Charles Bouchard
Retired Royal Canadian Air Force general
title: "Charles Bouchard" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["royal-canadian-air-force-generals", "canadian-forces-air-command-generals", "harvard-university-alumni", "people-of-the-libyan-civil-war-(2011)", "recipients-of-the-legion-of-merit", "university-of-manitoba-alumni", "people-from-saguenay,-quebec", "canadian-military-personnel-from-quebec", "living-people", "1956-births", "commanders-of-the-order-of-military-merit-(canada)"] description: "Retired Royal Canadian Air Force general" topic_path: "geography/canada" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bouchard" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Retired Royal Canadian Air Force general ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox military person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | J.J.C. Bouchard |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada |
| placeofburial_label | Place of burial |
| image | Lt Gen Charlie Bouchard (close-up).jpg |
| caption | Lt. Gen Charles Bouchard addresses Canadian military and WWII veterans during a Battle of Britain commemoration. |
| allegiance | Canada |
| branch | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| serviceyears | 1974–2012 |
| rank | Lieutenant General |
| commands | 444 Squadron |
| 1 Wing Kingston | |
| 1 Canadian Air Division | |
| unit | 427 Squadron |
| 403 Squadron | |
| 444 Squadron | |
| battles | Operation Unified Protector |
| awards | Officer of the Order of Canada |
| Commander of the Order of Military Merit | |
| Meritorious Service Cross | |
| Special Service Medal | |
| QEII Golden Jubilee Medal | |
| Canadian Forces' Decoration | |
| Officer of the Legion of Merit (US) | |
| :: |
|name=J.J.C. Bouchard |birth_date= |death_date= |birth_place=Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada |death_place= |placeofburial= |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image=Lt Gen Charlie Bouchard (close-up).jpg |caption=Lt. Gen Charles Bouchard addresses Canadian military and WWII veterans during a Battle of Britain commemoration. |nickname= |allegiance=Canada |branch=Royal Canadian Air Force |serviceyears= 1974–2012 |rank=Lieutenant General |commands=444 Squadron 1 Wing Kingston 1 Canadian Air Division |unit=427 Squadron 403 Squadron 444 Squadron |battles= Operation Unified Protector |awards= Officer of the Order of Canada Commander of the Order of Military Merit Meritorious Service Cross Special Service Medal QEII Golden Jubilee Medal Canadian Forces' Decoration Officer of the Legion of Merit (US) |relations= |laterwork=
Lieutenant General Joseph Jacques Charles "Charlie" Bouchard (born 1956) is a retired Royal Canadian Air Force general. He has served as Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division / Canadian NORAD Region, the Deputy Commander of North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) and Deputy Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples. On 25 March 2011, Bouchard was named Commander of the NATO military mission in Libya.
Biography
Joseph Jacques Charles Bouchard was born in the Chicoutimi borough of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada. He enrolled with the Canadian Forces in 1974 under the Officer Candidate Training Plan. After helicopter training, Bouchard qualified in 1976 as a helicopter pilot.
Bouchard has had a long career in Tactical Aviation within Canadian Forces Air Command, which included flying positions in several squadrons, command of 444 Tactical Helicopter Squadron at Lahr in Germany, and command of 1 Wing Kingston. Bouchard has served in the United States as Deputy Commander for Continental NORAD Region and was standing duty at Tyndall Air Force Base conducting Air Operation on 11 September 2001. Bouchard would later become Deputy Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, and from August 2007 to June 2009, Deputy Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, receiving promotion to Lieutenant-General on taking up the appointment. In 2009, he assumed the position of Deputy Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples.
On 25 March 2011, while continuing to serve at Naples, Bouchard was named Commander of "Operation Unified Protector", NATO's military intervention in Libya. The Libya mission provided air cover to overthrow the country's long-time national leader Muammar Gaddafi – a mission in which fighter jets played a massive role. Bouchard was replaced in October 2011 as Deputy Commander Allied JFC Naples by a fellow Canadian Marquis Hainse, the position having fallen vacant while Bouchard served as the Commander of the NATO mission in Libya.
Bouchard is a graduate of Canadian Forces Staff School; Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College; Canadian Forces Command and Staff College; the National Strategic Studies Course; the Combined Forces Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell Air Force Base; the Generals, Flag Officers and Ambassadors Course at the NATO Defense College; and the Senior Executives National and International Security Program at Harvard University. Bouchard also has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science from the University of Manitoba.
Bouchard retired from the Canadian Forces in April 2012. On 24 September 2013, Lockheed Martin announced Bouchard had been appointed "the country lead for Lockheed Martin Canada".
Medals and decorations
Bouchard's medal ribbons are as follows:
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Rcaf_Flight_wings.png" caption="RCAF pilot wings"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/CAN_Order_of_Canada_Officer_ribbon.svg" caption="115px]]
"]
::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/CAN_Meritorious_Service_Cross_(military_division)_ribbon.svg" caption="113px]]
"]
::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/CAN_Canadian_Forces_Decoration_ribbon_with_two_bars.svg" caption="115px]] [[File:Legion Honneur Officier ribbon.svg"] ::
::data[format=table] | [[File:Legion Honneur Officier ribbon.svg|80px]] | Legion of Honour | | |---|---|---| ::
- [[File:Rcaf Flight wings.png|80px|RCAF pilot wings]] He was a qualified RCAF Pilot and as such wore the Royal Canadian Air Forces Pilot Wings
Notes
References
References
- (August 2007). "J.J.C. (Charlie) Bouchard, CMM, CD, CANADIAN FORCES". North American Aerospace Defence Command.
- (25 March 2011). "NATO's Libya mission to be led by Canadian". CBC News.
- (24 April 2007). "Senior Officer Biography". National Defence and the Canadian Forces.
- Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen. (2 August 2007). "New NORAD deputy commander takes office". North American Aerospace Defense Command.
- "F-35 maker hires ex-general who led NATO Libya mission {{!".
- "ACO – Allied Command Operations | Deputy Commander JFC Naples".
- (15 September 2011). "Archived – Minister of National Defence Announces Additional Canadian Forces Senior Promotions And Appointments".
- (24 September 2013). "Lockheed Martin names former RCAF commander as Canada head". The Globe and Mail.
- (24 September 2013). "Charles Bouchard To Lead Lockheed Martin Canada".
- "Order of Canada List". The Governor General of Canada.
- "Order of Military Merit List". The Governor General of Canada.
- "Meritorious Service Decorations List". The Governor General of Canada.
- (11 June 2018). "The Queen Golden Jubilee Medal List". The Governor General of Canada.
- (28 April 2012). "Awards to Canadians". The King's Printer for Canada.
- (25 February 2012). "Awards to Canadians". The King's Printer for Canada.
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