Major-General Stuart Beare enrolled in the Canadian Forces in June 1978.  He began his career at Collège militaire royal in St-Jean, Quebec, moved to the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1983.

On commissioning, 2Lt Beare was posted to regimental duty with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Lahr, Germany.  He served in several regimental and brigade positions until his posting as a Captain to attend Army Staff Course 23 at the Royal Military College of Science in Shrivenham, England in 1988.  In 1992, after a three-year stint at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa in the Directorate of Land Requirements, Major Beare was appointed Battery Commander, E Battery (Para), 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.  After commanding his Battery on operations in Cyprus, Major Beare attended the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto for one year.

In 1995 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and posted to the United Nations Protection Force Headquarters in Zagreb and then as Chief of Staff in the Bihac Area Command until the mission in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia was ended.  Upon his return to Canada, Lieutenant-Colonel Beare worked in J3 Training at National Defence Headquarters.  In July 1996 he assumed command of the 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery at CFB Petawawa.  In addition to serving in Manitoba and in Ontario for the Manitoba Flood of '97 and the Ice Storm of '98, elements of the Regiment deployed on Op PALLADIUM Rotations 2 and 3.  In 1998 Lieutenant-Colonel Beare was posted to 1st Canadian Division in Kingston as G3.

In July 1999, he was promoted to Colonel and appointed as Chief of Staff Land Force Doctrine and Training System.  In September 2000, Colonel Beare attended the Canadian Forces College in Toronto completing Advanced Military and National Security Studies.  Colonel Beare assumed command of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group on 11 July 2001.  The Brigade generated and supported the ground force contribution to Op APOLLO in Afghanistan and for Op PALLADIUM Rotos 11 and 12 in Bosnia.  Colonel Beare also commanded the Land Component of Joint Task Force GRIZZLY during the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis Valley, Alberta.

In May 2003, Colonel Beare was promoted to Brigadier-General.  On 20 September 2003, he assumed command of the Canadian, British, and Dutch Multi-National Brigade (MNB) (North-West), based in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, commanding there until September 2004.  Upon assuming command of Land Force Western Area on 30 May 2004, Brigadier-General Beare returned to the post of Commander MNB (NW) for completion of his year in Bosnia.  On 28 July 2005, he assumed command of Land Force Doctrine and Training System.  He is also the Army Training Authority.  In April 2006, Brigadier-General Beare was promoted to Major-General.