DT News interview: LCol Perreault on JOINT WARFIGHTING ASSESSMENT 2021
Video / July 2, 2021
Transcript
(SVH) JOINT WARFIGHTING ASSESSMENT 2021 recently took place at Fort Carson, Colorado. 107 Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed physically and 144 participated remotely from Valcartier, Québec in this multinational computer-aided exercise led by the U.S. Army.
Lieutenant-Colonel Francois Perreault, Chief of Staff for 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group joins us today to discuss how the exercise reinforced existing relationships and interoperability with CAF allies in several warfighting domains.
So what exactly were CAF members assessed on during this exercise?
(FP) Thank you. I’m pleased to be with you here today. So, the members of 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group took part in Exercise JOINT WARFIGHTING ASSESSMENT by deploying to Fort Carson, in Colorado. So, we sent a forward tactical command post of about 100 people and the rest of 5 Brigade’s HQ stayed in Valcartier. The goal of the exercise was really to test the Canadian Army’s interoperability with its allies and partners.
(SVH) How do these assessments support the overall objective of this exercise?
(FP) So, it was really... One of the main goals was to test the interoperability of our systems in the Canadian Army with those of our allies. So, the Americans, the Australians, the British who were taking part in the exercise. So, we had many objectives. And also, we had to assess certain capabilities of the future. So, the exercise was taking place around the year 2028. So, we had to determine and assess some of our capabilities, whether we met interoperability criteria with our allies and partners.
(SVH) Did pandemic measures still influence how the exercise was conducted this year?
(FP) Yes, well, of course, as you said, the exercise took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, it had a bit of an impact on planning. So, for example, we weren’t able to carry out tactical reconnaissance at Fort Carson, in Colorado. So, yes, we adjusted our measures. We deployed fewer people to the front, to the United States, because of the pandemic. However, we made sure to follow all health measures both in Canada and the US during the exercise.
(SVH) Anything else you’d like to add?
(FP) Yes, well, I think that the members of 5 Brigade enjoyed taking part in the exercise, a futuristic exercise like that, and it enabled us to really test, develop and, especially, get a report on the capabilities we had to assess to ensure that the Canadian Army of the future will be on a more solid footing.
(SVH) Thanks for joining us today, sir.
(FP) My pleasure, thank you.
Page details
- Date modified: