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 regarded ...

Jennifer J. Bennett, is a senior

Canadian Forces Naval Reserve The Naval Reserve (NAVRES, french: link=no, Réserve navale) is the Primary Reserve component of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The primary mission of the NAVRES is to force generate sailors and teams for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operations, in ...

officer. In 2011, she served as Chief of Reserves and Cadets. As such, she was the highest ranking reservist in the

Canadian Armed 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. ...

and the most senior woman in 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 ...

. She served as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of HMCS ''Malahat'' from 1995 to 1998, and as Commander of the Naval Reserve from 2007 to 2011. She was named as one of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2011.

Honours

In 2004, Bennett was appointed an Officer of the Order of Military Merit (OMM) in recognition of "outstanding meritorious service in duties of responsibility". In 2012, she promoted to Commander of the Order of Military Merit (CMM) in recognition of "outstanding meritorious service and demonstrated leadership in duties of great responsibility". In June 2015, Bennett was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

(LLD) degree by the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

Awards and decorations

Bennett's personal awards and decorations include the following:

CAN Order of Military Merit Commander and Officer

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon

CDS Commendation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Jennifer Living people Canadian female military personnel Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada) Canadian admirals Royal Canadian Navy officers Year of birth missing (living people)