“I have conferred with our Minister of National Defence, our Prime Minister and, Her Excellency the Governor-General and have conveyed to them my intent, and with their permission, to relinquish command of the Canadian Armed Forces in the months to come”, Vance said in a letter addressed to troops and officials on Thursday.
Trudeau, in a statement released later in the afternoon, thanked Vance for his service to the country.
Vance said he will continue in the post he served since July 2015 while the search for his replacement is ongoing.
During his tenure, Vance oversaw a number of Canadian military operations around the world, including in Iraq, Mali, and Ukraine.
Vance has served in the Canadian military for more than 38 years and is the county’s longest-serving Chief of Defence Staff.