The Department of National Defence originally confirmed the removal of Lieutenant-Colonel Jason Hudson and Chief Warrant Officer Kim Doerr from command positions earlier this week.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Two senior leaders of a Canadian infantry battalion who were temporarily removed from command have been reinstated after an investigation, the Department of National Defence said Friday.
The federal government and the Canadian military still refuse to say why Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Jason Hudson and Chief Warrant Officer Kim Doerr were removed from command positions at 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
The PPCLI is a renowned regiment.
It was only earlier this week that DND confirmed the removal of the men.
“Following a thorough review,” Lieutenant-General Michael Wright, the Commander of the Canadian Army, “made a decision to reinstate Lt.-Col Hudson and Chief Warrant Officer Doerr as the Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major of the 3rd Battalion,” National Defence spokesman Dan Blouin said in a statement.
He said senior Canadian Army leadership “have confidence in their ability to continue as the unit command team.”
Mr. Blouin could not provide any insight into why the two men were removed from command in the first place.
However, he said, the people involved have paid a price. “Appropriate administrative and disciplinary measures are being taken in accordance with established policies to address this incident.”
While National Defence will not divulge any details about what led to this removal, its Friday statement suggested the matter has to do with conduct.
“Canadian Army members, particularly those in positions of leadership and authority, must demonstrate sound judgment and exemplary conduct to maintain the trust of the soldiers they lead and the Canadians we serve,” Mr. Blouin said.
Lt.-Col. Hudson assumed command of the infantry battalion in June, 2024.
The 3rd Battalion, deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in early 2002, was the first conventional Canadian combat force sent overseas on a combat-specific operation since the Korean War, according to the PPCLI Regimental Museum’s website.
Founded in 1914 – the last privately raised regiment in Canadian history – the PPCLI fought in the First World War, the Second World War and Korea, where the 2nd Battalion’s stand at Kapyong in 1951 earned a U.S. Presidential Unit Citation shared with Australian and American forces.