COLONEL MICHAEL KEITH PURCELL, TF JERUSALEM / CANADIAN JOINT OPERATIONS COMMAND

1. COLONEL MICHAEL KEITH PURCELL WILL RETIRE FROM THE CAF ON 26 AUGUST, 2022.
2. COLONEL PURCELL TRANSFERRED TO THE REGULAR COMPONENT OF THE CAF IN 1986 AS A SIGNAL OFFICER. BETWEEN 1987 AND 1995 HE COMPLETED SEVERAL FIELD TOURS WITH POSTINGS TO CALGARY, GAGETOWN AND KINGSTON, WHERE HE WAS THE 2IC OF 2(EW) SQUADRON IN 1 CDHSR. IN 1995, COL PURCELL WAS POSTED TO THE TCCCS PROJECT WHERE HE WAS PROMOTED TO MAJ AND TRANSFERRED TO THE CF SUPPLEMENTARY RADIO SYSTEM HQ AS SSO LAND EW. WHEN CFSRS BECAME THE CF INFORMATION OPERATIONS GROUP, COL PURCELL WAS APPOINTED SSO OPS. WHILE IN THIS POSITION HE DEPLOYED TO CFS ALERT AS THE CO.
   ON HIS RETURN FROM CFS ALERT COL PURCELL WAS POSTED AS THE FIRST NON-US OFFICER IN THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED JOINT TASK FORCE COMPUTER NETWORK DEFENSE (NOW USCYBERCOM) IN WASHINGTON D.C. WHILE THERE, COL PURCELL COMPLETED HIS MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE WITH A SPECIALIZATION IN INFORMATION SECURITY.
   COL PURCELL RETURNED TO CANADA AS THE OFFICER COMMANDING NETWORK OPERATIONS AND SECURITY BRANCH IN THE CF NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTRE. FROM THERE, HE DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN AS THE SIGINT OFFICER IN THE KABUL MULTI-NATIONAL BRIGADE HQ. UPON HIS RETURN HE WAS PROMOTED AND ATTENDED THE JOINT COMMAND STAFF PROGRAM. FOLLOWING JCSP HE WAS POSTED TO THE STRATEGIC JOINT STAFF AS THE C4 OPS AND INFORMATION OPERATIONS OFFICER WHERE HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPUTER NETWORK OPERATIONS POLICY DEVELOPMENT. IN 2010 COL PURCELL WAS APPOINTED CO OF CFS LEITRIM AFTER WHICH HE SERVED AS SA TO COS(IM) AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE DCOMD OF CFIOG.
   FOLLOWING HIS TIME IN CFIOG, COL PURCELL SERVED AS THE J6, CANADIAN JOINT OPERATIONS COMMAND. HIS FINAL TWO POSTINGS WERE AS THE CANADIAN DEFENCE ATTACHÉ TO EGYPT AND SUDAN AND AS THE DCOMD, TASK FORCE JERUSALEM.
3. FOR ANY MESSAGES, GOOD WISHES AND/OR ANECDOTES PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO LCOL JGS LAVOIE ON DWAN AT [email protected] OR HIS PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]. COL PURCELL’S DWD WILL TAKE PLACE IN JERUSALEM ON 16 JUNE 2022, PLEASE HAVE YOUR MESSAGES IN PRIOR TO THAT DATE.