| Unit Name: | Maritime Forces Atlantic |
| Country: | Canada |
| Branch: | Royal Canadian Navy |
| Size: | 10,700 |
| Garrison: | Canadian Forces Base Halifax |
| Motto: | Ready, aye, ready |
| Commander1: | RAdm Brian Santarpia |
| Commander1 Label: | Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic |
| Commander2: | Cmdre Trevor MacLean |
| Commander2 Label: | Commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic |
| Commander3: | King Charles III |
| Commander3 Label: | Commodore-in-Chief (Atlantic Fleet) |
In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) is responsible for the fleet training and operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. It was once referred to as Canadian Atlantic Station.
The Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic (COMMARLANT) is also the Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic (COMMJTFA), holding the rank of rear admiral.
Reporting to the commander is the commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic (COMCANFLTLANT), holding the rank of commodore. This officer commands Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), and is responsible for the operation and readiness of all warships, auxiliaries and support vessels.[1] COMCANFLTLANT is also the Canadian Task Group Commander for any CANFLTLANT deployment of ships to exercises or operations.
During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis:[2]
the operational commander in Halifax, Rear Admiral Kenneth Dyer, was not prepared to take any chances in the nuclear age, and the scope of the Canadian Navy’s actions capture the seriousness of the crisis: ships and aircraft were dispersed with wartime payloads and provisions; secondary headquarters and bases were prepared; vessels in maintenance were rushed to sea; and Bonaventure and its escorts were ordered home from a NATO exercise in the eastern Atlantic. Of the 136 “contact events” made in or near Canada’s WESTLANT (western Atlantic) zonewithout Soviet archival corroboration the number that were actual submarines remains a mysterythere is little doubt that HMCS Kootenay was firmly tracking a Foxtrot off Georges Bank in early November.
Previous the commander of RCN forces in the Atlantic was the Commanding Officer, Atlantic Coast, during the war Commodore George Jones in 1940, later Rear-Admiral Leonard W. Murray, who served as Commander Canadian Northwest Atlantic 1943-45. After the war the title became Flag Officer, Atlantic Coast, from 1948 Rear-Admiral Rollo Mainguy; Roger Bidwell in the 1950s https://www.unithistories.com/officers/RCN_officers.html#B; Rear-Admiral Kenneth Dyer in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis; Commodore Ralph Henessy (August 1963-October 1964[3]) in August 1964 Rear-Admiral Jeffrey Brock, DSO, DSC, CD (to November 1964)(p.5; Rear-Adm William Landymore by 1965; (p.9); Rear-Admiral John O'Brien by 1966 (p.14); thereafter the position may have been amalgamated with Commander Maritime Command for several years; Rear Admiral Greg Maddison (1 July 1997, p.133); Rear-Admiral Duncan "Dusty" Miller (1 Oct 1997 to 2000, p.150).
MARLANT headquarters is at CFB Halifax in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Other facilities include:
Prior to Unification the Atlantic Command assignments were: