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What the Admiral said Navy achieves critical effects in deployments that span the globeBy Darlene Blakeley
Over the past few months Canadian naval operations and deployments have spanned the globe from Canada’s North to the Baltic Sea, South Africa, the Caribbean and the western coast of South America.
The effects of these voyages have been far-reaching, and it’s those effects that build support for the navy, according to Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson, Chief of the Maritime Staff.
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Credit: MCpl Kevin Paul
Ordinary Seaman Shawn Ross of HMCS Toronto watches for ships and aircraft as his vessel prepares to weigh anchor and depart the Seychelle Islands in the Indian Ocean. HMCS Toronto is sailing this area of the world as part of her duties with Operation SEXTANT, Canada's contribution to Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG 1), an international naval rapid deployment fleet. Her duties as part of SNMG 1 include monitoring shipping, escorting non-military ships, and operating to help detect, deter and protect against terrororist activity.. | “I’m very proud of the effects our ships, submarines and aircraft have achieved for Canada in far distant waters over the past few months,” he says, “and I look forward to continuing to produce these effects in other waters in the coming year.”
These deployments are “vital to maintaining maritime security in challenging conditions and are also essential to building relations with like-minded countries”, the admiral explains.
Since May, the navy has been involved in such diverse operations as support to the Prime Minister attending meetings with government leaders from the Caribbean Community; contributing to NATO exercises such as NOBLE MARINER in the Baltic Sea and as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1’s circumnavigation of Africa; working with western hemisphere navies off the Panama Canal; and enforcing Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.
“We have had some real success in showing Canadians what we do off our own coasts, around the continent, and internationally,” VAdm Robertson says.
Using HMCS Toronto’s current deployment with SNMG1 as an example, he says that the presence of NATO ships off the coast of Somalia, where piracy is enabled by lawlessness ashore and feeds that lawlessness in turn, is sure to have a positive effect on maritime security and the merchant ships that rely on that security to deliver food aid ashore.
“The same benefit of enhanced maritime security will be delivered by our next deployment to the Coalition effort in the Gulf,” VAdm Robertson says. “Indeed, beyond enhanced security, ships that Canada deploys also project our interests and power in a region with many security challenges. Our deployed ships achieve a wide range of effects, including engaging friendly coastal states; deterring adventurism by those whose interests run counter to Canada’s; interdicting the unlawful use of the seas while ensuring free access for trade so vital to regional prosperity; and building and maintaining knowledge about the region essential to success should tensions rise further.”
For sailors, this means its full speed ahead in the coming year. “Whether it be Southploy, RIMPAC, NATO exercises or domestic operations, we will be delivering maritime security while projecting Canadian interests and power off almost every continent,” says VAdm Robertson. “It’s the efforts of our sailors, and the effects they achieve, that I’ll be speaking about to Canadians in the months ahead – and Canadians are invariably impressed and supportive once they hear of our successes at home and abroad.”
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