Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday met with Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (CRCN) Vice Adm. Art McDonald at the Pentagon, Feb. 13.

The office call marks the first visit at the Pentagon between the two leaders as part of Partners in Defence (PID), an annual engagement between United States and Canada defense leadership.  They focused on reaffirming the longstanding maritime relationship between the United States and Canada.

“The U.S. Navy’s relationship with our Canadian counterparts is deeply rooted in our shared history and mutual respect,” said Gilday. “Together, we look forward to expanding and strengthening our bonds as allies and friends as we reaffirm our commitment to maritime security worldwide.”

Gilday also noted how closely the two navies work together and expressed appreciation for Canada’s commitment to the partnership with the appointment of Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Steve Waddell, as vice commander of the newly established U.S. 2nd Fleet. 

The leaders discussed a broad range of maritime issues, including defense of the homeland and cooperation in multilateral fora between the two navies through exercises, operations, and relationship building. They also discussed future force structure to include the Royal Canadian Navy expanding its capability through the future Canadian Surface Combatant.

The U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Navy routinely work and operate together during high-end exercises like the Royal Canadian Navy-led exercise Cutlass Fury 2019, an advanced anti-air warfare exercise off the coast of Nova Scotia and the annual fleet interoperability exercise Frontier Sentinel, conducted by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy.   

Recently, the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) and Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH 332) conducted patrols in Baffin Bay as part of the annual Arctic-focused Exercise Nanook 2019.

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