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A Moose Jaw native who once commanded the city's 15 Wing has been named the new deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Major General Denis O'Reilly will replace Major General Jamie Speiser-Blanchett as Deputy Commander, Royal Canadian Air Force, later this year, according to an announcement from the RCAF Association.
O'Reilly grew up in Moose Jaw before enrolling in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1991. He received his RCAF pilot wings in 1995 and began his flying career with 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Edmonton, where he flew CH-135 Twin-Huey and CH-146 Griffon helicopters.
His career included international experience from 2000 to 2003 with 664 Squadron Army Air Corps in the United Kingdom, where he flew Lynx Anti-Tank Helicopters and served as Squadron Operations Officer and Squadron Second-in-Command before being promoted to Officer Commanding.
After returning to Canada in 2003, O'Reilly served in various flight commander and operational positions in Gagetown, Halifax, and Kingston before his promotion to colonel in 2015. Shortly after that, in 2016, O'Reilly returned to his hometown when he was appointed to command 15 Wing Moose Jaw — home of RCAF pilot training and The Snowbirds aerobatic team.
His leadership of the wing from 2016 to 2020 placed him at the centre of Canada's pilot training operations, overseeing the facility that has trained military pilots for decades.
Following his Moose Jaw command, O'Reilly was posted to 2 Canadian Air Division as Commander in August 2020, leading individual training and education for the RCAF for two years.
In August 2022, he moved to the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff as Chief of Staff before being appointed Commander of the Canadian Defence Academy in June 2023. He was promoted to his current rank of Major General in August 2023.
O'Reilly's operational experience includes deployments to Haiti in 1996, Kosovo in 1999, and Kuwait in 2014. He is a graduate of the Advanced Aerospace Operations Course, the Joint Command and Staff Program, and the United States Air Force Air War College.
He was appointed to the Order of Military Merit in November 2019, recognizing his distinguished service to the Canadian Armed Forces.
The appointment represents a significant achievement for someone with deep roots in Moose Jaw's military community. The city's 15 Wing continues to serve as a cornerstone of Canadian military aviation training and is in the process of a major expansion, making O'Reilly's rise to deputy commander particularly meaningful for the local community.
O'Reilly and his wife have seven children.