Canadian Army Begins Arctic Warfare Training

DND Press Release:
February 8, 2016

OTTAWA — Starting today until early March, approximately 2,500 Canadian Army soldiers from the Regular Force, Primary Reserve and the Canadian Rangers, will be training in several areas of Canada’s North. The Canadian Army aims to maintain and sharpen its operational capabilities in austere Arctic environments.

CAF Members during Arctic Warfare Training. Undated Photo (CAF Combat Camera)

The Canadian Army maintains readiness and continues to enhance its ability to operate in the North by training in highly challenging conditions in some of Canada’s most isolated regions. Troops will develop and test their advanced cold-weather survival skills, as well as prepare for quick responses to simulated threats and domestic emergencies, such as natural disasters, extreme weather events and other hazards. Highlights of the exercises will include parachute jumps and engagement involving remote First Nations communities.

The exercises offer soldiers a valuable opportunity to collaborate with the Canadian Rangers, local communities, as well as other government departments and agencies. Soldiers from the United States Army National Guard, the New Zealand and Polish Armed Forces have also been invited to take part in the training in an effort to strengthen interoperability between Canada and these nations. 

At the same time: 

Close to 900 soldiers will be participating in Exercise UNIFIED RESOLVE 1601 (Ex UR 16) in Edmonton, Alberta, from February 8 to 12, 2016.

Ex UR 16 is a key step in the Canadian Army’s preparation for Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE 16 and the Road to High Readiness training program. Approximately half of the participating soldiers will come from 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, while the remainder will be made up of other Canadian Army units from around the country.

The Road to High Readiness is the Canadian Army’s flagship training regime that prepares soldiers for national or expeditionary deployments, as mandated by the Government of Canada. The goal of the training is to generate a competent, confident and integrated Army brigade that can provide scalable, mission-tailored and responsive forces for full spectrum operations.

Ex UR 16 provides a simulated environment making it possible to virtually represent the movements and manoeuvres of units and troops, without the participants actually deploying to a training area.