CAF wraps up three year mission in Poland

DND Press Release

On August 17,  the Land Task Force (LTF) in Poland completed its successful three-year mission on Operation Reassurance with an end of mission parade in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland.

Various rotations of troops have served on Canada’s LTF in Poland since May 2014, and have participated in military exercises throughout the region to improve interoperability with Allies and demonstrate NATO’s resolve to protect Alliance territories and partners. Op Reassurance refers to the military activities undertaken by the CAF since 2014 to support NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Eastern and Central Europe with the aim of reassuring nations in the region of NATO’s commitment to support their stability and security.

Canada will continue to support NATO Allies in Europe by leading the enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup (eFP BG), which was stood up in June 2017 at Camp Adazi, Latvia. Canada is one of four Framework Nations supporting NATO’s aim to preserve peace and prevent conflict in Eastern and Central Europe.

“Canada is a strong supporter of NATO and is committed to doing its part as a member of the Alliance. Over the last three years, the Land Task Force in Poland has demonstrated Canada’s commitment to security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe, and that commitment continues through our many activities under Operation Reassurance, ” said Lieutenant-General Stephen Bowes, Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command.

The last rotation of the LTF, which served in Poland for about six months, is comprised of about 200 CAF soldiers mainly from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry out of Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, Alberta.

Following the LTF’s mission completion in Poland, the troops will redeploy to Canada while some of the equipment will be transferred to Latvia in support of the CAF led eFP BG.

CAF soldiers from the last rotation of the LTF took part in Exercise Allied Spirit VI in Hohenfels, Germany, from March 7 to March 30, 2017, working closely with soldiers from Allied countries and Partners for Peace.

From April 24 to May 4, 2017, an infantry company from the LTF participated in Exercise Platinum Eagle 17-2 hosted by the Romanian Land Forces in the Babadag Training Area, Romania.

A small team of snipers from the LTF took part in Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia from May 9 to 24, 2017. They trained with soldiers from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom under the lead of the Estonian Defence Forces.

The LTF took part in Exercise Sabre Strike from June 4 to 15, 2017, in Orzysz, Poland, which was hosted by the Polish Armed Forces. Units from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, and the United States, among others, also took part.

From July 13 to 24, 2017, the LTF participated in Exercise Saber Guardian. Under the US Army’s lead, troops from Canada, Greece, Italy, and Romania trained in air mobile and air assault operations in a global context.