Your Navy Today - Volume 5 Issue 2

Your Navy Today is a monthly newsletter highlighting your Royal Canadian Navy’s current operations, stories about our sailors and historic naval heroes, new equipment and technology and the top photos and videos. Click here to subscribe to the monthly email.

Defence Minister Anita Anand announced on February 22, 2022, that Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Halifax and an embarked maritime helicopter will be re-tasked and soon join HMCS Montréal on Operation Reassurance. This change-of-mission for Halifax is part of the Government of Canada’s announcement of additional military support to NATO operations in Central and Eastern Europe in the face of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Halifax is now scheduled to join NATO’s Standing Naval Forces in the region, after its planned departure in mid- to end-March. Montréal, which departed Halifax on January 19, 2022, has already chopped into Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea.

HMC Ships Goose Bay and Moncton departed Halifax on January 20 for Operation Projection West Africa, a strategic deployment promoting maritime security and fostering relationships in the West African region.

While in the region, the ships will participate in Exercise Obangame Express 2022 in the Gulf of Guinea. The exercise is sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and is focused on improving regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing practices and tactical interdiction expertise.

The exercise aims to enhance the collective capabilities of the Gulf of Guinea and West African nations so they can continue to counter sea-based illicit activity.

“It was great working with the Royal Australian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force,” said Commander (Cdr) Mark O’Donohue, Calgary’s Commanding Officer.

“Cooperative deployments like this bolster partnerships and improve interoperability.”

Serials conducted focused on electronic warfare, manoeuvring, helicopter and communications exercises, and a replenishment-at-sea.

On February 15, the second Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, the future HMCS Margaret Brooke, departed Halifax to conduct cold weather and ice trials off the coasts of Northern Labrador and Nunavut. These trials are some of the final steps the ships of the RCN’s new Harry DeWolf class undertake before being commissioned into the Navy.

Last year members of Margaret Brooke were on board the first-of-class ship, HMCS Harry DeWolf, while it conducted these same trials, and will benefit from the familiarity they were able to gain with the platform.

Increasing the RCN’s capabilities in the North is one of the key features of the Harry DeWolf class, and Margaret Brooke and other ships of the class will be at the core of an enhanced Canadian Arctic presence over the coming years.

The thick-hulled ships can sail in up to 120 centimetres of first-year sea ice, and come with ample space for helicopters, small vehicles and cargo containers, which are particularly useful when operating in remote regions.

HMC Ships Saskatoon and Yellowknife departed Esquimalt, B.C., on February 21 for a rotation on Operation Caribbe that will last until May.

The two ships conducted a sail past of Clover Point, Ogden Point and Esquimalt Lagoon prior to departure, while family and loved ones stood onshore in various locations to say farewell.

Op Caribbe is Canada’s participation in U.S.-led enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

HMCS Calgary sailed out of dry dock January 8, following completion of its intermediate docking work, performed by Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton in Esquimalt.

The short work period, part of a five-year readiness program, saw preventative and corrective maintenance performed, and tested the ship’s engineering and combat systems following its return home last summer from a lengthy deployment.

Calgary will undergo a more comprehensive extended work period and refit in 2023.

Some of Canada’s newest sailors have already begun their Decentralized Basic Military Qualification serials in Halifax and Esquimalt at Naval Personnel and Training Group’s (NPTG) Naval Fleet Schools (Atlantic) and (Pacific). Courses designed specifically for part-time Naval Reserve members and facilitated by Naval Fleet School (Québec) are in progress, while the residential portion of this training is scheduled to start in May at Camp Vimy in Valcartier, Que.

Once the basic training common to all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members is complete, NPTG supports sailors during the next leg of their journey through the Naval Training System, including training specific to the sea environment, and leadership and trades training. The current training schedule is found on NPTG’s intranet site (available only on the internal DWAN system).

Headquartered in Esquimalt, NPTG is the principal command responsible for the development and instruction of individual training for our sailors. The training group is managing the Basic Military Qualification serials again this year on behalf of the Canadian Forces Leadership Recruit School so that the CAF can continue to force generate while observing health and safety measures related to the pandemic.

The RCN is short roughly 1,000 personnel and leadership is fully aware that our sailors often feel the impacts. This can lead to challenges such as burnout from maintaining a high operational tempo, training delays and lack of consistency in work-life balance. To address this problem, in 2021 the RCN created Project Navy Generation (PNG), an initiative aimed at reviewing the Navy’s entire personnel generation system, from recruiting to various training programs.

As part of its whole-of-organization, multi-faceted approach, the RCN has introduced multiple initiatives to address the issue. Some of these initiatives include ways to make it easier for Reservists to transfer to the Regular Force, new personnel management software that has the capability to improve how the Navy matches deployment and training opportunities with sailor availability, and a new outreach and attractions strategy that will better leverage Naval Reserve Divisions and their previous success at Reserve recruiting.

The RCN was honoured to recognize this year’s Black History Month. Each February, we celebrate the many achievements and contributions made by Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today.

Not just in February, but all year long, RCN Team members are encouraged to celebrate and learn more about the important contributions, both historical and present, made by Black Defence Team members.

The RCN has a new tartan, thanks to the efforts of Petty Officer 1st Class Norman Phee.

New RCN tartan items are now available for purchase at the Canex, but are not yet authorized to be worn with the RCN uniform. The Naval Dress Committee will discuss the matter at its next meeting this spring. Until that time, personnel should wear the tartan items as part of their civilian attire only.

To mark the one-year countdown to the Naval Reserve Centennial, the official graphic identifier was launched on January 31.

After a design competition, a panel of all-ranks members selected the design by Sailor 2nd Class (S2) Joseph Dimayuga, formerly of HMCS Discovery.

“I wanted to incorporate historical images of past sailors, while highlighting the modern Naval Reserve,” said S2 Dimayuga, describing how he came up with the design.

Rear-Admiral (RAdm) Stuart Paddon didn’t set out to be a naval officer.

In 1940, RAdm Paddon and his cohort of University of Western Ontario physics students, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve as sub-lieutenants and were sent across the Atlantic.

“As far as I know, we were the first group of Canadians to hit the Portsmouth Royal Naval Barracks,” RAdm Paddon said later when recounting his wartime service.

Meet Captain (Capt) Rabbi Dr. Noteh Glogauer. Capt Glogauer made history as HMCS Winnipeg’s Chaplain during its recent deployment on Operations Neon and Projection as the first Jewish Rabbi to deploy in an RCN warship.

As the ship Chaplain, Capt Glogauer was the one many on board turned to for support with their most personal issues.

“I was the only Chaplain on ship. It was 259 other people, it was a privilege, and it was on me to develop the relationships and create the openness for people to see that they actually can come and seek support.”

On March 8 during International Women’s Day, take time to meet Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Alena Mondelli, who was named one of Canada’s most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network.

CPO1 Mondelli says this is a win for all women who work as non-commissioned members (NCM) in the military.

“I’m an NCM,” said CPO1 Mondelli, noting that officers are often perceived as being more valuable as leaders than NCMs. “So it means a lot – and it says a lot – especially for women NCMs. We are professionals within the profession of arms. And we are also leaders.”

The Canadian Naval Review (CNR) is holding its annual essay competition again in 2022. A prize of $1,000 will be awarded for the best essay, provided by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust. The winning essay will be published in CNR. Other non-winning essays will also be considered for publication.

Submissions are not to exceed 3,000 words, excluding references, and must be received at cnrcoord@icloud.com by September 30.

Full details on the contest, including required topics, contest guidelines and judging criteria can be found under Submissions on the CNR website.

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