Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity to brief you on Operation Reassurance.
Operation Reassurance refers to the military activities undertaken by the Canadian Armed Forces to support NATO through the provision of military capabilities for training, exercises, and assigned NATO tasks in the context of the challenge presented by an increasingly belligerent Russia and, in particular, its aggression against Ukraine earlier this year.
Before you is a map that outlines the Canadian Armed Forces' involvement in NATO assurance measures. I would like to walk you through our present contributions to the mission.
I would be pleased to answer your questions after the presentation.
The map is actually located in the back of my remarks, which you have.
On April 16, 2014, NATO allies agreed upon and began to implement a series of military measures to reinforce NATO's collective defence, demonstrating the strength of allied solidarity in response to Russian aggression and provocation in eastern Europe. The next day, at the request of our allies, the Government of Canada offered Canadian armed forces assets to NATO as part of allied assurance measures to promote security in central and eastern Europe.
On April 29, the Royal Canadian Air Force deployed six CF-18 Hornets from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron, based at 3 Wing Bagotville. From May to August our fighters conducted interoperability training with NATO allies in Câmpia Turzii, Romania, and then from September through to December this year re-based to Siauliai, Lithuania to contribute to NATO's Baltic air policing alongside other allies. Four fighters and about 130 personnel are currently based in Lithuania with a mission to preserve the integrity of the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and to react to any intrusions. They are expected to return to Canada at the beginning of January.
On April 30, HMCS Regina, with an embarked Sea King helicopter, was transferred to NATO control as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two, conducting exercises and patrols in the Mediterranean until she was relieved by HMCS Toronto on August 3. While serving with the standing NATO maritime group and ensuring a NATO presence in the eastern Mediterranean, our ships are tasked with locating, tracking, reporting, and boarding suspicious vessels.
At sea, from September 6 to 27, HMCS Toronto completed participation in joint NATO training exercises and maritime situational awareness operations in the Black Sea. The first exercise, Exercise Sea Breeze, took place from September 8 to 10 and involved naval vessels from Canada, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States.
Further interoperability exercises involved Toronto training with Bulgarian, Romanian, and Turkish ships from September 13 to 24. While operating in the Black Sea, HMCS Toronto also conducted port visits to enhance diplomatic and defence relations with allies and partners. Of note, this is the first time that a Canadian warship has operated in the Black Sea since HMCS Gatineau did in 1992. Now back in the Mediterranean, HMCS Toronto is scheduled to be relieved by HMCS Fredericton in January 2015.
On May 3, the first of about 120 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry arrived in Poland to participate in a series of training events conducted across Eastern Europe. They exercised airborne operations and infantry skills alongside Polish, American, and other NATO allies with a view to enhancing alliance interoperability and readiness. ln July the Patricias were replaced by soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of The Royal Canadian Regiment who are there now. As we speak they are beginning Exercise Combined Resolve Ill, which will involve some 4,000 troops from 15 nations training in Germany and Poland until the end of November.
Finally, 23 Canadian Armed Forces operational planners were sent, at the request of NATO, to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium and to Headquarters Joint Task Force Naples in Italy.
While there, they reinforced NATO planners working on developments in Europe and monitoring events in the region. Having completed their tasks, those personnel have recently returned to Canada.
At the Wales Summit held on the 4th and 5th of September, NATO allies agreed on a readiness action plan that will strengthen NATO's collective defence and ensure that the alliance is ready to respond to any future security challenge. The elements of the plan include measures that address both the continuing need for assurance of allies and the adaptation of the alliance's military strategic posture. The assurance measures include continuous air, land, and maritime presence and meaningful military activity in the eastern part of the alliance on a rotational basis, such as those to which Canada has contributed under Op Reassurance.
These continuing events will provide the fundamental baseline requirement for assurance and deterrence, adapted as may be needed in response to the evolving security situation. In this context, DND is examining options for a renewal in 2015 of the measures we have taken under Op Reassurance as well as those we have contributed to in the past, such as NATO air policing of its northern flank and Iceland.
In the medium term, NATO adaptation measures will include the components required to ensure that the alliance can fully address the security challenges it might face. In the next year, NATO will develop plans to significantly enhance the responsiveness of our NATO response forces by developing force packages that are able to move rapidly and respond to potential challenges and threats.
As part of it, NATO will establish a very high readiness joint task force that will be able to respond quickly to challenges that arise, particularly at the periphery of NATO's territory. NATO will also establish an appropriate command and control presence and infrastructure on the territories of eastern allies at all times, with contributions from allies on a rotational basis, focusing on planning and exercising collective defence scenarios.
Canada will be fully engaged with our allies in the development of these measures and in carrying its share of the burden of collective defence.
As you can see, along with our allies, Canada has contributed to a number of military measures designed to reinforce our collective defence and demonstrate the strength of allied solidarity in NATO states in eastern and central Europe.
The participation of Canadian Armed Forces personnel in NATO exercises and training activities provides them with an excellent opportunity to exercise their skills and reinforce their ability to operate with our NATO allies while building cohesion within the alliance.
Thank you very much for your time. We're certainly ready to answer any questions you may have.