Former fighter pilot Lawson named Canadian military chief

 OTTAWA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Monday that Lieutenant-General Thomas Lawson has been appointed as Canada's new chief of the defence staff, the country's top military post.

Lawson, who assumed the position of deputy commander of the North American Aerospace¹ Defense² Command (NORAD) in Colorado, the United States, only last August, will succeed General Walt Natynczyk, who held the post since July 2008.

Lawson will be promoted to the rank of general and take command of the Canadian Forces in the coming weeks.

He is the "right leader" for Canada's military, said Harper in a statement.

In introducing Lawson to reporters at a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Defence Minister Peter MacKay praised the new top solider as an "exceptional and dynamic leader," who has "the respect of his peers, the admiration³ of his subordinates and our allies, and the complete confidence of both the Prime Minister and myself."

A 1979 graduate of the Royal Military College in Ontario, of which he would later head as commandant, Lawson served as commanding officer of an air squadron and flew two different fighter jets during his 37-year career with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

"Whether at home or abroad, our men and women (in the Forces) reflect the best that Canada has to offer," said Lawson, the father of two sons, who are also RCAF members.

MacKay said that Lawson assumes his new role "at an important time within the Canadian Forces' history ... of continued adjustment and defence transformation⁴ to the needs of our times and of the future, be they among the vast horizon on the Arctic tundra⁵, in the military training schools of northern Afghanistan, or on the seas and waterways near and far."

Lawson will also have to deal with the military's planned purchase of Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth jets that are intended to replace the aging CF-18 Hornet fighter jets.

Earlier this year, Canada's Auditor⁶ General, who oversees⁷ federal government spending, criticized the Department of National Defence for not running a fair competition into the F-35 purchase and warned the aircraft could cost 25 billion Canadian dollars (25.25 billion U.S. dollars), nine billion more than the cost estimate for the U.S.-led project.

1 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 tundra   

n.苔原，冻土地带

参考例句：

• The arctic tundra is at the top of the world around the North Pole.北极冻原是指北极点周边的地区，是世界最高的地方。
• There is a large amount of methane gas under the Siberian tundra.西伯利亚的冻土地带之下有大量的甲烷气体。

6 auditor   

n.审计员，旁听着

参考例句：

• The auditor was required to produce his working papers.那个审计员被要求提供其工作底稿。
• The auditor examines the accounts of all county officers and departments.审计员查对所有县官员及各部门的帐目。

7 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网