After three months of intensive round-the-clock training, the first Maritime Tactical Operator Course (MTOC) graduated on March 26, 2015, and will go on to form Enhanced Naval Boarding Party (ENBP) Team 1.
The 13 graduates underwent extensive training in advanced tactics, including hand-to-hand combat, improvised explosive device identification, close quarters battle, tactical shooting and tactical questioning.
This graduation marks the delivery of an initial operating capability as directed by the first phase of the Future Naval Boarding Party Capability Development outline in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Executive Plan.
Although traditional Naval Boarding Parties are able to perform basic obstructed boardings, feedback from recent operational deployments, such as Operation Caribbe and Artemis, has emphasized the need for a Naval Boarding Party capable of meeting a new level of threat.
The ENBP capability will provide the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the RCN with the agility, flexibility and tactical expertise to confront and deter a variety of threats in high-risk operational environments.
The team will be attach posted to HMCS Winnipeg and will participate in Exercise TRIDENT FURY, a biennial joint exercise with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, in May. The exercise includes numerous boarding scenarios and will be a chance to evaluate how the team operates and integrates with the ship’s company.
Image: Canadian Navy