Vice Chief of the Defence Staff - Biography

Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee CMM, MSM, CDC

His diverse academic background includes military and civilian institutions on three continents. He has deployed in ships around the world and has accumulated countless sea stories involving pirates, sharks, terrorists, volcanoes, whales, fires, and all the other things which make life at sea a true adventure. The highlight of his time at sea was his far too brief command of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Algonquin in 2009-2010 and, a close second, his three years in command of Canada’s Pacific Fleet.

His shore postings include two tours in the Navy’s Strategy directorate as penance for all of his sea time, three years in command of Canadian Forces Base Halifax, and two years as the Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy, and Plans at NORAD and United States Northern Command Headquarters in Colorado Springs. He also deployed to Afghanistan for all of 2011 as the director of Afghan National Police Training within the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan. Over the course of his career, he has somehow been involved in Arctic issues at every one of his shore postings (except Afghanistan).

VAdm Topshee commanded Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific in 2021-2022 before serving as the 38th Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy from May 2022 to June 2026.

VAdm Topshee’s career is enabled by his fantastically supportive wife and four tremendous daughters.