CF College students’ whirlwind visit

Students from CF College set off on a harbour tour in Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats. Photo by LS Mike Goluboff, MARPAC Imaging Services

Janice Lee, MARPAC Public Affairs ~

Last week, CFB Esquimalt welcomed students of the Joint Command and Staff Programme from the Canadian Forces College.

The aim of the programme is to prepare selected senior officers of the Defence Team for command and staff appointments in the contemporary operating environment across the continuum of operations in national and international settings.

The 150 students were split into three groups to participate in demon­strations and exercises around the base.

On Monday, the students took part in a day sail on board HMCS Winnipeg where they received a tour of the frigate, experienced high-speed manoeuvres, and saw a boarding demonstration by the Naval Tactical Operations Group.

The second day they toured Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton and participated in the International Engagement Asia-Pacific Brief. They also visited submarine HMCS Chicoutimi.

Another group spent the morning at Venture, Naval Officer Training Centre to learn about the ship bridge simulators. It gave them an idea of being on the ocean. Afterwards they experienced the real thing on board an Orca training vessel. With the soft breeze of the ocean and the subtle bumps of the waves, the students had a chance to undergo a speed and manoeuvrability demonstration.

The last group went to Naval Fleet School Pacific. There they were introduced to the Replenishment at Sea trainer and a virtual welder demonstration. They experienced the weapons capabilities of a frigate through a Close-In Weapons System simulator. Afterwards, they toured Esquimalt Harbour in a Zodiac before proceeding to Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific) for a taste of a clearance diver’s life by taking a dip in the Pacific Ocean.

Students of the Joint Command and Staff Programme are not all Canadians. The program welcomes military members from 16 countries. In order to take the course, a person must be at the Major/Lieutenant-Commander rank as it is geared to train future leaders.

At the end of their base visit, the students headed to CFB Petawawa to participate in Exercise Collaborative Spirit.