The Royal Military College of Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Brigadier-General Michael (Mike) Babin as its new Commandant. An experienced Royal Canadian Air Force officer and RMC graduate, Brigadier-General Babin brings to the role nearly three decades of operational service, command experience and institutional leadership. His appointment marks a significant moment for the College as it continues its mission of developing leaders for the Canadian Armed Forces.
Originally from Val-d’Or, Québec, Brigadier-General Babin joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a pilot in 1997. He completed his first operational tour as a tactical helicopter pilot with 430e Escadron tactique d’hélicoptères in Valcartier, Québec, and deployed early in his career to Bosnia and Haiti. He later served as a flight instructor at 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and went on to support operations in Afghanistan as Operations Officer of the Canadian Aviation Battalion, Roto 10.
His senior appointments have included service at 1 Wing Headquarters in Kingston as A7 responsible for standards, training, doctrine and acquisitions, and at NATO Allied Air Command Headquarters in Ramstein, Germany, as an Air Operations Planning Group Leader within the Strategy Division. In 2017, he assumed command of 430 Squadron in Valcartier and later deployed to Mali on Operation PRÉSENCE as Commanding Officer of Task Force Mali Aviation Battalion Roto 1. Promoted to colonel, he subsequently served in Ottawa as J5 and then Acting Director General Plans at Canadian Joint Operations Command, before returning to Kingston in 2021 as Commander of 1 Wing. In 2023, following his wing command, he was selected as the Canadian Armed Forces Visiting Defence Fellow at Queen’s University.
A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and the Canadian Forces College, Brigadier-General Babin returns to RMC with deep ties to the institution and to Kingston. His blend of operational credibility, command experience and commitment to professional military education positions him well to lead the College into its next chapter as Commandant.
Biography: Brigadier-General Michael (Mike) Babin is originally from Val-d’Or, Québec. Since joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 1997, he has served in Canada and abroad in operational, instructional, staff and command roles, including deployments to Bosnia, Haiti, Afghanistan and Mali. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and the Canadian Forces College.