Mishall RehmanExercise ROGUISH BUOY 2016 gives Canadian combat divers an opportunity to prepare for highly skilled engineer reconnaissance tasks while fostering international relationships with five other nations. The exercise is currently taking place from Jan. 31 to March 1 near Comox Lake, B.C.
In this exercise divers practice navigation under water, terminal guidance and focusing on collecting information under water.
The exercise aims to prepare Army dive teams to conduct diving tasks in support of operations authorized by the Government of Canada. The collective training allows Canadian soldiers to prepare for if and when they are deployed on missions. It also tests their ability to work alongside other NATO partners. The exercise has welcomed divers from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, U.K. and the U.S.
“Exercise ROGUISH BUOY 2016 is a challenging exercise demonstrating the excellent underwater capabilities of Canada and our allies. Hosting such exercises ensures we are well prepared for a wide range of situations below the surface,” said Minister of Defence, Harjit Sajjan.
Ex. ROGUISH BUOY 2016 is the last part of a three-year cycle of exercises to better prepare Canadian combat divers. Exercise ROGUISH BUOY 2014 and 2015 welcomed Canadian and international dive teams to enhance their underwater demolitions and hydraulic/thermal breaching strategies, and practise ice diving search and recovery operations.
Combat divers are pushed to their physical limits and surviving the training is no easy feat.
“Becoming a combat diver is a difficult endeavour for combat engineers. It’s really the fittest and most ambitious within the combat engineers that try out to become combat divers and are successful at it. It’s really strenuous, both mentally and physically, and requires a lot of technical abilities to be able to do a good job under water,” said Capt. Harry Morrison.
The exercise is organized by the Army Dive Centre located at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in the 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.
** featured image courtesy of Canadian Forces Combat Camera Sgt Yannick Bedard,
IS01-2016-0002-040**
