AFTER AN EXCEPTIONAL 35 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE, MAJOR CLINT LEGG’S JOURNEY IN THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES (CAF) AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF) COMES TO A WELL-EARNED CONCLUSION. HIS CAREER HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY, MARKED BY TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, LEADERSHIP, MENTORSHIP, AND AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO MISSION SUCCESS.

CLINT JOINED THE CAF ON JANUARY 25, 1990, AS A COMMUNICATIONS AND RADAR SYSTEMS (CRS) TECHNICIAN, LATER TRANSITIONING TO AVIONICS TECHNICIAN (AVS) IN 2002 BEFORE COMMISSIONING AS A COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEER (CELE) THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY TRAINING PLAN FOR NON-COMMISSIONED MEMBERS (UTP-NCM). HIS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDED EARNING A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA IN 2005 AND LATER A MASTER OF ENGINEERING IN COMPUTER SECURITY IN 2024.

AFTER COMPLETING POET TRAINING IN CFB KINGSTON AND CRS TRAINING IN CFB BORDEN, HE WAS POSTED TO 14 WING GREENWOOD, WHERE HE PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN RADIO AND RADAR MAINTENANCE. HE BECAME ONE OF THE FEW MAINTAINERS OF THE CP-140 AURORA’S APS-506 RADAR SYSTEM, AN ACHIEVEMENT THAT SOLIDIFIED HIS REPUTATION AS A HIGHLY SKILLED TECHNICIAN. HIS SIX-YEAR TENURE AT 19 WING COMOX, 407 SQUADRON, FOSTERED A DEEP APPRECIATION FOR SMALL-UNIT CAMARADERIE, A THEME THAT WOULD DEFINE MUCH OF HIS CAREER. HIS TIME IN COMOX ALSO PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEPLOY, INCLUDING A MEMORABLE MISSION TO CHILE, FURTHER ENHANCING HIS OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE.

CLINT WAS POSTED TO 1 CANADIAN AIR DIVISION AT 17 WING WINNIPEG AND LATER COMPLETED CELE TRAINING IN CFB KINGSTON, WHERE HIS EMPATHY AND CAMARADERIE WERE RECOGNIZED BY HIS PEERS. RETURNING TO 17 WING TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS SQUADRON (TISS), HE LED THE CLASSIFIED COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS SECTION (CCSS) AND PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN MODERNIZING THE AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE INTO THE COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE (CAOC)—A CRITICAL INITIATIVE COMPLETED JUST IN TIME FOR THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS.
IN MARCH 2010, CLINT DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN AS THE NATO CHIEF OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS, WHERE HIS WORK ETHIC AND EXPERTISE EARNED HIM THE ROLE OF NETWORK OPERATIONS OFFICER FOR THE J6 OF THE OPERATIONAL HEADQUARTERS. THIS DEPLOYMENT WAS ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING YET REWARDING EXPERIENCES OF HIS CAREER, ALLOWING HIM TO COORDINATE THE ROLLOUT OF THE AFGHAN NATIONAL NETWORK, WORKING ALONGSIDE NATO PARTNERS TO ESTABLISH VITAL COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE.

UPON RETURNING TO WINNIPEG, CLINT TOOK ON THE ROLE OF OPERATIONS COORDINATOR FOR 1 CANADIAN AIR DIVISION, WHERE HE ENABLED RCAF UNITS IN THEIR OPERATIONS. IN 2012, HE WAS SELECTED TO JOIN THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS (CFSCE) IN CFB KINGSTON AND BECAME A COURSE DIRECTOR, MENTORING AND SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CELE OFFICERS.
HIS NEXT MAJOR ASSIGNMENT TOOK HIM TO NORAD HEADQUARTERS IN COLORADO SPRINGS IN 2014, WHERE HE INITIALLY WORKED AS A CYBER PLANNER BUT QUICKLY TRANSITIONED TO SERVE AS THE CHIEF OF CYBER FOR THE NORAD OPERATIONS CENTRE. IN THIS ROLE, HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN SHAPING BILATERAL CYBER OPERATIONS BETWEEN CANADA AND THE U.S., LEADING KEY PROJECTS, INCLUDING DRAFTING NORAD’S FIRST-EVER BI-LATERAL CYBER AGREEMENT.

IN 2018, CLINT PURSUED HIGHER EDUCATION IN CYBERSECURITY, COMPLETING HIS MASTER OF ENGINEERING IN COMPUTER SECURITY IN MAY 2024. HIS COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH IS A TESTAMENT TO HIS DRIVE AND PASSION FOR ADVANCING THE CAF’S CYBER CAPABILITIES.

THROUGH ALL THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, CLINT’S GREATEST TAKEAWAY FROM HIS CAREER IS THE POWER OF TEAMWORK. HE FIRMLY BELIEVES THAT SUCCESS IS NEVER ACHIEVED ALONE—IT IS BUILT UPON THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER. HE ENCOURAGES ALL MEMBERS TO CHECK IN ON THEIR COLLEAGUES, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO GIVE THEIR ALL, AS THEY MAY NOT ALWAYS RECOGNIZE THEIR OWN IMPACT. HIS PARTING WORDS SERVE AS A REMINDER TO FIND JOY IN EVERY POSTING, EMBRACE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN, AND CHERISH THE FRIENDSHIPS FORMED ALONG THE WAY.
WHILE CLINT MAY BE RETIRING FROM SERVICE, HE ASSURES HIS RCAF FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES THAT HE IS NEVER MORE THAN A CALL AWAY. HE LEAVES BEHIND A REMARKABLE LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP, MENTORSHIP, AND SERVICE, PASSING THE TORCH TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF RCAF AND CELE PROFESSIONALS.

ALL THE BEST TO THOSE CONTINUING THE MISSION—MAY YOU CARRY FORWARD THE SAME DEDICATION, PASSION, AND COMMITMENT THAT CLINT HAS DEMONSTRATED THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER.
CLINT IS GRATEFUL FOR THE FRIENDSHIPS DEVELOPED DURING HIS CAREER AND EXTENDS SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO HIS WIFE RENEE, FOR HER UNWAVERING LOVE AND SUPPORT THROUGHOUT. CLINT WILL CONTINUE HIS CAREER WITH THE DEPARTEMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE SPECIALIZING WITHIN THE CYBER DOMAIN.

AT CLINT’S REQUEST, THERE WILL BE NO FORMAL RETIREMENT FUNCTION BUT A SMALL INFORMAL LUNCHEON WILL TAKE PLACE AT A DATE YET TO BE DETERMINED.
ANY WELL-WISHES, ANECDOTES OR CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES CAN BE FORWARDED TO LCOL JONATHAN MACCORMACK AT [email protected] .