Canada, US Gear Up for Trident Fury Naval Exercise

More than 1 100 sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen of the Canadian Armed Forces will participate in Trident Fury 13 off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia from 3 to 19 May. Trident Fury is a biennial joint and bi-national naval exercise hosted by Maritime Forces Pacific and includes participation by the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Canadian Army, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, the United States Air National Guard, and the United States Coast Guard.

 “These joint and bi-national exercises provide valuable opportunities for the Canadian Armed Forces to maintain operational readiness to deploy on joint operations in a rapid and effective manner alongside our allies,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “We look forward to working closely with our American partners to keep our waters and areas of maritime jurisdiction safe from threats both foreign and domestic.”

“Our operational readiness depends on having the right mix of trained personnel, equipment, and resources in place to complete the missions assigned to us by the Government of Canada,” said Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander Royal Canadian Navy. “Trident Fury is one of a series of multinational exercises designed to prepare our forces to work together in a wide range of potential operations from the provision of humanitarian aid and disaster relief to full-combat operations.”

The naval component of Trident Fury 13 will include a contingent of five Canadian warships and one Victoria-class submarine from Canadian Fleet Pacific. Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Algonquin, Ottawa, Nanaimo, Saskatoon and Edmonton, and Her Majesty’s Canadian Submarine Victoria will be accompanied by United States Naval Ships (USNS) Carl Brashear, and United States Ships (USS) Ford, Lake Champlain, and Spruance. United States Coast Guard Cutters (USCGC) Rush and Orcas will also participate. The air component will consist of several Canadian and United States aircraft including the CP-140 Aurora, CC-130J Hercules, CH-124 Sea King, CF-18 Hornet, F-15 Eagle, Alpha Jets, the EA- 6B Prowler, and the EA-18G Growler.

A portion of this year’s Trident Fury exercise, from 13 to 19 May, will be incorporated into a larger, joint, national-level exercise called JointEx 13. This exercise takes place from 1 May to 8 June and introduces a land component from the Royal 22e Regiment, clearance divers from Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific), and various air and naval assets conducting littoral operations with the objective of achieving a joint, integrated, agile, and ready force.

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Naval Today Staff, April 30, 2013