Vanguard Magazine

Canada's Minister of National Defence, Harjit S. Sajjan, announced on No- vember 2 that the Government of Canada is proceeding with the acquisi- tion of a sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS). Norway. This will provide CAF personnel with the opportunity "to improve national command and control of multi-national joint force operations within a NATO context." "Exercise Trident Juncture will demonstrate our solidarity with the NATO Alliance and provide an opportunity for our troops to further develop their skills and enhance the Canadian Armed Forces' ability to operate jointly and with our Allies," said Lieutenant-General Michael Rouleau, Commander, Canadian Joint Operations Command. "Our presence will be robust and will signal the importance of this exercise to our military operations abroad." Canada gives the green light for a sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship About 2,000 Canadian troops participate in NATO's largest exercise in three years "I am delighted to confirm today that the Royal Canadian Navy will re- ceive a sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, as outlined in our defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged," said Sajjan. "This versatile vessel will offer greater capabilities to our women and men who will sail on the AOPS and will bolster the RCN's future operational capacity." The decision for a sixth ship came about after careful consideration of adequate funding and the modified production schedule of AOPS. Years ago, Canada committed to procuring five to six Harry DeWolf-class ships in honour of Vice-Admiral Harry DeWolf, a Canadian wartime naval hero. The acquisition of these ships is through the AOPS project, which is part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). These ships will help boost the presence of the RCN in the Arctic be- tween June and October and provide the navy with unescorted access to areas of the Arctic that were previously inaccessible. "These ships will enhance the RCN's capacity to operate in the North while continuing to contribute to a wide range of security, humanitarian and capacity building operations at home and around the world," said Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, Commander of the RCN. Three ships are in full production and steel cutting for the fourth ship is planned for this winter. The first ship, HMCS Harry DeWolf, is now in the water and is expected to be delivered to the RCN in summer 2019. 10 DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com S Sit REp Two mega-blocks of the future HMCS Harry DeWolf were moved out of the Halifax Shipyard this summer. Image: RCN. About 2,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel are in Northern Eu- rope participating in Exercise Trident Juncture 2018. This exercise, running from October 25 to November 7, is the most significant one for NATO in re- cent years. Troops from more than 30 NATO and partner nations totalling more than 50,000 will "train together to demonstrate that NATO forces are ready to counter any threat," according to a press release from National Defence. "Canada's participation in Exercise Trident Juncture is a demonstration of our unwavering commitment to NATO and the principle of collective de- fence, as well as maintaining strong relationships with our Allies and part- ners," said Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence. "This large-scale NATO exercise is about ensuring NATO forces are trained and ready to re- spond to threats against the Alliance." The troops will train "in a collective-defence readiness scenario" in keep- ing with Article 5 of the NATO Treaty. This section of the Treaty points out that if one Ally is attacked, it is deemed as an attack against all Allies. In preparation for Exercise Trident Juncture 2018, the CAF operated a three-year joint training program to become fully ready for this main joint training exercise. Running for a week from November 1 will be the live portion of the NATO exercise, in which personnel and resources from the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force and NATO Allies and partner na- tions will participate. During the exercise, CAF troops will operate under the Joint Task Force

• Cover