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For my profile of the new Defence Minister go here:

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/afghan-combat-veteran-takes-on-defence-portfolio

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Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver South)

Cabinet position:Defence

Degree of difficulty: High

First challenge: Ending Canada’s combat mission in Iraq and Syria.

After that: The Minister will have to help oversee the process of withdrawing Canada from the U.S.-led F-35 stealth fighter jet program. That will also require the Canadian Forces and DND moving forward on a new project to purchase a replacement aircraft for the air force’s CF-18 fighter jets.

Also on the agenda: Dealing with the issue of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Forces and the implementation of the report by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, since retired, and now a Liberal MP for Orleans. That report calls for cutting red tape at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa, finding savings that can be directed to key military roles and moving as many as 3,000 staff to jobs that support front-line operations.

Why he got the job: Sajjan is a former military officer and will be able to navigate the world of Canadian defence.

Brief background: Sajjan is a former police officer and a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Forces. He has deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina and served three separate deployments to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He received numerous recognition for his service, including the Meritorious Service Medal for reducing the Taliban’s influence in Kandahar Province.