Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE tests 1 CMBG’s tactical skills

February 11, 2019 - Tim Bryant, Western Sentinel

Along the Road to High Readiness, there are many objectives for 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG) as they prepare for any potential missions.

The most recent of which being Exercise UNIFIED RESOLVE, which took place Feb. 2-8, 2019, at 3^rd Canadian Division Support Base (3 CDSB) Edmonton.

Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE is designed by the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) as a high-level, headquarters training exercise, with the goal being to ensure 1 CMBG headquarters is set up and ready to take on the task of being at the top of the batting order for deployments in July when the brigade enters its High Readiness stage, explained Lieutenant Matthew Howse with CMTC.

A purely virtual exercise, Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE aims to simulate a battle scenario without actually having troops and equipment on the ground. This means that despite there being nearly 1,400 personnel involved, it’s a much smaller and more nimble exercise.

This year’s edition of Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE features a near-peer enemy invading the Canadian allied nation of Atropia. Canadian and allied forces are tasked with repelling the enemy Arianan forces from Atropia and back across the border into Ariana.

Lt Howse explained a near-peer enemy is one that is roughly on par with the military capabilities of NATO forces.

Colonel Bob Ritchie, Commander 1 CMBG, explained Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE is an invaluable tool in both learning how well prepared 1 CMBG is for its deployment roles, and improving the skills necessary to be successful when deployed, while acknowledging it is only one step on the Road to High Readiness.

“This training event provided an authentic forum for leaders to hone command and control capabilities in a synthetic environment before deploying our soldiers to Wainwright for Ex MAPLE RESOLVE in May 2019,” he wrote in an email.

Ex MAPLE RESOLVE is the live-fire, on-the-ground version and continuation of Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE that serves as the final proving ground for 1 CMBG prior to deployment.

Col Ritchie added 1 CMBG went into Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE with its own set of areas on which it wanted to focus.

“Specific focus areas for Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE 2019 included leveraging formation and joint enablers, integrating Regular and Reserve elements, and optimizing our multinational interoperability with key allies,” he wrote.

A lot of moving parts went into making Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE successful, and many were not limited to the tests 1 CMBG was faced with.

With the exercise being purely virtual, having working computer and communications infrastructure was vital. That’s where people like CMTC G6 Major Jeffrey Vant Klaphek, who was the lead co-ordinator of signals and connectivity for the exercise, come in.

Maj Vant Klaphek explained the tech level preparation work for Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE began nine months ahead of the exercise. Actual setup at 3 CDSB Edmonton started on Jan. 7, 2019.

The first task on the ground was running the wiring through the Lecture Training Facility, so both the secure tactical network and the administrative network could run properly. This included partitioning off the 1 CMBG network to maintain exercise security.

A major wrinkle this time was also looping in a connection to Petawawa, Ont., so 2 CMBG would be able to take part in the exercise as an additional training audience. The testing for that link took place in November 2018.

In total, Maj Vant Klaphek and his team linked together nearly 500 devices, including 250 for the tactical side of the exercise.

And with international members from Latvia, the United Kingdom and the United States also taking part in the exercise, it was necessary to provide them with special permissions to be able to access the Canadian systems.

The British contingent, 5 Rifles, was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Ridland.

LCol Ridland explained 5 Rifles was roleplaying as 12 Armoured Infantry Brigade, one of the four brigades under the leadership of 1 Multinational Division within the confines of Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE.

He added he felt it was important to do training exercises under the guise of a multinational arrangement because that’s how a lot of international deployments currently operate.

“It’s really important we build up and learn how to develop those common operating procedures and maintain those common operating procedures, so when we do deploy on operations, it works as seamlessly as possible,” he said.

While 5 Rifles is on its own road to high readiness, LCol Ridland said his unit’s role at Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE is more about support. Nonetheless, there are lessons to be taken out of the experience.

He cited three areas where being at an exercise like Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE can bring about improvements: developing planning procedures, execution, and multinational co-operation.

Speaking to improving execution, LCol Ridland explained the simulation software being used in Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE takes in the plan you are seeking to execute and tells you how successful it could be. But, it will also react if you missed something and essentially ‘punish’ you for that mistake.

“That really brings the reality and importance of getting your planning right, because otherwise it’s people’s lives at stake,” he said.

Another member of the support team providing assistance to 1 CMBG was Captain Joshua Rumbolt with 4 Engineer Support Regiment from 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. Roleplaying as a support squadron under a U.S. engineering battalion, he was linked up with a battle group and supporting its forward advance with bridging assets.

As an example of his tasks, Capt Rumbolt said the group’s main effort at one time was to do a water crossing. As an engineering battalion, he had two methods of assisting with crossing the water: a medium floating raft and a medium girder bridge. Once a crossing was in place, the battle group could cross and establish a bridgehead on the other side and carry on its way.

In other cases, if the battle group encountered enemy forces and suffered losses, Capt Rumbolt would take stock of his inventory post-encounter and relay that information up his chain of command.

“My goal is to make any of this that happens on the simulation as realistic as possible,” he said.