Gen. Thomas J. Lawson

Tom Lawson grew up in Etobicoke, Ontario, and graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a degree in Electrical Engineering.  He completed pilot training and was posted to Germany where he flew the CF-104 Starfighter. He then returned to the Royal Military College to complete a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and to serve as a lecturer at RMC. Completing CF-18 Hornet training, he returned to Germany to fly operationally until the base closed.  Lawson then returned to CFB Cold Lake to instruct on the CF-18, where he was in charge of the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course. 

As a Colonel, Lawson joined the CF Transformation Team and led the stand up of the Strategic Joint Staff.   He was then posted to CFB Trenton as commander of the nation’s largest base before being promoted to Brigadier-General and appointed Commandant of his alma-mater, the Royal Military College of Canada. Promoted to Major-General, Lawson was appointed Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, then was promoted to Lieutenant-General and appointed Deputy Commander NORAD in Colorado Springs. 

In 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the appointment of General Lawson as incoming Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). As CDS, Lawson oversaw the completion of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, the deployment of Canadian troops to Eastern Europe following Russian aggression in Crimea, and the Canadian Forces contribution to the coalition effort against the self-named Islamic State.  He completed his term as CDS in July 2015.

General (Ret’d) Lawson now provides strategic advice to companies including Air Canada, Lockheed-Martin and CAE, and enjoys speaking engagements and symposia that leverage his years in Canadian Armed Forces command positions.