MacKeen takes command of 2PPCLI

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This article was published 23/06/2017 (3035 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CFB SHILO — After taking command of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Lt.-Col. Jay MacKeen made the troops aware of what they can anticipate, but more importantly, what they can’t.

Members of 2PPCLI were spontaneously tasked with holding down the tents to stop them from blowing away in the 50 km/h winds, but the flag party remained steady during the change of command ceremony held at CFB Shilo’s Korea Parade Square on Thursday.

The traditional ceremony paid tribute to outgoing battalion commanding officer Lt.-Col. Wayne Niven and welcomed a new leadership under 2PPCLI veteran MacKeen.

“(We can’t anticipate) stability, predictability or where the next crisis will occur,” MacKeen told the crowd of military personnel, family and friends. “My time in Ottawa has taught me that the global security situation remains volatile, unstable and has become more complex each day — a fact I believe will hold true for years to come. As such, the 2nd Battalion must be agile in the face of changing security conditions, and position to respond on short notice to any potential task or mission.”

The 2PPCLI can, however, anticipate to continue working as a team, MacKeen added.

“The battalion can expect that we will be ready to take the fight to the enemy, whether that enemy is an armed adversary, fire or floods that are threatening Canadians, or whatever else may come in what can only be described as an unstable and unpredictable world,” MacKeen said.

MacKeen enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa in 1997. He served various positions within the PPCLI, and has been deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina and three times to Afghanistan.

But commanding the 2PPCLI is a new highlight of his career, MacKeen said.

“It’s an enormous responsibility and I’m very proud to be able to call myself the commanding officer,” MacKeen told the Sun. “The fact that we get to command the men and women of our regiment is a pretty humbling experience … and it’s one that we take at most seriousness because ultimately what we’re talking about is the lives of some great Canadians. Especially when we deploy overseas and with all the tasks that we have to do day to day.”

For Lt.-Col. Wayne Niven, the day was bittersweet, but he said he is confident the position is left in good hands.

“I’ve known Lt.-Col. MacKeen for about 20 years and between him and (Regimental Sgt. Maj.) King — who knows this unit very well — the unit is going to be very well served,” Niven said.

Niven is heading back to Ottawa to rejoin his family and take on a new role in the executive office of the commander of Military Personnel Command, he said, adding the last two years are ones he will never forget.

“It was meant to be and it certainly was one of the highlights of my career … Once it’s over, you realize how fast it went by and you’re not really sure if you savoured every single moment of it,” Niven said. “We had an exceptional ride with support operations and training for operations … we couldn’t have asked for a better two years.”

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