Craig Baines Explained

Craig Baines
Birth Date:	c. 1960s
Birth Place:	Saskatchewan, Canada
Branch:	Royal Canadian Navy
Serviceyears:	1987–2022
Rank:	Vice-admiral
Commands:	Royal Canadian Navy Maritime Forces Atlantic Canadian Fleet Atlantic Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt
Awards:	Commander of the Order of Military Merit Meritorious Service Cross Canadian Forces' Decoration

Vice-Admiral Craig Alan Baines is a retired senior Royal Canadian Navy officer who served as Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy from 2021 to 2022.

Personal

Baines hails from Saskatchewan and before his military career was a national judo medallist and graduate from the University of Manitoba.^[1]

Military career

He was appointed Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic in July 2014 ^[2] before being promoted to Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic in 2017.^[3]

He joined Maritime Command in 1987 and completed the Forces Regular Officer Training Program. He served as navigation officer on a number of ships before completing an operations course. In 2004 he served as executive officer of, and in 2007 he was appointed commanding officer of the .^[4]

In 2010 he served as the base commander of Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt. This was followed by a stint as special advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff, after which he became fleet commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic.^[4]

He became Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy on January 12, 2021.^[5] He stood down in May 2022 pending retirement, and retired in late 2022.^{[6] [7]}

Post military career

In October 2022, it was announced that Baines had joined Modest Tree as a strategic advisor, for the company’s efforts in the marine, aerospace and defence industries.^[8]

Controversies

Baines apologised after it was reported that he had played golf with General Jonathan Vance while the latter was under investigation for alleged abuse towards female military staff.^[9]

Honours and decorations

Baines's personal awards and decorations included the following:

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Military Merit (CMM)	Appointed Commander (CMM) on 21 September 2020^[10]
	Meritorious Service Cross (MSC)	Appointed (MSC) on 7 October 2009^[11] Military division Received the for his leadership of during counter-piracy operations.
		with NATO-OTAN Clasp
	NATO Medal Non-Article 5	with Africa clasp
	Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)	with two Clasp for 32 years of services

Command Commendation

External links

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Notes and References

1. Web site: Honorary Degree recipients. University of Manitoba. January 14, 2021.
2. Web site: Atlantic navy fleet gets new commander . The Chronicle Herald . July 12, 2014 . February 17, 2016.
3. Web site: Royal Canadian Navy welcomes new commander of its East Coast fleet . GlobalNews . September 1, 2017 . October 18, 2017.
4. Web site: Rear-Admiral Craig Baines, MSC, CD . Royal Canadian Navy . October 18, 2017.
5. Web site: Vice-Admiral Craig Baines takes command of Royal Canadian Navy. The Chronicle Herald. January 12, 2021. January 15, 2021.
6. News: Military officer retires, heads to Ukraine amid sex misconduct investigation . The Globe and Mail . 21 April 2022 . Berthiaume . Lee .
7. Web site: Royal Canadian Navy welcomes new Commander . 30 May 2022 .
8. Web site: Retired Vice Admiral of Royal Canadian Navy joins Modest Tree .
9. Web site: Navy commander apologizes for golfing with former chief of defence staff under military police investigation. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 13, 2021.
10. Web site: Order of Military Merit List. The Governor General of Canada.
11. Web site: Meritorious Service Decorations List. The Governor General of Canada.