Michael J. Hood
Lieutenant General Michael Hood
Official RCAF Photo, 2015
AllegianceCanada
Service/branchRoyal Canadian Air Force[lower-alpha 1]
Years of service1985 - 2018
RankLieutenant General
Commands held429 Tactical Airlift Squadron
436 Tactical Airlift Squadron
8 Wing Trenton
Royal Canadian Air Force
AwardsCommander of the Order of Military Merit[1]

Lieutenant-General Michael John Hood CMM CD[2] is a retired senior Royal Canadian Air Force officer who was Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2015 until 2018.

Early life and education

In addition to holding a master's degree in International Relations from Auburn University, Hood also holds certifications from Canada's National Security Program and the United States' Air Force Command and Staff College.[3]

Career

Hood joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1985.[4] He earned his Air Combat Systems Officer Wings in 1988.[3] Most of his flight career was spent on the C-130 Hercules. Hood also served a tour as an Electronic Warfare Officer on the CC-144 Challenger.[3]

After serving as Commanding Officer of both 429 Tactical Airlift Squadron and 436 Tactical Airlift Squadron, he became Plans Officer at Canadian Expeditionary Force Command Headquarters in January 2006. Following this, he became Commander of 8 Wing Trenton in June 2007.[3]

Hood went on to become Director General Air Force Development in 2010, Deputy Director General of International Security Policy in June 2011 and Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force in September 2012.[5] After that he became Director of Staff of the Strategic Joint Staff in June 2013[6] and finally Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 2015.[7] He retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in May 2018.[2]

Post-retirement

Following his career in the military, in 2018 Hood went on to become an executive in a Vancouver-based energy and mining firm. [8]

In May 2020, Hood wrote an op-ed in the National Post entitled "Securing Canadian sovereignty in a post-COVID world."[9]

Awards and decorations

As witness the photograph by the Toronto Star, Hood had received as of his appointment to RCAF Commander in July 2015 the following Orders and Decorations:[10]




RibbonDescriptionNotes
Order of Military Merit (CMM)
  • Appointed Commander (CMM) on 17 October 2012[11]
Gulf and Kuwait Medal
  • 1991, with Clasp
General Service Medal
  • 2004 Afghanistan
Special Service Medal
  • with NATO-OTAN Clasp
  • With Humanitas Clasp
Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia
  • with FORMER YUGOSLAVIA clasp
Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)
  • with two Clasp for 32 years of services
Order of Aeronautical Merit (Brazil)
  • Decoration awarded on 27 May 2017[12]
  • Degree of Grand Officer
  • Brazil
Legion of Merit (USA)
  • Decoration awarded on 1 August 2020[13]
  • Commander level
  • United States
  • He was a qualified RCAF Air Combat Systems Officer and as such wore the Royal Canadian Air Forces Air Combat systems Officer badge. [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known as Air Command until 2011

References

  1. ↑ "Order of Military Merit Investiture Ceremony". The Governor General of Canada. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Military promotions and retirements: RCAF Commander Lt.-Gen. Hood leaving". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Michael Hood" (PDF). RIMPAC 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Michael Hood, Chief of Staff". JDS Mining. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "New commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force announced". Aviation. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  6. ↑ "Maj.-Gen. Mike Hood next commander of Royal Canadian Air Force". CBC News. 11 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "Lieutenant-General Michael Hood: Change of command ceremony speech". Royal Canadian Air Force. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Executive Team". JDS Energy & Mining. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. ↑ Hood, Michael (5 May 2020). "Securing Canadian sovereignty in a post-COVID world". National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
  10. ↑ Brewster, Murray. "New RCAF commander Michael Hood sets tone on dealing with sexual misconduct". The Star. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Order of Military Merit List". The Governor General of Canada.
  12. ↑ Commonwealth & Foreign Honours to Members of Her Majesty's Canadian Armed Forces (PDF). National Defence Headquarters: Directorate of Honours and Recognition. 2017. ISBN 978-0-660-08826-6.
  13. ↑ Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (August 1, 2020). "Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 154, Number 31: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". canadagazette.gc.ca.
  14. ↑ "RCAF change of command marks new era". Skiesmag.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
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