Sailor Profile: Lieutenant-Commander Elizabeth Eldridge

Lieutenant-Commander (LCdr) Elizabeth Eldridge from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is honoured and proud to share her experiences as a naval logistics officer while deployed as a Staff Officer Mentor for Exercise Sea Breeze 21 in Odesa, Ukraine from June 28 to July 10, 2021.

Sea Breeze is multinational annual exercise co-hosted by the United States Navy (USN) and the Ukrainian Navy (UN), with the support of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. This year's Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) participation is part of Operation Unifier, the CAF military training and capacity-building mission in Ukraine.

'As a logistics officer with the Navy, we're responsible for all the logistics requirements on board the ship ranging from administration, to finance, food, transport, supply, movement of sailors and materiel to and from the ship, all types of port services and hospitality, to name a few,' said LCdr Eldridge. 'So we really run the full gamut of logistical support activities that enable the ship's company to accomplish our mission.'

Coming from a military family, LCdr Eldridge has had the privilege to live in both Ottawa and Halifax. Although she comes from a family with several generations of military service, she said that surprisingly it was not her primary motivation to become a sailor.

'I wanted to join because I wanted to do everything,' she said. 'I initially joined the Canadian Army Reserves as a clerk when I was in high school just to have a taste of it and since I've always wanted to be a naval logistics officer, I decided to follow that path when I pursued my undergrad degree at the Royal Military College (RMC).'

LCdr Eldridge recounts that the most enticing part of going to RMC was the variety of interests and hobbies she was able to pursue, in addition to obtaining her degree.

'As opposed to other universities where students may only have the opportunity to pursue or take up a new interest, at RMC you're encouraged and supported to do everything - you have to do leadership, you have to do sports, you have to do extra-curricular activities, you have to do second language - and for me, that was the biggest draw. So the inspiration to join wasn't really so much from the family side but more because of the wide opportunities the military offers, where you can be afforded the space, time and resources to do it,' she said.

A proud naval logistics officer, she said that the most rewarding part of being a logistician is the fact that you can make a difference every day, and you see the immediate results of what you do in support of the mission.

'Whether the task is to process a travel claim or organize a hospitality event during a port visit to represent Canada abroad, you know that you're always making a positive impact,' she said.

A seasoned sailor proudly wearing the gun-metal Sea Service Insignia, which is awarded to CAF personnel for recognition of time at sea, LCdr Eldridge has been deployed numerous times in Canada and overseas. Some of her domestic deployments include Operations Nanook and Nunalivut in the Arctic. Overseas, she has participated in Exercise Rim of the Pacific in Hawaii, and has been deployed on board Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Charlottetown on Operation Reassurance in Europe.

During Exercise Sea Breeze 21, LCdr Eldridge is part of the CAF Mentorship Team.

'As a naval logistics mentor in this exercise, I advise and guide Ukrainian naval logisticians on logistical planning and the importance looking at logistics through an operational lens,' she said. 'My goal is to provide options and other perspectives in handling operation-based logistical issues. It is about sharing our best practices and giving advice that they may consider in their problem-solving process.'

Asked about her advice to aspiring sailors and those considering to join the RCN, her response is immediate.

'Logistics is cool! Never discredit the importance of logistics and the importance of the supporter trades that work for operations - to join the Navy as a supporter, you get to see and experience so much, while making a tangible difference,' she said.

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