Building the Future of Canadian Fires

Article / September 23, 2026 / National Defence

The 1st Canadian Artillery Brigade and Army Modernization

 

Key message: The new brigade is not simply another headquarters. It is intended to integrate the people, sensors, networks and weapon systems needed to find, decide and act faster on the modern battlefield.

 

By CWO G. Cloutier and Col M-E Bégin

A Brigade for a New Era
The establishment of the 1st Canadian Artillery Brigade (1 CAB) marks an important milestone in the evolution of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (RCA) and in the Canadian Army's broader modernization effort. It reflects a clear operational reality: modern fires are no longer defined by guns alone. They depend on the ability to connect sensors, target acquisition, digital command-and-control networks, intelligence, and weapon systems into a coherent and responsive fires system. As the Canadian Army modernizes for division-level operations, this integration will be essential to generating the reach, protection and decisive effects required on the modern battlefield.

Rooted in History, Built for the Future
Artillery brigades are not new to Canada's military history. During the First World War, Canadian artillery formations deployed overseas as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, providing the massed firepower that supported operations in France and Belgium. In the decades that followed, many artillery brigade structures evolved into regiments as doctrine, equipment and force design changed. Today, the new brigade does not seek to recreate the past. Instead, it reintroduces a brigade-level artillery headquarters with a modern purpose: bringing together and integrating the people, sensors, networks, weapon systems and other capabilities required to generate responsive and precise fires in contemporary operations. This reflects the broader transformation of the RCA into a division-enabling capability within a modernized Canadian Army.

What Is Changing
While artillery regiments will remain the foundation of the RCA, the 1st Canadian Artillery Brigade will provide the Canadian Army with something it has not possessed for generations: a formation dedicated to integrating and commanding modern fires capabilities. Beyond traditional artillery systems, the 1 CAB will connect sensors, target acquisition assets, digital networks and future long-range precision strike capabilities into a single operational framework. By bringing these capabilities together under one headquarters, the 1 CAB will help reduce the time between detecting a target and delivering effects, enabling commanders to make decisions and act more quickly. This ability to detect, decide, deliver effects and reposition rapidly will also contribute to mobility, survivability and force protection by reducing the time that gun lines and their operators remain exposed to counter-fire and other threats.

Enabling Army Modernization
The modern battlefield is faster, more transparent and more contested than ever before. Recent conflicts have demonstrated the importance of rapidly finding, fixing and engaging targets while protecting friendly forces from enemy fires. The 1 CAB will help the Army develop the procedures, training and digital integration needed to operate in that environment. It will also strengthen interoperability with allies by supporting common approaches to targeting, fires coordination and command-and-control. Together, these efforts will contribute to the Canadian Army's ability to conduct modern combined arms operations at division scale and to generate credible, responsive and survivable combat power in contested environments.

How 1 CAB Will Operate
The 1 CAB will operate as a nationally integrated formation rather than a traditional organization concentrated in one location. Its headquarters will be located at CFB Edmonton, alongside 1st Canadian Division and other key divisional enablers, while subordinate capabilities and supporting units may remain distributed across Canada. Through common procedures, digital connectivity and centralized fires coordination, the 1 CAB will synchronize capabilities across units, bases and formations. This approach allows the Army to generate modern fires effects while maintaining close links with supported formations and joint or allied partners.

Investing in People and Readiness
Technology alone will not deliver modernization. The success of the 1 CAB will depend on trained, disciplined and adaptable gunners who can master new systems while preserving the professional standards that define the RCA. Master Bombardiers, Sergeants and Warrant Officers will be central to this transformation. They will translate intent into action, mentor soldiers, enforce standards and ensure that new capabilities are integrated into everyday training and operations.

Conclusion
The stand-up of the 1st Canadian Artillery Brigade represents an important step in building the future of Canadian artillery. It connects the Regiment's history with the operational demands of tomorrow and provides the Army with a dedicated formation to integrate people, processes and capabilities. As part of Canadian Army modernization, the 1 CAB brigade will help build the integrated fires capability required for division-level operations. Rooted in tradition but focused on the future, the 1 CAB will help ensure that Canadian artillery remains ready, relevant and capable of delivering decisive effects in support of Canada, the Army and allied operations.

Source notes for review

Historical references are based on public Canadian military history and lineage sources, including Canada.ca official lineages for Canadian artillery regiments and the Royal Canadian Artillery Association historical overview of the First World War.

Operational details marked with brackets, including final headquarters location, subordinate structure and specific capability assignments, should be confirmed against approved Canadian Army/RCA direction before publication.