Exercise Resilient Resolve

Backgrounder / February 25, 2016

Starting in March 2016, about 100 Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) personnel mainly from Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Bagotville, Quebec, and four CF-188 Hornet fighter aircraft will conduct bilateral training with the Romanian Air Force in Constanta, Romania, for about a month.

Exercise Resilient Resolve is being conducted to foster relations between the RCAF and the Romanian Air Force while exchanging best practices. While not part of Canadian Armed Forces Operation Reassurance, this exercise continues to build on the strong relationship between Canada and Romania, an important NATO ally, strengthening our mutual confidence in using common NATO procedures.

Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel David Turenne, the Air Task Force personnel are from 2 Wing and 3 Wing, based in CFB Bagotville, while the CF-188 aircraft will deploy from Kuwait, where they were based during their employment on Operation Impact. As part of the Operation Impact mission transition, the CF-188 Hornets, associated aircrew, and support personnel are departing Kuwait in a phased approach in the coming weeks.

The CF-188 contingent comprises members from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron, based at 3 Wing Bagotville, and is supported by personnel from other units at CFB Bagotville. This squadron previously deployed to Câmpia Turzii, Romania, in the spring of 2014 as part of NATO’s assurance measures.

2 Wing will provide a scaled and tailored Airfield Activation Surge Team as part of the Air Task Force that will include personnel from 2 Air Expeditionary Squadron and 8 Air Communications and Control Squadron. 2 Wing is the RCAF’s air expeditionary wing, which exists to rapidly deploy either in whole or in part as a self-contained unit, employing air power and providing associated support wherever needed, throughout Canada or around the world.

The Air Task Force construct is an integrated force with all the necessary operations and support functions that deliver agile, task-tailored, scalable, readily deployable, expeditionary aerospace power. The CF-188 is Canada's frontline multi-role fighter, and its pilots are trained to perform air defence, air superiority, training, and tactical support missions.