Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentAdam Zivo: The Canadian who helped set the stage for the war against IranCanada should be proud to help cripple the Islamic republicLast updated 49 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Smoke rises from an area in the direction of Al Udeid Air Base, which houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force and foreign forces including the U.S., in Doha on Feb. 28, following a reported Iranian strike. Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFPAlthough Canada officially refused to join the United States’ springtime war against Iran, new information suggests that Canadian personnel indirectly assisted the campaign while embedded with American forces. This is nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, Ottawa’s support should have been more fulsome, consistent and overt.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorWhen American bombs began to pummel the Islamic Republic of Iran in March, Prime Minister Mark Carney denounced the campaign as “inconsistent with international law,” and claimed that Canada was “not a party to those actions.”However, Ottawa and Washington have a longstanding policy of exchanging service members to enhance allied cohesion and intelligence sharing. Through this integration, Canadian personnel have occasionally fought in conflicts that Ottawa is officially uninvolved with — most notably the 2003 Iraq War.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThis spring, a handful of media reports suggested that some of these American-embedded Canadians might have been involved in the Iran war. A former senior Canadian general, Denis Thompson, even told the CBC that it was highly likely that some of these personnel helped plan airstrikes against the Islamic Republic.In response, the Department of National Defence (DND) claimed that American-embedded Canadian service members had been assigned other duties that would keep them out of the conflict, despite otherwise remaining at their posts.We now know that this statement, even if technically true, was somewhat misleading.Late last month, the Government of Canada announced it would be awarding a Meritorious Service Cross to Col. David K. Turenne for his “extraordinary leadership and diplomatic skill as director of the Combined Air Operations Center during the Israel-Iran conflict.” He was specifically commended for “synchronizing multinational air operations and enabling the safe evacuation of 10,000 personnel from the Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar, June 2025.”The medal, according to its official description, recognizes military deeds “performed in an outstandingly professional manner, according to a rare high standard that brings considerable benefit or great honour to the Canadian Forces.”This is the first public acknowledgement of Turenne’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, although few details of his service are known. When National Post requested more information on what he did to earn his medal, DND failed to provide it and claimed that an interview with him would not be feasible.To be clear: while Turenne’s award confirms that he was involved in last year’s 12-Day War, no evidence suggests he was involved in this year’s expanded campaign against Iran. His actions do not appear to have contradicted Carney’s claim that American-embedded service members were kept out of the ongoing conflict.Still, the award illustrates how Canadian talent helped set the stage for the current war, which, in turn, complicates Carney’s moral and political stance.To understand why this is the case, one needs to understand the significance of the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC), which Turenne directed from June to December of 2025.The CAOC is the U.S. air force’s “nerve centre” in the Middle East. Originally established in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, in 2003 the centre was relocated to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where it stayed put for roughly two decades as an anchor of America’s regional power.However, for some time, American military leaders have feared that the base, being located beside Iran, was highly vulnerable to the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile strikes. So they started shifting operations to a base in South Carolina, gradually moving personnel there and operating the two locations in parallel.These precautions proved prudent. Just before last year’s 12-Day War, the CAOC, under the directorship of Turenne, moved its personnel to South Carolina while maintaining regular operations. Al Udeid, meanwhile, was partially evacuated. When hostilities broke out, Iran launched 14 missiles at the base — one got through and inflicted minor damage, prompting a full evacuation of remaining personnel.Having learned from this experience, the United States once again evacuated a significant portion of its personnel — including all of the CAOC — from Al Udeid Air Base in January. As predicted, the Iranians subsequently struck the base with ballistic missiles, severely damaging the CAOC’s facilities and rendering them inoperable. The attack had little effect on American co-ordination, though, thanks to the duplicate South Carolina location.Taking all of this together, it’s clear that, even though Turenne was not directly involved in the join U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, his leadership helped set the stage for the campaign. Not only did he direct the United States’ most crucial “nerve centre” during the 12-Day War, his successful management of the 2025 Al Udeid evacuations likely provided invaluable lessons for this year’s campaign.While some might want to compartmentalize these two waves of conflict, they are militarily, politically and morally inextricable from one another.In this light, Carney’s denunciations of the war, and his emphasis on Canada’s non-involvement, ring hollow. Canada cannot publicly condemn the United States and Israel’s pre-emptive wars against Iran while quietly honouring a Canadian colonel for aiding their execution.Rather than downplaying Turenne’s extraordinary work, the correct position for the Canadian government would have been to publicly laud him, and to use his story to show Canadians that crippling the Islamic Republic is the morally correct thing to do. There is no reason to be ashamed of our heroes, and no reason to be ashamed of any efforts to thwart the Islamic Republic.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.