Backgrounder
Canada Command / Commandement Canada - BG #07.002 - April 16, 2007
The Exercise NARWHAL series is part of the Canadian Forces strategic collective training plan. The first of this series began in 2002; Operation NARWHAL 07 will complete the series. Exercise NARWHAL was designed to exercise Canadian Forces Northern Area, now known as Joint Task Force (North), in the conduct of domestic operations in its area of responsibility, Canada’s Arctic.
Exercise NARWHAL 2002
Exercise NARWHAL 02, a joint exercise between Canadian Forces Northern Area and Maritime Forces Atlantic personnel, took place in July/August 2002. Canadian Forces Northern Area personnel and RCMP members conducted a sovereignty patrol on Resolution Island. Maritime coastal defence vessels (MCDVs), HMCS Goose Bay and HMCS Summerside, conducted port visits to Iqaluit and Kimmirut. The MCDVs also conducted fisheries patrols and provided communications interoperability with personnel deployed on Resolution Island. 440 Transport Squadron Twin Otter aircraft, based in Yellowknife, N.W.T., provided air force support.
Exercise NARWHAL 2004
Exercise NARWHAL 04 was held in August 2004 in the Cumberland Peninsula area of Baffin Island, Nunavut, primarily in Pangnirtung and Iqaluit. The main scenario for the exercise involved locating a downed simulated foreign satellite that had crashed on Canadian territory. Exercise NARWHAL 04 comprised about 600 sailors, soldiers and air men and air women from the following military organizations:
Canadian Forces Northern Area Headquarters (CFNA HQ, now JTFN)
427 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
440 Transport Squadron
G Company, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
HMCS Montreal
Canadian Forces Experimentation Centre (CFEC)
Directorate of Space Development (D Space D)
The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Henry Larsen also participated in the exercise.
Exercise NARWHAL 2005
Exercise NARWHAL 05 was a tabletop exercise which took place in September 2005 in Yellowknife, N.W.T. No troops were deployed for this exercise. Participants discussed scenarios and what each organization would do in response to the events presented.
The two scenarios discussed by exercise participants were:
Threats to the oil and gas industry in the Northwest Territories; and
Major airline disaster in the Arctic.
Personnel from the following organizations participated in the two-day exercise:
Canadian Forces Northern Area Headquarters (CFNA HQ, now JTFN)
Exercise staff from National Defence Headquarters and subordinate headquarters
National Energy Board
Enbridge Pipelines
Imperial Oil Resources
“G” Division Royal Canadian Mounted Police
“M” Division Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Emergency Measures Organizations from Yukon and N.W.T.
National SAR Secretariat
1 Canadian Air Division
NORAD and US Northern Command Training Staff
Exercise NARWHAL 2006
Exercise NARWHAL 06 was a command post exercise which took place in Yellowknife, N.W.T.,
June 5-9, 2006. No troops were deployed for this exercise. A series of exercise events were presented to staff of Joint Task Force (North), which allowed them to proceed with military planning to assist civil authorities. A number of non-military organizations also provided expertise to JTFN on what their organizations would do and how they would interact with JTFN if the scenarios were real.
The three scenarios utilized for Exercise NARWHAL 06 were:
Terrorist threats to the energy sector;
Public health emergency; and
Crash of a commercial passenger aircraft in the Arctic.
Exercise NARWHAL 06 was also the first major exercise for JTFN, which allowed it to practice the new command and control procedures put in place since the headquarters became one of six Canada Command regional joint task forces.
The following organizations participated in Exercise NARWHAL 06:
Joint Task Force (North) Headquarters
Exercise staff from Canada Command Headquarters
1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters
440 Transport Squadron
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton
1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group
National Energy Board
Enbridge Pipelines
Town of Norman Wells
“G” Division Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Public Health Agency of Canada
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Public Safety Canada (Arctic Region)
Government of Northwest Territories: Emergency Measures Organization and the Territorial
Emergency Response Committee
Yukon Government: Emergency Measures Organization and Health and Social Services
Nunavut Government: Emergency Management Organization (Observer)
Operation NARWHAL 2007
Operation NARWHAL 07 is a Canada Command operation designed to exercise Joint Task Force (North) in the conduct of domestic operations in support of other government departments in its area of responsibility. It is a joint and integrated operation involving the deployment of a land, air and joint support elements. This operation will involve about 500 military personnel and is conducted in with the participation of other federal departments, territorial government and the private sector. It will occur in the Northwest Territories April 16-27, 2007.
Joint Task Force (North) Headquarters
Canada Command Headquarters
1 Canadian Air Division
440 Transport Squadron
430 Tactical Helicopters Squadron
407 Maritime Patrol Squadron
Land forces from: 31, 32, 33 and 36 Canadian Brigade Groups
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton
1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group
National Energy Board
Enbridge Pipelines
Imperial Oil Resources
Town of Norman Wells
“G” Division RCMP
Public Safety Canada (Arctic Region)
Public Health Agency of Canada
Government of Northwest Territories: Emergency Measures Organization and the Territorial Emergency Response Committee
– 30 –
