RCN Digital Leadership Series: Jennifer Hunter, CPO2

June 1, 2023 – Defence Stories

A resident of Victoria, BC, for 30 years, Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Hunter is HMCS Vancouver’s Operations Chief and joined the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) at the age of 19. She released in 2000 but rejoined in 2004, regretting that she had never been on an overseas deployment and discovering she missed her colleagues at the RCN.

Jennifer is a Naval Combat Information Operator (NCIOP) and is a homegrown technologist; she has never had any technical training outside of her DND service. She first used a computer in the Navy, learning the basics at the fleet school. As a reluctant and hesitant user, she slowly became proficient. During her initial trades course, she was part of the first cohort trained on the new combat system for the Halifax class ships and, to her surprise, excelled at it. Since then, she’s been able to move with technology as it has evolved, relying strongly on the underlying military principle of adaptability.

As an Operations Chief, one of her primary duties is managing the tracking of training ship wide and helping departments ensure that the right qualifications are in the right seats. Monitor Mass (MM) is one of the most instrumental tools for looking after the entire ship, especially since every member is at a different point in their career and their training. MM helps her collect the data and create unique products from it, such as weekly reports provided to Command.

In mid-August, HMCS Vancouver will be deploying for four months, relying on a core crew of 176 members. This crew will do the full deployment and therefore “will need to be turned into the A-Team” via IMSRT crew readiness exercises. Technology will be key to manage so many people and confirm their personal and professional readiness to operate in a theatre environment. Aside from the core crew, the goal is to fill every bunk (up to 243 sailors), partly by liaising with Personnel Coordination Centers via MM to integrate replacement personnel during the deployment.

For those seeking to improve their technical proficiency within the ranks of the RCN, Jennifer recommends leveraging available technical resources, being adaptable and searching for new methods.