Canada welcomes allies for counter-explosive exercise

Operations at an international counter explosive exercise held at 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, have concluded with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) able to ‘confirm and consolidate individual and collective skills’ in countering explosive threats.

Exercise Ardent Defender ran from October 20 to November 2, 2023, and welcomed approximately 150 members from partner nations, including personnel from the US, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Brigadier-General Stéphane Masson, commander of 5th Canadian Division, said: ‘The ability to pull lessons from the battlefield and inject them into our training as quickly as practicable helps the Canadian Army build a strong, relevant capability for CAF operations.’

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The exercise featured approximately 180 CAF members including counter-explosives experts working alongside scientists from Defence Research and Development Canada. It focused on ‘contemporary operating environments’ such as eastern Europe and explored threats from improvised and conventional explosive ordinances.

Canadian Army commander Lieutenant-General Jocelyn Paul added: ‘Operating in a world that is divided along multiple fault lines reinforces the importance of allies and partners. Taking the opportunity to come together, share lessons learned and understand each other better enables us to face potential adversary threats in the future.’

Organised by the Canadian Armed Forces Joint Counter Explosive Threat organization, the 2023 event marked the 10th edition of Exercise Ardent Defender.