Eastern Air Defense Sector Welcomes New Canadian Detachment Commanding Officer

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The Eastern Air Defense Sector's Canadian Detachment change of command on Friday, July 8.

ROME, N.Y. (07/08/2016)(readMedia)-- The Canadian Forces Detachment at the Eastern Air Defense Sector officially changed commanders this afternoon.

Lt. Col. Bruce MacLean assumed command from Lt. Col. Kyle Paul, who finished his three-year tour of duty as Canadian Detachment Commanding Officer. Lt. Col. MacLean's responsibilities will include leading the 15-member Canadian Detachment and serving as part of the EADS staff. Lt. Col. Paul is transferring to Canada's National Defense Headquarters in Ottawa, where he will work in the Royal Canadian Air Force's plans directorate.

"Canadian Forces personnel are a critical part of EADS daily operations and play an essential role in protecting the North American airspace," said Col. Emil Filkorn, EADS Commander. "On behalf of the unit, I want to welcome Lt. Col. MacLean and his family to EADS. I also want to thank Lt. Col. Paul and his family for their service and wish them the best in their new assignment."

A formal change-of-command, complete with a signing ceremony, is a long-standing Canadian military tradition that marks the public transfer of command responsibilities. Canadian Brig. Gen. Paul Ormsby, the Deputy Commander, U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region, based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, presided over the ceremony.

Lt. Col. MacLean is a 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He comes to EADS from NORAD headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he served in the strategy, policy and plans directorate and as a deputy branch chief in airspace management. Prior to his time at NORAD, Lt. Col. MacLean served as Wing Air Traffic Control Officer in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan; as a division commander at the Royal Military College of Canada; and as a software testing director for the NORAD system support facility at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

Lt. Col. MacLean is a graduate of Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Forces College Joint Command and Staff Program, where he received a Master's degree in Defense Studies.

The Eastern Air Defense Sector is located at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. A headquarters element of the U.S. Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command Region (CONR), EADS is responsible for the air defense of the eastern United States. Staffed by active-duty New York Air National Guardsmen, a Canadian Forces detachment, joint service liaison officers and federal civilians, EADS directs a variety of assets to defend more than one million square miles of airspace east of the Mississippi River.

Photo captions: The Eastern Air Defense Sector's Canadian Detachment change of command on Friday, July 8. The centerpiece of the event is the signing ceremony, a long-standing Canadian military tradition that marks the public transfer of command responsibilities. Pictured, from left to right, are outgoing Commander, Lt. Col. Kyle Paul; Brig. Gen. Paul Ormsby, the Deputy Commander, Continental U.S. NORAD Region, who served as the ceremony's presiding officer; and incoming Commander, Lt. Col. Bruce MacLean.