Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Kenneth J. Summers (born July 20, 1944) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

retired naval officer, best known for being the commander of the Canadian contingent of the Persian Gulf War coalition.

Early life and education

Summers was born July 20, 1944, and graduated from

Royal Military College Royal Military College may refer to: ;Australia * Royal Military College, Duntroon, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory ;Canada * Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario * Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean, Quebec ;Indi ...

in Kingston, Ontario, in 1967 before serving as an officer both at sea and in several postings ashore. In 1989 he was promoted to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

and appointed Commander Canadian Fleet and Chief of Staff Operations in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the appointment he was holding when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.

Career

Summers assumed command of the Canadian Naval Task Force that sailed from Halifax to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

, and upon arrival he was appointed Commander Canadian Forces Middle East, with headquarters in

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

. All Canadian naval, air and land forces in the Gulf came under his command during the implementation of

Operation Friction Operation Friction was a Canadian military operation that saw the contribution of 4,500 Canadian Forces personnel to the 1991 Gulf War. The larger US components were Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Operation Friction initi ...

, where Canadian naval and air units engaged in combat for the first time since the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. After the Persian Gulf War, Summers served in Maritime Forces Pacific Headquarters (MARPAC HQ) as Chief of Staff to Commander MARPAC 1991. He was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

and was appointed as a Commander Canadian Defence Liaison Staff Washington in 1992. He served in National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa as Chief of Personnel Planning and Resources Management 1994 and as Director General Maritime Development 1995. He was appointed Chief of Staff Operations,

Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT) was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic was based ...

in Norfolk, Virginia, from 1997 to 2000. He retired in 2000.

Awards and decorations

Summers's personal awards and decorations include the following:

References

External links

Biography at The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill Society of British Columbia web pageCanada's 25 Most Renowned Military Leaders
Royal Canadian Navy officers Canadian admirals Military leaders of the Gulf War Living people 1944 births Canadian military personnel from Ontario Royal Military College of Canada alumni {{Canada-mil-bio-stub