New Canadian Naval Security Team prepares for deployment

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

The Royal Canadian Navy has created a new unit, largely staffed by reservists, who will provide protection for RCN ships.

The Naval Security Team or NST expects to be ready for an Initial Operational Capability phase sometime in the spring, with its first deployment overseas at that time, according to the RCN website.

Lieutenant-Commander Jeff Chura, officer in charge of the unit, writes on the RCN website that the organization is currently based within Canadian Fleet Pacific. Orders are making their way up the CAF’s chain-of-command for “eventual Minister of National Defence signature, and at that point NST will become an official unit of the RCN,” he added.

The NST will deploy a small force protection team to defend RCN ships and assets overseas. The unit is mainly made up of reservists, with the idea of strengthening fleet protection and aiding the ship’s company on its watch rotations. The unit will also be able to provide a tactical boat section and intelligence support.

A team of between 30 and 50 military personnel is planned, according to information provided earlier by the RCN.

Chura noted that in November 2016 the Naval Board and the Royal Canadian Navy Dress Committee approved a new “morale” qualification badge for the fledgling unit. “Members of NST’s core leadership team have already begun to wear the badge, and new members will be presented with it once they successfully complete the team’s Collective and Validation training,” he wrote.

RCN to Deploy New Naval Security Teams

Royal Canadian Navy Press Release

By Darlene Blakeley

In an effort to enhance the safety and security of its ships and personnel while on deployment, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is developing a new capability called the Naval Security Team (NST), designed to support specific missions.

The NST will be composed primarily of naval reservists and will include a full-time command team to ensure personnel, training and equipment are available for deployment.

“The NST starts with a command and support cell, and then has other teams attached like Lego blocks as the mission dictates,” explains Commander Jeffrey White, Officer-in-Charge of the NST concept. “These attached layers will include a security or 'force protection' section, a tactical boat section, a mobile repair team and intelligence support.”

The team’s task will include port force protection and host nation liaison, along with support and intelligence requirements in foreign ports.

After selection, the team of approximately 30 to 50 personnel will be trained to meet specific mission requirements. For most force protection missions, this will include use of force, rules of engagement training, more advanced weapons training, small boat tactics, communications, deployed logistics and liaison skills.

Cdr White says that the force protection burden placed on a ship’s company when deployed can be challenging to maintain over time and reduces the availability of personnel to support other tasks, such as maintenance.

“NST seeks to support and help address this deficiency by providing an extra layer of force protection,” he says. “This capability requires short-term commitments that fit well into the lifestyle of part-time reservists, allowing our Naval Reserve to fulfill another role in the defence of Canada.”

During the recent Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, a small group of naval reservists was embedded with a U.S. Navy (USN) team similar to the NST called Coastal Riverine Squadron 1, to learn about its operations. These squadrons, part of the USN Expeditionary Combat Command, provide layered defence for ships at home and in foreign waters.

“This was a unique experience,” says Cdr White. “RCN sailors were afforded the opportunity to better understand how USN reservists assist their Regular Force colleagues through annual training events and pre-deployment readiness checks. RIMPAC 2016 was an outstanding chance for our sailors to dig in and identify specific best practices and lessons learned from our USN counterparts to assist in the development of the NST.”

The inaugural NST will be deployed in the Spring/Summer of 2017 to support ships as part of Westploy, an operation aimed at building strong ties between the RCN and the navies of Asia-Pacific countries, while also promoting peace and security in the Pacific region.