A Soldier First: Bullets, Bureaucrats and the Politics of War

“We want to see less of you.” These words describe the relationship between the government and its top soldier. Hillier traces his career and his relatively meteoric rise to the highest military position in the country. He illustrates why he was prepared for the tasks that faced him—from the Manitoba flood of 1997 to the Eastern Ontario and Quebec ice storm of 1998. He served in the former Yugoslavia, was deputy commanding general of Third Corps in Fort Hood, Texas and ultimately served as Commander, International Security Augmentation Force in Afghanistan. Each posting had its own significant challenges. Hillier points out very explicitly the shortcomings of working with both NATO and the United Nations—shortcomings he says that were a result of bureaucratic meddling and indecision.

The title itselfgives a clear indication of what the reader can expect from this book by Canada’s former Chief of the Defence Staff.

Key quotes are: “ …it’s people who accomplish things, and they need to be inspired, informed, enabled and supported”; “ We are going to treat those fallen soldiers with respect. We’re going to return them with dignity and with the honour they have earned and we’re going to grieve with, and support, their families”; and, “I walked out of his office with no intention of changing the way I was doing things….The staffers wanted me to change the way I was doing the job of Chief of the Defence Staff and I was determined not to let that happen.”

When Ottawa bureaucrats wanted command of Canadian Forces units on the ground to fall under civilian jurisdiction, “I essentially told them to get lost. I … was accountable … to the Minister of National Defence and the Prime Minister. The civil service had no say in the matter.” On the selection of a new Chief of the Defence Staff, Hillier says: “ Obviously, PCO wanted a selection process that would, if possible, deliver a tame bureaucrat …”

Hillier’s style reflects the outgoing personality of a Newfoundlander who clearly understands people and one raised to reflect family values and the needs and concerns of individuals. Hillier writes the way he speaks, with folksy homilies and experiences that come straight from the heart. Unlike most military biographies, Hillier does not get bogged down in military jargon and military structures and policies. He does however attack the archaic institutions such as NATO and the UN which have become negative factors in the war on terrorism and world peace and security.

This book is a must read for civilians and military readers alike. Fast-paced, often emotional, but told in a no-nonsense , honest, from- the-heart manner, A Soldier First is the right book at the right time, indeed as Hillier himself was the right Chief of the Defence Staff at the right time. As a first-time writer, he has nailed the subject succinctly and with conviction. —Don McLeod