Acton Kilby joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1979 as a Reservist and then entered the Regular Army in 1985 as an Infantry Officer. As a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment, he served with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion and 3rd Airborne Commando. He commanded from Platoon to Battalion level, commanding 1 RCR from February 2003 to July 2005. He was acting Commander 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group while the Brigade deployed Canada’s last major rotation to Bosnia and Canada’s first ISAF Task Force to Kabul in 2005.
He served on exchange with the British Army 1999-2002 deploying in support of British Forces in several theatres of operation. In 2007-2008 he deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the UN Mission in the Congo and subsequently as special advisor to the African Great Lakes Task Force responsible for disarmament and demobilization of Armed Militias. In 2010-2011, he deployed to Afghanistan as Director Stability with 10th (US) Mountain Division where he was responsible for Stability Operations in Regional Command South.
Acton was the Canadian Defence Attaché to Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea (2013-16) and subsequently appointed Director Foreign Liaison for the Canadian Armed Forces. In 2019, Acton was selected as Director Senior Appointments responsible for the career management and support for all Senior Appointment Chief Warrant Officers, Colonels, General and Flag Officers. In August 2020, Acton was assigned to United Nations Command HQ, South Korea as the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) and returned to Canada in 2022 to commence his transition to post-service life.
Acton assumed the Chairmanship of the RCR Association in August 2023.
Acton is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, the Land Force Command and Staff College, the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, and the National Strategic Studies Program. He is an avid outdoor sportsman and loves fishing. He is married with three adult children.
