The Canadian military group responsible for search and rescue missions throughout eastern Canada has a new leader.

A change in the command of 424 Squadron at CFB Trenton on Thursday.

A small crowd was on hand at Hangar 1 at CFB Trenton Thursday to see the introduction of Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Marcus as thenew commanding officer for 424 Squadron.

He succeeds Lieutenant-Colonel Leighton James, who is moving on to teach mentorship and future leaders at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

In his speech to the squadron, Marcus said missions of search and rescue are no-fail tasks.

"This unit has demonstrated for decades that it has been and always will be ready to answer the call when Canadians are in need," he said.  "We will continue this path and I know you will all work hard to perpetuate this long tradition of excellence, delivering the search and rescue services Canadians depend on."

Marcus also addressed the issue of 'people first' while he is in charge, where efforts will be made for squadron members to be trained, equipped and ready to save lives.

There will be a focus on mental health as well as physical health, and Marcus stressed that the support will be there for soldiers in their career goals and professional development and to balance work and family life.

"We will promote a safe workplace...we will support 'Operation Honour' and ensure that we have a work environment free of any form of harassment or harmful conduct...we will promote mental health as an equal to physical health for our members' overall well-being."

In the concluding moments of his speech, Marcus emphasized the importance of family and the support of family and that without it, a lot of soldiers would not be at home.

He hoped that soldiers would thank their family members and mention how important they really are.