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Topic: Canadian Forces in Iraq. (Read 632 times)
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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I would note the inclusion of Maj-General Peter devlin, Royal Canadian.
Canadian commander takes a leading role in Iraq
David Pugliese
Canwest News Service
Friday, January 18, 2008
A former commander of the Joint Task Force 2 counter-terrorism unit is now in Iraq helping U.S. forces there and preparing to co-ordinate coalition units in the war-torn country.
Canadian Forces Brig.-Gen. Nicolas Matern recently arrived in Baghdad as part of the first wave of soldiers and officers from the U.S. Army's 18th Airborne Corps from Fort Bragg, N.C.
Matern is assigned as a senior officer in the Iraq Multi-National Corps which consists of around 130,000 troops, mainly from the U.S. and Britain with smaller contingents from more than 20 other nations.
The general, originally from Montreal, is attached to the airborne unit as part of an exchange program.
"He was brought in to be the deputy commanding general for the 18th Airborne Corps specifically to address the coalition aspect of our deployment," to Iraq, said U.S. Col. Bill Buckner, a spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps. "Part of his battlefield circulation will be going and visiting those other countries and their soldiers and making sure they're getting the things they need, the support they need and making sure they are integrated into our operations."
Matern will report to U.S. Lt.-Gen. Lloyd Austin III and the involvement of the Canadian in the Iraq war was recently highlighted by local news media in North Carolina as an example of coalition efforts in the country.
"The Multi-National Corps-Iraq is indeed a multinational corps," Austin told the Fayetteville Observer. "It is staffed by members of all of our (armed) services and coalition members."
The role of Canadian soldiers in the Iraq war has not been widely publicized by the Defence Department or government. Defence officials did not respond to a request for information on Matern.
But a number of high ranking Canadian officers have been involved in helping direct operations in the Iraq conflict.
In 2004 Lt.-Gen. Walter Natynczyk, then a major general, served as deputy commander of the Multi-National Corps during operation Iraqi Freedom.
At the time, he was in charge of 35,000 soldiers. Natynczyk oversaw planning and execution of all multi-national corps-level combat support operations.
For his service in Iraq, Governor General Michaelle Jean, presented him with the Meritorious Service Cross.
At the time, the press release noted Natynczyk's pivotal role in the development of numerous plans and operations "resulted in a tremendous contribution by the Multi-National Corps to Operation Iraqi Freedom, and has brought great credit to the Canadian Forces and to Canada."
Canadian Maj.-Gen. Peter Devlin was also recently a deputy commander in the multi-national corps.
Other Canadian soldiers have served in front-line positions. In May 2003 a Canadian Forces exchange officer was wounded near Baghdad airport after a grenade exploded next to the convoy he was traveling in. At the time there were 16 Canadian military members serving on exchange programs with various foreign forces involved in the Iraq war.
Matern, who moved down to Fort Bragg last summer to take up his new position as a deputy commanding general in the 18th Airborne Corps, is a seasoned special operations officer who served with Canadian special forces in Afghanistan. According to his biography, besides commanding JTF2, he recently finished an appointment as deputy commander of the Ottawa-based Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.
Buckner said that special operations experience in addition to the general's other service in the army fits in well with the U.S. unit.
"He comes in with a unique set of skills," said Buckner. "We're the 18th Airborne Corps, we're the home of the airborne and the special operating forces so he fits it very nicely to this warrior ethos we have here. He's going to do a great job."
The general is the first Canadian to serve as a deputy commanding general with the 18 Airborne Corps.
But such exchange positions are seen by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier as key to maintaining links with the Canadian military's closest ally.
Matern was one of the first from the 18th Airborne Corps to be sent to Iraq in preparation for the deployment of around 900 soldiers from Fort Bragg.
Buckner said while Matern's main focus is on coalition forces, he could be called upon to do a variety of tasks. "He is fully integrated into everything we do," said Buckner. "He attends all of our planning sessions, our plans and operations briefings, all of our commander's staff meetings."
Ottawa Citizen
© Canwest News Service 2008
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Wow, i had no idea we were so involved there.. Good to know , thanks Mike... ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Lieutenant Devlin, 3rd from left. Now that I think of it, he may have been recently been promoted to captain when this picture was taken, memory is a bit foggy. Ray Cluett had a unique nickname for him, which I shall keep to myself. ;-)
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Buzz Gomes
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Mike
First row left to right,
Ray Cluett,
Bob Schram,
Lt. Devin,
?
Joe Porier,
Mike Blais,
Phil Johnson
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1964-1968- 2 QOR Calgary, Cyprus
1968-1971- 2 CDO Edmonton
1971-1975- 3 Mech CDO Germany, A Coy Mor
1975-1983- 1 RCR London, Bn Tpt,C Coy, B Coy, Recce
1983-1985- RCR Battle School
1985-1990-1 RCR, B Coy, Dukes, Recce, Cyprus
1990-1992- OMD HQ Ottawa, G3 Trg
1992-1993- LMD HQ London, G3 Trg
1993-2007-4 RCR, RSM
Retired CWO
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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The Mortar Platoon Commander (?) is Michael Morris, Captain.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike H
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Mike .... Seeing these faces in this photo sure makes me remember many a story. I look back at my time in 1RCR Mortar Pl with many fond memories!!!!!
Mike Hornbrook
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Posts: 3836
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Ditto brother... ditto!
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Gerry Connors
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(Optional) Your Text here.
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Crap, where does the time go!? Remember when Mr. Devlin was a young el-tee platoon commander in Dukes.
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1RCR Duke's Coy '82 - '87; Cyprus '84 / '85
LOTPed medic 1988; CFH Halifax '88 - '90
119 AD Bty medic, CFB Chatham '90 - '95
2RCR medic '95 - '00; SFOR Bosnia, 2RCR Roto 4 '99;
42 Hlth Svc Gagetown '00 - '02
CFRC Gagetown / Fredericton '02 - '06; 'retired' Aug '06
HMCS Jolliet, Sept-Iles QC, medical staff / 'tiffy' (reserves)
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Mike H
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Tim ..... Great to hear from you!! My apologies ... I must have missed your questions in a previous post. I vaguely remember the wet increments .... but I do remember the Turkeys ... lol. I see you are driving the big rigs and on the road alot. Stay safe ... Again, really good to hear from you!
Pro Patria .... Mike Hornbrook
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Tim McCully
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Good to hear from you too Mike, thought maybe i landed on your "DO NOT USE" list or something. I have many fond memories of our platoon back then Mike. Still remember you going home and slapping that Turkey on the coffee table for the wife. LOL "GET THOSE TURKEYS" HA, HA, HA. I'm no longer trucking Mike I am changing career's yet again but havn't decided to what. VA is looking after me and I am in good hands! We will talk some time soon Mike, again thanks for responding Brother. Tim
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1RCR (82-88) B coy 6pl, (84-85) UNFICYP- BBC coy Tpt, C coy 9pl, E coy Mortars, (88-90) CFB Halifax Base Chief's Staff, CFB Trenton Refinisher Tech.(90-92). UNFICYP,CPSM
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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Posts: 3836
A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Canada's Military in Iraq
Written by Jon Elmer
Saturday, 26 January 2008
Canadian General Takes Senior Command Role in Iraq
by Jon Elmer and Anthony Fenton
Despite the government's official position abstaining from combat in Iraq, Canada has dispatched yet another top general to the command group overseeing day-to-day operations for the U.S.-led occupation and counterinsurgency war.
VANCOUVER, Jan 23 (IPS) - Matern is the third Canadian general to serve in the command group of Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of an exchange programme that places Canadian Forces officers in leadership positions in the U.S. military. His deployment is part of a three-year post with the U.S. Army's 18th Airborne Corps, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Officials at Fort Bragg confirmed that Matern has already been deployed to Iraq, though no official statement has been made by Canadian officials.
Meanwhile, 42 Canadian tanks and armoured personnel carriers left Edmonton last week destined for Fort Bliss, Texas to participate in pre-deployment training exercises with the U.S. Army before a summer rotation in Afghanistan. A Department of National Defence press release characterised the training as "massive", with more than 3,000 Canadian soldiers taking part in Exercise Southern Bear.
Such joint exercises are commonplace throughout all branches of the armed forces and beyond. A report from the U.S. Department of State's counterterrorism office described how "the governments of the United States and Canada collaborated on a broad array of initiatives, exercises, and joint operations that spanned virtually all agencies and every level of government."
During his first visit to Washington as Prime Minister in 2006, Stephen Harper boasted that the North American alliance was the "strongest relationship of any two countries, not just on the planet, but in the history of mankind." As much as 90 percent of Canadian trade is with the U.S., with upwards of two billion dollars a day in goods and services crossing the border.
There are also economic interests in Iraq itself. The April 2007 Iraq Reconstruction Report lists Canada as the fourth largest importer of Iraqi oil. Industry Canada records that total Canadian imports from Iraq have risen from 1.06 billion dollars in 2002 to 1.61 billion dollars in 2006, making Iraq second only to Saudi Arabia as a Middle Eastern source for Canadian imports.
According to Canada's Defence Policy Statement, the increased collaboration with the U.S. military will "not see the Canadian Forces replicate every function of the world's premier militaries," but rather fill niche roles that allow Canada's interventionist capabilities to be relevant and credible.
To this end, Matern's Special Forces background is seen as an asset. "He comes in with a unique set of skills," Col. Bill Buckner of the 18th Airborne told the Ottawa Citizen. "We're the home of the airborne and the special operating forces, so he fits in very nicely to this warrior ethos we have here."
Matern was a commander in the secretive commando unit, Joint Task Force-2, before being promoted to deputy commander of the newly created Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.
Canada's most important foreign policy documents list Iraq, along with Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, and Israel-Palestine, as areas of "strategic priority".
Canada was an active participant in the 1991 Gulf War and helped enforce the crippling blockade on Iraq throughout the 1990s, but declined to join the so-called "coalition of the willing" in March of 2003 when the U.S. launched the invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein without a final U.N. resolution authorising the war.
Nevertheless, Canada's contribution to the mission is notable. In 2003, Canada pledged 300 million dollars in aid and reconstruction in Iraq. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has helped train more than 30,000 Iraqi security forces in neighbouring Jordan, and has had top level advisors operating within the Iraqi interior ministry. As well, Canadian frigates continue to operate alongside the U.S. aircraft carriers in the Arabian Gulf that are a primary staging platform for bombing raids in Iraq.
Indeed, during the first week of the war in 2003, then-U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, said that Canada had provided "more support indirectly to this war in Iraq than most of the 46 countries that are fully supporting our efforts there."
Around the same time that Canada opted out of combat in Iraq, it increased its combat role in Afghanistan, ultimately taking command of the counterinsurgency war in southern Afghanistan.
Unlike the Canadian deployment in Afghanistan, which is subject to relatively significant coverage domestically, Canada's participation in Iraq is handled much more carefully by Canadian officials.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay did not return a call seeking comment and no official statement has accompanied Matern's recent deployment.
Opposition New Democratic Party defense critic Dawn Black expressed reservations about the implications of the special military relationship: "We're concerned about an overemphasis on interoperability with the U.S," she told IPS from her British Columbia office. "It affects whether we have an independent foreign policy and sovereignty as a country."
Though approximately 93 percent of the coalition troops in Iraq are American, the U.S. has long been keen to emphasise the multinational component of a war that former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan described as "illegal".
Major General Peter Devlin, a Canadian Forces officer currently operating as deputy commanding general in Iraq, recently told the Washington Post that the effect of the multinational element is in bringing "greater legitimacy to the effort here in Iraq".
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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