Join us for an update on the Royal Canadian Navy with Commodore Steve Waddell, Director General of Naval Strategic Readiness on November 9th from 17h00 to 18h30 at the NAOC Headquarters (60 Harbour St). His bio is as follows:
Commodore Steve Waddel was raised in Temagami, Northern Ontario and joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1990. He has had an extensive career at sea, having conducted several operational deployments to the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Adriatic Sea and the waters off the Horn of Africa and the Korean peninsula. Missions included United Nation sanctions enforcement against Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, counter-terrorism operations in the Gulf region and piracy disruption patrols in the Indian Ocean. Highlights included circumnavigating the globe with Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Calgary as the ship’s navigator, serving as a staff officer with a deployed U.S. Carrier Strike Group, and commanding the frigate HMCS Fredericton on a counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia.
Commodore Waddell has occupied several staff positions, including tours as Navigation Instructor at the Naval Officer Training Centre, and as Operations Officer with Sea Training Pacific. Following his frigate command, he transferred to Ottawa where he served as the Director of Naval Strategy with the Naval Staff. On promotion to Captain (Navy), he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at Canada Command where he directed national-level joint operations from the Caribbean to the Arctic while also assisting in the stand-up of the Canadian Joint Operations Command.
Upon completion of his joint tour, Commodore Waddell went on to serve as an advisor in the Chief of the Defence Staff Initiative Group before taking up studies at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Following three rewarding years in command of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, he was promoted to his current rank and was assigned to the Royal Canadian Navy Staff to take up duties in July 2017 as Director General Naval Strategic Readiness.
Commodore Waddell holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Manitoba; a Master’s Degree from King’s College London, United Kingdom; a Master’s Degree from Salve Regina University, Rhode Island; and a Diploma in National Security Affairs and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College. He is a fan of most forms of music, notwithstanding his regret for rarely picking up his electric bass, and laces up his hockey skates from time to time to play with very patient teammates. He is eternally grateful for the support and encouragement of his wife Shauna and children Nate and Bekah.