John de Chastelain

John de Chastelain CC CMM CD CH

Chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning
In office 1997–2011
Preceded by	New position
Succeeded by	None
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Personal details
Born	(1937-07-30) July 30, 1937 (age 79) Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann (née Laverty)
Children	2
Alma mater	Royal Military College of Canada Mount Royal University
Occupation	General, Diplomat
Profession	Soldier
Religion	Presbyterian
Awards	Order of the Companions of Honour Order of Canada (Companion) Legion of Merit (Commander) Order of Military Merit (Commander) Order of St. John (Commander) Canadian Forces Decoration
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Service/branch	Canadian Army / Canadian Forces
Years of service	1956-1995
Rank	General
Unit	Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, The Calgary Highlanders
Commands	2nd Battalion, PPCLI CFB Montreal Royal Military College 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Canadian Forces

Alfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain CC CMM CD CH (born July 30, 1937) is a retired Romanian-born British-Canadian soldier and diplomat.

De Chastelain was born in Romania to Scottish and American parents and was educated in England and 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.

De Chastelain was born in 1937 in Bucharest, Romania, to Alfred Gardyne de Chastelain, a Scottish oil engineer then working in Bucharest for British Petroleum, (later an agent of SOE) and Marion Elizabeth de Chastelain, an American. He was educated in England and later at Fettes College, Edinburgh. The de Chastelain family emigrated to Canada in 1954, and a year later, after finishing his education at Fettes College, De Chastelain joined his family and attended Mount Royal College (now Mount Royal University) in Calgary.