Published December 18, 2025
After more than 31 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, LCol C. S. Middleton, CD has retired on 10 September 2025. A DWD reception will be held on 6 November at 18h00 at 3 Brasseur, 565 Kanata Ave., Kanata, ON K2T 1H8. If attending, please RSVP to Capt Doiron: remi.doiron@forces.gc.ca, no later than 24 October 2025. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to the same person.
Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Middleton joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1994 under the Regular Officer Training Program and earned a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1998 from Queen's University. During his Regimental tour at 2 Combat Engineer Regiment (2 CER) in Petawawa, Ontario, he deployed in 1999/2000 to Kosovo on Operation KINETIC as the Engineer Recce Detachment Commander for Royal Canadian Dragoons Reconnaissance Squadron. After Kosovo he returned to command 2 Troop in 23 Field Squadron, 2 CER.
Earning a place in a sponsored post-graduate program in 2001, he graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a Master's degree in mechanical engineering. While completing his thesis, he was posted in 2003 to 1 Engineer Support Unit (1 ESU) in Moncton, New Brunswick, as the Mechanical Design Officer. Over the next five extraordinarily busy years at 1 ESU, he deployed to Afghanistan Op ATHENA three times: first, in the capacity of Specialist Engineering Team (SET) second-in-command (2IC) in 2004 to prepare for the Canadian move from Kabul to Kandahar, next as a SET Commander in 2006 to develop multiple building designs in Kandahar, and the finally as the first Officer Commanding Construction Management Organization in 2008 to establish road construction projects in the Panjwaii and Zharey districts of Kandahar. After late 2005, when not deployed, he served as 1 ESU’s Engineering Squadron 2IC and Acting Engineering Squadron Commander until he was promoted to Major and posted to Canadian Army HQ in Ottawa as a staff officer in the Directorate of Land Infrastructure (DLI) in 2008.
As a staff officer in DLI, he managed the Army’s minor capital construction program for three years. In 2011 he was posted to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa as the Base Construction Engineering Officer, responsible for all maintenance, repair, and management of the infrastructure there. In 2013 he was moved to CFB Halifax in Nova Scotia to be the Deputy Commanding Officer of Base Construction Engineering Halifax. Promoted to Lieutenant- Colonel in 2015, he remained in Halifax and spent a year as the G5 (Plans) for 5th Canadian Division before being selected for command of the newly established Real Property Operations Unit (Atlantic), where he would be responsible for all real property management and services for all CAF Bases in the Atlantic Region.
At the end of his command tour, LCol Middleton was selected for a year-long French course which made him functionally bilingual before finally departing Halifax in the summer of 2019, once again to Canadian Army HQ in Ottawa. Appointed as Director of Land Infrastructure, he was responsible for advising the Commander of the Army on infrastructure requirements and managing the Army’s Construction in Support of Equipment program. After little more than a year in that position, he was posted overseas to work for NATO at Joint Forces Command (JFC) Brunssum HQ in the Netherlands in the Joint Engineering Division. There, he served as both a Section Head supporting Operation Resolute Support (Afghanistan), and as the lone Staff Officer for Mobility and Manoeuvre in the JFC Brunssum area of operations, otherwise known as the northern half of Europe.
After an engaging four years in Europe, he returned to Canada to once again serve the Canadian Army as Director Land Infrastructure. In this role, he was able to secure $5 billion in funding for much needed upgrades to the Canadian Army’s ranges and training areas.
Chris' wife of 20 years, the talented Laura, has an extensive radio and television background and has done professional sketch comedy on the side, playing such exotic locations as Melbourne, Australia, Edinburgh, Scotland, and Dundurn, Saskatchewan. Chris and Laura are the proud parents of Sam, who is nine years old, five feet tall, and shares his dad’s love of LEGO and traveling to historic locations.
After 31 years of service to Canada, Chris has ended his military career on the 10th of September 2025 and has started his new civilian career as a project manager with the public service the next day.