Present Day
The
concept of an airfield engineering squadron is not new to the engineers.
An airfield engineering squadron was first formed at CFB Lahr in
response to the NATO requirement for Airfield Damage Repair (ADR)
capabilities.
As a result of closures in 1993, the AES concept and
equipment was relocated to 4 Airfield Engineering Squadron in Cold
Lake as headquarters element and training unit. Since the formation
of the contingency capability Airfield Engineering support to operations
is in the form of two Airfield Engineering Squadrons. CE personnel
are grouped at Wings in shadow Airfield Engineering flights for
the purpose of training and deploying on operations.
The airfield engineering mission is to deploy and
provide force beddown, sustainment, survival to operate and general
engineering support to air force operations worldwide. Airfield
Engineering missions involve support not only to the air force but
also to NATO and United Nations operations as well as provision
of humanitarian assistance.
Recent Airfield Engineers missions include Hurricane
assistance in Florida, humanitarian Relief in Haiti, Flood Assistance
in Manitoba and Quebec, Ice Storm assistance in Ontario, OP in the
Golan Heights and on going support to NATO in Bosnia as well as
more recently in Macedonia.
Copyright: From the series "Military Engineers
in Canada"
Volume III: The History of the Canadian Military Engineers
LCol K.J. Holmes CD (Retd), Author
J.R. Newell ndc, Editor
Military Engineering Institute of Canada, Publisher
ISBN 0-9682063-0