Canadian Army soldiers sharpen combat skills in live-fire exercise
News Release
October 25, 2017 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Approximately 2400 Canadian Army soldiers from 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG) headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, are participating in Exercise IRON RAM over the next three weeks at Canadian Forces Base / Area Support Unit Wainwright.
Exercise IRON RAM will achieve two major goals while ensuring the readiness of the Canadian Army. First, through the conduct of both dry- and live-fire ranges of increasing complexity, 1 CMBG will confirm individual and collective skills as they seek to maintain and improve their warfighting abilities for future deployments. Furthermore, they will support several national-level individual training courses that will be conducted collectively in order to prepare future Canadian Army leaders to operate across the full spectrum of operations.
Under Strong, Secure, Engaged, Canada’s defence policy, the Canadian Armed Forces continues to train its military to anticipate emerging threats and challenges to Canada and Canadian interests. The Canadian Army continues to adapt to changing circumstances by investing in training and capabilities to improve its ability to respond to future threats, challenges, and opportunities.
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Quotes
“In a less predictable world, Canadian Army soldiers need to be able to anticipate, adapt and act in complex combat environments. Exercise IRON RAM will ensure our troops and future leaders are ready to do just that when called upon for operations at home or abroad.”
— Colonel William Fletcher, Commander, 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
Quick Facts
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1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group soldiers participating in the exercise are based in Canadian Forces Base Shilo and 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton.
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Initial groups of personnel and vehicles began deploying to Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in mid-October. The exercise runs from October 23 until November 17, 2017.
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Exercise IRON RAM will test and enhance 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group’s combined arms skill, which is the integration and cooperation of infantry, armour, artillery, and combat engineer elements supported by combat service support elements, such as signals and medical, among others.
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1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group will enter the Canadian Army’s Road to High Readiness (RTHR) in the summer of 2018. RTHR is the Canadian Army’s flagship training regime that prepares soldiers for domestic or expeditionary deployments, as mandated by the Government of Canada.
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This exercise will ensure the core competencies of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group units are maintained in preparation for the intense training regimen demanded by the Road to High Readiness and confirms that a Canadian Army brigade group is fully prepared for domestic or expeditionary operations.
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The second part of the exercise will involve roughly 120 participants from units across Canada and 80 staff members from the Combat Training Centre based at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown. 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group soldiers will support the following four courses:
- Combat Team Commander Course;
- Dismounted Infantry Company Commander Course;
- Development Period 4 Squadron Sergeant-Major Course; and
- Development Period 4 Company Sergeant-Major Course.
Associated Links
- 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group website
- 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Facebook
- 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Twitter
- Canadian Armed Forces Career Options
- Canadian Army website
- Canadian Army Facebook
- Canadian Army Twitter
- Canadian Army YouTube
- Canadian Army Flickr
- Canadian Army Instagram
Contacts
Captain Derek Reid
Public Affairs Officer, 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
Phone: 780-973-4011, ext. 7415
Email: derek.reid2@forces.gc.ca
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-996-2353
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca