by Staff   We’re not quite into “For the want of a nail … the kingdom was lost” territory, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin. But for want of anti-tank weapons, air defence and counter-uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), defending troops, vehicles and headquarters in a future battle would be exceedingly difficult. As the Army begins to scale the 10-nation enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group in Latvia to the strength of a multinational brigade, it must fill at least three capability gaps to meet that NATO obligation — portable anti-tank missile systems, air defence and counter UAS. “Cana ..read more

This Issue Digital Experiments Integrating Combat Enablers Dispersed and Connected Command Better Industry Engagement IEDs: Detect and Defeat Defining LUV Planning Civil Assistance Reconstituting the Force ..read more

by Dave Jones and Bruno Perron   The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is either currently engaged with or intends to go to market with an impressive group of large-scale Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) projects that will deliver the next generation of digitally-enabled warfighting capabilities. It is crucial that these programs are shaped by the doctrinal ambition of Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) so that the interoperability challenges of systems from the network-centric warfare era are avoided. Unlike our U.S. p ..read more

by Sean W. Havel   In July of 1870, in the spa town of Bad Ems, a polite conversation between a Prussian King and a French diplomat took place over the candidacy of a Hohenzollern prince to the Spanish throne. The two departed on good terms, despite the King’s refusal of the diplomat’s demands to withdraw the candidacy of the Prince. The King then asked his Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, to release an account of the events. Bismarck’s press release – which should have created little fanfare on the European stage – became the catalyst for the rise of the German Empire. At full liberty to i ..read more

by Chris Thatcher   If you’ve ever wondered what S.W.A.T, CSI, NCIS, and Code Black might look like all rolled into one, meet the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU). Part special forces operators, part forensic scientists, part police detectives, and part medical response specialists, the unit provides an agile and rapid response for detecting, identifying, and mitigating chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) risks in support of special operations missions. “We ask a lot of our people,” acknowledge commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Geoff Mundy. “We are very ..read more

by Kevin Wang and HengLiang Wu   Recent combat experiences in Ukraine have shown that portable anti-tank weaponry gives infantry a chance to fight against armoured targets, which are immune to rifles and grenades. The large variety of such weapons can be divided into two categories: Rockets and missiles. The Canadian Army is no stranger to these weapons, as they have long been used. However, due to a change in NATO doctrine emphasizing air- and armour-based anti-tank capabilities and federal budgetary issues, training and procurement of infantry-based anti-tank capabilities have fallen be ..read more

by Chris Thatcher   As two Bell CH-146 Griffon helicopters alternated high and low sweeps overhead, a CH-147F Chinook cleared the treeline and rapidly descended into a clearing. Its wheels touched the gravel just long enough for a medical team and four force protection soldiers to clear the rear ramp, then it was airborne again, circling away to avoid ground fire. The force protection detail quickly took up positions facing a cluster of trees and dense scrub. A technical vehicle had been spotted on a nearby road by the Griffons as they overflew the area on the route in and nobody was sure ..read more

by Ian Coutts   In the world of electromagnetic warfare, what you can’t see can definitely hurt you. Wherever we are in the world today – this includes our own homes as well as in the modern battlespace – we are immersed in a bath of electromagnetic radiation. From the perspective of electromagnetic warfare, that includes everything from microwaves to low frequency radio waves. Radios, wi-fi systems, satellite navigation tools, even modern watches, all emit signals – and those signals can be discovered, tracked, disrupted, and blocked by an adversary. Making sure what we can’t see in the ..read more

by Chris Thatcher   In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, NATO allies responded with the formation of enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Groups in eastern Europe as one of several deterrence measures. The Canadian-led battle group in Latvia stood up in June 2017 and consisted of combat elements from five partners – Albania, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain. Five years on, the multinational formation attached to a Latvian Land Forces mechanized infantry brigade has grown to 10 nations, including the Czech Republic, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovakia, and is now a ..read more

La version française de cet article est disponible après le texte anglais. by Chris Thatcher   When you’re confronted by a determined foe, sometimes the only solution is to blow the bridge. After a hard-fought battle to seize the strategic crossing earlier in the day to prevent an enemy force from advancing to the main highway, the infantry company and combat engineers now faced reports of enemy reinforcements crossing the border to the south and moving toward the bridge. With few other options available, the engineers placed charges and, in a thundering explosion, destroyed the bridge. T ..read more