Paul Maddison

Vice-Admiral Paul A. Maddison CMM, MSM, CD
Vice-Admiral Paul Andrew Maddison
Canadian High Commissioner to Australia
In office August 2015 – May 2019
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Michael Small
Succeeded by	Mark Glauser
Chief of the Naval Staff Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy
In office 21 July 2011 – June 2013
Preceded by	Dean McFadden
Succeeded by	Mark Norman
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Branch/service	Royal Canadian Navy
Years of service	1975–2013
Rank	Vice-Admiral
Commands	Royal Canadian Navy Maritime Forces Atlantic HMCS Iroquois HMCS Calgary
Battles/wars	Gulf War War in Afghanistan
Awards	Commander of the Order of Military Merit Meritorious Service Medal Canadian Forces' Decoration Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)

Vice-Admiral Paul Andrew Maddison, CMM, MSM, CD is a Canadian academic, former diplomat and retired officer of the Royal Canadian Navy. He served as Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy from 22 July 2011 to 21 June 2013. He subsequently served as the High Commissioner of Canada to Australia from August 2015 until May 2019.

Career

Maddison joined the Canadian Forces in 1975. In 1980, he graduated from Royal Military College Saint-Jean with a Bachelor of Arts. He served on various vessels and in appointments with both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. In 1991, he deployed to the Persian Gulf with the Canadian Task Group.

From 1994 to 1996, Maddison served as Executive Officer of the frigate HMCS Winnipeg. This was followed by his first command, HMCS Calgary, from 1997 to 1999. From 1999 to 2002, he was posted to NORAD headquarters. From 2002 to 2004 he captained the destroyer HMCS Iroquois, a period which included a deployment to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea as part of Combined Task Force 151.

In 2005, Maddison's career shifted to National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, where he became Director General of Maritime Force Development and then Commander of the Standing Contingency Task Force the following year. In 2007 he became Assistant Chief of Military Personnel. In May 2008, Maddison assumed command of the navy's Atlantic fleet, Maritime Forces Atlantic, as well as Joint Task Force Atlantic, the military organization responsible for domestic operations in Atlantic Canada.

In August 2010, Maddison became the Assistant Chief of the Maritime Staff under Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden. Upon McFadden's retirement from the Canadian Forces on July 21, 2011, Maddison became Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy before retiring in 2013.

In June 2015, Maddison was appointed as the High Commissioner of Canada to Australia. He relinquished the post in 2019, and was appointed the inaugural director of the University of New South Wales Defence Research Institute in Canberra, Australia.

Awards and decorations

Maddison's personal awards and decorations include the following:

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Military Merit (CMM)	Appointed Commander (CMM) on 27 October 2010 Appointed Officer (OMM) on 21 September 2006
	Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)	Decoration awarded on 23 November 2007 Military division
	Gulf and Kuwait Medal	with Clasp 1991
	South-West Asia Service Medal	with AFGHANISTAN Clasp
	Special Service Medal	with NATO-OTAN Clasp
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	Decoration awarded in 2012 Canadian version
	Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)	with two Clasp for 32 years of services
	Commander of the Legion of Merit	Decoration awarded 26 April 2013 Commander level United States award
	Legion of Honour	Decoration awarded 17 December 2013 Officer level France award