Command team of Maritime Forces Atlantic

Rear-Admiral Josée Kurtz was born in Joliette, Québec, and joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1988 as an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy. Following initial naval training leading to her bridge watchkeeping certificate, she specialized in navigation. She navigated frigates and deep draught vessels and had the privilege to share her interest and knowledge as a navigation instructor.

On graduating from the year-long Operations Room Officer Course in 1997, Rear-Admiral Kurtz served in HMCS Vancouver as Weapons Officer and Combat Officer. She was Executive Officer in HMCS Ville de Québec from 2007 to 2009. During this period, the ship deployed with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and was diverted on short notice for an anti-piracy escort mission with the United Nations World Food Programme off the Horn of Africa. Immediately following her second-in command tour, she was appointed as Commanding Officer of HMCS Halifax from 2009 until 2011. The ship’s operational programme included a tasking to the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mission in Haiti following the devastating January 2010 earthquake. Her major warship command was followed by an appointment as Commandant of the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School from 2011 to 2012.

In addition to service at sea, Rear-Admiral Kurtz has gained staff experience from Desk Officer up to Director General level – on the coast, with the Naval Staff, and at National Defence Headquarters, in the areas of operations, personnel, and security.

Rear-Admiral Kurtz was Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), the Alliance fleet in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region, from June until December 2019, Commander of Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers in 2020-21, and Commandant and Vice Chancellor of Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Kingston from 2021 until 2023. She was appointed Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic on 20 June 2023.

Rear-Admiral Kurtz holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Ottawa (2005) and a Masters in Defence Studies from RMC Kingston (2007). She is a graduate of the National Security Programme (2013) at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

Rear-Admiral Kurtz dedicates her free time to family activities. She enjoys photography and watching the Toronto Blue Jays.

Chief Petty Officer First Class (CPO1) Derek Godin was born in Winnipeg Manitoba but grew up in a military family with postings across Canada. He enrolled in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in Ottawa in 1994 as a Naval Combat Information Operator (NCI Op). His first posting was to HMCS St. John’s where he also deployed for the first time as a part of Standing Naval Force Atlantic (SNFL). In 1999, he volunteered for the Submarine Service and was posted to HMCS Ojibwa and completed subsequent posting to HMCS Corner Brook, HMCS Chicoutimi and HMCS Windsor.

In 2007, at the rank of PO2, he was posted back to HMCS St. John’s for a second tour, this time as the Operations Room Supervisor. In 2010, he was promoted to PO1 and posted to HMCS Halifax as the Senior NCI Op and led the department through the Halifax Class Modernization.

He completed the year long French course in 2015 followed by a promotion to CPO2 and a posting to HMCS Fredericton as the Operations Chief. Here, he deployed on Operation Reassurance. After the deployment, he was posted to Naval Fleet School Atlantic as the Operations Division CPO2.

In 2018, he was promoted to CPO1 and posted to Director General Military Careers (DGMC) as the Career Manager for NCI Op, SONAR Op, and NES Ops. In 2020, he was selected as Coxswain of HMCS Charlottetown. After his Coxswain tour, he was appointed as the Unit CPO1 of the Naval Training and Development Centre Atlantic, and in 2022 he was appointed as the Naval Strategic Readiness CPO1 and NCM Succession Manager. In 2023 he was appointed to the new position as the MARLANT Formation CPO1.

CPO1 Derek Godin is a graduate of the Senior Appointment and Executive Leadership Programs. He is a Keystone Fellow and holds a Defence and Security Certificate through Algonquin College.

He is an avid cyclist and F1 racing fan and is a devoted husband to Kirsty, and father of two tremendous children, Callie and Gabriel.

Commodore Jacob French joined the Canadian Forces in 1994 in Saint John, NB as a Maritime Surface/SubSurface Officer, and attended Dalhousie University (BSc Earth Sciences Honours) under the Regular Officer Training Plan. He commenced in the fleet as a Bridge Watchkeeper onboard HMCS Algonquin and Calgary, including OP AUGMENTATION in the Arabian Gulf. He completed a Navigation Officer tour onboard HMCS Vancouver and was an instructor at the Naval Officer Training Centre. As an Ops Room Officer, he deployed twice to the Middle East under Operation ALTAIR and Operation SAIPH. He was appointed as Executive Officer HMCS Calgary and subsequently Executive Officer Sea Training Pacific. His most recent sea posting was as Commanding Officer HMCS Regina in 2018 – 2019, which included an Indo- Asia Pacific and Northern Arabian Sea deployment under Operation ARTEMIS and PROJECTION.

His shore appointments include Executive Assistant to Comd MARLANT and Director Navy Strategy – Concepts and Project Director Interim AOR. As a Captain(N), he was appointed to Deputy Commander Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife, NT from 2020 – 2023.

He holds a Masters of Defence Studies from Australia National University as a graduate of the Australia Command and Staff Course. He is also a graduate of the Naval Command College at the United States Naval War College.

He was promoted to his current rank of Commodore in 2024 and is currently appointed as the Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic.

Commodore French has a wife and two daughters, who love being on the water and getting a camping adventure in whenever they can find the time.

CPO1 Patrick Mackey enrolled in the Canadian Forces as a Signalman (262) in his hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland and commenced boot camp on 1 April 1996 at the age of 21. On completion of Basic Training in Saint-Jean, Quebec he attended the inaugural Naval Communicator (277) course in Esquimalt, British Columbia. Upon completion of trades training he was then posted to HMCS Montréal.

From 1997 to 2001 he was posted to a number of different ships including HMCS Provider, HMCS St. John's, and HMCS Athabaskan where he completed two NATOs prior to his first shore posting to Trinity in the summer of 2001.

In January of 2003, he became the first steady state 277 to be promoted to Master Seaman and was then posted to HMCS Toronto where he completed his first major deployment on OP ALTAIR. In May of 2005 he was posted to MARLANTHQ N31 and subsequently promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class where he once again became the first 277 to obtain that rank.

In January of 2007 he was posted to HMCS Charlottetown where he was deployed on OP ALTAIR for a second time. Upon completion of his deployment in June of 2008, he was posted to MARITIME OPERATIONS GROUP 5 as the Information Management Manager where he also attended his 6B course and became the first Naval Communicator to be promoted to Petty Officer 1st Class. During his time ashore, CPO1 Mackey completed the Officer Program of Military Education.

In July of 2010 CPO1 Mackey was posted to HMCS Iroquois as the Senior Naval Communicator until being posted to CANADIAN FLEET ATLANTIC as the Fleet Senior Naval Communicator in July of 2011.

In July of 2013 he became the first Naval Communicator to achieve the rank of Chief Petty Officer Second class where he was then subsequently posted to MARLANT Visits and Protocol. CPO1 Mackey remained at Visits and Protocol until May of 2015 until he was posted to HMCS Halifax as the Combat Chief.

In 2016, CPO1 Mackey was selected to attend the NCM Executive Professional Development Programme at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. His studies mainly focused on Psychology and International Relations. In 2017 he then attended Second Language Training until June 2018.

On completion of French training CPO1 Mackey was selected to be the Executive Assistant to the Royal Canadian Navy Command Chief Petty Officer until July of 2020 until he was appointed as Coxn of HMCS Fredericton.

In July of 2020, CPO1 Mackey was appointed as COXN on HMCS Fredericton where he deployed on OP REASSURANCE. In 2022 he was appointed as COXN of Sea Training Atlantic until his appointment as the Atlantic Fleet Chief in June 2024.

Originally from Trois-Rivières, Québec, Captain(N) (Capt(N)) Annick Fortin joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1991. Following initial training as a bridge watchkeeper, she joined the fleet as a member of HMCS Huron in 1998 and participated in the intercept of the GOLDEN BRIDGE, a vessel smuggling illegal migrants.

She specialized in Above Water Warfare and subsequently was posted to HMCS Vancouver. In response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, Capt(N) Fortin deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation APOLLO where Vancouver was an integrated unit within the USS JOHN C. STENNIS Carrier Battle Group. In 2006, Capt(N) Fortin deployed to the Persian Gulf as the Deck Officer in HMCS Ottawa and operated with the USS BOXER Expeditionary Strike Group in support of Operation ALTAIR.

As an Operations Room Officer aboard HMCS Algonquin, she led the team through Operation PODIUM, Canadian Naval Centennial Pacific Fleet Review, Missile Readiness Inspections and RIMPAC 2010. From 2010 to 2013, Capt(N) Fortin was posted to Sea Training Pacific as the Operations and Combat Officer.

Capt(N) Fortin was appointed Executive Officer of HMCS Ville de Québec in 2017 and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Canada’s ongoing contribution to NATO mission in central and Eastern Europe under Operation REASSURANCE and Operation SEA GUARDIAN.

She has served at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Vancouver, Naval Fleet School Esquimalt as the Fleet Support Training Officer, as well as within National Defence Headquarters in the Strategic Joint Staff, Director Naval Strategic Management, Director General Naval Force Development as Staff Officer Arctic/Capacity Building Strategic Framework in the Directorate of Naval Strategy and served as the Director Current Operations of the Canadian Fleet Pacific.

Capt(N) Fortin was Naval Fleet School Pacific Commandant from July 2019 until May 2021. She assumed Command of HMCS Regina in June 2021. In March 2022, Capt(N) Fortin assumed Command of HMCS Winnipeg, participated in RIMPAC 2022 and deployed to the Indo-Pacific for Operation PROJECTION.

Capt(N) Fortin is a graduate of Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston (Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Commerce, 1997), Canadian Forces College in Toronto (Master of Defence Studies, 2016), and has completed the Canadian Forces College’s National Security Programme (2024). On July 24, 2024, Capt(N) Fortin assumed command of CFB Halifax.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Troy Beazley enrolled into the Canadian Armed Forces in November 1990. After Basic Training in Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Cornwallis, N.S., he completed his sonar operator training in Esquimalt, B.C.

From October 1991 to December 2005, he was posted to CFB Halifax where he had the distinct pleasure of serving on board Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships Terra Nova, Gatineau, Skeena, Ville de Québec, Charlottetown, Fredericton and St. John’s. During the same period, he enjoyed a posting to the Advanced Data Analysis Centre and was among the first group of non-commissioned members afforded the opportunity to complete the Advanced Acoustic Analysis and Passive Oral Listening course in Nowra, Australia.

After CPO1 Beazley completed his Under Water Warfare Director course in 2006, he was posted to HMCS Charlottetown for the second time and deployed as part of Task Force Artemis in 2007. He was then employed at the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School, Canadian Fleet Atlantic and the Personnel Coordination Centre Atlantic.

Completing a year of second language training in 2015, he moved on to a year of academic training at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., for the Non-Commissioned Member Executive Professional Development Program. A quick move to Ottawa followed with a year in the Joint Projects Cell at Chief Force Development.

Promoted chief petty officer 1st class in May 2017, he was posted to Director Military Careers as a Career Manager, followed by the exceptional opportunity to serve as Coxswain of HMCS Charlottetown, and then a TPULT appointment to Director Senior Appointments as the Naval Environment Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Career Manager. Following the personnel management lines, he was appointed to a PTLT where CPO1 Beazley had the privilege of being the Naval Strategic Readiness Chief Petty Officer 1st Class and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Succession Manager – Non-Commissioned Members.

Most recently appointed to his current position as Base Chief Petty for CFB Halifax on June 7, 2022, CPO1 Beazley is excited to serve the base to the best of his ability and humbled that the RCN has entrusted him with this important role.