Vanguard Magazine

46 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com THe lAST WORD Adding to maritime blindness, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)'s blue-water op- erational jurisdiction keeps our Navy away from the public eye and distant from the public consciousness, earning the moniker "Silent Service." The Center for Interna- tional Maritime Security, a Washington D.C.-based Center for International Mari- time Security, notes that the U.S. Navy addresses this "blindspot" in the pub- lic knowledge by conducting a series of Fleet Weeks across the country to educate Americans, by "bringing exposure to the sea services, even in those corners of the country far from a sea." The RCN has adopted a unique ap- proach. Its Canadian Leaders at Sea (CLaS) Program is "aimed at proactively engag- ing with Canadian stakeholders to tell the RCN story, invigorate the RCN brand, and showcase the RCN to Canadians." As the name suggests, the direct targets of this program are Canadian leaders in public life, business, academia and media. RCN senior staff hopes these opinion leaders will convey their perceptions and experiences to their respective networks of family, friends, colleagues, employees, constituents and as- sociates "to increase overall public aware- ness and understanding of the RCN's role in their defence, security and prosperity as a recognized Canadian institution." To become "CLaS-mates," participants must embark a Canadian warship or sub- marine at sea for one to three days, in ei- ther a Halifax Class Canadian Patrol Frig- ate (CPF), Victoria Class Hunter-killer Submarine (SSK) or a Kingston Class Mar- itime Coastal Defence Vessel (MCDV). The Harry DeWolf Class Arctic & Off- shore Patrol Vessels (AOPV) will be in- cluded in the program when they join the fleet. This gives participants an opportunity to live among and interact with the RCN's sailors to gain a deeper understanding of their mission in service to Canada, to learn about their life at sea, to understand the training that each sailor receives in ad- dition to their actual job, see first-hand the complexity of each evolution, and to understand how each team and sub-team interacts with others and how the whole ship's company sails and operates a Cana- dian warship. "It is difficult to express the depth of my gratitude for the hospitality, profes- sionalism and care that our hosts and the [HMCS] Ottawa crew demonstrated to- wards us," wrote Joan Wiggins – Vice President & Investment Counsellor, RBC Phillips, Hager & North Investment Counsel Inc., Victoria, BC – to RCN Commander Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd fol- lowing her September 2018 sail in HMCS Ottawa. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime op- portunity and one that would make any Canadian proud of our country and those in Canadian military service. The trip was a wonderful balance of adrenaline, intro- spection, learning and camaraderie." Most recently, the RCN held CLaS alumni meetings in both Halifax and Esquimalt during Battle of the Atlantic weekend from May 3-5. Some 35 partici- pants came from across Canada to contin- ue their involvement with their Navy. The group included a diverse mix of Canadi- ans and included business and community leaders, academics and journalists. Partici- pants covered costs associated with their travel and accommodations. During at-sea CLaS events, in-transit travel and accom- modations before boarding the vessel and the return to their homes are the respon- sibility of participants, in accordance with Treasury Board regulations. As Vice-Ad- miral Ron Lloyd noted, their participation used no public funds. "CLaS-mate" opportunities are nor- mally led by an RCN flag officer. The At- lantic and Pacific Commanders of Mari- time Forces accompany their respective groups and, circumstances permitting, the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy will escort one of these groups, in- dicating the significance of this initiative. They provide strategic context for the work that RCN sailors do, and the op- erations conducted by the Navy on, be- low and above the ocean, showcasing the skills and technology the RCN employs in defence of Canada and in operations around the world. While at-sea, CLaS participants have op- portunities to see many of the ship's re- sources in action, including the operations room, bridge team, weapons, engineer- ing, high-speed maneuvering and damage control, and they participate in many of the routine activities of life in a Canadian warship or submarine. Participants also have the opportunity to see the Navy's shore-based resources as well, including Regional Joint Operations Centre, ship repair and maintenance and training facilities. "Canadian Leaders at Sea (CLaS) is about engaging with Canadians and en- couraging their interest in, and support of, the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)," incoming Com- mander RCN Vice-Admiral Art McDon- ald explained to Vanguard. "Our goal is to foster a better understanding of the role of the RCN and how we contribute to and support Government of Canada objectives at home and around the world. Through this experience, we (the RCN) also benefit from the input of the participants, leaders in their own fields, which helps us to iden- tify ways to improve how we conduct our business and remain relevant." Tim Dunne is a retired CAF military pub- lic affairs officer with 37 years of service. He has served in Canada, the U.S., Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He has been awarded for his work by the Canadian Public Relations Society and the International Association of Busi- ness Communicators. He was accorded the Order of Loyal Service by the Republic of Bulgaria in 2001. "Our goal is to foster a better understanding of the role of the RCN and how we contribute to and support Government of Canada objectives at home and around the world. Through this experience, we (the RCN) also benefit from the input of the participants, leaders in their own fields, which helps us to identify ways to improve how we conduct our business and remain relevant." — Vice-Admiral Art McDonald

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