Domestic Stories

Navy Change of Command Ceremony Transcripts

Text in the language of origin - Le texte est reproduit dans sa langue d'origine

DATE/DATE:
January 17, 2006

LOCATION/ENDROIT:
Ottawa Congress Centre, Ottawa

PRINCIPAL(S)/PRINCIPAUX:
Bruce MacLean, Vice Admiral, Commander of Maritime Command
General Rick Hillier, Chief of Defence Staff
Drew Robertson, Vice Admiral, Commander of Maritime Command, Chief of Maritime Staff

SUBJECT/SUJET:
Change of Command Ceremony - Navy

General Rick Hillier: …after Bruce MacLean.  And I didn’t like any of them.  (Laughter) He is an incredible, eloquent, speaks from the heart, a leader, and when you listen to him speak, you know why he’s the leader that’s had the challenges that he has had and with those challenges, the rank and the opportunity to shape so much that is a part of Canada.  And we owe Bruce MacLean a debt which is huge. 

I, on the other hand, barely made it through the pre-ceremony reception before it finished.  I offer my apologies for that.  I stopped at Tim Horton’s.  (laughter) There I was, I saw another soldier, two soldiers at Tim Horton’s in this city in Canada.  (Laughter) I’m not making this up.  (Laughter) (applause) 

Well ladies and gentlemen, good morning to you.  Bonjour mesdames et messieurs.  Merci beaucoup premièrement pour être ici ce matin, de marquer ce changement de commandement des forces maritimes.  Merci pour être ici pour remercier Bruce MacLean et sa famille, pour leurs services à la force maritime, aux forces canadiennes et certainement au Canada.  Et merci aussi pour votre participation ici, de souhaiter la bienvenue à Drew Robertson et à sa famille dans le nouveau poste, et de leur montrer votre appui visiblement. 

J’ai quelques mots à dire concernant les deux officiers, et avant ça, il faut vous dire quelque chose.  Quelques couples mots que sont la mission en Afghanistan et notre soldat et civil qui font le travail pour nous et pour le Canada.  Padre and Bruce, thank you this morning for having mentioned and remembered Mr. Berry, Paul Franklin, Jeffrey Bailey and William Salikin and their families in their hours of greatest stress of their lives.  And our thoughts and our prayers go out to Glyn Berry’s family as they deal with his death, the loss and the fact that their lives are irrevocably changed.  And our thoughts go out to Mrs. Franklin, wife of Paul Franklin as she deals with a husband who will be changed forever.  And our thoughts go to the moms and dads and extended family of Jeff Bailey and William Salikin who are gravely injured.  And they are in Landstuhl, Germany receiving in fact the best care that is possible to provide them in the world. 

And at this time of grief and, and, and tragedy, I think it is worth summarizing for us here so we carry a message forward why we are in Afghanistan now and why we take those risks.  In my view, there are two reasons.  First, we are there as part of our refusal to accept terrorism and its (inaudible).  Period.  Under the UN resolution, in support of an expanding NATO mission, we are part of a great international effort involving some 37 different countries with military forces deployed to ensure that the failed state of Afghanistan is changed and that the fertile gardens that existed there for various threats to thrive are indeed removed. 

In short, we are helping with all our operations to make it extremely difficult, eventually impossible for al-Qaida, ideologically linked terrorist groups, Taliban, (inaudible) Islamic (inaudible), or any other criminal group that uses violence for change to ensure that they can no longer rest, recuperate, resource, recruit, plan or project their violence from Afghanistan.  This longer term objective is directly related to stability and security for Canadians at home.  Canadian interests are at stake.  Internationally, it is expected that Canada, as a member of the G8, as a founding member of both the United Nations and NATO and with a society and a standard of living that is the envy of all around the world, will continue to play a significant role. 

But perhaps even more important, we are there to help Afghans, ordinary men and women and children who in the worst days of their lives, also desperately need some help.  We want to help men and women rebuild their families.  More than two million of them were killed over these past two decades.  More than eight million of them were displaced from their homes and from their country.  We want to help those families rebuild their communities, communities where it is secure enough to walk the streets.  Maybe not perfect security, but secure enough to walk the streets.  Communities where  health care is improving and that the birth, the mortality rate before the age of five for their children should be somewhat less than 30 to 35%. 

Communities where schools are open and include girls, and that if you are a teacher brave enough to teach girls, you will not risk being murdered and beheaded publicly.  And communities where women can actually start to take an active part in their society.  We’re going to help those families rebuild their communities.  We’re going to help communities rebuild the provinces in which we operate.  Specifically for us, the province of Kandahar, and give those communities with a governance structure an opportunity to use their resources to indeed build a better society and better life.  Where helping an elected President and an elected Parliament turn those provinces into a rebuilt country based on a constitution that the Afghans themselves developed. 

And we’re going to help that country become a more stable, move towards becoming a stable state.  And help that state become an enabling part of a more stable region that includes at least three nuclear powers, the potential for a fourth and that has always been unstable.  A region where the standard of living will increase and perhaps stop the successful recruiting by organizations like Taliban or al-Qaida.  And we’re doing all of that for the benefit of Canada and Canadians.  The risk is high and we’ve just seen that.  But Canadians have never flinched in the history of our country, in the face of danger, as our soldiers, our sailors and our airmen and airwomen demonstrate daily.  They will not fail us. 

I’ll remit to those men and women, to our government and to all 32 million Canadians and all of us in this room carry that remit, is to set conditions for success in the execution of the mission that we give them.  And you know something?  We’ve done that.  With the leadership, with the structure, with the training, with the preparation, with the sustainment and with the equipment, we have put into Afghanistan and will replace the contingent in Afghanistan with contingents that are the best in the world for this mission.  Best prepared, best equipped. 

But we won’t rest on our laurels.  We’ll learn lessons every single day.  We’ll take out of every instance something to improve that structure, that organization to training or the equipment and we’ll move aggressively to make sure it’s changed as quickly as possible.  In short, we will be a learning organization to the benefit of those men and women.  And we believe that if not the best prepared in the world, we are equal to the best prepared in the world right now and we’ll continue to improve that.  But we also know that while we are setting conditions for success of the mission, and reducing that risk to our soldiers and sailors and airmen and airwomen, because they are all there, reducing that risk to the minimal, the minimum level possible, we cannot reduce it to zero. 

I need all of you to carry that message across the Canadian Forces, across the Department of National Defence and indeed across our country in subsequent days, weeks and months here, as we carry on the execution of that mission, as we do all the things that I talked about.  And I thank you in advance for that. 

Nous sommes ici aujourd’hui pour témoigner ce changement de deux hommes qui sont bien expérimentés concernant les opérations. 

And who have participated in building the conditions for success for operations in the past and for operations that we do right now.  Bruce MacLean, sailor, submariner, officer, commander, diplomat, husband, father, Canadian, who is leaving us after 35 years of service to his country, renowned for his passion, for his concern and care for the men and women who work for him, and for his immense intellect.  Bruce, born in Dartmouth, has done the gamut, I think, of jobs in our Canadian Forces and the Navy.  He served in the Navy, served in the Royal Navy, served in the Royal Australian Navy and I’m not sure there are many wearing a uniform who can actually probably say that. 

Commanded Okanagan but also Her Majesty’s Australian submarines Orion and Oxley.  Commanded HMSC Provider.  Served at senior appointments in National Defence headquarters.  Represented the Department of National Defence at PCO and represented Canada and the department and Canadian Forces as our military representative in NATO.  Served as commander on the east cost of Canada and culminated certainly as the Chief of Maritime Staff, an appointment I think that he richly deserved and executed superbly. 

Confident, hard working and put every other person in demand in front of himself.  Bruce’s command coincided with the tragedy accident and the subsequent tragedy on Chicoutimi, and I think Bruce, that that became a hallmark of your incredible talent.  How you handled that accident, how you got quickly to the people dimension of it and handled the people involved from directly to sailors to their families, to the naval community at large was an incredible demonstration for us of your immense and rich talents.  And that event, those people, the investigation that followed, the result and the recognition of the sailors and the crew of Chicoutimi and the way it was so well and professionally done was a result of your leadership, without doubt. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I participated with Bruce in late November in Halifax in a ceremony to actually recognize the crew of Chicoutimi, and I have to tell you he was masterful then in his remarks, related well to every sailor that was there, connected with each member of the family that was participating and certainly made those men and their families feel that they had been treated so well by the Navy and by Canada. 

Bruce, you’ve done a job well.  You have a life well lived.  You’ve made your mark on the Navy.  You’ve laid out the course ahead.  You’ve been a hallmark in shaping the transformation of the Canadian Forces and with your work moving aggressively on the standing contingency task force work, we had the last briefing from Bruce this morning at 7:00 at a breakfast.  We didn’t want to let him slip out the door without getting that last, sort of, pound of flesh out of him.  You have in fact started to set the conditions for the success of those ventures as we move over subsequent months and years.  Job well done. 

From the heart, as the Chief of Defence Staff, from the heart as Rick Hillier, Commander in ISAF, facing some significant leadership challenges back to the NATO chain of command, and at times, certain days, I’m not sure I could have been successful in my job without the support of a Bruce MacLean from (inaudible).  And from that, for that, I thank you personally.  Bruce, job well done.  You can leave the Canadian Forces proud that you have served your country, the Forces, the Navy and all of the men and women that we rely upon so much in a way that is absolutely exemplary and I thank you for it. 

Ladies and gentlemen, if I ask Bruce MacLean to stand, if I ask Janet, and I don’t mean to embarrass Janet and Emily and Samantha to stand, would you join me in thanking them for their service to our country please.  (Applause) Now girls, I want you to stand.  (Applause)

They did sit down rather quickly though, didn’t they?  (Laughter) 

C’est toujours difficile de dire aurevoir à quelqu’un capable comme Bruce, mais la (inaudible) aujourd’hui, les forces canadiennes et les forces maritimes, c’est que si c’est nécessaire de dire aurevoir à un officier capable comme Bruce, il y a un autre qui est maintenant capable aussi, qui est prêt à prendre le poste.  Et ça, c’est Drew Robertson.

Drew graduated Royal Military College 1978, a degree in engineering and physics, immediately I think an indicator of intellect here, particularly from an arts graduates, I is arts.  (Laughter) Served in the Nipigon and Kootenay as part of his train up, served in Chilliwack at the Officer Candidate school, served in Skeena, many staff appointments, both afloat and ashore.  And he served as the Ex O of HMCS Provider, as you heard at the same time that the Captain of that ship was Bruce MacLean.  A bit of an incestuous relationship in the Navy actually.  (Laughter)

Drew worked, Drew worked directly for the Minister of Defence as a NATO Policy Director, commanded Athabaskan in the Canadian task group for Op Apollo to southwest Asia.  And of course now is employed, was employed as the Director General of International Security Policy.  Renowned for being absolutely extroverted and loud, (laughter) I think that would be the opposite, wouldn’t it?  (Laughter) Drew’s intellect is operational experience and his talents have prepared him well to take the Navy as a key base, as a fundamental pillar for a transformed CF into the future.  There’s no doubt about that.  He’s the man right now for the job. 

Drew is supported by his wife Christine and sons Craig and Alex.  And ladies and gentlemen, if I can ask you to join with me in welcoming Drew and Christine and Alex and Craig to their appointment, to our family in their appointment as the Chief of Maritime Staff.  Would you stand please?  And ladies and gentlemen, would you join me in welcoming them?  (Applause)

It’s a good day for the Navy, it’s a good day for the Canadian Forces.  All of our thoughts, all the efforts necessary are with the families and our soldiers, the families of Glyn Berry and our soldiers and with the soldiers who are so gravely injured.  We will continue to support them in every way that is humanly possible to get the best outcome here. 

Finalement, merci à tous qui ont fait les arrangements, certainement Nathalie, pour la cérémonie ici d’aujourd’hui.  Ça été bien fait.  I like a ceremony that doesn’t have a whole bunch of men and women in uniform standing rigidly at attention to be talked at.  And I think maybe from the year 2006 forward, that those kind of events are starting to see their end of shelf and expiry dates show up and maybe a way of doing business like this, absolutely appropriate, meets the aim in every way, shape and form is the way to go.  And yet another landmark set by Bruce MacLean.  Thank you very much.  (Applause)

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Vice Admiral Bruce MacLean: Thank you Nathalie, (inaudible).  Let me begin by offering my deepest sympathies to the Berry family after the tragic loss of Mr. Glyn Berry, Senior Foreign Service Officer and to our Canadian soldiers who were seriously injured in the suicide attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  Our respective Foreign Affairs and military professions are tough, they’re rewarding but one where our military, and increasingly, our public servants, must be prepared to face the most compelling of life’s challenges.  Anywhere in the world, this is the nature of our calling in the service of Canada. 

But any loss is heart wrenching and our professions of arms shares very much the Berry, Salikin, Franklin and Bailey families’ pain at this most difficult of times.  I would ask for all who can to rise and observe one minute of silence in respect of these brave men and in solidarity with their families. 

(Minute of silence)

Thank you.  Please be seated. 

Senator Kenny, General Hillier, Deputy Minister Elcock, there he is, ladies and gentlemen.  Thank you very much for being here this morning to witness this ceremony.  You do us great honour.  This change of command ceremony is a visible and important demonstration to our institution and Canadians that there is a new Commander of the Navy at the helm. 

Je désire également souligner la présence de certains de nos anciens leaders maritimes qui sont aujourd’hui parmi nous et qui ont été si influents dans le développement de notre marine et des forces canadiennes.  Nous comptons plusieurs anciens combattants de la marine, dont le vice amiral Ron Buck, vice amiral Greg Madison, le vice amiral Larry Murray, le vice amiral Peter Cairns et le vice amiral Jacques Allen.  D’autres distingués amiraux de la marine se trouvent (inaudible) parmi nous, notamment l’amiral Bob (inaudible), ancien chef d’état major et de la défense et président du comité militaire de l’OTAN, vice amiral Jim King et le vice amiral Dan (inaudible).  Contre-amiral Gord Edwards, contre-amiral Jamie Fraser, contre-amiral Tim Porter and our Maritime air guy, Lieutenant General Larry Ashley. 

I would particularly like to note the attendance of Dr. Ken Calda (ph).  Only a few days retired from DND where he held the appointment of Assistant Deputy Minister - Policy for the past 15 years.  (Inaudible) had a remarkable influence on the growth of the naval leadership.  Those, through those 15 years, Flag Officers Murray, Miller, King, Robertson, Pile, MacLean, McFadden, Donaldson, Leary and MacNeil worked for Ken.  And I understand this is his first change of command in 15 years.  Thank you Ken.  I guess it took all of that to bring you here.  (Applause)  I trust you will always know the very high regard that we, in the Navy leadership, hold for you and wish you the very, very best in the future. 

May I also say thank you to Nathalie Garcia, who volunteered - I really mean that - volunteered to be the master of ceremonies.  Nathalie served at HMC as provider as a Sub-Lieutenant.  When I was a CO and Drew was the Ex O, she put up with me but she really liked the Ex O.  (Laughter) You really do us proud Nathalie.  Thanks so much. 

Also here today are two retired Chief Petty Officers, and one serving Chief who gave me much guidance and friendship over my career.  My very first job in submarines was as Casing Officer.  I should actually ask for a show of hands who know what a casing is.  It’s the Deck Officer.  And I was lucky and privileged to meet for the first time then Master Seaman George Sullivan.  Some eight years later, he would be my Coxswain in my first command in the submarine HMCS Okanagan.  George, I am so pleased you could be with us here today.  Thank you.  Another George, George Dowler (ph), was Formation Chief Petty Officer when I was Commander of the East Coast Navy in Halifax.  Thank you for being with us, George.  And finally, Kim Davis, a current Navy Command Chief.  All have been super shipmates and outstanding Chiefs. 

And you know, in the Canadian Forces, we have long understood the immense talent and wisdom from this talented group of senior people.  Our Chief Foreign Officers and our Chief Petty Officers, and we have a number of them here today, and may I tip my cap to all of you, if I had my cap to tip.  You are without question, the backbone of the Navy, the Army and the Air Force.  Thank you. 

The Maritime staff, the sailors, the soldiers, the airmen and women and our dedicated civilians are also with us.  I wanted to say thank you for your incredible work and effort during my tenure.  Those within shouting distance of my office, Commodore Jim Sylvester, Commander Art McDonald, Commander Gilles Couturier, Captain Ian Parker, Captain Harry (inaudible) made it all come together.  I’m in awe of these individuals who helped to shape my leadership in depth and almost sometimes in magical ways.  They’re kind of like the Norton anti-virus.  They sort of delete, they isolate, (laughter) and they make sure all those worms and Trojans just disappear very nicely from my view.  I don’t know what I would do without you and of course, the superb formation Commanders and Fleet Commanders during my watch, Vice Admiral J.Y. Forcier, Rear Admiral Dan McNeil, Roger Girard, Ty Pile, Dean McFadden, Ruth Donaldson and Commodore Bob Blakely. 

I wanted to find some way today in this ceremony of commemorating the memory of Rear Admiral Desmond Debby Piers, who passed away last November.  As all in our naval family will know, this Admiral was an inspiration to countless generations of naval officers and sailors from the 1930's right up to the end.  An amazing and incredible individual.  This ship’s bell, you can see it over there, which announced our arrival this morning is HMCS Algonquin’s, Debby’s ship, FCO at D-Day. 

In his address, as he stood next to that bell on the night before D-Day, he said “I have just received a message from fleet.  Tomorrow is D-Day.  We have been chosen to be in the spearhead of the mission of the invasion.  HMCS Algonquin will be the point on the end of the spear.  We will be very close to the beach and if we get hit, we will drive our ship onto the beach and fire our guns till the last shell.”  Now that is a fighter, that is an inspiring leader and that was a true gentleman.  No less impressive was his wife of over 60 years, Janet Piers, who as we saluted Debby’s ashes being taken by ship’s boat from their property in Chester, Nova Scotia to HMCS Toronto one last time, waiting a couple of tables off shore, she poured glasses of sherry to all gathered on her lawn to toast him Nova Scotia right.  A remarkable naval family.  Thank you Debby, thank you Janet. 

I am also so pleased that one of our most distinguished naval veterans, Vice Admiral Ralph Hennessy and his wife Diana, are with us today.  Ralph commanded Canadian destroyers in the second world war and was also Debby Piers’ Ex O in Restigouche when Debby was CO.  He was also the first Lieutenant leader in HMCS Assiniboine when she ran and sank U-boat 210 in August 1942 for which he received a distinguished service cross for gallantry.  It certainly is a great honour to have you with us.  Thank you so much. 

I wanted to take some time introducing some of our naval guests because of course, this change of command, which is of the present and of the near future, is built on the foundation of the many which have preceded it and is reflective of the strong and vital ties of our generation with those that have come before. 

I have been honoured, really honoured, to have led our Navy.  In my team, we have witnessed the guts, the determination of a submarine crew in the most dire circumstances and we have watched with pride as Commodore Dean McFadden sailed his naval task group from Halifax with Canadian relief assistance south to the United States in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  We have sent Navy ships to the Arabian and Mediterranean seas and our naval staff in Ottawa, Hull, Quebec City, Victoria, Halifax are working relentlessly in preparing for the next Navy, because that next Navy needs to be done today in order to bring it into play in the nights and a 2020 time frame. 

There is no more greater responsibility or may I say humbling experience than to lead.  I have, I’ll be honest, throughout my career, fed shamelessly on the enthusiasm, the intellect and the talent of those I’ve worked with.  It’s like catching a wave and I have loved it.  To recharge after too long a stint in Ottawa, I only need to step onboard a ship at sea to feel again the exhilaration and the excitement of why I joined the Navy.  There are always those moments to be savoured.  The big ones, the poignant ones and the humbling ones.  The ones that really keep you grounded in real life. 

I recall a month after moving into the dockyard, after taking command in Halifax, one Sunday I took a long job and finished 20 metres from our residence but also on the other side of the dockyard gate.  Without my ID card.  (Laughter) How could that be a problem?  I was the Admiral.  After all, that’s what I told the commissionaire.  He took a long look at me, went into the gatehouse and disappeared for a couple of minutes.  He came back out with an 8 X 10 glossy, framed picture.  He looked at me, he looked at the picture, he looked at me, he looked at the picture.  Nope, you’re not the Admiral.  (Laughter)  This is the Admiral, Dusty Miller, my predecessor.  (Laughter) Locked out of my own command. 

So when a month later, Jan and I decided to stroll downtown, I was ready.  We drove our car from the north gate where we lived to the south gate.  And those who know Halifax know the south gate is quite close to downtown.  Parked inside the dockyard and walked in, had a great evening and then joined a stream of sailors, German and French, coming back from downtown through the south gate.  This time, I proudly presented by ID card to the commissionaire.  The commissionaire said fine, who’s she?  (Laughter) Long pause.  (Laughter) She’s my wife.  Longer pause.  Sure, she is.  (Laughter)  Actually, Janet never knew how to take that.  (Laughter) That might have been a very positive feature of the night. 

But you know, my very favourite anecdote of all, the most, the best, was a story of, and I’m sure most of the Navy folks know this but I’m going to do this for the rest of the folks here.  It was a story of Admiral DeWolfe (ph), who I’m going up a, a (inaudible), the gangway of the Canadian destroyer in civilian dress without an ID card, was challenged by the sentry.  The Admiral, I suspect perhaps bluntly, told him, told the sentry that he was DeWolfe.  A quick response from the sentry, I don’t care if you’re the three pigs.  You’re not getting on board without an ID card.  (Laughter) Okay, to be a little more serious.  But isn’t that what it’s all about?  It’s that juxtaposition of, of the humour, the humility and the power of the Navy or the Army or the Air Force. 

Depuis la guerre froide, la marine canadienne a changé considérablement ses priorités.  Autrefois, elle (inaudible) distingué uniquement lors des opérations en plein air tandis qu’aujourd’hui elle peut intervenir partout dans le monde, ou avec des alliés, dans la haute mer ou à proximité des côtes, nous avons accompli beaucoup (inaudible) opérationnel très rapide avec des navires modernes entièrement efficaces.  Les capacités de commandement et de contrôle propres à nos navires, combinées à notre (inaudible) qui consiste à placer des officiels supérieurs au grade du commodore pour le commandement en mer a permis à notre marine d’exercer une influence importante parmi les forces de la coalition et lors des opérations de l’OTAN. 

At the same time, there has been and will continue to be an increased requirement for naval involvement and support closer to home.  We will be instrumental in providing coordination, support and leadership and a wide variety of operations from fisheries patrol to anti-drug and custom support to offshore surveillance and control of our ocean areas.  And of course, it was a very strategic move, I’m sure, when a former Maritime Commander, Admiral Larry Murray found himself as the, the head of the Fisheries and Oceans Department and of course, that’s just keeping it in the family.  But that’s part of the business from the Canadian perspective. 

And some of the architects of our modern Navy are with us today, and the point that I really want to bring home to this audience, a Navy which cannot be ready to sail tonight is not a Navy for Canada.  The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Hillier, is presiding over this change of command.  As many know, he’s also spearheading realignment of our Canadian Forces to improve its overall effect both at home and abroad.  The Navy is a vital pillar to our joint and integrated success.  And CDS, we will not fail to deliver. 

CDS, may I also commend you for your leadership and courage as the previous head of the Army, as the former NATO Commander in charge of ISAF in Afghanistan and in your current appointment as CDS.  You have shown the toughness, the vision, the compassion and the humour.  Thank you so much sir. 

And so Drew, after having seen our careers intersect on three occasions, in HMCS Provider, in the Policy group and on the east coast, we have come to a final occasion.  I cannot do justice to highlight how significant your contribution to Canada has been over the years.  Whether as the First Commander of the Naval Task Group, to deploy to Operation Apollo, in the Arabian Sea, providing military and policy advice around the Canadian contribution to Kosovo and Bosnia, successfully boarding and taking into custody the GTS Katie as Commanding Officer of Athabaskan.  Everything you have undertook has shown you to be an exceptional and remarkable leader, more than ready for this appointment. 

With Drew today are his wife Christine and their two sons, Alex and Craig.  Christine and Drew have been a significant Navy power couple.  Captain Parisse (ph), Captain Navy Parisse, Christine Parisse was until her retirement a key leader in the Navy and before that the Air Force.  But to Janet and myself, the Robertson family are just good friends.  Our children grew up and played together in Victoria.  And while Drew and I were at sea in Provider, Christine and Janet were key players in our ship’s family support organization ashore.  Our family wishes your family, the Robertsons, the very best of smooth sailing. 

And so we come to my final set of thanks.  To Janet and Samantha and Emily.  You have been so wonderful, all these moves and all the years.  On our last posting in Europe, Janet was on leave without pay and the girls were, of course, too young to work.  Well, that’s changed. (Laughter) Janet returned to work at Transport Canada, where she heads up Ports Policy.  Nice to see a maritime tradition being continued.  And our girls have just started their first jobs.  Now you know the real reason I chose to leave now.  The money is just flowing in.  (Laughter) 

We’ve had a great run.  We really have.  As a family, in great appointments in some wonderful cities.  It has been a ball.  And now it’s time to swallow that anchor.  That’s navalese for retirement, for those who don’t understand and frankly, I had to ask the Chief of Staff today where that expression really came from, so...  It’s, it’s time. 

So with that, thank you so much everybody.  Thank you for the support.  Thank you for the wonderful years.  Thank you for everything.  Gilman (ph), hold down my flag.  (Applause)

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Vice Admiral Drew Robertson: Senator Kenny, thanks very much for being with us today.  Mr. Elcock, General Hillier, yes, you got my boys to stand but I had the harder problem, which was actually get them dressed and turned out the way they are.  (Laughter) Vice Admiral MacLean, distinguished guests, Flag and General Officers, colleagues, Defence attaches, many of whom I’ve worked with so closely over the past couple of years, ladies and gentlemen.  To all our guests, let me add my thanks for your having joined us this morning and for your ongoing interest in the Navy and in the Canadian Forces.  I too am grateful for the continuity signalled by the presence of such a gathering of retired Flag Officers, thank you all for coming. 

General Hillier, it’s my honour to accept your commission to serve as Chief of Maritime Staff and Commander of Maritime Command.  And my privilege to return to work with the Navy and Maritime air team.  After merely five days with the staff, I tell you that I’m already so comfortable.  The only thing that would make it better would be if we were embarked and we were underway at sea. 

Avec l’aide de cette équipe puissante, je serai en mesure de continuer à offrir les meilleurs conseils maritimes et conjoints.  Mettre sur force pied les forces maritimes professionnelles de la force régulière et de réserve et surtout, à bâtir la marine équilibrée de l’avenir. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Vice Admiral MacLean has positioned us so that over the coming year, your Navy will be adding to its successes.  Indeed, the first appointment is already underway. 

Comme vous le savez probablement déjà, Athabaska, qui est un navire amiral de notre opération d’aide aux sinistrés de Katrina a quitté Halifax la semaine dernière pour devenir le navire amiral du premier groupe maritime permanent de l’OTAN, fonction qu’il occupera pendant six mois. 

More important perhaps than Athabaskan sailing alone is the change of command that will occur next week, when Commodore Denis Rouleau will begin a year in command of NATO’s highest readiness Maritime force, which is itself part of NATO’s response force, the NRF.  Maritime group one does far more than merely provide the alliance a credible maritime response capability for rapidly emerging security challenges.  It also builds the interoperability that’s used by NATO and that’s used by coalitions on operations around the world.  And that interoperability is being built in a variety of new areas. 

Le commodore Rouleau aura bien des tâches dont l’une des plus importantes sera de  continuer à faire progresser la transformation des opération dans la zone littorale, opération destinée à atteindre des objectifs à terre. 

A major opportunity to do will be during the NATO response forces final certification and an exercise to be held off the west coast of Africa in June and July of the coming year.  At that time, Maritime Group One will work with the amphibious forces landing and then supporting land forces ashore for a variety of missions.  Half the world’s population lies within 60 nautical miles of the coastline.  As you know, under the DPS, our Maritime Forces are to stand ready to respond to and then influence events up to the higher water mark and beyond around the world.  In preparing to do just that, NATO response forces focus and the operations of the Maritime Group One are right for NATO, but more importantly, they’re right for us as we continue along the development of Canada’s Standing Contingency Task Force. 

As I said, the command tour for Commodore Rouleau is a year in length.  Later this summer, Iroquois, previously my flagship on the first Apollo rotation and then several rotations later, Admiral Girard’s flagship will support Commodore Rouleau during the final six months of his tour. 

I’ll mention two other transformative events that are coming our way over the coming year.  A deployment of a frigate to return to participate in the campaign against terror in southwest Asia is under consideration for the fall.  One of the options for this deployment would see our ship operate with a US amphibious expeditionary group, gaining more practical experience with the conduct and support of operations from sea to the shore.  Clearly preparing for her slipping from Esquimalt will be a focus from our pack in the coming months. 

Finally, over the next 12 months, we expect to make way as you heard mentioned by the Chief, towards his vision with a proof of concept exercise to further develop the Standing Contingency Task Force.  Indeed, these three quite separate undertakings all ensure that we will be making way towards that vision over the coming year, all while meeting our domestic responsibilities. 

Mesdames et messieurs, nous sommes sur le point d’entreprendre d’importants travaux sur les deux côtes au cours de la prochaine année.  Et nous sommes en mesure de le faire grâce aux efforts déployés dans tout le ministère et sur les côtes pour mettre sur pied la marine d’aujourd’hui. 

It’s also possible though because of the work of so many people to develop and build our modest but balanced Navy over the decades.  I joined the Navy as a teenager.  I was only a couple months older than my older son Craig when I had the pleasure, I had the hook set, I guess, when Bob Ianno made sure that I was given a tour of the newly HMCS Athabaskan.  It’s a testament to the intellectual work of many that Athabaskan was to be the flagship of the alliance’s high readiness Maritime Force all these years later. 

De même, c’est le travail important de l’état-major du commandement maritime, à compter du début des années ‘80, qui a permis de mettre en place une marine capable, à 10 jours de préavis, de déployer un groupe opérationnel versatile et hautement efficace le 17 octobre 2001, dans le cadre de la campagne contre le terrorisme. 

Significant work on our future Navy is underway now.  Indeed, it is my great privilege to be able to assume command for Vice Admiral MacLean precisely because he’s done so much to build the base for the next transformation of the Canadian Navy.  That challenging intellectual work being done by the Maritime Staff and others throughout the department is a legacy to the Navy of the future. 

All of you on the Maritime Staff over the last year should be very proud of what you’ve managed to accomplish.  Despite providing significant talent to the growing appetite of Canada command, expeditionary forces command and the strategic joint staff, you’ve continued that all important conceptual work that across a broad time scale, will deliver the joint support ships, a modernized Halifax class with a new Maritime helicopter, the development of the Standing Contingency Task Force and in the longer term, a single class surface combatant. 

Je sais à quel point la carence des travaux est exigeante pour l’état-major aux maritimes. Mais je sais aussi que l’importance de la marine de l’avenir bien équilibrée exige que nous continuions à faire progresser ces travaux essentiels. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Canada’s Navy is indeed Ready, Aye Ready for service today wherever Canada’s interests may be challenged.  It’ll therefore be my commission on my watch as it has been for so many of my predecessors to continue the immensely important task of building the future Navy.  It’s vital for the Navy and it’s an essential part of the Canadian Forces transformation that we do so together. 

With that, General Hillier, let me conclude in the time honoured manner in which all naval change of commands and watch turnovers occur.  Admiral MacLean, sir, with the greatest of thanks for your friendship, leadership, counsel, and most importantly for the clear course you’ve charted for the Navy of the future, I have the watch.  Gilman, hoist my flag.  (Applause) 

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