Commander of the Canadian Army Visits Deployed Troops in Poland and Ukraine
News Release
June 20, 2016 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse, Commander Canadian Army, travelled to Poland and Ukraine from June 14 to 18, 2016, to visit with Canadian soldiers deployed on Operations REASSURANCE and UNIFIER. During his visit, he also met with senior officials.
Members from the 2nd Canadian Division, located in Quebec, are currently deployed on operations in Central and Eastern Europe. They are achieving two distinct missions: on Op REASSURANCE, troops support broader NATO assurance measures, and on Op UNIFIER, the focus is on capacity building of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Quotes
“Canada’s commitment to Operations REASSURANCE and UNIFIER provides opportunities for the Canadian Army to contribute to stability in Central and Eastern Europe. I was pleased to see our soldiers working with ease alongside our regional allies and partners.”
Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse, Commander Canadian Army
Quick Facts
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Operation REASSURANCE is the broad heading of military activities undertaken by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in support of NATO’s request for enhanced assurance measures to promote security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe. Canadian Army personnel have been deployed under Op REASSURANCE since 2014 to participate in various training events, with a view to enhance Alliance interoperability and readiness.
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Approximately 170 Land Task Force members participated in Exercise ANAKONDA (from June 6 to 17, 2016), a large-scale, multinational exercise in Poland involving more than 30,000 soldiers from 23 nations, as well as 3,000 armoured vehicles, 60 aircraft, and a dozen ships.
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Operation UNIFIER is Canada’s military training mission to Ukraine since 2015. The training activities with the Ukrainian Armed Forces are focused on military capacity building and professional development.
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On June 15, 2016, Commander of the Canadian Army, Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse and Senior Associate Deputy Minister, National Defence, Mr. Bill Jones inspect the Joint Task Force Ukraine quarter guard before beginning their visit to the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre (IPSC) in Starychi, Ukraine. (AK51-2016-042-003)
Photo: Capt J.P. Coulombe, JTF-U PAO
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