Brig. Gen. Steven Hunter has assumed command of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, a Canadian Armed Forces organization where he has spent over 20 years of his military career. Hunter takes over from Maj. Gen. Steve Boivin, who headed Cansofcom for three years.
Presiding over the change of command ceremony in Ottawa on Tuesday, Gen. Wayne Eyre, CAF chief of the Defence Staff, expressed confidence in Hunter’s capabilities, noting his vast field experience.
Hunter’s roles include directing Cansofcom in providing the CDS with agile and highly prepared mission elements for special operations in Canada and overseas. He is also the CDS and other CAF command heads’ adviser on special operations matters and deployment.
Six units comprise Cansofcom to execute such capabilities as accessing, analyzing and influencing operational environments. The equipment support available to the command for the role includes the Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft featuring intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies from L3Harris.
The U.S. Army, which delivered the first of the three aircraft in February 2023, said Cansofcom needs the ISR capabilities to achieve tactical and operational advantage.