Canadian and U.S. forces complete combined swift water bridging exercise on Fraser River

Approximately 30 Canadian Army Reserve soldiers from 39 CER and 60 U.S. Army personnel participated in the exercise, which was held primarily at Island 22 Regional Park.

The training aimed to construct a floating bridge capable of supporting heavy military vehicles—including tanks—across the Fraser River’s strong currents. The raft system consisted of seven modular components – five flat platforms and two ramps – spanning approximately 170 feet when assembled. Each section was transported folded and deployed into the river, where it unfolded automatically. Boat crews then manoeuvred and secured the segments into position.

Captain Kurt Murseli of 39 CER emphasized the importance of realistic training environments.

“Cultus Lake offers wind challenges, but the Fraser River introduces current, which significantly increases the complexity of river‑crossing operations,” he said.

U.S. Army Sergeant Michael Popescu noted the difficulty of deploying equipment in moving water.

“Once the raft sections hit the river, they begin drifting immediately. Our boat crews must be precise and responsive,” he said.

Low water levels and a submerged gravel bar near the shoreline delayed raft deployment during the first week. Crews monitored conditions closely, hoping for rainfall to raise the river level by the one to two feet necessary for safe operations.

The exercise provided valuable training, with U.S. Army Lt Mike Jurczak highlighting the importance of mastering boat logistics.

“Even without assembling the full raft, the experience of loading and unloading boats under these conditions is incredibly beneficial,” he said

Boat operations proved to be the most time‑consuming aspect. Equipment was delivered by truck and lowered into the river using hydraulic cranes. Recovery required co‑ordinated use of wreckers to align and retrieve the vessels.

Despite early challenges, including low water levels, soldiers successfully constructed the floating bridge on two consecutive nights, ferrying one logistics truck across the Fraser River. The fastest completion from the command “GO” was close to two hours and 30 minutes. A rise in river levels due to weekend rainfall created favourable conditions for the nighttime bridge builds.

A Primary Reserve unit, 39 CER is headquartered in Chilliwack, B.C., with additional garrisons in North Vancouver, Trail and Cranbrook, B.C. The regiment is part of 39 Canadian Brigade Group, which maintains Reserve Combat Arms, Combat Engineer and Combat Service Support capabilities.

While bridging operations had occurred at Island 22 for years, Ex COUGAR CASTLE marked the first time this specific river rafting exercise was held. Soldiers from both nations quickly built camaraderie, exchanging unit patches and working seamlessly together.

In the final phase of the exercise, Canadian and U.S. soldiers successfully constructed a floating bridge at night on the Fraser River – demonstrating their ability to operate under low‑light conditions and adapt to environmental challenges.

Lt Jurczak praised the Canadian team’s logistical support.