 As a brigadier in 2003 , Barrons served his second tour in Northern Ireland , this time as a brigade commander . In 2005 , he was appointed to Assistant Chief of Staff , Commitments , a senior staff position . He was promoted to major general in 2008 and deployed to Iraq for the second time , this time to Baghdad , with responsibility for joint operations . He then served briefly with the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps before being sent to Afghanistan for the second time , when he headed an ISAF reintegration unit to provide incentives for Taliban soldiers to surrender . He later became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff ( Operations ) . 
