Canadian Naval Reservist trains with US Army Warfighter 2020

Naval reservist Lieutenant (Navy) Joseph Kinley at the main gate of Joint Base Lewis-McChord after completing Warfighter Exercise 20-3 Feb. 13, just before COVID-19 became a pandemic. Photo Credit Sergeant First Class James Lally

HMCS Cataraqui

While attached to the 26th Yankee Brigade, naval reservist Lieutenant (Navy) Joseph Kinley participated in the Warfighter exercise at the Joint Base Lewis–McChord just south of Seattle, WA, from Feb, 5 to 13.

Lt(N) Kinley is attached to 26th Yankee Brigade through the Reserve Foreign Training Program (RFTP). The RFTP is a program supported by the governments of Canada and United States of America that permits reservists to fulfill drill and training requirements while temporarily located in the other nation for civilian commitments. He is a Naval Warfare Officer and member of HMCS Cataraqui located in Kingston, ON.

The three-week Warfighter exercise was a conditions-based training event using a Decisive Action Training Environment for corps, divisions, and brigades. A simulated enemy and battlefield provided real-time feedback and results based on command and control decisions.

Working from a Tactical Operations Center (TOC), Lt(N) Kinley supported the plans cell to formulate orders given to subordinate units.

The 26th Yankee Brigade oversees a variety of elements, including organic units such as military police, engineers, and logistical support elements, and is assigned other units based on the mission.  It is a National Guard formation structured as Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB) that provides brigade level combat support to the United States Army.

During this training scenario, the MEB was charged with the mission to secure and maintain the rear support area to keep the supply routes open to and from the frontline during a major offensive of two divisions into enemy territory.

In the scenario, they controlled an augmented battalion of engineers who built, repaired, and maintained defences and key routes in the area; two bolstered battalions of military police to secure and safeguard routes and operations; a support battalion; a signal company; and a military intelligence unit.

Additionally, they were assigned a light infantry battalion to secure the ground, a battery of air defence artillery to secure the skies, a battery of field artillery to provide long-range fires, a detachment of attack and support helicopters to support operations, and a civil affairs element to interact with displaced civilians and international organizations.

“In a brigade like ours with an extremely complex mission and specialized war-fighting functions, it’s important to coordinate with adjacent units as well as higher and lower echelon commands to streamline our processes in order to work toward a common goal,” said Colonel Shawn Cody, Commander, 26 Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

The exercise tested the MEB’s control of subordinate units and interaction with higher, adjacent and lower echelons within the Corps.

“We also need to coordinate with civilian authorities and our allies, so we were fortunate to have embedded a Canadian officer to help us work through this process and get everyone working from the same sheet of music,” said Col Cody. “It was truly a pleasure and honour to have Lt(N) Kinley, an outstanding officer, working in our plans cell. He quickly became part of the team and contributed to our success in this corps level exercise. Lt(N) Kinley did a great job representing the Canadian Military during WFX 20-3 and we look forward to working with him in the future.”