About 15 members of the Senior Command team familiarized themselves with the New Force Fitness test last Monday at the Naden Athletic Centre. CPO1 Paul Helston, Capt (N) Bob Auchterlonie, and Capt (N) Mike Knippel in prone position awaiting the start of the intermittent shuttle run.

Last Monday morning, 15 senior leaders, including RAdm Bill Truelove, donned their PT attire and trialed components of the new FORCE Fitness Evaluation at the Naden Athletic Centre.

With stopwatches in hand, Personnel Support Programs fitness instructors coached and timed them on all four components of the FORCE evaluation.

“It’s demanding and reflective of the challenges one could face in any element we encounter in the Canadian Forces,” said RAdm Truelove, Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific. “It will be great to see the Formation rise to this new challenge. I found it used different muscle groups and interesting techniques with rushes and lots of lower body strength. Well done to the PSP staff for rolling it out. It’s nice to be here today with senior leadership doing this test.”

The evaluation has four components including a sandbag lift (30 lifts in three minutes and 30 seconds or less), intermittent loaded shuttles (five loaded and five unloaded in five minutes and 21 seconds or less), 20 metre rushes (dropping to the prone position every 10 metre and completed in 51 seconds or less) and the sandbag drag (continuous test with no time frame).

Between each component there is a five minute rest and typically the test must be completed in the order noted above; however, members may start at any point.

“Today we had quite a range of age, demographics, and fitness levels and everybody made it,” said Base Commander, Capt (N) Bob Auchterlonie. “The common task approach is great. I think all the folks in the defence team will be pleased with it.”

MARPAC Chief of Staff, Capt(N) Mike Knippel also liked it.

“It’s more about short bursts than prolonged shuttle runs. I found the prone position running was a challenge. I did it in two seconds under the required challenge time. Dragging the weight was easy for me as I am 240 pounds, but a 110 pound person must drag the same weight. That said, I think it is doable for them as well, and it was nice to take part in this today with senior leadership.”

Military members are welcome to try the Force evaluation in order to familiarize themselves – opportunities are Monday and Tuesday mornings from 8 a.m. on a drop in basis.  The Force Evaluation officially began as the new method of testing May 1. PSP fitness instructors said the feedback from those who have taken the test has been very positive.

Shelley Lipke
Staff Writer

Narcotics are piled awaiting transport to HMCS Toronto during a narcotics seizure in the Indian Ocean on 29 March 2013 during OP Artemis.

On May 10, HMCS Toronto successfully disrupted its third narcotics shipment in six weeks, and second during the week of May 10, as part of ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the Indian Ocean.

During the search and inspection of a vessel by the ship’s naval boarding team, Toronto’s crew recovered approximately 195 kilograms of heroin. The narcotics were recovered without incident and will be destroyed.

To date, Toronto has interdicted more than a ton of narcotics. On March 29, a massive narcotics shipment in the Indian Ocean was disrupted when the naval boarding team recovered approximately 500 kilograms of heroin.

On May 6, the crew recovered another 317 kilograms of heroin, and a small amount of hashish.

“I am extremely proud of HMCS Toronto and its crew. Their efforts over the last six weeks to detect, deter, and protect the high seas from terrorist activity have been a significant contribution to international efforts to combat terrorism,” said Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “Their continued success deters and denies terrorists the use of the maritime environment, and contributes to safeguarding Canada and Canadians”
Narcotics smuggling in the Indian Ocean and surrounding region is a recognized source of funding for terrorist organizations. By interrupting these activities, coalition ships are denying financial resources to extremist groups, and helping to keep drugs off of Canada’s streets.

“The success of this operation demonstrates the professionalism and tenacity of Toronto’s crew,” said Cdr Jeff Hamilton, Commanding Officer of HMCS Toronto. “Our operations are achieving effects by helping to disrupt terrorist networks, and to enhance coordinated, multinational efforts to understand and map the way these groups resource themselves. Our presence in the region also gives our country the flexibility and capability to respond quickly to emerging crises in the region.”

Toronto is deployed on Operation Artemis, Canada’s contribution to Combined Task Force 150, a multinational maritime task force combating terrorism across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, and the Gulf of Oman.

As part of this multinational force, Toronto works alongside coalition partners to promote security, stability, and prosperity in an area that spans over two million square miles, and encompasses some of the world’s most important shipping routes connecting the Far East to Africa, Europe, and North America.

The region hosts more than 23,000 shipping movements per year, and Combined Task Force 150 is one of three task forces commanded by Combined Maritime Forces, a naval partnership composed of 28 nations.

DND

Soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment race down the beach to board a rigid hull inflatable boat held by sailors from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt during Exercise TRIDENT FURY 13 (JOINTEX).

The largest joint Canadian-United States military exercise on the West Coast wrapped up over the weekend, breaking new ground in the process.

Trident Fury 2013 featured cooperative training exercises between the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the United States Navy (USN) and Coast Guard up and down the waters off the coast of Vancouver Island.

Exercises included ship to shore assaults, littoral exercises, shoreline infantry extractions, and various maritime and aerial exercises focusing on the interplay between US and Canadian military assets and personnel.

Exercises like the littoral operations included composite military teams never before seen in the Canadian military, which included teams made up Royal Canadian Navy Clearance Divers and Royal Canadian Army
Patrol Pathfinders.

A total of 2000 personnel from both the Canadian and American militaries participated in Trident Fury including five Canadian warships, along with four United States Navy (USN) ships, and two US Coast Guard vessels.

HMCS Algonquin, Ottawa, Nanaimo, Saskatoon and Edmonton, and Her Majesty’s Canadian Submarine Victoria were joined for the exercise by United States Naval Ships (USNS) Carl Brashear, and United States Ships (USS) Ford, Lake Champlain, and Spruance, and United States Coast Guard Cutters (USCGC) Rush and Orcas.

Trident Fury also featured a large air component including the CP-140 Aurora, CC-130 Hercules, CH-124 Sea King, CF-18 Hornet, F-15 Eagle, Alpha Jets, the EA- 6B Prowler, and the EA-18G Growler were all integral air components of the multi-branch exercises that typified Trident Fury.

Shawn O’Hara
Staff writer