Colonel G.G. (Greg) Hug, CD (Retired)

Colonel of the Regiment 2015-2019

Col Hug was born in Westmount, Quebec on 24 December 1952.  He enrolled in the Canadian Forces in Montreal, Quebec in September 1969 and attended both College Militaire Royale and Royal Military College.  He completed his Baccalaureate in Engineering Management in May 1974.  On commissioning, he was posted to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in Calgary, Alberta where he served as a troop leader in B Sqn, Administrative Officer of Recce Sqn and Assistant Adjutant. 

He was posted as the Canadian Exchange Officer with the 17^th/21^st Lancers in Bovington, United Kingdom.  During this exchange posting, he attended the All Arms Tactics Course in Warminster, England.  Subsequently, as a staff officer Force Mobile Command (Army HQ) in St Hubert, Quebec, he was the SO Training for Exercise Rendevous 81, the first Divisional level exercise held in Canada in 15 years.

Col Hug returned to the Regiment as the Adjutant in August 1981, a post he held for two years.  Following a brief attachment to 1 CMBG Headquarters, he attended the year long Division 1 of the British Army Staff course in Shrivenham, UK where he was promoted to Major.   

In January 1984, he assumed command of C Squadron, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, the independent tank squadron of the Army, at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.  Following the worst year of his life at the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto, Ontario, he was appointed G3 of the Special Service Force at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ontario in July 1987.  On promotion to Lieutenant Colonel on 1 July 1988, Col Hug was posted to National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario as the Director of Land Requirements 3 responsible for all aspects of the Army’s armoured vehicle fleets.

Col Hug assumed command of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in Calgary, Alberta in August 1991, an appointment that he held until July 1993.  He subsequently returned to Land Force Command (Army HQ) as G3 Armour and then G3 Operations and Plans during one of the most hectic operational periods in the past 40 years.

Promoted to Colonel in November 1995, he was posted as the Chief of Staff of the United Disengagement Observer Force on the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria and assumed the duties concurrently of Canadian Contingent Commander UN Middle East.  His last posting saw him return to NDHQ as the Special Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff. 

His second career commenced in 1999 with a 19 month transition as a project manager in a mid-size information management / technology company in Ottawa.  His next career change resulted in him creating his own company, MAGI Consulting Inc., wherein he provided strategic planning, project management and performance management consulting and training.  He has coordinated the successful delivery of over 130 courses in English and French and personally delivered or co-delivered over 80 courses to 21 clients across Canada and internationally.  He completed his last active work and has wound down his company to start his third focused on volunteer activies.  

Notably, he participated in the team led by MGen Ross (Retd) in the multi-phase review of the national security sector of Trinidad and Tobago covering, amongst other areas, the functioning of the National Security Council, national intelligence systems, national security plans, criminal justice reform, and the Defence Force.

Col Hug is a Life Member of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Association; a Life Member of the Royal Military College Club of Canada and has been a volunteer member of the Board of Directors of the Project Management Institute Ottawa Valley Outaouais Chapter.