Lieutenant-Colonel Warren Armstrong
requests the pleasure of your company at
his Departure with Dignity Ceremony
celebrating 39+ years of service
on Wednesday, 10 August 2022,
from 1300 to 1600 hrs
at The Army Officer’s Mess,
149 Somerset Street, Ottawa, Ontario.
Complimentary Lunch Buffett will be provided
RSVP: wdarmstrong@gmail.com
Dress of the Day
Civilian Informal (no jeans as per Mess Regulations)
———————————————————————————-
Lieutenant-colonel Warren Armstrong
demande le plaisir de votre compagnie à
sa cérémonie de départ dans la dignité
célébrant plus de 39 ans de service
le mercredi 10 août 2022
de 13h00 a 16h00
au mess des officiers de l’armée,
149, rue Somerset, Ottawa (Ontario).
Un déjeuner buffet gratuit sera fourni
RSVP : wdarmstrong@gmail.com
Robe du jour
Civil Informel (pas de jeans conformément aux règlements du mess)
RETIREMENT MESSAGE – LIEUTENANT-COLONEL W.D. (WARREN) ARMSTRONG, CD2, (PSEL 00208)
ON 31 JULY 2022, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WARREN ARMSTRONG WILL MEDICALLY RELEASE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES AFTER 39+ CONTINUOUS YEARS OF DEDICATED AND LOYAL SERVICE TO QUEEN AND COUNTRY. HE HAS BEEN FORTUNATE TO SERVE WITH THE PRIMARY RESERVE; REGULAR FORCE; SUPPLEMENTARY RESERVE AND FINALLY THE REGULAR FORCE.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG JOINED THE ARMY RESERVE IN 1983 AS AN MSE OP WITH 11 SERVICE BATTALION. HE SUBSEQUENTLY HAD HIS FIRST OCCUPATION TRANSFER TO THE MILITARY POLICE PLATOON WITHIN 11 SERVICE BATTALION FOLLOWING PROMOTION TO CORPORAL. SELECTED FOR THE RESERVE ENTRY SCHEME OFFICER PROGRAM IN 1986, HE SPENT A FUN FILLED SUMMER ON PHASE 2 INFANTRY TRAINING AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY COMMISSIONED AS A SECOND LIEUTENANT WITH THE MILITARY POLICE PLATOON.
SEEKING GREATER ADVENTURE WHILE ATTENDING THIRD YEAR STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY, HE APPLIED AND WAS ACCEPTED TO THE REGULAR OFFICER TRAINING PROGRAM (UNDERGRADUATE) AS AN ARTILLERY OFFICER ON 12 MARCH 1987.
UPON GRADUATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA IN MAY 1988 HE PROCEEDED TO PHASE 2, 3 AND 4 ARTILLERY AT THE COMBAT TRAINING CENTER, CFB GAGETOWN. UPON PHASE 4 GRADUATION HE ATTENDED THE AIR DEFENCE ARTILLERY TROOP COMMANDER COURSE AT THE AIR DEFENCE ARTILLERY SCHOOL, CHATHAM, NB. IN AUGUST, 1989, HE WAS POSTED TO HIS FIRST REGIMENTAL TOUR WITH 4TH AIR DEFENCE REGIMENT, ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY, LAHR, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY. REGIMENTAL EMPLOYMENT CONSISTED OF ONE YEAR AS AN AIR DEFENCE BLOWPIPE TROOP COMMANDER WITH 127 AD BTY; ONE YEAR AT REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS AS THE ASSISTANT ADJUTANT AND ONE YEAR AS THE GUN SKYGUARD TROOP COMMANDER IN 129 BATTERIE DEFENCE ANTI-ARIENNE. 4TH AIR DEFENCE REGIMENT WAS REDUCED TO NIL STRENGTH ON 1 JUNE 1992 AND HE WAS POSTED BACK TO CANADA, TO HIS FIRST STAFF JOB.
POSTED TO LAND FORCE COMMAND HEADQUARTERS, ST HUBERT, FROM JULY 1992 – JULY 1994, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG SERVED IN THE NATO PLANS AND UN OPERATIONS CELL. IN THIS POSITION HE WAS ASSIGNED AS THE ALLIED COMMAND EUROPE MOBILE FORCE (LAND) STAFF OFFICER DESK OFFICER, WHICH WAS A CAPTAIN BILLET ASSIGNMENT TO THE AMF (L) HQ IN HEIDELBERG, GERMANY WHICH TOOK HIM TO EUROPE ON MONTH LONG DEPLOYMENTS TO BOTH DENMARK AND ITALY. DURING THIS TIMEFRAME HE ALSO SERVED ON THE UN OPERATIONS PLANNING TEAM THAT SAW TASK FORCES DEPLOY TO CROATIA; BOSNIA; KOSOVO; SOMALIA AND RWANDA.
POSTED TO HIS SECOND REGIMENTAL TOUR, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG WAS FORTUNATE TO BE POSTED TO THE 2ND REGIMENT, ROYAL CANADIAN HORSE ARTILLERY IN PETAWAWA IN SUMMER 94. HE SERVED AS THE BATTERY CAPTAIN (BK) HEADQUARTERS AND SERVICES BATTERY AND THEN TWO YEARS AS THE BK, F BATTERY. F BATTERY RECEIVED THE BRAND NEW LG1 LIGHT GUNS DURING THIS TWO-YEAR TIME FRAME AND F BATTERY WAS ASSIGNED AS THE CANADIAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE FORCE ARTILLERY, OF THE ALLIED COMMAND EUROPE MOBILE FORCE (LAND). THE HIGHLIGHT OF HIS TIME WAS THE DEPLOYMENT OF F BATTERY TO TURKEY FOR AN AMF(L) FORCE ARTILLERY CONCENTRATION WITH THE 5 OTHER CONTRIBUTING NATIONS.
IN 1997 LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG WAS POSTED BACK TO THE ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY SCHOOL AS THE BATTERY CAPTAIN FOR W BATTERY, THE TRAINING BATTERY IN SUPPORT OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY SCHOOL. FOLLOWING ONE YEAR AS BK W BATTERY, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG APPLIED FOR AND WAS SELECTED FOR OFFICER VOLUNTARY OCCUPATION TRANSFER TO THE PERSONNEL SELECTION BRANCH IN 1998.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG ATTENDED HIS ONE YEAR ON JOB TRAINING IN GAGETOWN DURING WHICH TIME HE ATTENDED THE BASIC PERSONNEL SELECTION COURSE CONDUCTED AT CFB ST-JEAN. HE FURTHER ATTENDED THE MILTARY CAREER COUNSELLOR COURSE CONDUCTED BY CANADIAN FORCES RECRUIT GROUP AND SPENT THREE MONTHS OF HIS YEAR LONG TRAINING AS A MILITARY CAREER COUNSELLOR WITH CANADIAN FORCES RECRUITING CENTER AT CFB GAGETOWN.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG’S FIRST POSTING AS A NEWLY MINTED PERSONNEL SELECTION OFFICER WAS TO THE CROWN JEWEL OF RCAF POSTINGS, AS THE WING PERSONNEL SELECTION OFFICER, 14 WING, GREENWOOD, NOVA SCOTIA IN SUMMER 1999. IN 2001, HE COMPONENT TRANSFERRED TO THE SUPPLEMENTARY RESERVE LIST AND SPENT THREE YEARS WORKING IN CORPORATE FINANCE WITH AN INVESTMENT BANK.
IN 2004, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG COMPONENT TRANSFERRED BACK TO THE REGULAR FORCE AND WAS POSTED TO CFB BORDEN AT THE GROUP PERSONNEL SELECTION OFFICE. IN 2005, HE WAS APPOINTED AS THE OFFICER COMMANDING, PERSONNEL SELECTION OFFICER TRAINING COMPANY, AS THE THIRD OC AT THE SCHOOL. IN 2006, HE REVERTED TO CHIEF INSTRUCTOR WITH THE UPGRADING OF THE OC POSITION. PROMOTED TO MAJOR IN JANUARY, 2008, LIEUTENTANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG WAS POSTED TO CFB PETAWAWA AS THE BASE PERSONNEL SELECTION OFFICER. DUTIES NOT ONLY INCLUDED STANDARD PERSONNEL SELECTION SERVICES BUT DUE TO COMBAT OPERATIONS ONGOING IN AFGHANISTAN, HE WAS APPOINTED AS THE OFFICER COMMANDING THE SERVICE PERSONNEL HOLDING LIST. SELECTED FOR POST GRADUATE STUDIES THAT WERE SUBSEQUENTLY CANCELLED, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG REMAINED AT CFB PETAWAWA FOR ANOTHER YEAR DURING WHICH TIME HE ASSISTED IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEWLY CREATED JOINT PERSONNEL SUPPORT UNIT AND SAT ON THE ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION BOARDS FOR THE INITIAL HIRING.
IN 2009, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG COMMENCED POST GRADUATE STUDIES AT CARLETON UNIVERSITY, COMPLETING A MASTER IN ARTS IN SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY IN 2011. HIS THESIS WAS: RESILIENT OUTCOMES FOLLOWING MILITARY OPERATIONS, A SURVEY OF CANADIAN SOLIDERS AFTER AFGHANISTAN. UPON GRADUATION, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG BEGAN A FOUR-YEAR TOUR WITH DGMPRA SERVING THE ENTIRE TIME WITH THE ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND LEADERSHIP TEAM. HIS PRIMARY WORK WAS AS THE DESK OFFICER IN SUPPORT OF THE CANADIAN ARMY RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS. ONE PARTICULAR REPORT FOR THE COMMANDER, CANADIAN ARMY, RESULTED IN LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG RECEIVING THE COMMANDER CANADIAN ARMY COMMENDATION ALONG WITH HIS TWO FELLOW AUTHORS (NOTE HE WAS SECOND AUTHOR). AS THE DESK OFFICER, HE FURTHER COORDINATED THE HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF OPERATIONS SURVEY FOR OP ATTENTION ROTOTATIONS 1, 2 AND 3. DURING THIS TIMEFRAME HE WAS DEPLOYED TO KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, ON ROTATION 2 OF OP ATTENTION WORKING WITH THE NATO AIR TRAINING COMMAND WHICH WAS BUILDING THE AFGHAN AIR FORCE. HE RECEIVED A COMMANDER, AFGHAN AIR FORCE COMMENDATION FOR THIS WORK IN BUILDING OUT THE AFGHAN AIR FORCE STRUCTURE TO 7,500 THEREBY ACHIEVING A NATO MILESTONE.
POSTED TO CANADIAN ARMY HEADQUARTERS IN 2015 AS THE CANADIAN ARMY PSO, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG ASSISTED IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DIVISION PERSONNEL SELECTION OFFICER BILLETS AT EACH CANADIAN DIVISION HEADQUARTERS UNITING BOTH THE REGULAR FORCE AND PRIMARY RESERVE PSOS. THESE NEW POSITIONS WERE TIMELY AND CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE COMMANDER CANADIAN ARMY’S GOAL OF TAKING OVER ALL PRIMARY RESERVE RECRUITING FROM CFRG, WHICH WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY A DIVISION PSO LED TRAINING TEAM OVER A FOUR MONTH PERIOD.
PROMOTED IN JUNE 2017, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG WAS POSTED INTO A NEW POSITION AT THE JOINT PERSONNEL SUPPORT UNIT HEADQUARTERS AS DIRECTOR TRANSITION SERVICES. THIS POSITION WAS VERY SHORT LIVED AS THE NEW DEFENCE POLICY: STRONG SECURE ENGAGED HAD JUST BEEN ISSUED. UPON ARRIVAL IN HIS NEW BILLET, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG WAS SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED INTO THE J5 PLANS POSITION TO WORK ON THE CREATION OF THE NEWLY ANNOUNCED CANADIAN ARMED FORCES TRANSITION GROUP. FOLLOWING A MEDICAL INCIDENT ON THE JOB WHILE SERVING AS THE J5 PLANS AND FOUR MONTHS OF SICK LEAVE, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG WAS POSTED FROM THE J5 PLANS OFFICER POSITION TO THE CAF TRANSITION UNIT, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION. HIS RETURN TO DUTY PROGRAM WAS WITH CHIEF OF STAFF, STRATEGIC, AT CHIEF MILITARY PERSONNEL HEADQUARTERS. HE WORKED ON THE MODERNIZATION OF THE UNIVERSIALITY OF SERVICE POLICY WORKING GROUP; THE ADAPTIVE CAREER PATH WORKING GROUP; AND THE OP REGENERATION WORKING GROUP. POSTED TO CAF TRANSITION CENTER ESQUIMALT, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG PERFECTED THE ART OF TELECOMMUTING LONG BEFORE COVID ARRIVED ON THE SCENE.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ARMSTRONG WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS HIS SINCERE THANKS TO THE COUNTLESS PEOPLE WITH WHOM HE SERVED WITH OVER THE YEARS FOR THEIR PATIENCE, DEDICATION, MENTORSHIP, SUPPORT AND FRIENDSHIP. MOST IMPORTANTLY HE WOULD LIKE TO THANK HIS SPOUSE, CAPTAIN (RETIRED) CHARLENE LINDSAY FOR HER SUPPORT. AFTER RETIREMENT, HE WILL REMAIN IN VICTORIA WORKING ON HIS GOLF GAME.
A DWD WILL BE HELD AT THE ARMY OFFICER’S MESS, OTTAWA ON 10 AUGUST 2022, FROM 1300 TO 1600 HRS. CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES, BEST WISHES, STORIES, ANECDOTES ARE WELCOME AND MAY BE SENT TO LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER HEATHER RYAN AT HEATHER.RYAN(AT)FORCES.GC.CA.