A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada in Engineering, Major-General Nicolas Pilon was commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1996.
As his career progressed, MGen Pilon served with both 5 and 2 Combat Engineer Regiments, commanding the latter. He was also senior instructor at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering, shaping the next generation of Engineer Officers, and later served as Commandant of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean, overseeing its full return to university status.
MGen Pilon deployed on four international missions: to East Timor in 1999 on Operation TOUCAN; to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2003 on Operation ATHENA with the Theatre Activation Group, and again in 2005 as Engineer Squadron Commander with the Canadian Task Force; and in 2015 to Port-au-Prince, Haiti as Chief of Staff of the United Nations Military Forces on the MINUSTAH Stabilization Mission.
He has held several key staff appointments, including Senior Engineer Advisor at Canadian Joint Operations Command, Director Land Requirements at Army Headquarters, Director General Deputy Chief of Programme in the VCDS Group, and most recently, Director General Strategies, Effects and Readiness within the Strategic Joint Staff, supporting the CDS in providing military advice to the Government of Canada.
MGen Pilon was promoted to his current rank in June 2025 and appointed Chief of Staff Infrastructure and Environment. He also serves as the CAF Chief Military Engineer.
In addition to his degree from RMC, MGen Pilon is a graduate of the Joint Command and Staff Program in Toronto and the Strategic Security and Defence Studies Course at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, UK. He holds a Master’s in Defence Studies from RMC and is a member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario.
Married, he is the father of three adult children, with whom he enjoys playing organized hockey.