Canadian Army Divisions Overview

1st Canadian Division

Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, the 1st Canadian Division serves as the Army’s high readiness manoeuvre division for expeditionary and major combat operations. Current examples include Operation REASSURANCE, the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia, and Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s training and capacity building mission in support of Ukraine. With forces in five provinces, the Division develops and integrates all key operating functions—command, sense, act, shield, and sustain—enabling decisive action in both major combat and crisis scenarios.

• Deployable division HQ focused on warfighting operations across the full spectrum of conflict
• Mechanized brigades equipped with tanks, other armoured vehicles, and reconnaissance platforms
• Fires brigade delivering long-range precision, and self propelled artillery capabilities
• Combat support brigade integrating air defence, combat engineers, electronic warfare, CBRN, PsyOps, uncrewed systems, and civil-military cooperation
• Sustainment brigade to expand logistics and combat service support
• Light infantry regiment providing rapid, deployable forces for Arctic, remote, and global response tasks

2nd Canadian Division

Headquartered in Montréal, Quebec, the 2nd Canadian Division is the Army’s foundation for the defence of Canada. It builds trained and integrated teams drawn from the Reserve and the Regular force, and projects them across the country to assert Canada’s sovereignty and respond to domestic emergencies and other contingencies. It counters emerging threats alongside CAF and government partners, denies adversaries the ability to threaten Canada’s territory and critical infrastructure, and persists through a resilient national network that sustains operations and enables mobilization in times of crisis.

• Land component command for the defence of Canada
• Lead for Canadian joint domestic operations south of the 60th parallel
• Immediate response units for domestic crises and contingency operations
• Territorial battle groups for flexible operations
• Canadian Ranger Group for Arctic surveillance and community liaison
• Arctic Response Company Groups who deploy in the Arctic when needed
• Contributions to expeditionary operations
• Close partnerships in support of a whole-of-government approach to defence
• Strong ties with emergency management organizations across Canada

Canadian Army Support Division

Based in Kingston, Ontario, the Canadian Army Support Division provides the foundational infrastructure, services, and technical expertise in support of Army operations. It maintains links with Canada’s supply chains and has support groups across four regions, ensuring consistent readiness, effective mobilization, and support to domestic and expeditionary missions.

• Institutional backbones for the Canadian Army
• Support groups aligned to the West, Centre, East, and Atlantic regions
• Unified command of bases, garrisons, and detachments
• Standardized command and control across support units
• Technical services, equipment maintenance, and depot level sustainment
• Support for Army training and education through infrastructure and services
• Infrastructure development to support future Army growth and modernization

Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre

Based in Kingston, Ontario, this organization is responsible for individual and collective training and for professional military education across the Canadian Army. As the Army Training Authority, it sets standards and designs training systems to generate ready land forces. It ensures soldiers and leaders are prepared for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges while adapting doctrine and training to evolving threats.

• Maintains the CA’s intellectual foundation through doctrine, lessons learned, and continuous adaptation
• Commands all CA training establishments and schools
• Aligns training and readiness with divisional operational requirements
• Plans, supports, and validates collective training at the brigade level and above
• Trains Army Reserve soldiers through battle schools
• Designs training programs, qualifications, and standards
• Integrates simulation and modern training technologies

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