HMCS Moncton and Summerside Sail toward West Africa for NEPTUNE TRIDENT

DND Press Release 

HMCS Moncton at Sea (DND File Photo)

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Summerside and Moncton, both Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV), sailed for West Africa today to participate in Neptune Trident 17-01. Neptune Trident 17-01 is the overarching Royal Canadian Navy deployment to West Africa, and includes engagements with West African nations to support joint training and foster relationships in the Gulf of Guinea region.

While deployed, the Kingston Class Coastal Defence Vessels HMCS Summerside and Moncton, and a detachment of personnel from the Maritime Tactical Operations Group (MTOG) will also participate in Obangame Express 2017, an at-sea maritime training event led by U.S. Naval Forces Africa. MTOG will work with regional partners to support joint training for maritime interdiction which aims to delay, disrupt, or destroy criminal or enemy forces or supplies en route at sea. Obangame Express 2017 is designed to improve cooperation among participating nations in order to increase maritime safety and security in the region.

“The Royal Canadian Navy’s participation in Neptune Trident 17-01 demonstrates Canada’s ongoing commitment to conduct international multi-ship readiness training with like-minded nations. This is an exceptional opportunity for the RCN to work in cooperation with global partners in joint training activities to promote Canada’s ability to successfully work together with partners and allies on multinational operations and missions.” said  Harjit Singh Sajjan, Minister of National Defence

“The officers and sailors of HMC Ships Summerside and Moncton will be exceptional ambassadors of Canada during this important work in West Africa. Neptune Trident is an exceptional opportunity for the operational competencies of the Royal Canadian Navy to be used in a capacity building undertaking in an area of stated interest by the Government of Canada. Already, we have learned so much from the planning of this deployment and through staff visits with African counterparts and look forward to building on the lessons learned from the deployment. I wish the ship’s companies of Summerside and Moncton a most rewarding and memorable deployment.” said Rear Admiral John Newton, Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic and Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic

Previous RCN engagements in the vicinity of the Gulf of Guinea include:

• HMCS Toronto – Circumnavigated Africa as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, 2007
• HMCS Fredericton – Op Chabanal. Assistance to RCMP counter-drug interdiction off Angola, April-May 2006
• HMCS Halifax – Demo of Canadian Patrol Frigate to South Africa, with port visits enroute, 1997
• HMCS Quebec (cruiser) – Circumnavigation of Africa. A training cruise that constituted first RCN port visits anywhere outside of the Med-Suez-Red Sea route, January-April 1955

MTOG includes specially trained teams prepared to confront a variety of threats in high-risk maritime environments. They deploy onboard Halifax-class frigates and Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessels and can also deploy ashore on operations. Teams are prepared for inspections and searches for illegal cargo but are also trained in hand-to-hand combat, improvised explosive device identification, close quarters fighting, and tactical shooting.

Port Visits by HMCS Summerside and HMCS Moncton during Neptune Trident 17-01 aim to improve cooperation among participating nations in order to increase maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea. They include:

• Canary Islands
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Liberia
• Côte d'Ivoire

Obangame Express takes place in the Gulf of Guinea with signatory nations of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct and involves numerous African partners, including Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Cabo Verde, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, and Togo.

Obangame, which means “togetherness,” comes from the Fang language of southern Cameroon and other parts of Central Africa.

CAF Special Forces Monitor ISIL Near Syrian border

By:  Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

ERBIL, Iraq — Canadian special forces have shifted their operations in northern Iraq to put pressure on ISIL in places outside the strategic city of Mosul — including along the border with Syria.

The objective: To figure out the good guys from the bad so Iraqi military forces and coalition aircraft can attack.

Canadian special forces look over a Peshmerga observation post, Monday, February 20, 2017 in northern Iraq. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

High atop a rocky hilltop Monday, two Canadian soldiers sat in a makeshift bunker located more than a kilometre behind the frontline between Kurdish forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

One bearded soldier looked through a high-powered viewfinder, scanning the small community that lay below, while the other took notes. A camera sat between them in case something interesting appeared.

When the first Canadian soldiers arrived in the country in September 2014, their mission was to help train the Peshmerga to stop and hold back a confident and, until then, undefeated ISIL hoard.

That was the first phase of the now nearly two-and-a-half-year-old mission, before ISIL lost the upper hand.

Now, flying by helicopter from Erbil, the Kurds' capital in Iraq, to the Mosul Dam, one can see the barricades of dirt and defensive positions that helped the Peshmerga stop ISIL from overwhelming northern Iraq.

The trenches and stone buildings hastily constructed during that period two years ago lie abandoned today, as the war — and Canada's role in it — shifted from defence to offence.

Kurdish forces, supported by the Canadians, kicked off a long-anticipated attack to free Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, from ISIL in October.

But the Kurds and their Canadian comrades stopped short of Mosul, as planned. Instead, they shifted to fighting the extremist group in other ways and let the Iraqi military enter and clear ISIL from the city.

Briefing reporters on Monday at Camp Erable, the Canadian military camp in Erbil, a special forces officer said the mission has turned toward identifying and monitoring potential ISIL targets in the region.

That includes keeping tabs through optical sights and other means, on "key enemy movement corridors" between Iraq and Syria as well as areas inside and immediately outside Kurdish territory.

The officer said such monitoring helped locate ISIL forces inside a large town that was sidestepped during the early parts of the Mosul offensive and needed cleaning up.

It also means a decline in the number of times Canadian soldiers have actually fired their weapons in recent months, the officer said, as potential targets are relayed to the Iraqis and coalition for destruction.

Canadian special forces man an observation bunker, Monday, February 20, 2017 in northern Iraq. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The special forces officer, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said the nature of the Mosul offensive had meant Canadian troops often found themselves in situations where they were required to fire.

That isn't the case now, he said, adding that Canadian soldiers are specifically told to set up in locations where such circumstances are unlikely.

The Canadians continue to work with the Peshmerga. At the hilltop encampment, a number of fighters from the Kurds' elite Zeravani stood guard on the perimeter while others relaxed inside.

In fact, the special forces officer said his soldiers have started working on a program that will train some Kurds to take on the role of instructors themselves.

Capt. Dhyab Mohammed Omar, commander of the Peshmerga fighters, praised his Canadian comrades and the contribution they had made in helping the Kurds fight ISIL.

"We are always honoured to have them at our positions," he said. "It was my wildest dream to work with the Canadians. Having them show up and help us, we would die for them."

While much of the attention surrounding Canada's mission in northern Iraq has been focused on the role being played by the special forces, they aren't operating alone.

Roughly 150 Canadian troops are stationed in Erbil, including a helicopter squadron, logistical staff, and medical personnel, all in support of the special forces mission and broader coalition fight against ISIL.

Four Griffon helicopters from Canadian Forces Base Valcartier ferry troops and equipment from Camp Erable to the special forces troops in the field every day, zipping low like dragonflies over fields, around hills and past isolated communities to avoid enemy fire.

"The challenge here is the more (power) wires and the weather during winter," said Maj. Mathieu Bertrand, commander of the helicopter squadron. "We had some fog. But generally, the weather is good."

A Canadian Forces Griffon helicopter flies over a Internal Displaced persons camp near Erbil, Iraq, February 20, 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Meanwhile, a Canadian military hospital located within Camp Erable's small footprint, which itself is part of a larger coalition base dominated by the U.S., stands ready to provide aid to those wounded in battle.

While the hospital, whose personnel hail from CFB Petawawa, has treated more than 100 patients for various injuries, Lt.-Col. Richard Morin said only 13 had received battlefield wounds. None were Canadian.

"The predominance of cases we're getting are emergency department-type casualties or patients that you would get when you get over 5,000 military troops all in one place," he said.

The hospital has also treated a handful of ISIL fighters who were wounded and detained by coalition forces, which Morin said falls in line with the laws governing war.

"We actually understand even in conflict, there are rules that you need to follow that … respects the dignity of life," he said. "That's what makes us different."

The entire effort is underpinned by logistical personnel, led by Lt.-Col. Dominique Dagenais, who are responsible for Camp Erable and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.

Dagenais said the biggest challenge he faces is ensuring new personnel get their Iraqi visas in time to replace those who are nearing the end of their deployments.

The Iraqi government has in the past dragged its feet when it comes to Canada's mission against ISIL, including delaying deployment of the military hospital and signing off on a plan to arm the Kurds.

— Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter

HMCS Saskatoon sets sail on OP CARIBBE

DND Press Release

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Saskatoon left Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt Monday to participate in the counter-drug mission, Operation CARIBBE. In 2016 alone, the Royal Canadian Navy “contributed to seizing or disrupting 5,750 kg of cocaine and 1,520 kg of marijuana,” the RCN noted in a news release.

In its last 10 years of participation in Operation CARIBBE, the RCN has contributed to seizing or disrupting over 66 metric tonnes of cocaine and almost 4 metric tonnes of marijuana.

Canada set to Renew OP UNIFIER in Ukraine

By: ROBERT FIFE AND MARK MACKINNON, The Globe and Mail 

Canada is set to renew a military mission training Ukrainian troops to confront Russia-backed separatists in the east of Ukraine, despite concerns in Kiev over delays in announcing the extension of the program.

The Trudeau cabinet has not yet announced the extension of the two-year-old non-combat mission, dubbed Operation Unifier, which expires on March 31. The silence has sparked worries in Kiev, where the Ukrainian government is anxious for Western reassurance following the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed interest in striking some kind of bargain with Russian President Vladimir Putin that could include lowering U.S. sanctions imposed over Moscow’s role in Ukraine.

“The longer it takes to [extend] the mission, the more our concern is rising,” Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko, told The Globe and Mail in an interview at his office in Kiev.

But a senior Canadian government official said Ukraine didn’t need to worry about the future of Operation Unifier, which has seen a rotating contingent of 200 Canadian troops train more than 3,100 Ukrainian soldiers since arriving in the country two years ago.

“Canada understands that Ukraine, and everybody who is a stakeholder and supporter, really wants mission renewal,” the senior official said. “There is nothing unique about going through a mission renewal process and there is absolutely nothing unique about how this one is being done. It is a routine renewal from a government that has been making positive signs.”

Mr. Prystaiko said Ukraine was broadly concerned by the Liberal government’s efforts to rebuild relations between Ottawa and Moscow, which were in a deep freeze under former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, who famously told Mr. Putin to his face that he needed to “get out of Ukraine.”

The efforts of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to restart contacts with Russia via forums such as the Arctic Council have rung alarm bells in Kiev, which is concerned that Canada’s previously unwavering support for Ukraine may be weakening.

“Each and every thing – even if it’s not connected [to the war in Ukraine] – will be used by Russia back home to say, ‘Look, these bloody Westerners, they realize they were wrong, they are looking for ways to reconnect with us,’” Mr. Prystaiko said.

But the senior Canadian government official noted that as recently as Friday, Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance reiterated Canada’s support for Ukraine at a conference in Ottawa. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has also repeatedly expressed Canada’s support for Ukraine, as has Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Ms. Freeland, in particular, is seen in Kiev and Moscow as a staunch backer of Ukraine, having opposed many of her predecessor Stéphane Dion’s efforts to reach out to Russia during his 14-month stint as foreign minister. Ms. Freeland is among 13 Canadians who are barred from entering Russia under sanctions imposed by Moscow in retaliation for Canada’s own measures targeting Russian and Ukrainian politicians over the annexation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine’s Donbass.

Canada, Britain and the United States have had military trainers in Ukraine since the summer of 2015, arriving one year after Moscow – furious over a pro-Western revolution in Kiev – annexed the Crimean Peninsula and helped stir up a separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in three years of fighting, which has spiked again in recent weeks after a relative lull during the second half of 2016. Alexander Hug, deputy head of a monitoring mission deployed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, told The Globe and Mail that the situation around the front line is currently “very unstable” and that a serious escalation is possible.

While Russia has helped the separatists build a formidable army – the self-declared “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Lugansk are estimated to possess some 700 tanks, more than the combined German, French and Italian armies – Ukraine has been reliant on Western military training and other non-lethal aid to help it combat a foe that at times has had the support of regular Russian soldiers.

In addition to basic infantry tactics, the Canadian troops taking part in Operation Unifier have given crash courses to Ukrainian soldiers in subjects ranging from combat first aid to the handling and disposal of explosives.

The training is done at a former Soviet military base in the western Ukrainian town of Yavoriv, some 1,200 kilometres from the front line. The current rotation of Canadian troops are drawn primarily from the 3rd Canadian Division, while 200 members of the 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry are currently training in Edmonton for an expected March 1 deployment.

Britain announced in January that it would renew its own training mission in Ukraine. U.S. military trainers are committed until 2020.

The recent surge in fighting around Donetsk and Lugansk comes amid confusion about the depth of U.S. political support for Ukraine under the new Trump administration.

Russia, meanwhile, hasn’t wavered in its backing of the separatists. Mr. Putin announced on Saturday that his government would begin recognizing passports and other documents issued by the Donetsk and Lugansk “people’s republics.”

The move was condemned as “alarming” by the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, but the Ukrainian government is worried by the lack of public support from Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants to see a better relationship between Washington and Moscow. The Kremlin, in turn, has been forced to repeatedly deny accusations it aided Mr. Trump’s run to the White House by hacking e-mail accounts and spreading disinformation.

RCAF Active over Syria; Canada Waiting on US before Extending OP IMPACT

By: Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

PERSIAN GULF – Canadian military personnel involved in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are waiting to see what shape their mission will take in the coming months – a decision that could be heavily influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

More than 800 service members are currently deployed in half-a-dozen locations across the Persian Gulf region, after the Liberal government revamped Canada’s contribution to the American-led war against ISIL last year.

Two Canadian surveillance planes have flown hundreds of sorties to identify potential targets for coalition airstrikes.

While the majority of those missions have been over Iraq, a senior Canadian commander revealed Sunday that the aircraft have also flown dozens of times over Syria in recent months.

“We have done work in Syria,” Brig.-Gen. Shane Brennan, commander of Canada’s Joint Task Force-Iraq, told reporters during a media tour of the mission, though he added: “There’s lots of work to do in Iraq. We are looking at all of the areas.”

The flights over Syria have also included a different Canadian plane that has been refuelling coalition aircraft directly responsible for bombing or otherwise destroying ISIL forces and other targets.

The increased Canadian military activity over Syria, which Brennan described as between 20 and 30 missions in the past few months, is only one indication that the war against ISIL is shifting into a new phase.

As Brennan was speaking at an airfield, the location of which the military didn’t want revealed for security reasons, Iraqi forces were launching their long-awaited assault on western Mosul.

READ MORE: Mosul civilians trapped indoors as Iraqi forces bombard ISIS targets

The battle, which comes about a month after Iraqi forces declared the eastern part of the city free of ISIL, has been billed as a defining moment in eventually freeing Iraq from the extremist group’s grip.

While the fight for the city’s western half is expected to be much harder than what came before, Brennan was adamant that victory was a certainty.

“There is a battle that is ongoing and will be won,” Brennan said. “It’s an inevitable event.”

Less certain is what role Canadian troops will play when the current mandate, which also includes a military hospital, special forces troops and a helicopter detachment in northern Iraq, expires in March.

Military commanders are drawing up options based on a number of factors, including the expectation that ISIL will become a traditional insurgency in Iraq, which would require more police and counter-terrorism forces.

Canadian Brig.-Gen. David Anderson, who is leading an international team of military advisers in Iraq’s defence ministry, said his group recently submitted a two-year plan focused on exactly that.

There are also concerns that the group will try to spread outside Iraq and Syria, which is why Canada helping strengthen border security in Jordan and Lebanon.

The military will present three options for the government to choose from in the coming weeks in deciding the future of the mission.

Yet one big wild card is what direction the U.S. military will go, after President Trump blasted the slow progress of the fight against ISIL and ordered a 30-day review to consider new options.

U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis is expected to visit Iraq in the next week or so before presenting his recommendations later this month.

Exactly what Mattis will recommend, both in Iraq and Syria, is wide open for speculation.

But Brennan said the results could have a big impact on what Canada decides to do given the need to ensure a unified and co-ordinated international effort in the fight against ISIL.

“It does depend what happens,” Brennan said. “We are waiting as well. I think the question is: What else needs to be done or could be done?”