Joint Task Force-Ukraine’s Rotation 16 hands over Operation UNIFIER to Rotation 17
January 30, 2024 - Defence Stories
By Major Christopher Daniel, Senior Public Affairs Officer, Joint Task Force-Ukraine
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Operation UNIFIER Rotation 16’s Task Force Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel James Boddy, presents the pace stick to Chief Warrant Officer Gewan Seeloch, to symbolize the change of appointment for the Task Force Sergeant-Major during a Transfer of Command Authority (TOCA) ceremony in Poland on January 29, 2024.
Photo credit: MCpl Nicolas Alonso, Canadian Armed Forces
On January 29, 2024, Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Ben Rogerson, assumed command of Joint Task Force – Ukraine (JTF-U) from LCol James Boddy during a simple ceremony in Warsaw, Poland. The Canadian Joint Operations Command’s Director General Operations, Brigadier-General (BGen) Timothy Arsenault, presided over the ceremony.
Operation (Op) UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) mission delivering training and aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), continues with the transfer of command authority between Rotation 16 (R16) and 17. Op UNIFIER was launched in 2015 at the Government of Ukraine’s request following Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014. The mission was extended in 2023 through March 2026.
“I am proud to welcome JTF-U’s incoming Commander, LCol Ben Rogerson. His professionalism, ability and drive will be invaluable as Ukraine’s needs evolve. I would also like to express my appreciation to LCol James Boddy and his team for their exceptional leadership and accomplishments during Rotation 16. They have considerably advanced the mission during their tour and positioned it for long-term success,” said BGen Arsenault.
JTF-U trained 2,914 Ukrainian recruits during R16. The Task Force (TF)’s six training elements delivered leadership development training in Latvia, recruit training in the United Kingdom, and combat engineer, medic, tank, and artillery maintenance training in Poland. The TF also recently started delivering instructor training across all its training lines of effort. In addition, the TF supports the wider CAF efforts to deliver Canadian and Coalition donations to Ukraine and collects key lessons from the war in Ukraine to help prepare the CAF to address similar threats, if necessary.
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The new Commander of Joint Task Force-Ukraine (JTF-U), Lieutenant-Colonel Ben Rogerson, assumed command from Lieutenant-Colonel James Boddy during a Transfer of Command Authority (TOCA) ceremony in Poland on January 29, 2024.
Photo credit: MCpl Nicolas Alonso, Canadian Armed Forces
“I am grateful to the team for their outstanding efforts during our rotation. Their commitment to providing tough and realistic training prepared the AFU personnel for the challenges they will face on the battlefield. It also helps give Ukraine the qualitative edge it needs to defeat Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of its sovereign territory,” said LCol Boddy.
As the incoming Commander of JTF-U, LCol Rogerson leads 330 deployed CAF personnel who are committed to providing Ukrainians with the training and equipment needed to defend their country’s sovereignty and independence.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to support the AFU at this critical time. Thanks to the work done by previous rotations and our preparation, we are well situated to enhance our Ukrainian partners’ capabilities while learning from their experience,” said LCol Rogerson.
The CAF has trained nearly 40,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel since Op UNIFIER began in 2015. Canada has also donated over $2.4B in lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine since February 2022. As the mission continues to evolve, Op UNIFIER demonstrates the CAF’s value as a partner and that Canada remains committed to supporting Ukraine and contributing to European security.