Previous Senior Appointments

Colonel-Commandant of the Branch

The Colonel Commandant is appointed by the Minister of National Defence on the recommendation of the Branch Advisor and with the concurrence of the Chief of the Defence Staff. The officer appointed to this office will be carried on the Supplementary List for the appointment tenure, normally three years.

The duties of the Colonel Commandant include:

  1. providing the channel of communication between the C & E Branch and Colonel-in-Chief;
  2. fostering esprit de corps throughout the C & E Branch;
  3. advising National Defence Headquarters as appropriate in his capacity as Colonel Commandant;
  4. advisor to commanders within the C & E Branch in the maintenance of uniformity in customs and traditions;
  5. Advising the C & E Museum Foundation on the administration and disposition of C & E Museum/Branch funds, charities, organizations and memorials;
  6. maintaining close liaison between the regular and reserve units of the C & E Branch; and
  7. maintaining contact with allied C & E organizations.

A list of past Colonel-Commandants can be seen by clicking on the following link: Previous Branch Colonel-Commandants

Branch Adviser and Leader

Canadian Forces Administrative Orders 2-10 and Canadian Forces Military Personnel Instruction 02/08 allow for the appointment of Branch Advisors. The C & E Branch Advisor provides a focal point for the Branch identity. He is responsible for providing advice to the Chief of Military Personnel on personnel matters related to Regular and Reserve personnel that makes up the C & E Branch. The Chief of Military Personnel appoints the C & E Branch Advisor.

Originally, the C & E Branch had one Branch Advisor; this evolved to two Branch Co-Advisors in reflection of the dual operations and engineering/maintenance complexion of the C & E Branch. The Director General Communications and Electronics Operations (DGCEO) and Director General Communications and Electronics Engineering and Maintenance (DGCEEM) acted as the Branch Co-Advisors. The senior of these two officers, normally DGCEEM, was appointed the Branch Leader. As of 1987, the C & E Branch once again had a single Branch Advisor.

In 1995, the C & E Branch adopted the Branch Advisor as the ultimate focal point of the C & E Branch.

By clicking on the following link, you can access a list of past Branch Advisors: Previous Branch Advisors

Branch Chief Warrant Officer

The Branch CWO provides advice and support to the Branch Advisor on issues pertaining to NCMs and on issues related to the dress regulations, quality of life and customs and traditions. He also provides the requisite liaison with the CF CWO, the Command CWOs and other senior NCMs as required.

A list of past Branch Chief Warrant Officers can be accessed by clicking on the following link: Previous Branch Chief Warrant Officers