John de Chastelain

Who is John de Chastelain?

Alfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain CH OC CMM CD is a retired Canadian soldier and diplomat.

De Chastelain was born in Romania to Scottish and American parents and was educated in England and in Scotland before his family migrated to Canada in 1954. There, de Chastelain became a Militia private and enrolled in the Royal Military College of Canada, going on to pursue a career in the Canadian Army. He was commissioned into Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and rose eventually to be twice Chief of the Defence Staff, with a break of a year during which he served as Canada's ambassador to the United States. In 1995, de Chastelain became active in the Northern Ireland peace process and eventually focused on the disarmament of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.