1. AFTER 36 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA, THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF) AND THE COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING (CELE) BRANCH, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL (LCOL) DALE KING WILL BE RETIRING ON 8 AUGUST 2025.

2. DALE JOINED THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES (CAF) IN ST. JOHN’S, NL, IN 1989, GRADUATING FROM COLLÈGE MILITAIRE ROYAL DE SAINT-JEAN IN 1994. AFTER ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AT CANADIAN FORCES STATION SHELBURNE, NS, AND 19 WING COMOX, HE COMPLETED HIS CELE TRAINING AT THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS IN KINGSTON IN 1995. HIS POSTINGS INCLUDED 1 CANADIAN AIR DIVISION, A6 OPERATIONS IN WINNIPEG, WHERE HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND TO THE “FLOOD OF THE CENTURY,” FOLLOWED BY A MOVE TO 8 WING TRENTON, WORKING IN THE WING TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS FLIGHT.

3. HE THEN HEADED TO 12 WING SHEARWATER TO TAKE ON THE ROLE OF WING TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS OFFICER (WTISO), WHICH CORRESPONDED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF HURRICANE JUAN IN HALIFAX AND THE NEAR COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF A QUAD RADAR. IT TOOK DAYS TO FIND ALL THE PARTS ACROSS THE AIRFIELD.

4. AFTER BEING PROMOTED TO MAJOR IN 2005, IT WAS TIME TO HEAD TO OTTAWA AS A PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR AIRFIELD CAPITAL PROJECTS WITH THE DIRECTORATE OF AIR REQUIREMENTS IN THE AIR STAFF. WHILE IN OTTAWA, HE DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN IN 2006 WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE, WORKING IN THE HEADQUARTERS IN KABUL IN J6 PLANS BUT ALSO TOURING THE COUNTRY TO OVERSEE THE INSTALLATION OF NEW EQUIPMENT. HE RETURNED TO CANADA AND, IN 2008, MOVED OVER TO THE CANADIAN OPERATIONAL SUPPORT COMMAND (CANOSCOM) AS J6 PLANS, WHERE HE SPENT MUCH OF HIS TIME WORKING ON THE G8 SUMMIT AS WELL AS COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM (CIS) SUPPORT FOR THE 2010 OLYMPICS.

5. IN 2010, HE WAS SELECTED AS THE WTISO AT 14 WING GREENWOOD. HIS TIME IN GREENWOOD WAS CUT SHORT BY A YEAR AS HE HEADED TO TORONTO, WHERE HE GRADUATED FROM THE JOINT COMMAND AND STAFF PROGRAMME (CANADIAN FORCES COLLEGE) IN 2013 WITH A MASTER OF DEFENCE STUDIES. PROMOTED TO LCOL IN 2013, DALE WAS THEN POSTED TO THE CANADIAN JOINT OPERATIONS COMMAND (CJOC) AS J6 PLANS, WHERE HE WORKED ON THE PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF VARIOUS OPERATIONS AND EXERCISES, INCLUDING CANADIAN PARTICIPATION IN NATO’S EXERCISE TRIDENT JUNCTURE IN 2015.

6. IN 2016, HE WAS POSTED TO THE NATO COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION AGENCY CIS SUPPORT UNIT IN RAMSTEIN, GERMANY, WHERE HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH ALLIES FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES WHILE SUPPORTING THE HEADQUARTERS ALLIED AIR COMMAND – NATO. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A POSTING BACK TO GREENWOOD AS DEPUTY WING COMMANDER IN 2019, AND THEN FINALLY BACK TO TRENTON TO WORK AT THE RCAF AEROSPACE WARFARE CENTRE (RAWC). IN ADDITION TO GREENWOOD, HIS COMMAND TOURS INCLUDED BEING CO OF THE AIR AND SPACE POWER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE AT THE RAWC IN 2022.

7. DALE IS CURRENTLY POSTED TO THE NORAD CONTINENTAL DEFENCE MODERNIZATION ORGANIZATION (NCDMO) ON THE AIR STAFF AS THE PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR THE AIR NAVIGATION AID SYSTEMS REPLACEMENT PROJECT, THE RCAF AIR WEAPONS CONTROL COVERAGE EXPANSION PROJECT AND PROJECT CROSSBOW.

8. DALE HAS HAD A FABULOUS CAREER, WORKING WITH HIGHLY SKILLED PROFESSIONALS ACROSS ALL RANKS AND OCCUPATIONS. HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ALL REGIONS OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY AS WELL AS A NICE CHUNK OF EUROPE. HE DEFINITELY MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE TO JOIN THE CAF AND HAS MANY GREAT FRIENDS AND MEMORIES FROM HIS TIME IN UNIFORM.

9. DALE IS MARRIED TO FELICIA (THE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF 436 SQUADRON), A GOOD NEWFIE GIRL FROM ST. ANTHONY, NL, AND THEY HAVE 17-YEAR-OLD TWINS (MICHAEL AND RYVER) TO KEEP THEM BUSY. FELICIA AND THE KIDS HAVE HAD TO GIVE UP A LOT TO KEEP MOVING AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD TO SUPPORT DALE IN HIS CAREER. DALE AND FELICIA ARE PLANNING TO REMAIN IN TRENTON FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, AND DALE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER OF HIS LIFE, WORKING WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE AND STAYING ON WITH NCDMO AS A PUBLIC SERVANT.

10. A DEPART WITH DIGNITY (DWD) WILL BE HELD AT 1130 ON FRIDAY, 11 JULY 2025 AT SIGNAL BREWERY IN CORBYVILLE, JUST OUTSIDE OF BELLEVILLE, ON. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO DROP BY FOR LUNCH OR SEND A MESSAGE, PLEASE CONTACT THE OPI, MAJOR MIKE RICHARDS, AT [email protected]. THE DWD WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A RETIREMENT PARTY AT DALE AND FELICIA’S PLACE IN TRENTON ON FRIDAY EVENING, 11 JULY, STARTING AT 1900, FOR ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME IN FOR A BITE AND A DRINK. PLEASE CONTACT FELICIA IF YOU NEED DIRECTIONS, AT [email protected].