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Eastern Air Defense Sector Welcomes New Canadian Detachment Commanding Officer

ROME, N.Y. (07/10/2019) — The Canadian Forces Detachment at the Eastern Air Defense Sector officially changed commanders on July 8.

Lt. Col. Josh Klemen assumed command from Lt. Col. Bruce MacLean, who finished his three-year tour of duty as Canadian Detachment Commanding Officer. Lt. Col. Klemen's responsibilities will include leading the 15-member Canadian Detachment and serving as part of the EADS staff. Lt. Col. MacLean is transferring to Ottawa, Quebec, where he will attend a yearlong French language course.

"Canadian Forces personnel are a critical part of EADS daily operations and play an essential role in protecting the North American airspace," said Col. Emil Filkorn, EADS Commander. "On behalf of the unit, I want to welcome Lt. Col. Klemen and his family to EADS. I also want to thank Lt. Col. MacLean for his service and wish him the best in his new assignment."

A formal change-of-command, complete with a signing ceremony, is a long-standing Canadian military tradition that marks the public transfer of command responsibilities. Col. Kyle Paul, the Canadian Element Chief of Staff at the North American Aerospace Defense Command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a former EADS Canadian Detachment commander, presided over the ceremony.

Lt. Col. Klemen is a 20-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He comes to EADS from the 1st Canadian Air Division (CAD) headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At 1st CAD, Lt. Col. Klemen served as a staff officer and deployed to Afghanistan in July 2018 as the Deputy Director of the 609th Air Operations Center. The deployment was the second for Lt. Col. Klemen, who had previously served in Afghanistan from Oct. 2010 to July 2011.

Prior to his assignment at 1st CAD, Lt. Col. Klemen served as a tactical air control party (TACP) member with the 1st Canadian Mechanized Brigade and as an air traffic control officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force's 12 Wing Shearwater, Nova Scotia and 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia respectively.

Lt. Col. Klemen is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. He holds a master's degree from Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and is a graduate of Air War College and the U.S. Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course.

Lt. Col. Klemen is married with five children.

The Eastern Air Defense Sector is located at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. A headquarters element of the U.S. Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command Region (CONR), EADS is responsible for the air defense of the eastern United States. Staffed by active-duty New York Air National Guardsmen, a Canadian Forces detachment, joint service liaison officers and federal civilians, EADS directs a variety of assets to defend more than one million square miles of airspace east of the Mississippi River.

Media Attachments

Outgoing EADS Canadian Detachment Commander Lt. Col. Bruce Maclean, left, presents a ceremonial hockey stick to incoming Canadian Detachment Commander Lt. Col. Josh Klemen. The hockey stick exchange has become a tradition during the Canadian Detachment’s change of command ceremonies.

The Eastern Air Defense Sector’s Canadian Detachment held their change of command ceremony on July 8 in Rome, N.Y. As part of the ceremony, the outgoing and incoming commanders, along with the presiding official, sign command certificates, formalizing the change of command. Pictured, left to right, are outgoing Detachment Commander, Lt. Col. Bruce MacLean; Col. Kyle Paul, the Chief of Staff, Canadian Element, NORAD, who was the officiating officer; and Lt. Col. Josh Klemen, the incoming Commander. Before becoming Canadian Element Chief of Staff, Col. Paul had served as the EADS Canadian Detachment Commander from 2013 to 2016.

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