Command team of Maritime Forces Atlantic

Rear-Admiral (RAdm) Brian Santarpia enrolled in Canadian Armed Forces, under the Officer Candidate Training Plan as a Maritime Surface Officer, in 1986.

After completion of his training, he served in a succession of operational postings as Navigating Officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) Comorant and Vancouver, Combat Officer of HMCS Huron, Executive Officer of HMC Ships Chaleur and Halifax, and then as the Commanding Officer of HMCS St. John's from January 2007 until July 2008.

He has also been posted to numerous training billets, including Navigation Instructor at the Naval Officer Training Centre, Head of the Warfare Training Division at the Canadian Forces Fleet School (Esquimalt), B.C. Operations Officer of Sea Training Pacific, and in 2008, Commanding Officer of Sea Training Atlantic.

Following his promotion to Captain(Navy) in 2009, he was appointed as the Special Advisor to the Vice Chief of Defence Staff. In 2010, he assumed command of Canadian Forces Base Halifax until his departure to attend the National Security Programme in 2012.

RAdm Santarpia was promoted to Commodore in July 2013 and appointed Director General Naval Personnel. He led the transformation of that organization and assumed the duties of the first Director General Navy Strategic Readiness in April 2014. From December 2014 until April 2015 he was deployed to Bahrain where he commanded Combined Task Force 150, a multi-national group of ships and aircraft conducting counter-terrorism operations. Upon his return to Canada, he was appointed to Chief of Staff to the Vice Chief of Defence Staff and later appointed Director General Plans at the Strategic Joint Staff in July 2016. In May 2018, he joined the Canadian Joint Operations Command as the Chief of Staff.

Effective June 2020, RAdm Santarpia was appointed as Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic.

In addition to being a graduate of the National Security Programme, RAdm Santarpia holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Royal Roads Military College Victoria, and a Masters of Defence Studies from Royal Military College of Canada Kingston.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Alena Mondelli joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a naval radio operator on November 1, 1991. On completion of Basic Training, Environmental and Trades training, she was posted to her first ship, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Annapolis, in 1993. In 1998, after an occupational amalgamation with the naval signalman, she became a naval communicator. CPO1 Mondelli has served every rank at sea on a variety of Royal Canadian Navy ships. She completed her senior naval communicator tour with HMCS Vancouver, her operations chief tour with HMCS Algonquin, she was Chief Naval Communicator for Sea Training Pacific, and the Coxswain of HMCS Toronto. In addition to all the West Pacific deployments, Rim of the Pacific exercises, and multiple other naval operations, she deployed in HMCS Provider for Operation Forward Action, HMCS Protecteur for Op Apollo and HMCS Toronto for Op Reassurance.

CPO1 Mondelli has had various “in-land” postings, including Canadian Forces Station Aldergrove, B.C.; Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School Saint Jean, Que.; Canadian Forces Fleet School Esquimalt, B.C.; Director Frequency Spectrum Management at National Defence Headquarters Ottawa; Language Training Division Esquimalt, Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) Kingston, Ont.; the Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Profession of Arms Institute at Collège militaire royal Saint Jean; the Unit Chief Petty Officer of Personnel Coordination Centre Atlantic, Language Training Division Halifax; and Base Chief Petty Officer at Canadian Forces Base Halifax.

CPO1 Mondelli completed a Certificate in Military Studies and Bachelor of Arts with RMCC Kingston, and completed her Master’s Degree in Leadership with Royal Roads University in Victoria. CPO1 Mondelli was honoured by the Women’s Executive Network as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women of 2021.

Commodore (Cmdre) Trevor MacLean enrolled in the Canadian Forces Regular Officer Training Program in 1993 and graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After completing initial naval training in Victoria BC, he served as a Bridge Watch Keeping Officer in Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) St. John’s.

Following his director-level training, Cmdre MacLean returned to St. John’s as the ship’s Under Water Warfare Officer for a tour which included a deployment to the Northern Arabian Sea in support of Operation Apollo.  Following his tour, he proceeded ashore and served as the Canadian Forces Naval Operation School’s Under Water Warfare Training Officer. On completion of his Operations Room Officer training in 2005, he switched coasts and proceeded to Victoria where he assumed the post as HMCS Algonquin’s Operations Officer.

Following his time in Algonquin, Cmdre MacLean joined Sea Training (Pacific) as the unit’s Combat Officer.  In 2009 he was selected to attend the Joint Command and Staff Program at the Canadian Forces College (CFC) in Toronto.

Upon graduation, he returned to the West Coast and Algonquin to serve as the ship’s Executive Officer. Joining the ship during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2010, Algonquin subsequently participated in Operation Pacific Amistad, which was executed along South America’s western seaboard. During this deployment, Algonquin also contributed to the counter-narcotics effort under Operation Caribbe.

Cmdre MacLean returned to Sea Training (Pacific) as the Executive Officer in 2011. After 18 months with Sea Training, he was promoted to the rank of commander and selected to join the Royal Australian Navy’s Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) command staff as the Plans Officer. After leading the pre-deployment planning in Australia, he deployed to Bahrain under Operation Artemis where he led the operational planning efforts which enabled several successful interdictions by the forces assigned to CTF-150.

Upon return to Canada in 2013, he was posted to the National Capital Region and assumed the role as the Project Director for the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship Project. Following two years in the Force Development world, Cmdre MacLean returned to the East Coast where he assumed command of HMCS Fredericton in July 2015, and subsequently deployed to the Mediterranean and Black Seas under Op Reassurance.  Upon Fredericton’s return to Canada in July 2016, Cmdre MacLean retuned for a third tour in the Sea Training organization as he assumed command of Sea Training (Atlantic). Upon promotion to the rank of captain(navy) in May 2018, he led the establishment of the Maritime Component Commander’s (MCC) organization as the MCC’s Chief of Staff, where he led the planning and execution of Royal Canadian Navy operations for three years.  He was promoted to his current rank following the successful completion of the National Security Programme at CFC in June 2022, and was subsequently appointed Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic.

Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Cavel Shebib enrolled in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1991 as a naval weapons technician in Sydney, N.S., and has had a busy career since 2014. He completed the year-long French course alone, prior to sailing for a year each in His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Fredericton and Ville de Québec as the combat systems engineering chief petty officer, followed by an appointment as the Atlantic Fleet combat systems engineering chief. After being in that position for a year, he was promoted to his current rank in 2017, after which he assumed the role of honours and recognition chief for Maritime Forces Atlantic. In 2018, he was appointed as coxswain in HMCS St. John’s, and in August 2020, he was posted to the Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Profession of Arms Institute in Saint-Jean, Que., as the Intermediate Leadership Program and then the Senior Leadership Program Director. Following his two years in Quebec, he was appointed as the Atlantic Fleet chief in July 2022.  

During his career, he has deployed on several deployments all over Europe and the Middle East, including several Standing NATO Maritime Group One deployments, Operation Apollo in 2001 and Op Reassurance in 2015. He was also involved in Op Persistence, which was the Canadian Armed Forces’ recovery operation after the Swiss Air crash near Peggy’s Cove, N.S., in 1998. His most memorable deployment was in 2010 when he spent eight months patrolling in the Western Panjwai District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. During this time, he was first the second-in-command of a Civil-Military Cooperation, or CIMIC, Platoon, followed by being appointed command of a platoon.

He enjoys reading and running, is an avid outdoors person, and recently completed the Defense and Security Certificate Program through Algonquin College.  

Captain (Navy) (Capt(N)) Andy MacKenzie was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ont. Upon graduation, he component transferred from the Artillery Reserve to the Regular Force for maritime surface/sub-surface officer training (now called naval warfare officer).

Capt(N) MacKenzie served in the surface fleet as an anti-submarine warfare officer and quickly realized that life as a submariner would be the best option for him. This coincided with the opening of Victoria-class submarine training when he was finally able to volunteer for the ‘Silent Service’, a pursuit that was Capt(N) MacKenzie’s life-long ambition.

After serving underwater in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, Capt(N) MacKenzie graduated from the Royal Australian Navy’s Submarine Warfare Officer course and was posted as the Combat Officer of Her Majesty’s Canadian Submarine Windsor. Capt(N) MacKenzie remained with HMCS Windsor as an acting Executive Officer until he was posted to the Canadian Forces Naval Operations School as the first instructor of the Submariner Operations Room Officer course.

Capt(N) MacKenzie graduated from the Royal Australian Navy’s Submarine Executive Officer course and was appointed for a second tour as Executive Officer, this time in HMCS Corner Brook. In 2010 he graduated from the United States Navy Submarine Command Course, and finally, he had the pleasure of graduating from the Norwegian Submarine Command Course, Perisher, in 2011 and honoured by being appointed Commanding Officer of HMCS Windsor.

In 2014, Capt(N) MacKenzie assumed command of Sea Training (Submarines), in 2015 he spent a year at the United States Naval War College in Newport, R.I., followed by serving as the Deputy Commander of the Canadian Submarine Force and then as Commanding Officer of both HMCS Victoria and Sea Training (Submarines).

Capt(N) MacKenzie joined the Naval Staff in National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa in 2018, working in Naval Requirements, and was promoted to his current rank, worked as the Director of Naval Information Warfare and most recently as Director of New Capability Integration. In 2020 he earned a Master’s degree of Science in Justice and Homeland Security from Salve Regina University in Rhode Island.

On July 25, 2022, Capt(N) MacKenzie assumed command of Canadian Forces Base 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.