1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group soldiers depart for Poland for Operation REASSURANCE

The first batch of Canadian Army soldiers from 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG) departed for Poland, in support of Operation REASSURANCE, this week.

Over the course of the next month, close to 200 soldiers from the Edmonton, AB based brigade’s 3rd Battalion Princess, Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry will be deploying on Operation REASSURANCE.

“Canada maintains a strong commitment to building cohesion with our NATO allies and to operating within the Alliance. Under Operation REASSURANCE, the Canadian Armed Forces provides continued support to our NATO partners through participation in multi-national exercises and training activities,” said Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan.

During their six-month stay in Poland, the soldiers will take part in several multi-national interoperability exercises with NATO allies. Working with Polish, American and other allies, soldiers will participate in airborne and infantry operations training events.

Members of the Canadian Army have been deploying to Eastern and Central Europe since 2014.

“Operation REASSURANCE exercises enhance Canada’s operational readiness and interoperability with our NATO allies and security partners as well as strengthen NATO’s collective capability to respond in a timely and effective manner to a variety of operational contingencies in Central and Eastern Europe and around the world,” stated a Canadian Armed Forces/Department of National Defence press release.