Commodore M.J. Barefoot, CD
Commandant of the Canadian Forces College
Commodore Michael J. Barefoot enrolled in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1993, joining the Naval Reserve at HMCS Chippawa in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After obtaining his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate as a Naval Warfare Officer and completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Manitoba, Cmdre Barefoot transferred to the Regular Force as an Intelligence Officer in 1999.
After qualifying as an Intelligence Officer in the summer of 2001, Cmdre Barefoot held several staff positions at the operational and strategic level in both Canada and the United States. Key staff positions have included serving as the Senior Intelligence Analyst for the Afghanistan Intelligence Response Team, from which he deployed to Afghanistan on two separate occasions – Operation Athena (Kabul) in 2005 and Operation ARCHER (Kandahar) in 2006. Between 2008-2011, Cmdre Barefoot was posted to the United States to lead the Afghanistan Team within the Intelligence Directorate of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization Headquarters, for which he was awarded the United States Army Meritorious Service Medal.
Other senior staff appointments have included serving as the Director of Naval Intelligence Plans within the Naval Staff Headquarters, and serving in the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command as Deputy Director of Intelligence Production Management, Deputy Director of Transnational and Regional Intelligence, and Targeting Supervisor. Cmdre Barefoot also served as the J2 for the Canadian Joint Operations Command and as Special Advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff. Cmdre Barefoot’s command appointments include Commanding Officer of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Headquarters (2016-2017), Commandant Canadian Forces School of Military Intelligence (2017-2019), Commanding Officer Canadian Forces Intelligence Group Headquarters (2019-2020), and Commander Canadian Forces Intelligence Group (2022-2024). Promoted to the rank of Cmdre in 2025, he was appointed as Commandant of the Canadian Forces College.
In addition to completing the Joint Command and Staff Programme, Cmdre Barefoot also holds a Master of Defence Studies, a Master of Justice, and is a graduate of the National Security Programme.
Cmdre Barefoot and his wife are the proud parents of two children.
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