Duty CallsUncategorized
Operation REASSURANCE
On September 22 approximately 100 Canadian Army soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment departed Trenton, Ontario, for Eastern Europe. The personnel are participating part of military activities undertaken by the Canadian Armed Forces to support NATO. Operation REASSURANCE was initiated in the wake of the Putin regime’s aggression. The 3 RCR contingent, part of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group based in Garrison Petawawa, will relieve another contingent of soldiers who were participating in Operation REASSURANCE and returned to Canada September 24.
The Canadian Army has engaged in a number of training exercises with Canada’s NATO allies as part of Operation REASSURANCE, including, Exercise STEADFAST JAVELIN II, Exercise GNIEZNO, Exercise PEGASUS KORSARZ, Exercise SABRE STRIKE and Exercise ORZEL ALERT. “The Government of Canada remains firmly committed to building regional stability and security in Eastern Europe. Canada and its international allies continue to condemn the aggression of the Putin regime and its attempts to undermine the security and sovereignty of Ukraine,” said the Honourable Rob Nicholson, PC, QC, MP for Niagara Falls and Minister of National Defence.
Operation REASSURANCE refers to the military activities undertaken by the CAF to support NATO Reassurance Measures through the provision of military capabilities for training, exercises, demonstrations and assigned NATO tasks. “When Canadian Army soldiers participate in multinational training exercises, it is an opportunity for them to enhance their war fighting skills and increase interoperability with our international partners. In addition, our soldiers have gathered a wealth of operational knowledge and experience from previous missions and Operation REASSURANCE is one platform where they can share their expertise with Canada’s allies. Our soldiers are Strong, Proud and Ready for the call of duty at anytime and anywhere in the world,” said Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse, Commander Canadian Army. The CAF’s response in support of NATO’s request promotes security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe, and demonstrates Canada’s steadfast commitment to allies in the region. Canadian soldiers have been training with our NATO allies as part of Operation REASSURANCE since early May of 2014.