in Canadian history. He literally wrote the defence policy for Paul Martin's government, and he is the architect of the Kandahar mission. Some may find that troubling, but elected leaders have chosen to give him that influence [emphasis added].

Nevertheless, Gen. Hillier has been careful not to advocate publicly a particular future course of action in Afghanistan, notwithstanding the serious implications for the Canadian Forces. He has tried to explain to Canadians what the military is doing in Afghanistan, and the nature of the challenge they face in that country. That is within his mandate. Does this more vocal type of military leadership pose challenges for political leaders? Absolutely — this is new terrain for Canada. But it is a challenge our political class needs to accept as a new normality. It is not unusual in other democracies for military leaders to say things in public that make life awkward for politicians, or that appear to civilians to be uncomfortably pro-military. This is especially so when the military is at war...

...successive governments have asked the CF to do some very heaving lifting, and to incur significant sacrifices, in Afghanistan. Those realities both require and produce a different kind of military leadership from what we have had in the recent past. It is a leadership that is much more visible and acts as an unapologetic champion for the institution of the Canadian Forces and the men and women of the Forces. Gen. Hillier is the first generation of this new leadership. He will not be the last.

Eugene Lang is co-author (with Janice Stein) of The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar and was chief of staff to two ministers of national defence.