| Commander Bannister is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan. He joined the Canadian Navy as a Reservist in 1982. A Naval Warfare Officer, he earned his Bridge Watch Keeping Certificate in 1986 and his Command Qualification in 1997. Cdr Bannister served in every class of Minor War Ship on both coasts, including having more than five years in Command of HMC Ships Yellowknife and Brandon, and various patrol craft. From 2003-06, Cdr Bannister served in NORAD HQ in Colorado Springs with the Bi-National Planning Group. Cdr Bannister is a graduate of the Advanced Mine Warfare course conducted by the Royal Navy and the Belgian/Netherlands Naval Mine Warfare School. He subsequently represented Canada in numerous Mine Warfare activities in Asia and Europe. Cdr Bannister served as the Senior Staff Officer Maritime Plans in Joint Task Force Pacific Headquarters, followed by two years as Senior Watch Officer at the Canadian Forces Integrated Command Centre in Canadian Joint Operations Command, Ottawa. Cdr Bannister also served as the Executive Assistant to the Commander Naval Reserve in Victoria, BC. His final uniformed position was again at NORAD HQ, this time as the Branch Chief of the Russia / Maritime Strategic Threats Intelligence Branch in 2018 - 2021. Cdr Bannister retired after 39 years of service in September 2021. |
