Members of Canadian Special Operations Fores Command conduct pre-mission training for Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER 2024 in Petawawa, Ontario, on January 16, 2024. (Photo: supplied)
K-J Millar
Shilo Stag News
OTTAWA, DND – The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will participate in the largest North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercise in decades in rehearsal for their Deterrence and Defence plans to counter threats to the Euro-Atlantic area.
More than 1,000 CAF sailors, soldiers, aviators, and special forces members will participate in Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER 2024 to demonstrate NATO’s ability to conduct sustained, multi-domain defensive operations.
General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff said the deployment of CAF personnel and assets alongside NATO and Allied forces in Alliance territory serves as a powerful and unmistakable message of deterrence to potential adversaries and reassurance to Allies.
“This collective display of strength and readiness reinforces our commitment to safeguarding the security and stability of the region, sending a clear signal that any threat to our shared values and interests will be met with a unified and resolute response,” he said in a Jan. 24 press release.
The exercise will take place over several months, simulating an Article 5 attack by an adversary with similar capabilities.
Article 5 is a cornerstone of the NATO agreement and provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.
STEADFAST DEFENDER 2024 runs from the end of January until the end of May 2024 and is divided into two main parts. The first part will be largely maritime-based and will focus on the defence of the North Atlantic and Arctic waters, while the second part will test NATO’s ability to rapidly deploy reinforcements across all domains in defence of Central and Eastern Europe.
The exercise will also serve as an important milestone for the Canadian Army’s future Forward Land Forces Multinational Brigade Latvia, as the second part of the exercise will see the future command team integrate with their higher NATO command in the planning and execution of defensive combat operations.
During the second half of the exercise, the Canadian Army will deploy more than 100 additional vehicles, including Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV) 6.0 and Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV), to Latvia as part of the commitment to scale the existing Battle Group in Latvia to a combat-capable Multinational Brigade Latvia. In Summer 2024, Canada will also deploy four CH-146 Griffon helicopters to Latvia and periodically deploy CH-147 Chinooks as well, starting in the Fall of 2025
Participating CAF assets include Canadian patrol frigate HMCS Charlottetown with an embarked CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, and the Canadian-led enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia, having for the first time, a Canadian Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank squadron.
NATO is a cornerstone of Canada’s Defence Policy, and Canada has been contributing to NATO’s enhanced defence and deterrence measures in Europe since the invasion of Crimea in 2014. This exercise will provide a valuable opportunity to strengthen the CAF’s ability to project, integrate, and sustain operations within the NATO command and control structure, the media release states.
In development for over three years, STEADFAST DEFENDER 24 will see more than 90,000 military personnel, as well as more than 50 naval assets, over 80 aircraft, and more than 1,100 combat vehicles, exercised across multiple domains (maritime, land, air space, and cyber) through a series of integrated plans, overseen by an enhanced command structure.
Canadian Army personnel will participate in Exercise Crystal Arrow in Latvia in March, as well as Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia in May. Additionally, Canadian Special Operation Forces Command members will participate in exercise NORDIC RESPONSE in Norway in March. These exercises fall under the wider umbrella of STEADFAST DEFENDER 24 and are opportunities for soldiers to closely work with our NATO allies.
During the second half of the exercise, the Canadian Army will deploy more than 100 additional vehicles, including Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV) 6.0 and Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV), to Latvia as part of the commitment to scale the existing Battle Group in Latvia to a combat-capable Multinational Brigade Latvia. In Summer 2024, Canada will also deploy four CH-146 Griffon helicopters to Latvia and periodically deploy CH-147 Chinooks as well, starting in the Fall of 2025.
with files from the Petawa Post