LYONS BROOK – Pictou County native Brigadier-General Martin Galvin has been named Commander of the 2 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg.
“It’s a true privilege to take on this new appointment,” said Galvin. “I’ve had many exciting experiences in my career and I know that heading Air Force doctrine and training will be a challenging and rewarding experience.”
Raised in Lyons Brook, he is the son of Bob and Maxine Galvin. He has over 30 years in the Canadian Forces as an air weapons controller. Most recently, he was the vice director of the NORAD-NORTHCOM Command Centre in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he led the strategic daily operations and continued transformation of this bi-national, joint operations centre.
During his career he has held positions across Canada, in the United States, and in Germany. He also participated in Operation Allied Force over Kosovo and in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Before joining the Canadian Forces in 1980, he attended West Pictou District High School where he graduated in 1979 and played minor hockey for the Pictou Maripacs. He cites the Pictou Golf Club as one of his favourite places to be when he wasn’t working at the Pictou Sobeys or for Northumberland Ferries.
The local ties don’t stop with him. His wife, Cheryl (née MacLennan), hails from Scotsburn. And it seems the military influence that started with his grandfather and father carries on with his family – Galvin’s two children have also joined the Air Force. Matthew is an Air Force Lieutenant at 12 Radar Squadron in Bagotville, Que., and Ashley is an officer-cadet entering her final year at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.
2 Canadian Air Division is responsible for Air Force doctrine, individual training and education. The Division includes Air Force training establishments at 15 Wing Moose Jaw and 16 Wing Borden; the Air Force Training Centre at 17 Wing, Winnipeg, comprising several existing Air Force schools and training institutions; the Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre (CFAWC) at 8 Wing Trenton; and the divisional headquarters in Winnipeg.
