41 Canadian Brigade Group Readies for Exercise WESTERN DEFENDER 13

Soldiers prepare to breach a door.

Soldiers prepare to breach a door as part of a room clearing drill. Ex GRIZZLY DEFENDER will evaluate leadership and combat skills within a realistic war fighting scenario.

41 Canadian Brigade Group (CBG) within 3rd Canadian Division is preparing to deploy troops to the field later this month as part of a major Combined Training (CT) exercise called WESTERN DEFENDER 13 (Ex WD 13).

As part of this larger effort, 41 CBG will conduct Ex GRIZZLY DEFENDER 13 (Ex CD 13) between 23-29 Aug at the Wainwright training area.

Exercise Format

Exercise WESTERN DEFENDER 13 will focus on offensive war-fighting skills with realistic and challenging training scenarios designed to provide Commanding Officers and Commanders the ability assess leadership skills while promoting retention and recruiting within the Brigade. 

Exercise GRIZZLY DEFENDER13 will focus on fostering a learning environment that will develop soldier skills within a competitive environment. The Ex will test the resolution and determination of leadership and troops at all levels and provide valuable data that will help to shape future training objectives for the Brigade.

The Ex also provides soldiers the opportunity to apply their respective skills and will foster the development of tighter cohesion at the unit and sub-unit levels as soldiers share experiences of training under austere conditions.  

These same units and sub-units will also be competing against troops from other Primary Reserve (PRes) Brigades in the execution of basic soldier skills and leadership. This challenge will further add to desire of all participants in 41 CBG to demonstrate their skills are second to none across the Division.

Exercise Participants

A soldier takes a compass bearing.

A soldier takes a compass bearing. Ex GD will employ a variety of challenges to test soldiers' individual readiness.

41 Canadian Brigade Group is an Army Reserve Formation of 3rd Canadian Division and is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.

Most of the present day 41 CBG soldiers serve part-time, while maintaining full-time jobs, studies and families. They are also dedicated, professional soldiers who continue to proudly serve Canada when needed to augment the Regular Force on deployed missions internationally, in NATO and United Nations missions. As well, they serve local Canadian communities in domestic operations like the British Columbia forest fires.

Made up of nine units and a brigade headquarters, 41 CBG has about 1,200 Reserve soldiers in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Alta and Yellowknife, NWT. These units represent all the major roles and trades in the Canadian Army.

41 CBG is comprised of the following units:

Command

  • 41 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters – Calgary, Alta

Infantry

  • Loyal Edmonton Regiment – Edmonton, Alta and Yellowknife, NWT

  • The Calgary Highlanders – Calgary, Alta

 Armoured Reconnaissance

  • The South Alberta Light Horse – Edmonton and Medicine Hat, Alta

  • The King’s Own Calgary Regiment – Calgary, Alta

Artillery

  • 20th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery - Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta

  • 20th Independent Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery – Lethbridge,  Alta

Engineers

  • 41 Combat Engineer Regiment – Edmonton and Calgary, Alta

Service Support

  • 41 Service Battalion – Edmonton and Calgary, Alta

Summary

Exercise WESTERN DEFENDER is 3rd Canadian Division's first training and patrolling competition. It is being conducted by approximately 850 soldiers from the three Reserve Brigades in Western Canada in three separate locations from August 24 to 31, 2013.

Exercise WESTERN DEFENDER will utilize a new framework where each CBG will be training and assessed in separate locations concurrently. The new exercise format has been specifically designed to foster a competitive environment.

Exercise GRIZZLY DEFENDER, led by 41 CBG, will allow soldiers to challenge themselves mentally and physically as they compete in conducting offensive operations using their war fighting skills within a contemporary operating environment.

Exercise GRIZZLY DEFENDER will demonstrate the combat readiness of 41 CBG and enable the Canadian Armed Forces to display their ability and preparedness to undertake operations quickly and effectively.

News

The Road to Wainwright: The Art and Science of getting 41 Canadian Brigade Group to the Field for Grizzly Defender
Article / August 2013

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