Vanguard Magazine

HMCS Charlottetown completes deployment of Operation REASSURANCE Canadian Army to participate in NOREX 18 in the Arctic 10 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 www.vanguardcanada.com Over 230 members from 4th Canadian Division, the Canadian Army in Ontario, will participate in Northern Exercise 2018 (NOREX 18) in and around Resolute, Nunavut from February 4 to 17, 2018. The 4th Canadian Division includes members from the 31 Canadian Brigade Group, head- quartered in London, Ontario and the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, headquartered in Petawawa, Ontario. This exercise will see participation from 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, headquartered in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, of which the Canadian Army in Ontario will have the opportunity to work alongside. NOREX 2018 "will be replicating a first response by the Canadian Armed Forces to a major air disaster scenario in an Arctic location," ac- cording to a press release. Participants will be trained on how to plan and respond to this type of disaster. Other training will include "Arctic survival and winter warfare skills in a harsh climate; this will include weapons familiarization, operating sur- vival equipment and conducting patrols." "NOREX 18 will demonstrate our ability to rapidly respond to emergen- cies in the far North within its austere and harsh winter conditions," said Brigadier-General Stephen Cadden, Commander 4th Canadian Division. "These exercises help to improve and sustain our Arctic expertise in sup- port of Canada's defence priorities in Northern Canada and to serve our most remote communities." As part of Canada's Defence Policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged, NOREX 18 is one of the exercises that the Government of Canada is using to ensure sit rep After completing a successful six-month deployment on Operation RE- ASSURANCE, Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Charlottetown was replaced by HMCS St. John's. Since joining the Operation as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) last August, HMCS Charlottetown engaged 13 navies with stops in 11 ports across seven countries. This was HMCS Charlottetown's second deployment on Operation RE- ASSURANCE, following the first which took place in the last half of 2016. During this second deployment, she sailed the Baltic Sea, Northern At- lantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. During this time, the ship was involved in Exercise NORTHERN COAST 17 in the Baltic Sea with the goal to enhance the ability of participants to meet present and future secu- rity challenges in the maritime environment. HMCS Charlottetown was also involved in Exercise BRILLIANT MARINER that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) training meets the highly techni- cal requirements of modern militaries through training and certification. The Policy also provides the CAF with the force size and equipment it needs to succeed across the full spectrum of military operations, includ- ing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peace support opera- tions, or combat, according to the release. "This challenging exercise is an incredible opportunity for our soldiers to test their survivability, mobility, and sustainability in Canada's Arctic while ensuring we can provide support and operate when and where Ca- nadians require us," said Lieutenant-Colonel Perry Rittershofer, NOREX 18 Exercise Director. 17 in the Mediterranean Sea, raining NATO and Partner Forces within the framework of a crisis response scenario. During its deployment, HMCS Charlottetown also contributed to sup- porting a safe and secure environment for civilian vessels operating in the Mediterranean Sea, with the aim of facilitating economic activities within the region as part of NATO's Operation SEA GUARDIAN. "HMCS Charlottetown's officers and crew have worked tirelessly to en- hance NATO's forward-deployed presence, knowing that HMCS St. John's will continue to achieve operational success under the NATO flag," said Commander Nathan Decicco, Commanding Officer, HMCS Charlottetown. Operation REASSURANCE is the Canadian Armed Forces' contribution to NATO's assurance and deterrence measures. This is done through the provision of military capabilities for training, exercises, demonstrations and assigned NATO tasks.

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