Maritime Forces Atlantic

Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic (COMMARLANT) is also the Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic (COMMJTFA), holding the rank of rear admiral.

Reporting to the commander is the commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic (COMCANFLTLANT), holding the rank of commodore. This individual commands Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), and is responsible for the operation and readiness of all warships, auxiliaries and support vessels.[1] COMCANFLTLANT is also the Canadian task group commander for any CANFLTLANT deployment of ships to exercises or operations.

During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis:[2]

the operational commander in Halifax, Rear Admiral Kenneth Dyer, was not prepared to take any chances in the nuclear age, and the scope of the Canadian Navy’s actions capture the seriousness of the crisis: ships and aircraft were dispersed with wartime payloads and provisions; secondary headquarters and bases were prepared; vessels in maintenance were rushed to sea; and Bonaventure and its escorts were ordered home from a NATO exercise in the eastern Atlantic. Of the 136 “contact events” made in or near Canada’s WESTLANT (western Atlantic) zone – without Soviet archival corroboration the number that were actual submarines remains a mystery – there is little doubt that HMCS Kootenay was firmly tracking a Foxtrot off Georges Bank in early November.

Previously the commander of RCN forces in the Atlantic was the flag officer, Atlantic coast, from 1948 Rear Admiral Rollo Mainguy; Roger Bidwell in the 1950s;[3] Rear Admiral Kenneth Dyer in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis; Commodore Ralph Henessy (August 1963–October 1964[4]) in August 1964 Rear-Admiral Jeffrey Brock, DSO, DSC, CD (to November 1964);[5] Rear Admiral William Landymore by 1965; (p.9); Rear Admiral John O'Brien by 1966 (p.14); thereafter the position may have been amalgamated with commander Maritime Command for several years; Rear Admiral Greg Maddison (1 July 1997, p.133); Rear Admiral Duncan Miller (in post 1 October 1997, still in post 1 July 1999, p.150).

MARLANT headquarters is located at CFB Halifax in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Other facilities include:

• CANFLTLANT HQ (Building D-166)
• Fifth Maritime Operations Group (Building D-165/166)
• Sea Training Atlantic (Building D-166)
• CFAD Bedford
• CFS St. John's
• Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic
• NRS Newport Corner
• NRS Mill Cove
• Shearwater Heliport
• HMC Dockyard
• HMCS Trinity
• Stadacona
• Stadacona Band of Maritime Forces Atlantic

• Maritime Forces Pacific