Op NANOOK 2017 Kicks Off

DND Press Release

Operation Nanook 2017 begins today at locations in Labrador and Nunavut. Nearly 900 military and civilian participants will take part in the 10th iteration of Canada’s annual northern sovereignty operation.

Canada’s defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, commits Canada to increase its presence and operational effectiveness in the North. Operation Nanook enables the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to continually enhance its ability to operate effectively in the North while improving coordination with whole-of-government partners in responding to northern safety and security issues.

28 Aug – Members of 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group demonstrate how to make an emergency shelter during survival skills training near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut during Operation Nanook 2016. (Photo: Petty Officer Second Class Belinda Groves)

“The highest level of safety and security in Canada’s North is essential and Joint Task Force (North) consistently strives to respond to all incidents, whether a natural disaster or protection of Canadian sovereignty. However, no single stakeholder is able to operate unilaterally in the vastness of Canada’s North; partnerships must be established and nourished in order to meet operational objectives. Operation Nanook 2017 will provide a unique opportunity for multiple agencies to work together to combat a notional threat to the security of the population of the Hamlet of Rankin Inlet, NU. The benefit of multi-agency planning, coordinated deployment and focused execution is enormous. It permits development of relationships and understanding of capabilities that is essential to ensure a timely response to a real life crisis,” said Brigadier-General Mike Nixon, Commander, Joint Task Force (North).

“The challenging and remote coastal zone of northern Labrador will test the ability of Joint Task Force Atlantic to command and control Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force elements in mobility, surveillance and security tasks. Capitalizing on synergies with other government departments, communities, and industries, defence and security can be assured across Canada’s vast northern regions,” said Rear-Admiral John Newton, Commander, Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force (Atlantic).

For the first time in its history, Operation Nanook 2017 is comprised of two scenarios conducted by two separate Regional Joint Task Forces.

• In one scenario, conducted by Joint Task Force (North), the CAF will work with Other Government Departments and Agencies (OGDA) around Rankin Inlet, Nunavut to respond to a simulated barge fire and explosion.
• In the other scenario, conducted by Joint Task Force Atlantic, CAF members will work with its OGDA partners to respond to a security scenario in northern Labrador.

CAF Searched for 1950s USAF Crash Site - Not Lost Nuclear Bomb

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

Last week I ran some photos of a Petawawa-based Chinook helicopter dropping off and picking up members of 12 Régiment blindé du Canada. The soldiers were conducting new searches in the vicinity of Haines Junction, Yukon for a U.S. aircraft that crashed in 1950. The search was part of activities for Operation Nanook 2016.

I received some emails and twitter traffic from Defence Watch readers who speculated that the search was actually for a lost U.S. nuclear weapon.On February 13, 1950, a U.S. Air Force B-36 experienced engine problems on a training mission, flying from Alaska and along Canada’s west coast. The aircraft was carrying a Mark IV nuclear bomb (without the radioactive material). The engines caught fire and the crew had to bail. The plane’s crash site was found several years later on a mountain in British Columbia and the U.S. military sent a recovery team to collect sensitive material and destroy what remained of the B-36.What happened to the bomb continues to be debated (was it jettisoned or did it go down with the plane?). By the way, author Dirk Septer has a new updated version of his book, Lost Nuke: The Last Flight of Bomber 075, which is one of several that outlines this incident.

So were the Canadian troops looking for the lost nuke?

No, says Major Josée Bilodeau, senior public affairs officer for Joint Task Force North Headquarters. “OP NANOOK 16 activities in the vicinity of Haines Junction included a ground and air search and rescue component this year,” she explained to Defence Watch. “The search (was) for a U.S. military Douglas C-54D Skymaster with 44 U.S. military and civilian individuals on board that went missing on January 26, 1950 somewhere in that area.”

As the search and rescue component of OP NANOOK 16 was already planned, the focus area of the SAR training was co-ordinated with various civilian and other government agencies with the hopes that perhaps the wreckage of this aircraft might be located, she added.

Unfortunately, the crash site was not found.

Two RCN Vessels Leave on Arctic Deployment

Frontline Defence News 

The RCN is deploying two ships to Arctic waters this summer. HMCS Shawinigan and Monctondeparted from their home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, today to conduct sovereignty and surveillance patrols as part of Operations Qimmiq and Nanook 2016.

While at sea, the ships will also be partnering with Canadian Hydrographic Services, Parks Canada, Canadian Coast Guard, and the Arctic Research Foundation to conduct hydrographic surveys.

“HMCS Moncton’s company is looking forward to meeting new people, working with other government departments to assist with making Canada’s North safer for navigation, and demonstrating our interoperability with other units of the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Lieutenant-Commander Nicole Robichaud, Commanding Officer HMCS Moncton

HMC Ships Shawinigan and Moncton will deploy for seven weeks to Canada’s Arctic in support of Operations Nanook and Qimmiq.

Operation Nanook is Canada’s largest sovereignty and presence operation in the North and takes place annually.

Operation Qimmiq is the Joint Task Force (North) surveillance and presence operation conducted continuously throughout the year in Canada’s North.

HMCS Moncton will be in Rankin Inlet on August 29 and HMCS Shawinigan will be in the Hamlet of Arctic Bay on September 8. HMCS Shawinigan will be donating a quantity of backpacks and school supplies to the community.

HMCS Moncton, a Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessel sits anchored alongside the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Pierre Radisson for fuelling in Nunavut during Operation Qimmiq on September 14, 2015. (Photo: Corporal Felicia Ogunniya, 12 Wing Imaging Services, Shearwater, N.S)

Navy Rents Barge to Deliver Fuel to Arctic

The Royal Canadian Navy is supplying its ships through any means necessary. This summer, the Navy rented the Chilean Navies AOR supply vessel for$6 million for 40 days, and are working on leasing a Spanish Navy AOR for the East Coast. The Navy has also announced it will rent the Chilean vessel several more times in the coming years.

Now the Navy has hired a company to move more than 220,000 liters of marine fuel on a barge into the Arctic, so that the Navy could fuel its warships during Northern exercises. The barge was also used to resupply the ships, according to a Navy officer.

Last month the Navy deployed two Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs) to the Arctic from the West Coast. This is the first time in 60 years that ships from Canada's Pacific fleet have ventured into the North. The military identified refueling the ships as a major hurdle in the exercise. The military has experimented with refueling barges before and decided that this was the best way to resupply the ships. Logistics when operating in the North is one of the most difficult tasks for any military when operating in such a remote location.

The Navy originally planned on sailing the barge from CFB Esquimalt, but that proved to me too difficult, and not very cost effective - a journey of more than 6,500 km. Instead the fuel was transported by truck to Mackenzie River, and then towed into the Arctic.

The barge was jointly used to help resupply other ships taking part in the 2015 portion of OP NANOOK.

In 2007 the Harper government announced it would construct a deep-water port and refueling station at Nanisivik on Baffin Island - which was supposed to be operational by 2012 - but it has fallen behind schedule and rising costs will limit the project. It is supposed to be operational by 2018 - and will only act as a refueling station during the summer months. A number of defence analysis inisit the Canadian Forces will need multiple refueling stations in the North if the Navy and the CF will have a larger presence in the future. It would also help Canada's sovereignty claims.

No costs associated with renting the barge have been released.