General Gregory M. Guillot, right, accepts command of the North American Aerospace Defense Command from Canadian Armed Forces Chief of the Defence Staff Wayne D. Eyre during a change of command ceremony at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, on February 5, 2024. JOSHUA ARMSTRONG/NORAD
THE WATCH STAFF
In a change-of-command ceremony on February 5, 2024, General Gregory M. Guillot became the new commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, where he took over for retiring General Glen D. VanHerck.
General Gregory M. Guillot previously served as deputy of operations at USNORTHCOM from June 2019-June 2020, just missing VanHerck, who started his joint command of NORAD and USNORTHCOM in August 2020. Most recently, General Guillot served as the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The change-of-command ceremony was officiated by Canadian Armed Forces Chief of the Defence Staff General Wayne D. Eyre and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks, and included remarks from other distinguished guests, including Canadian Minister of National Defence, the Honorable Bill S. Blair and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
As commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM, General Guillot is now charged with defending the American and Canadian homelands. “NORAD and NORTHCOM and their complementary missions are more imperative today than ever before,” Guillot said at the ceremony. “We owe the American and Canadian citizens that depend on us a relentless, disciplined approach to defending our homelands in all domains from all avenues of approach against all who intend us harm. Delivering that defense in today’s challenging environment is our commands’ no-fail mission.”
General Guillot takes command at a critical time, said General Eyre, who conducted the NORAD portion of the event. “General Guillot, you are inheriting a command of singular importance, where the threats we face will only increase in the months and years to come, increase in complexity and increase in consequence – a demanding command of unceasing vigilance.”
The new commander said the speed at which threats to the homeland and North America may develop far outpace earlier challenges. “Today, the United States and Canada face an extraordinarily complicated and quickly changing strategic environment,” Guillot said. “Competitors can hold North America at risk in multiple domains from all avenues of approach and are increasing both their capability and their capacity to strike the homeland, either kinetically or non-kinetically, at a rate far exceeding the pace seen just a few years ago.”
Each of the dignitaries offered praise for the departing commander. In her remarks, Deputy Secretary Hicks described the rising threats to the U.S. homeland from North Korea, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, emphasizing the increased importance of maintaining the international rules-based order in the Arctic. She noted that General VanHerck never wavered in his emphatic insistence on making certain the U.S. was prepared to defend the homeland and support U.S. allies.
Ms. Hicks also pointed out that General VanHerck often said, “To compete globally, we must be strong at home.” With increasing multi-domain threats to the homeland, VanHerck transformed NORAD and USNORTHCOM into modern operationalized commands, prioritizing all-domain awareness, digital transformation, homeland resilience and globally integrated campaigning. “This is all proof that we are better prepared today to deter, detect and defend against threats to the homeland, and in no small part to General VanHerck’s leadership at NORAD and USNORTHCOM,” she said. “Over the past three-and-a-half years, Glen has advanced this mission with a singular intent and purpose.”
USAF Chief of Staff General Charles Brown, who commanded VanHerck early in his career at the Air Force Weapons School remarked “A strong homeland defense is the foundation of our nation’s ability to project power globally and achieve our strategic objectives in competition, crisis and conflict. As the NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander, Glen has worked diligently to enforce that foundation. He has worked tirelessly to protect our homeland and our way of life.”
VanHerck’s three-and-a-half years of command came at a stressful time: a global pandemic, the evacuation and resettlement of more than 70,000 Afghans during Operation ALLIES WELCOME, and the first kinetic engagement of a foreign object over North America since World War II when NORAD detected and USNORTHCOM shot down a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon.
Having served in the Air Force for more than 36 years, General VanHerck plans to retire with his wife, Marilyn. In his farewell address, he stated that being commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM was the hallmark of his career, and that there is no more noble mission than homeland defense. He applauded both the Americans and Canadians who had helped execute his vision for the commands.
The dignitaries also praised the close relationship between Canada and the U.S., which have shared the binational NORAD command since 1958. The relationship “is an example to the world of how far we can go when we treat allies as family,” General Brown said.
Defense Minister Blair described “the unbreakable bond between Canada and the United States” in their shared defense. He said his country is committed to further strengthening North America through a globally integrated defense. “Canada must do more, and Canada will do more,” Blair said.
General Guillot said that while his new task is challenging, American-Canadian cohesion and the competency of both nations’ service members reassures him. “The discipline of joint and multinational men and women serving in these commands is the reason for its unquestionable success. Their care and professional growth will always be a priority under my command, and I pledge to each member to devote my full effort to leading them the way they deserve to be led,” Guillot said. “As I assume command today, the scope and importance of our homeland defense mission is not lost on me. Delivery of that defense in today’s challenging environment is our commands’ no-fail mission, and I’m honored to join the team of men and women at NORAD and USNORTHCOM conducting that mission.”
Guillot was commissioned into the Air Force after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1989. He completed undergraduate pilot training in 1990 at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona and followed that by taking an undergraduate controller course at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. He has commanded a flying squadron, operations group, two flying wings and a numbered Air Force, as well as served on staffs at the numbered Air Force, major command, air and combatant command levels.
Guillot is a senior air battle manager with more than 1,380 flight hours in the E-3B/C/G, RC-135V/W/S, KC-10A, F-15D and U-2ST, according to a NORAD/USNORTHCOM news release.
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