Jennie Carignan | |
|---|---|
 Gen. Jennie Carignan | |
| Birth name | Marie Annabelle Jennie Carignan |
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56) Asbestos, Quebec, Canada |
| Allegiance |  Canada |
| Service/ |  Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1986–present |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands | Chief of the Defence Staff (2024–present) Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture (2021–2024) Commander, NATO Mission Iraq (2019–2020) Chief of Staff of Army Operations (2016–2018) |
| Awards | |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College of Canada (BEng) Université Laval (MBA) United States Army Command and General Staff College (ILE, MMAS) |
| Spouse(s) | Eric Lefrançois |
| Children | 4 |
Marie Annabelle Jennie Carignan CMM MSC MSM CD (/ˈkærɪnjɒ̃/, French: [maʁi anabɛl ʒɛni kaʁiɲɑ̃]; born 1968)[1] is a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) officer who has served as Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) since July 2024. Born in Quebec, she is bilingual and graduated as a military engineer from the CAF’s Royal Military College Saint-Jean. She served as an officer in combat engineering regiments in various Canadian military actions in the 1990s and 2000s including: the Golan Heights; Bosnia; and Afghanistan. As a full colonel, Carignan became Commandant of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in 2013.
When Carignan was promoted to brigadier-general, in June 2016, she became the first Canadian female general from a combat command. She was promoted again in 2019, to major-general, and commanded NATO forces in Iraq. In 2021, she was promoted to lieutenant-general, and became CAF’s first chief for Professional Conduct and Culture. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced she would become the first woman to serve as CDS on 3 July 2024. The appointment and promotion to general took effect on 18 July 2024, with the change of command ceremony.