Home  /  Newsroom  /  News  /  2022  /  Chief Warrant Officer Lapointe takes over as MNC NE's new Command Senior Enlisted Leader

SZCZECIN, Poland - On 1 July, Chief Warrant Officer Dominic Lapointe of the Canadian Army replaced his Canadian predecessor, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Hamilton, and took over as the 4th Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL).

LTG von Sandrart, the Corps Commander, addresses the MNC NE staff during the CSEL Transer of Responsibility ceremony / Photo by MNC NE PAO

As a badge of office, LTG von Sandrart hands over the pace stick to CWO Lapointe / Photo by MNC NE PAO

The position of CSEL was integrated into the structure of HQ MNC NE in 2018 and has been manned by the Canadian Army. During the ceremony preceding the official Transfer of Responsibility, Lieutenant General Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, Commander MNC NE, highly praised the professionalism and dedication of the two Chief Warrant Officers. Additionally, he emphasized the paramount importance of the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) corps:

Our NCOs are always leaders, no matter what they do, and that is what makes a difference. 

"I have been serving for 40 years, and I am very much aware that the backbone of each and every army is the NCO corps. It is a center of gravity which allows us to deliver excellence and be successful," von Sandrart summarized.

CWO Hamilton delivers his final remarks at the Corps Headquarters / Photo by MNC NE PAO 

In his farewell address, CWO Hamilton, who obtained the CSEL MNC NE position in 2019, thanked for the opportunity to serve with and empower the NCOs across the MNC NE chain of command in the Baltic Sea region.

I witnessed first-hand how resilient, how resourceful our NCO corps is. Without the NCO expertise, dedication and the execution of their tasks as part of one team, our headquarters would not have achieved as much as it did.

While taking over, CWO Lapointe expressed his great satisfaction in continuing the work started by his predecessor and joining the MNC NE team:

I am humbled to take over from CWO Hamilton. Mike, thank you for the work you have done. I am looking forward to meeting and working with everyone of you.

Lapointe was born and raised in Pointe-Calumet, Quebec. In 1989, he enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces and completed basic training to focus his career path on combat engineering.

The Chief Warrant Officer was the Sergeant Major at the Royal Canadian Engineer Corps (New Brunswick),  the Formation Sergeant Major at the Combat Training Center (New Brunswick) and the School Chief Warrant Officer at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (New Brunswick).

Lapointe's combat experience encompasses three deployments to Afghanistan (2002, 2005/6, 2011). In 1994 in Bosnia, his convoy run into an ambush, and he was hit by a sniper.

The new Command Senior Enlisted Leader's previous position was the Force Sergeant Major of the Multinational Force and Observers in Egypt.

LTG von Sandrart hands over the pace stick to CWO Lapointe / Photo by MNC NE PAO

The CSEL serves as the MNC NE Commander's personal adviser on matters affecting the enlisted force. He or she is responsible for mentoring the Corps' NCOs and representing their needs to the leadership. He or she provides the Commander and the Command Group with the enlisted perspective on the functioning of the organization. Equally important, CSEL leads the command's efforts concerning enlisted personnel development and engagement. Even though he or she does not carry out commanding functions, they are an integral member of the leadership team. Information that CSEL conveys across the force structure reinforces the command's intent while providing feedback to decision-makers.

The position of CSEL was integrated into the structure of HQ MNC NE in 2018 and has been manned by the Canadian Army / Photo by MNC NE PAO