Canadian Army to train in Norway with NATO partners

Published by: Frontline Defence 

Several hundred Canadian Army soldiers from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG) and 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR) from Petawawa, Ontario, will conduct winter warfighting training in Norway with 13 NATO Allies and partners during Exercise COLD RESPONSE 2016 (Ex CR 16) from March 1-9, 2016. In order to ensure successful training, numerous soldiers have already deployed overseas in preparation for this multinational exercise.

“Exercise COLD RESPONSE presents a great opportunity for Canada to engage with our NATO Allies and closest partners and further supports our excellent relations with Norway," said Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. "It also allows the Canadian Armed Forces to enhance its operational effectiveness in challenging winter conditions.”

This Norway-led exercise includes approximately 15 000 soldiers from various countries including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway. The aim of Ex CR 16 is to retain and further develop military capabilities in high-intensity, joint and combined ops in a challenging environment.

The Canadian Army is contributing an Infantry Battalion Headquarters, a Company Group as well as staff officers to the Swedish Multi-National Brigade Headquarters. Canadian soldiers will exercise joint and combined operations under an extremely challenging cold-weather scenario, with the goal of developing their ability to operate with international partners in arctic conditions.

Ex CR 16 is a multi-national, joint and combined exercise featuring land, air and sea elements.

It provides an arena for participating forces to enhance warfighting skills and exercise all aspects of winter warfighting, including offensive and defensive operations, patrols, surveillance, reconnaissance, and battlespace management.

Ex CR 16 is taking place in the Trondheim region in Norway, approximately 500 kilometres north of the capital, Oslo.

Canada and Norway enjoy a long tradition of cooperation on regional and global security issues.

OP UNIFIER Taking Shape: Canada in Ukraine

The Department of National Defence announced yesterday that members of its Theater Activation Team (TAT) have been hard at work in the Ukraine setting up the Canadian Forces site for Task Force Ukraine that will deploy later this year.

Members of the CAF TAT team work with Ukrainian Soldiers to assemble the new dinning facility for CAF Task Force Ukraine personnel. Photo: DND; Aug, 15, 2015. 

Operation UNIFIER is Canada's contribution to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces through military capacity building in coordination with the US Armed Forces already on the ground in Ukraine.

The TAT team is largely based out of CFJOSG Kingston, other engineers, and specialists have been deployed from around the country to establish the Canadian camp near the International Peacekeeping and Security Center (IPSC) near Yavoriv, Ukraine.

The TAT team, approximately 90 CAF personnel arrived in the Ukraine on August 5, 2015 and before the beginning of September Task Force Ukraine will deploy.

Task Force Ukraine will be made up of approximately 200 CAF personnel that will be deployed until March 31, 2017. The majority of the first ROTO will be from 2 CMGB out of CFB Petawawa; while later ROTOs will be from 5 CMBG from CFB Valcartier.

CAF and Exercise Unified Resolve

DND released information yesterday on Exercise UNIFIED RESOLVE 2015, which is taking place in Valcartier, Quebec, home of 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.

Approximately 550 Members of the 2nd Canadian Division (all part of 5 CMBG) and part of 2 CMBG (Petawawa) along with British Army Troops are training in Simulated environments as part of UNIFIED RESOLVE 2015.

The exercise is running from February 10 through February 27 2015. It is a key step in the training cycle and Road to High Readiness, part of the CAF's policy.

The training is specific to helping train command and control capabilities of an Army Brigade. Participants are using computer-generated scenarios which simulate realistic and complex situations including attacks and mobile defense.

The original release can be read here:

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?mthd=index&crtr.page=1&nid=933909