Deputy Director, NATO Combined Joint Operations from the Sea COE
Deputy Director, NATO Combined Joint Operations from the Sea COE
Don Mackinnon joined the Royal Navy in 1991 and served in a variety of junior assignments before qualifying as a Principal Warfare Officer in 2002. A series of operational tours followed, including service in the 2003 Iraq war, two tours with CTF 150 in the Middle East, and deployments to the Mediterranean, West Africa, Eastern Pacific, Caribbean, Atlantic, Northern Europea, and Antarctica. He has been privileged to command afloat in five ships; three patrol vessels, a frigate, and the Royal Navy’s sole icebreaker HMS PROTECTOR.
Shore assignments have included Military Assistant to the Command Secretary, the UK Maritime Battle Staff, and multiple staff tours in the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) in Military Strategic Plans, UK Operations and Counter-Terrorism, and Military Strategic Effects. He served ashore in the Middle East in 2017 as Deputy UK Maritime Component Commander and was subsequently appointed OBE.
Promoted Commodore in 2021 he was appointed Commander International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) and CTF SENTINEL under the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and was honoured to subsequently receive the United States Legion of Merit. He returned to the MOD in 2022 as Head Defence Operational Capability, working directly to Ministers and Service Chiefs providing independent analysis of Defence capabilities set against national and NATO Policy. In July 2025 he assumed his current role as Deputy Director CJOS COE where he now leads a team of NATO staff officers tasked with delivery of improved interoperability, innovation, doctrine development and wider strategic thinking, in and across the maritime domain.
A graduate of the Advanced Command and Staff Course and a Defence College Fellow, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and double Masters’ and a PhD, in, respectively, Military History; Defence and Security Studies; and Maritime Strategy and War Studies. A published author, his book on maritime strategy, Rediscovering Corbett, was published in 2022.
Married to Samm, an artist, they have two sons, a dog, and now live in Norfolk VA. His eldest son is also serving in the Royal Navy. Cdre Mackinnon’s interests include military history, strategy, and most sports, albeit largely from the ‘veterans’ bench these days. In his spare time, he is learning (slowly) to play golf (barely) whilst planning and researching his next book.