Tactical Aviation Provides Support to NATO Strategic Planning Efforts

June 29, 2023 - Defence Stories

By: LCol Andrew Webb, SHAPE ACOS J5 XO

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has been accelerating planning efforts to deter and defend the 31 Alliance States. This has been no small undertaking, and a request from Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe (SHAPE) for augmentation to the J5 Division was picked up by the RCAF, providing four tactical aviation captains from 1 Wing.

The individuals, Captains Jeremy Billard from 427 SOAS, Pascal Proulx from 430 ETAH, with Chris Knauer and Brandon Kerr from 408 THS, seamlessly integrated themselves into an international team of senior planners from January until May 2023. Originally deployed to be proofreaders for the plans, they quickly adapted from their tactical level to working at a strategic headquarters and embraced the requirement to review and align the work.

“I really enjoyed my time at SHAPE. Contributing to NATO in general was a great experience,” stated Capt Proulx, a CH146 Griffon pilot. For Capt Billard, an AERE officer serving in Petawawa, it gave him a new perspective on the Alliance. “I realized how little I knew about NATO. I knew the broad strokes but I didn’t know the fine details. But I’m looking forward to going to back to Canada and seeing how I can apply what I’ve learned here.”

The Canadian National Military Representative at SHAPE, Brigadier-General Gervais Carpentier, was extremely pleased with the performance of the Captains and grateful of the RCAF providing the augmentation. “This was a fantastic opportunity, being able to satisfy the requirements of NATO planning efforts in these unique times, while instilling into the next generation of CAF leaders the importance of this Alliance and the opportunities it represents. Serving full time in NATO or in augmentation like in this case, we are proud that Canadians always rise to the challenge and provide great benefits to the organization.”

As a founding member of the Alliance, Canada has remained among the most engaged, agile, deployable and responsive armed forces within NATO, has the sixth-largest defence budget and has contributed to nearly every NATO operation since the founding of the Alliance.