Canadian Army Is Ready For Joint Exercises

OTTAWA (May 13, 2013) – Over 3,000 members of the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force are participating in Exercise Maple Resolve 1301, a joint training exercise being conducted at the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Center at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, from May 16 to June 4.

“Soldiers from the Canadian Army have the opportunity to train in conjunction with the airwomen and airmen from the Royal Canadian Air Force,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “This type of joint training enables our military forces to operate together and prepares them for a wide range of future operations at home and abroad.”

For the first time, Exercise Maple Resolve 1301 is part of a larger training event, JointEx 13. JointEx is a key Canadian Armed Forces exercise that changes how we fight, develop and train the future force. It will seamlessly integrate and leverage three force generation exercises, namely Exercises Maple Resolve 1301, Trident Fury, and Maple Flag, taking place at various locations across Canada from May 1 to June 8, 2013. Read the full story

Royal Canadian Air Force begins TigerEx 2013

OTTAWA (May 13, 2013) – Search and Rescue technicians, aircrew, maintainers, and other support personnel from 8 Wing Trenton today began an annual search and rescue exercise in Churchill, Manitoba, which will run from May 13-17.

“Our Government is seized with improving our search and rescue system,”said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “Search and Rescue technicians harness their skills in exercises like TigerEx so as to remain amongst the best responders in the world.” Read the full story

Canadian Frigate Disrupts Narcotics Shipment

OTTAWA (May 11, 2013) – On May 10, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Toronto successfully disrupted her third narcotics shipment in six weeks, and second this week, as part of ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the Indian Ocean.

During the search and inspection of a vessel by the ship’s naval boarding team, Toronto’s crew recovered approximately 195 kilograms of heroin. The narcotics were recovered without incident and will be destroyed. To date, HMCS Toronto has interdicted more than a ton of narcotics. On March 29, a massive narcotics shipment in the Indian Ocean was disrupted when her naval boarding team recovered approximately 500 kilograms of heroin. Earlier this week, her crew recovered another 317 kilograms of heroin, and a small amount of hashish.

“I am extremely proud of HMCS Toronto and her crew. Their efforts over the last six weeks to detect, deter, and protect the high seas from terrorist activity have been a significant contribution to international efforts to combat terrorism,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. Read the full story

Canada Chairs Arctic Council

OTTAWA (May 2013) – This month, Canada will again take over as Chair of the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council is an international consensus-based, high-level intergovernmental forum founded in 1996 that works to promote the environmental and socio-economic aspects of sustainable development in the region.

Canada is working closely with the other Arctic states to promote and protect its northern interests and to co-operate on a broader vision for the region. The Arctic Council’s Member States are the eight Arctic countries—Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. Read the full story

Canadian Armed Forces Commemorate the Battle of York

OTTAWA (April 27, 2013) – The Canadian Armed Forces together with the City of Toronto marked the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of York today, with events downtown and along the waterfront.

“I want to thank the City of Toronto for their partnership and dedication. Today’s events were a great opportunity for Torontonians and Canadians to learn more about a key chapter in the development of this city and our country,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “The 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812 is an opportunity for all Canadians to take pride in our traditions, remember our shared history, and commemorate the achievements of those early Canadian sailors and soldiers who fought valiantly.” Read the full story

Minister MacKay addresses global leaders at Sedona Forum

OTTAWA (April 28, 2013) – The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, addressed participants of the Sedona Forum, hosted by the McCain Institute, in Sedona, Arizona, over the past days.

Minister MacKay spoke about international security and participated in a panel discussion about the challenges and opportunities associated with the spread of democratic political action in Europe. Other Forum participants include U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, and U.S. Senator (Ret.) Joseph Lieberman. Read the full story

Canadian Armed Forces to host joint exercise in British Columbia

OTTAWA (April 26, 2013) – More than 1,100 sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen of the Canadian Armed Forces will participate in Trident Fury 13 off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia from 3 to 19 May. Trident Fury is a biennial joint and bi-national naval exercise hosted by Maritime Forces Pacific and includes participation by the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Canadian Army, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, the United States Air National Guard, and the United States Coast Guard.

“These joint and bi-national exercises provide valuable opportunities for the Canadian Armed Forces to maintain operational readiness to deploy on joint operations in a rapid and effective manner alongside our allies,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “We look forward to working closely with our American partners to keep our waters and areas of maritime jurisdiction safe from threats both foreign and domestic.” Read the full story

Statement by the Army Commander following success at the Conference of American Armies

OTTAWA (April 19, 2013) – The Commander of the Canadian Army, Lieutenant-General Peter Devlin, issued the following statement:

“Today marks the end of the first Civil-Military Cooperation exercise of the Conference of American Armies, a training event which took place from April 15 to 19 in Toronto, Ontario.

The Conference of American Armies is an important forum that allows commanders from all over the Americas to work together to improve the collective capacities and interoperability of our armies. It is a mechanism for senior leaders from North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean to meet regularly to discuss areas of mutual interest and share lessons learned. The work done within the Conference strengthens defence institutions and enhances defence cooperation throughout the hemisphere. The Canadian Army has demonstrated, once again, that it is a committed member of the Conference of American Armies." Read the full story

Canadian Armed Forces achieve objectives during High Arctic Operation

OTTAWA (April 24, 2013) – Operation Nunalivut 2013, one of the major sovereignty operations conducted every year by the Canadian Armed Forces in the High Arctic, concluded today with a closing ceremony and parade at Task Force Nunalivut Headquarters in Resolute Bay.

This year’s operation took place in the northwestern portion of the Arctic Archipelago, with long-range sovereignty patrols by air, and over land and sea ice. The operation extended from Resolute Bay west to Mould Bay, Northwest Territories, and north to Isachsen, on Ellef Ringnes Island, Nunavut, and Tanquary Fjord, on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Read the Full story»

Canadian Special Operations Regiment - Exercise FLINTLOCK 2013

OTTAWA (April 18, 2013) - Against a backdrop of jagged mountains, soldiers from Niger occupy fire positions to support Mauritanian forces conducting a flanking manoeuvre against a terrorist compound. Under watchful Canadian and American advisors, the joint attack showcases the cooperation and interoperability of African partners to conduct offensive operations to achieve regional security in an increasingly volatile part of the world.

The attack was part of Exercise FLINTLOCK 2013, a multi-national Special Operations Forces (SOF) exercise sponsored by United States Africa Command and coordinated by Special Operations Command Africa. Held annually in the Sahel Region of Northwest Africa, this year’s month-long exercise was conducted in three separate locations within Mauritania and included Western participation from the United States, Canada, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, France, and Germany. African participation included forces from Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Senegal, Morocco, and Burkina Faso. The main goal of the FLINTLOCK series of exercises is to build counter-terrorism capacity with key African forces in the Trans-Saharan region.

Canada’s participation in Exercise FLINTLOCK 13 saw the deployment of a Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) of approximately 50 personnel from the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) and 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron. The SOTF delivered training and provided advisors to both Nigerien and Mauritanian forces at the tactical and operational level, and the provision of airlift and medical evacuation platforms, with a small detachment of CH146 Griffon helicopters. The CSOR Special Forces Team (SF Team) deployed to Niger in early January and partnered with Nigerien forces to assist with their training for participation in the FLINTLOCK exercise. Upon completion of the training, both the SF Team and the Nigerien forces moved to Mauritania to link up with the other elements deployed from Canada. Along with other Western and African allied forces, they established a Combined Joint SOTF (CJSOTF), overseeing three separate Special Operations Task Groups (SOTG). The participating nations conducted staff planning, patrolling, vehicle checkpoints, ambushes, tactical medical care, airdrops, and civil-military operations.

The exercise culminated in a training exercise where African partner nations, with their Western advisors, worked together to successfully plan, coordinate and command live-fire operations. The attack was well executed, but most important was the level of coordination achieved through the CJSOTF and SOTG HQ to make the raid happen. “Effective coordination from the operational level down to the tactical level is essential to conducting counter-terrorism operations,” said the Canadian Task Force Commander while reflecting on the success of the raid.

The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command’s participation in Exercise FLINTLOCK represents an important Government of Canada initiative in promoting regional security and cooperation by enabling the countries of Northwest Africa to develop the skills sets necessary to combat the increasing threat of terrorism.

The Governor General and the Chief of the Defence Staff introduce Soldier On Members for the South Pole Allied Challenge

OTTAWA (April 19, 2013) – Today, at National Defence Headquarters, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, alongside the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson, introduced Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who will participate in the South Pole Allied Challenge.

One of the most high-profile expeditions of modern times, the South Pole Allied Challenge will see three teams of ill and injured, serving and former military personnel from the Commonwealth (Australia and Canada), the United Kingdom and the United States race to the geographic South Pole from November to December 2013. With His Royal Highness Prince Harry serving as patron, the expedition is being organized by Walking With the Wounded, a United Kingdom-based charity, which funds extreme expeditions for wounded servicemen and women. Team Commonwealth will include two serving CAF members. Read the Full story»

Training for Final Afghanistan Rotation

OTTAWA (April 2013) - Task Force 2-13 is the Cana­dian Armed Forces’ (CAF) final deployment as part of Operation ATTENTION, Canada’s contribution to the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. The Task Force stood up in January, and pre-deployment training is well underway for CAF personnel who will begin deploying in mid-June for deployments lasting from eight to 12 months.

TF 2-13’s training includes detainee handling, foreign weapon familiarization and media awareness,j2 as well as more basic refreshers on fieldcraft and first aid. The Task Force will also participate in cultural awareness training and ‘Road to Mental Readiness’ sessions that will help soldiers deal with the stressful environment they may find while deployed. Read the Full story»

Auroras return from international naval exercise in Italy

OTTAWA (April 10, 2013) - The crews of two CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft returned last month from Exercise Proud Manta, the world’s largest anti-submarine warfare exercise. Held off the coast of Sicily, Italy, the exercise ran from February 23 until March 6.

The exercise involved 16 aircraft, eight surface ships and four submarines from 10 NATO countries. Read the Full story

“Huskies” support Operation Ignition in Iceland

OTTAWA (April 8, 2013) - A CC-150 Polaris aircraft and 17 personnel from 437 Transport Squadron (nicknamed the “Huskies”) are at Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, to support Royal Canadian Air Force fighter jets during Operation Ignition.

Operation Ignition is Canada's periodic contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission to patrol Iceland's airspace: “Airborne Surveillance and Interception Capabilities to Meet Iceland's Peacetime Preparedness”. Read the Full story

Canadian Armed Forces to Participate in Joint Multinational NATO Exercise

OTTAWA (April 2, 2013) – More than 900 Canadian sailors, airmen and airwomen of the Canadian Armed Forces departed today to participate in Exercise Joint Warrior, a joint multinational NATO exercise taking place in the United Kingdom from April 15 to 25. Exercise Joint Warrior is the largest military tactical exercise in Europe and is designed to prepare NATO military forces to work together in a variety of missions from providing humanitarian aid to full-combat operations.

“This exercise presents an excellent opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces to build and strengthen interoperability and combat effectiveness between Canada’s military and our NATO allies,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. Read the Full story

Canadian Forces’ medical units join Warrior Exercise

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, California (April 1, 2013) — For members of Canadian armed forces taking part in a March joint training exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., an American welcome meant dealing with plenty of trauma.

Three soldiers and one sailor from different Canadian forces medical units traveled to northern California to participate in training, working as members of a U.S. Army field hospital. Read the Full story

HMCS Toronto makes history with massive narcotics haul

OTTAWA (March 31, 2013) - Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Toronto successfully disrupted a massive narcotics shipment in the Indian Ocean as part of counter-terrorism operations with Combined Task Force 150.

On Friday March 29, 2013, HMCS Toronto's naval boarding party searched a suspect vessel as part of ongoing maritime security operations. During this inspection, the boarding team recovered approximately 500 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value of more than $100 million. The narcotics were confiscated without incident and will be destroyed. Read the Full story

Maritme Coastal Defence Vessels complete deployment on Operation Caribbe

OTTAWA (March 28, 2013) - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, alongside the Canadian Armed Forces marked the conclusion of its first naval deployment of 2013, Operation Caribbe. Operation Caribbe is part of the Government's continued commitment to combat illicit trafficking in the Caribbean Basin and Eastern Pacific.

As part of this commitment, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Kingston and Summerside conducted a 36-day deployment while a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft flew patrols from January 7th to 19th to help suppress trafficking in international waters. Read the Full story

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