Gen. Wayne Eyre says he has no idea who's replacing him as top military commander

The Canadian military is expecting to get a new top commander on July 18, 2024.

Who it will be appears to be anybody's guess at this point — and even the current chief of the defence staff says he has no idea who is replacing him.

In an interview with CBC News on Wednesday, Gen. Wayne Eyre said the date for the change of command ceremony has been set but the federal government has not yet revealed who will take over.

«We do know that the change of command will be the 18th of July,» said Eyre, who — according to several defence department sources — had advocated for a gap of at least two months between his successor's appointment and his departure.

«We know [now] any handover period is going to be greatly abbreviated, which increases risk to the institution,» Eyre said.

In terms of briefing his successor, he said he'll pass along as much information as he can, «and I make myself available in retirement to continue to pass on what I have learned in this position.»

Eyre signalled in January that he was planning to retire this summer after 40 years in uniform. At the time, the Prime Minister's Office congratulated him in a media statement and thanked him for his service.

Asked recently when a replacement would be named, a spokesperson for the prime minister said it might be a while and offered no specifics. On Wednesday, the same spokesperson confirmed the announcement could come before next month's NATO Summit on July 9-11, but couldn't say for certain.

Several names have been floated as possible replacements. The one heard most often is Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, the current head of conduct and culture within the military.

Other names have included Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, current head of the military's operations command,