Rear Adm. Steve Waddell
Vice Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet
16 September 2019
Rear Adm. (O-8) Steve Waddell is a native of Temagami, Northern Ontario, Canada and joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1990. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Manitoba; a Master’s Degree from King’s College London, United Kingdom; a Master’s Degree from Salve Regina University, Rhode Island; and is a 2014 graduate of the United States Naval War College (Naval Command College), having earned a Diploma in National Security and Strategic Studies. He is also a graduate of the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander Course.
His command tours include command of the frigates HMCS Charlottetown and HMCS Fredericton, and Commander Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt on Canada’s west coast.
Rear Adm. Waddell’s operational sea tours include CENTCOM and NATO deployments to the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Adriatic Sea and the waters off the Horn of Africa and Korean peninsula. Missions included United Nation sanctions enforcement against Iraq and the former Yugoslavia, counter-terrorism operations in the Gulf region and piracy disruption patrols in the Indian Ocean. Highlights included circumnavigating the globe in HMCS Calgary as the ship’s navigator, and serving as DESRON staff with the USS Constellation carrier strike group.
Ashore, Rear Adm. Waddell served as Senior Navigation Instructor at the Naval Officer Training Centre, and as Operations Officer with Sea Training Group (Pacific). Following his sea commands, he was transferred to Ottawa where he served at National Defence Headquarters as the Director of Naval Strategy within the Naval Staff. On promotion to Captain, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) at Joint Operations Command where he directed national-level operations from the Caribbean to the Arctic. He went on to serve as an advisor in the Chief of the Defence Staff Initiative Group, before taking up studies at the United States Naval War College in Newport. Following his three years in command of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, he was promoted to Commodore (O-7) and returned to the Naval Staff in Ottawa as Director General Naval Strategic Readiness.
Rear Adm. Waddell assumed duties as vice commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet in August 2019.
His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, General Campaign Star – Southwest Asia, Special Service Medal – Peace, Special Service Medal – NATO, Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia, Non-article 5 NATO Medal for Africa, and Canadian Forces Decoration (1st Clasp).