1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group on the road to high readiness

Canadian Armed Forces 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG), based out of Edmonton have embarked on the 3rd Canadian Divisions road to high readiness.

As of July 1st, 2018 3rd Canadian Division was appointed the responsibility for preparing soldiers who will be deploying on international and domestic operations. 

The Road to High Readiness training program was created to ensure soldiers are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. The progressive and challenging training is hosted at the Canadian Armed Forces training areas in Wainwright, AB, and Shilo, MB from now until June 2019.

Colonel Bob Ritchie, Commander 1 CMBG says training activities will be decentralized to cultivate the fundamental soldier skills, by day and night, for success in full spectrum operations. 

“We will then converge in April and May 2019 for combined arms live fire training followed by dynamic force-on-force scenarios using instrumented simulation,” says Col. Bob Ritchie, 1 CMBG. “We are undertaking this journey to deliberately prepare Canadian Army soldiers to deploy on international operations during the period 1 July 2019 to 31 August 2020 in support of the foreign and defence policy objectives of the Government of Canada.”

Once the Road to High Readiness is completed, 3rd Canadian Division will be responsible for High Readiness, Canadians can expect 3rd Canadian Division regular and reserve soldiers to deploy next summer. Deployments include Latvia, in support of NATO defence and deterrence measures, Ukraine, for training and capacity-building of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Middle East, in support of the international coalition to degrade and defeat ISIL and finally Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of South Sudan in support of UN stabilization missions in Africa.

The army works off a three-year cycle that rotates throughout the Divisions. Each Division will be on the Road to High Readiness training once every three years. 1 CMBG is currently on the Road to High Readiness, while 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Valcartier, Quebec is currently at High Readiness and 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Petawawa, Ontario is in the support phase.

“I expect all members of our team to adhere to our shared Soldier Standards which will enhance our mobility, survivability and sustainability against peer adversaries,” says Col. Bob Ritchie, 1 CMBG. “We will also make deliberate investments in our readiness, resilience and growth over the next year, including training tactically and realistically in an austere environment.  And in the interim, the Canadian Army remains ever strong, proud and ready for concurrent operations at home and abroad on behalf of the Government of Canada.”

The next RTHR training exercise will be Ex UNIFIED RESOLVE (stage 2), February 2-7, 2019.

For more information about the Road to High Readiness training program click here.