Canada to send 4 warships, 800 military personnel to world's largest naval exercise
The Canadian military will send four warships and 800 soldiers, sailors and aviators to this summer’s Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world's largest naval warfare exercise.
The decision was finalized at a meeting earlier this month in San Diego that was attended by senior defence staff from Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore.
Two Canadian navy frigates from British Columbia – HMCS Vancouver and HMCS Winnipeg – will be accompanied by Cyclone helicopters, an Aurora patrol plane and a pair of coastal defence vessels, HMCS Brandon and HMCS Edmonton, at the exercise this summer off Hawaii and California.
The Department of National Defence says the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has drawn Canadian frigates from Halifax to Europe in support of NATO’s deterrence measures against Russia, will not affect scheduled naval training in the Pacific region.
"Planning for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) participation in exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) continues as originally planned despite events in Ukraine," National Defence spokesperson Véronique Sabourin said in an email.
"Our operational readiness management programs ensure the readiness of the CAF to conduct concurrent operations through participation in and execution of specific exercises and training events in Canada and internationally with allies and partners," Sabourin added.
Canada will occupy key leadership roles in this year’s exercise. Rear-Admiral Angus Topshee will serve as deputy commander of the combined task force, Brig.-Gen. Mark Goulden will command the exercise’s air component and Cmdr. Doug Layton will serve as deputy commander for maritime forces.
25,000 PERSONNEL FROM 27 COUNTRIES
The biennial RIMPAC exercise was last held in 2020, when Canada sent a smaller contingent than initially planned due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The exercise itself was scaled back to two weeks instead of the usual six, and was held exclusively at sea after the U.S. Navy cancelled the onshore training that had been a part of RIMPAC since its inception.
The 2022 exercise is expected to be a return to full-force interoperability training with approximately 25,000 military personnel, 41 ships, four submarines and more than 170 aircraft from 27 participating countries.
The list of participating countries likely will not be released until June when the exercise gets underway, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet, which hosts the event.
The big question for many military watchers is whether the U.S. will invite Taiwan to the exercise for the first time, either as a participant or observer.
In December, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law a defence spending bill that included a recommendation to conduct "practical training and military exercises with Taiwan, including, as appropriate, inviting Taiwan to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise conducted in 2022."
The invite was proposed by the U.S. Congress to counter "the increasingly coercive and aggressive behavior of the People’s Republic of China towards Taiwan," according to the National Defense Authorization Act.
RIMPAC began as an annual exercise in 1971 before it was moved to every two years due to its large size. Canada is one of the exercise’s founding countries, alongside the U.S. and Australia.
National Defence describes its participation in the warfare exercise as a key opportunity to build multinational relationships and strengthen peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.