Major General Chris McKenna

Commander 1 Canadian Air Division/ Commander Canadian NORAD Region Canadian Armed Forces

Major-General Chris McKenna joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994 and graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering, later earning a Master's in Defence Studies. After receiving his Royal Canadian Air Force pilot wings in 2002, he served as both a tactical aviation and special operations helicopter pilot. Throughout his career, MGen McKenna has held command appointments at the flight, squadron, wing and task force levels, serving in operational and strategic roles across CANSOFCOM, RCAF Headquarters and Canadian Joint Operations Command. He deployed to Bosnia with NATO's Stabilization Force, twice to Afghanistan in support of Canadian operations, and commanded Canada's Air Task Force in Mali as part of the UN stabilization mission. He later commanded 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron and 1 Wing before serving as Director General Air and Space Force Development, leading major capability programmes. MGen McKenna has accumulated more than 2,600 flying hours and was promoted to Major-General in 2024.