OTTAWA - The commander of Canada's super-secret special forces has been tapped to become the deputy commander of NATO's training mission in Afghanistan.
Brig.-Gen. Michael Day will also be promoted to major-general before heading off to Kabul, where he'll report to U.S. commander, Lt.-Gen. William Caldwell.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay made the announcement Monday along with a series of other promotions among senior ranks of the military.
The appointment comes as Canada transitions from a combat mission in Kandahar to classroom training of the Afghan National Army in the north of the war-ravaged country.
As many as 950 soldiers and support staff, most of them from the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, will take part in the training, which is expected to begin this summer.
MacKay says Day's selection is a sign of NATO's confidence in Canada.
The special forces, which include the elite anti-terrorism unit JTF-2, have been under increasing scrutiny after it was revealed last year that some soldiers were under investigation.
The Defence Department has been conducting two secret, wide-ranging probes into the handling of Afghan prisoners by the special forces. One investigation concluded with no charges being laid, while the other is still ongoing.
Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson, who commanded Canadian troops in Afghanistan in 2008-09, will replace Day as head of special forces.
