Vice-Admiral Philip Dean McFadden, CMM, CD (born July 12, 1957) is a retired officer of the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

. He was chief of the Maritime Staff from 2009 to 2011 and last to hold the post before it was renamed to commander of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

Career

Born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, McFadden was educated at

Belfast Royal Academy The Belfast Royal Academy (commonly shortened to ) is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school in north Belfast. The Academy is one of 8 schools in Northern ...

before his family immigrated to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in 1973. He joined the

(CF) in 1974 as a cadet at

Royal Roads Military College Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) was a Canadian military college from 1940 to 1995, located in Hatley Park, Colwood, British Columbia, near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The facility now serves as the campus of Royal Roads University, a ...

. He served aboard Her Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) ''

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

'', '' Restigouche'' and ''

Miramichi The name "Miramichi" was first applied to a region in the northeast of New Brunswick, Canada, and has since been applied to other places in Canada and the United States. Although other interpretations have been suggested, it is believed that "Mirami ...

'', as well as instructing navigation at the Naval Officers’ Training Centre Venture. In 1982 he released from the CF to work with the

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; french: links=no, Garde côtière canadienne, GCC) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in ...

at Vessel Traffic Services in Vancouver. In 1983 McFadden re-enrolled in the CF serving in HMCS '' Chaleur'', ''Miramichi'', ''

Kootenay Kootenay, Kootenai, and Kutenai may refer to: Ethnic groups *The Kutenai, also known as the Ktunaxa, Kootenai, or Kootenay, an indigenous people of the United States and Canada **Kutenai language, the traditional language of the Kutenai **Ktunaxa ...

'' and ''

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

''. In 1987 he attended the year-long Combat Control Officers Course, followed in 1987 by an appointment to the destroyer-escort HMCS ''Qu’Appelle''. In 1989 he was appointed to the staff of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) is the central command of all NATO maritime forces and the Commander MARCOM is the prime maritime advisor to the Alliance. When directed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), it provides the core of th ...

at Northwood, UK in support of the

Standing Naval Force Atlantic Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is one of NATO's standing naval maritime immediate reaction forces. SNMG1 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability. Hi ...

. In 1990, on return to Canada, he served at the Canadian Forces Fleet School Halifax, followed by the staff of the Commander Fifth Canadian Destroyer Squadron, subsequently the Seventh Maritime Operations Group. In 1996 he attended the

Canadian Forces College The Canadian Forces College (CFC) is a military school for senior and general officers of the Canadian Armed Forces. The college provides graduate-level military education courses to enable officers to develop their leadership quality within th ...

in Toronto, and later that year, on promotion to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

he returned to Halifax as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

of the replenishment ship HMCS ''Provider''. In 1997 he assumed command of the frigate HMCS ''Montreal'', and in 1999 he was appointed Commander Sea Training (Atlantic). In 2000 he was promoted to captain(N) and assumed responsibilities as director of maritime strategy for the chief of the Maritime Staff at

National Defence Headquarters National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) ( French: ''Quartiers généraux de la Défense nationale'' (''QGDN'')) was created through the integration of Canadian Armed Forces Headquarters (CAF HQ) with the civilian Department of National Defence (DN ...

(NDHQ) in Ottawa. Following a year-long language training, in 2002 he was appointed director of Asia-Pacific policy at NDHQ. In December 2003, upon completion of Advanced Military Studies at the Canadian Forces College, he returned to the East Coast and assumed command of the Fifth Maritime Operations Group. Promoted to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

in 2005, he assumed command of the Atlantic Fleet. In 2006 he was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and assumed command of

Maritime Forces Atlantic In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) is responsible for the fleet training and operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. It was once referred to as Canadian Atlantic Station. ...

in August of that year. He served as commander of

Canada Command Canada Command (CANCOM, french: Commandement Canada) was one of the four operational commands of the Canadian Forces from 2006 to 2012. It was responsible for routine domestic and continental operations, such as search and rescue, sovereignty pat ...

and as the commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic, as well as commander of Joint Task Force Atlantic. He became chief of the Maritime Staff in 2009 and on his retirement in 2011 was appointed a commander of the Order of Military Merit. McFadden is married to Eva McFadden (née Edmonds) from

Bedford, Nova Scotia Bedford is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, in Nova Scotia, Canada. History The area of Bedford has evidence of Indigenous peoples dating back thousands of years. Petroglyphs are found at Bedford Petroglyphs National Historic ...

and has two children.

Awards and decorations

McFadden's personal awards and decorations include the following: Command Commendation

References

External links

Department of National Defence – Senior Officer biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFadden, Dean 1957 births People educated at the Belfast Royal Academy Emigrants from Northern Ireland to Canada Canadian military personnel from British Columbia Military personnel from Belfast People from Vancouver Living people Royal Canadian Navy officers Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) Canadian admirals Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy