Canadian Armed Forces
needs merging; see below
Canadian Forces (CF) refers to the combined branches of the military forces.
Mission
Canada's armed forces are charged to provide a multipurpose, combat-capable military service that is ready and able to:
- protect Canada effectively from a direct military threat;
- respond to terrorist activities
- help Canadians during times of domestic crises caused by environmental or other disasters;
- assist government agencies to handle civil emergencies, protect Canada's fisheries, interdict illegal drugs; provide search & rescue services
Canadian Forces also have a long history of leadership in multi-national peacekeeping and humanitarian relief efforts worldwide.
Force structure
Defence is one of the few Canadian national institutions that are solely under federal authority. All forces ultimately report to Canada's National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, which is responsible to the Minister of National Defence. The military chain of command leads to the Chief of Defence Staff while civilian personnel report to the Deputy Minister of National Defence. Regular forces currently stand at approximately 60,000 personnel. In 2000, the government committed to an increase in Army Reserves to 18,500 with plans for greater integration of regular and reserve forces. CF troops are supported by 19,000 full-time civilian employees.
The Governor General is the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian armed forces. This is a ceremonial position without power.
The structure of the Canadian Forces originated with a multi-service model based on British traditions. In 1964, an act of Parliament combined the army, navy and air force into a unified force under a single command. Unification was highly controversial at the time and, since then, the branches have regained much of their distinct character and organization.
Canadian Forces includes Land Forces Command or LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications Command or CC, Training Command or TC), Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Rangers.
Canadian army brigades are administered through four geographically determined area commands:
- LF Atlantic Area based in Halifax NS
- LF Quebec Area based in Montreal
- LF Central Area based in Toronto
- LF Western Area based in Edmonton.
In each command (except Atlantic), regular force troops comprising a mechanized brigade group (CMBG) are supported by reserve forces in nine brigade groups. Regular forces in the Atlantic command are based in the Combat Training School at Gagetown.
Canadian naval forces are deployed through bases in Esquimault BC on the west coast and in Halifax NS on the east coast. The Canadian fleet is comprised of 12 multi-role patrol frigates, 4 area air defence destroyers, 4 long-range patrol submarines and 12 coastal defence vessels, supported by supply ships, surveillance aircraft and anti-sub helicopters. The vessels are more or less evenly divided between the two bases.
CF air wings are located at 13 bases across Canada under the direction of 1-Canadian Air Division and Canadian NORAD Region based in Winnipeg MB. A Canadian component of the NATO Airborne Early Warning Force is based in Geilenkirchen, Germany. Wings vary in size from several hundred personnel to several thousand. Principal aircraft include the CF-18 Hornet tactical fighter, CP-140 Aurora/Arcturus long-range patrol aircraft, CH-146 Griffon tactical transport helicopters and CC-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
JTF2 is recruited from all CF units for counter-terrorism and special forces operations.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's federal police force, also works cooperatively with regular forces in counter-terrorism, drug interdication and international peacekeeping missions.
The Rangers are a part-time reservist organization providing surveillance and patrol services in Canada's most remote areas.
History
Canadian troops in colonial times served as regular members of British forces and in local militia groups. After Confederation in 1867, Canada's forces remained under British command until the turn of the 20th century. Canadian militia defended their homeland in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and in the Fenian Raids. A Canadian expeditionary force assisted Britain in the Boer War.
Canadian soldiers, sailors and aviators came into their own through conspicuous service in World War I, World War II and Korea.
Since 1947, the CF has undertaken 73 operations worldwide. In 2002, nearly 3000 Canadian troops were on active duty in 11 additional operations including the international war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the NATO stabilization force (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Canadian regular and reserve troops are a visible and respected force at home as well. In 2001 alone, the Canadian Forces responded to more than 8,000 search and rescue incidents and helped to save more than 4,500 lives.
Other Topics
needs merging: from Military of Canada
Military branches: Canadian Forces (includes Land Forces Command or LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications Command or CC, Training Command or TC. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP are the national police force, are part of the Canadian Forces Reserves. The headquarters of the entire Canadian Forces is in Ottawa, Ontario.
History
The Canadian Armed Forces date to the War of 1812 when Canadian militia units were formed to assist in defending British North America from the invasions by the United States. The Royal Canadian Navy was created in 1910 and the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1924.
The Canadian Forces or its component regiments have fought in the War of 1812, the Fenian Raids (1841-1871), North-West Rebellion (1885), the Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, the First Gulf War, and have contributed to UN and other peacekeeping missions and undeclared wars, notably the Suez Crisis, Cyprus, Croatia, Bosnia, and the War on Terrorism (Afghanistan). Canada is a charter member of NATO and a member of the North American Air Defence treaty (NORAD).
At the end of World War II, Canada possessed the third largest navy and fourth largest air force in the world, as well as the largest all-volunteer army ever fielded (conscription was only introduced near the end of the war, and no conscripts actually made it into battle). Defence spending and manpower remained high during the early years of Cold War but began to decline in the 1960s and 1970s as the perceived threat from the Warsaw Pact diminished. Throughout the 1990s successive budget cuts have forced further reductions in the manpower, number of bases, and fighting ability of the Canadian Armed Forces. Sizable Canadian air and land forces were maintained in West Germany under NATO command from the end of World War II until the early 1990s.
See also: Canadian military history
The Navy
Maritime Command (Canadian navy) is the senior command of the Armed Forces, and has approximately 20 modern deepwater warships including 4 tribal class destroyers, 12 Halifax-class frigates, 4 submarines and several 1960s-era steam-driven destroyer escorts that are based in Halifax and Victoria. The Naval Reserve maintains a fleet of Marine Coastal Defence Vessels for coastal patrols.
The Army
Today, Land Force Command (Canadian army) consists of three field-ready brigades: 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Edmonton, Alberta, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Petawawa, Ontario, and 5e Groupe-Brigade mechanisé du Canada in Valcartier, Quebec (the Francophone brigade). Each brigade contains one regiment each of artillery, armour, combat engineers and infantry (all scaled in the British fashion), as well as a service battalion (logistics), a field ambulance, a headquarters/signals squadron, a tactical helicopter squadron, and several minor organisations. Major training establishments and non-brigaded troops exist at Gagetown, New Brunswick, and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Well-known regiments in the army include Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 1 Brigade, The Royal Canadian Regiment in 2 Brigade, and Le Royal 22e Régiment or the 'Van Doos' in 5e Brigade.
The Canadian Militia, or Army Reserve, is divided into under-strength brigades (effectively just for purposes of administration) organised geographically, and has a strength of about 15,000. The Militia is very active and has participated heavily in all Canadian army deployments in the last decade, in some cases contributing as much as 40% of each deployment in either individual augmentation, as well as occasional formed sub-units (companies). The Militia contains many of Canada's most historic regiments, including The Toronto Scottish Regiment, Les Voltigeurs de Québec, and The Royal Newfoundland Regiment.
The Air Force
Air Command (Canadian air force) flies F-18 fighter aircraft as well as combat and search and rescue helicopters. Air Command is located in Winnipeg and major air bases are located in Cold Lake, Alberta, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Bagotville, Quebec, and Trenton, Ontario.
Canada also hosts significant amounts of flight training for allied NATO air forces, as Canada possesses air-combat or ground-attack ranges nearly the size of Europe.
Some History
Unlike the British and U.S. armed forces, the Canadian Armed Forces is a single organisation with a unified command structure. Between 1965 and 1969 the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) were combined into one service. The British-style uniforms (khaki, navy blue and sky blue) of the three services were abandoned in favour of rifle green. The traditional navy and air force rank names were replaced by their army equivalents, with naval-style rank badges for officers and army-style for non-commissioned members. In practice, Maritime Command continues to use the traditional naval rank names (colonel = captain etc.) but Air Command did not retain its rank names (major not squadron leader). The unification had a terrible impact on the morale of the Air and Maritime Commands and accomplished little in cost savings. In an effort to restore morale, Maritime and Air Commands were allowed to return to their traditional navy and sky-blue uniforms in the mid 1980s. See also Military history of Canada for more.
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,391,120 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 7,158,016 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 216,488 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7.861 billion (FY01/02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY01/02)
- See also : Canada, List of Canadian Military Operations
External link
Referenced By
Adrienne Clarkson | Chris Hadfield | Front de Liberation du Quebec | Front de Libération du Quebec | Front de Libération du Québec | HMCS Bonaventure | Kingston, Ontario | Marine | Marines | Militia | Naval infantry | Peter Dmytruk | Quebec City Summit of the Americas | Quebec City protest | Quebec City protests | Royal Military College of Canada | Timeline of Quebec history (1960 to 1981) | Trenton | Wu Bingzhi
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