Commander, 2 Canadian Air Division
Brigadier-General D.S. Coutts
Brigadier-General (BGen) D.S. Coutts joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1995. In 1999, he completed his studies from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario, and after receiving his Pilot Wings as a helicopter pilot, he started his career with 427 Squadron in Petawawa, Ontario.
After several rewarding years with 427 Squadron and deployments to Bosnia and Afghanistan, he was promoted to Major and worked in Army Collective Training in Kingston, Ontario. His flying supervisory tour with 400 Squadron in Borden, Ontario, was followed by the Joint Command and Staff Program at Canadian Forces College (CFC) in Toronto, Ontario.
As Commanding Officer (CO) of 2 Expeditionary Readiness Centre and CO of 2 Air Expeditionary Squadron under 2 Wing in Bagotville, Quebec, BGen Coutts deployed to Operation PROVISION as the Air Component Coordination Element Director in Beirut, Lebanon. In 2016, he assumed the role as the Deputy Commander of the Canadian Aerospace Warfare Centre in Trenton, Ontario, followed by Acting Commander 1 Wing in Kingston, Ontario, from January to May 2019.
Following his Developmental Period 4 (DP 4) education at the United States Air Force (USAF) Air War College in Alabama, United States of America, he assumed the role of Combined Air Operations Center Director, managing the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) domestic and global operations for over two years. In 2022-2023, he became Director, A5 Strategic Plans and Modernization/A7 Mission Support at 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. BGen Coutts assumed command of 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, the centre of the RCAF aircrew training on July 14, 2023, and he was promoted to his current rank on June 5, 2025. He took command of 2 Canadian Air Division, as the Training Authority for all RCAF training on June 24, 2025.
BGen Coutts holds an Air Transport Pilot License – Helicopter License, as well as numerous qualifications and certificates: a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English and a Master of Security, Defence, Management and Policy from RMC; a Master of Defence Studies from CFC; a Master of Strategic Studies from the USAF Air University; and a Doctorate of Social Sciences at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, specializing in workplace culture change.