Operations & Deployment

Commander Tyson Bergmann, former CO HMCS Vancouver, and Brett Witthoeft, Maritime Forces Pacific There’s a lot to know before deploying to the Indo-Pacific, a dynamic maritime region central to trade, security, and Canada’s future.   RCN crews must prepare for regional complexities—from strategic tensions to unpredictable weather and operational risks at sea.  Success depends on adaptability, cultural awareness, and learning from Indo-Pacific navies experienced in operating in contested waters.  - Every year, Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ships from both coasts deploy to the Indo-Pacific region (IPR) in support of Canadian policy. It is important for Defence community members to understand the dynamics of this region from a Canadian perspective. The summary below is based on an article originally published for free in the Canadian Naval Review (Volume 21, No. 1 2025). The IPR is home to two-thirds of the human population who currently generate approximately 45 per cent global wealth and are on track to possess half of worldwide Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2040. The RCN’s involvement in the IPR now is an investment in our future success. The IPR is primarily a maritime theatre with many of its countries dependent on seaborne trade and either connected or separated by water. In fact, 33 per cent of all global trade sails through the South China Sea, while China, South Korea, and Japan build over 90 per cent of all new ships every year. This makes maritime power vital in the IPR, with the region home to some of the world’s largest navies and coast guards. The IPR is busy 24/7 with maritime traffic especially high near the Malacca and Taiwan Straits. Potential challenges include dhows making sudden course changes, lasers being directed at the bridge, and fishers not following best practices. As such, RCN crews need to be hypervigilant to...

Archana Cini Lookout Newspaper On March 21, HMCS Harry DeWolf and the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) conducted a successful narcotics interdiction as part of Operation (Op) CARIBBE. Actioned under the cover of night, 750 kilograms of cocaine (an estimated $26.9 million of illegal drugs) were seized and prevented from reaching North American communities. Op CARIBBE is Canada’s contribution to a long-standing, multinational effort to intercept illicit drug shipments on the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Since the operation’s 2006 founding, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have continued to deploy Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ships, aircrafts, and personnel in support of this mission. Canadian participation has helped gather intelligence, track, and seize over 120 metric tons of illegal narcotics over the past 19 years. Op CARIBBE also highlights one of the RCN’s most valuable and globally respected strengths international collaboration. Commander (Cdr) Jon Nicholson, Commanding Officer of Harry DeWolf, shared, “We are working hand in hand with U.S. Coast Guard personnel who are embarked on HMCS Harry DeWolf with us. As a combined team, we are making a fantastic task force that is really making a difference.”

A/Slt Christopher Hofing Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel were met by more than the beauty of the West Coast while establishing a Forward Operating Base (FOB) for Exercise TRIDENT FURY 2025 (Ex TF25). They were also greeted by the generosity and support of Secret Beach’s local British Columbia Indigenous community—the Toquaht Nation. Months before boots hit the ground, the Ex TF25 planning team, which included representatives from Base Safety, Environment & Indigenous Relations, proactively engaged 21 Coast Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth Indigenous communities regarding the upcoming multinational maritime exercise. This early engagement also helped enable a strong working relationship between the CAF and Toquaht Nation leadership, with Lieutenant (Navy) (Lt (N)) Dakota Nelson, FOB Officer-in-Charge, and Lieutenant-Commander (LCdr) Justin Lam, Mine Countermeasures Lead Planner, coordinating with Noah Plonka, Business Manager and elected member of the Toquaht Nation Executive Council. This collaboration helped ensure military operations were both effective and respectful of local land and culture. “Noah was incredibly accommodating,” said Lt(N) Nelson. “He offered us access to whatever land was needed, and even advanced construction projects to support our camp setup. His willingness to work with us was instrumental.” To LCdr Lam, the collaboration meant everything. “The Nation helped us train where it counts, and build the relationships needed to safeguard the Pacific approaches together,” he said. The Toquaht Nation provided the CAF with key infrastructure like potable water, portable toilets, moorage, and an on-site cookhouse. This gave members of the FOB a warm and dry place to gather, eat, and conduct briefings. The Nation also granted permission to conduct training on both Toquaht land and in Barkley Sound. Local businesses also helped meet logistical needs, with the Ucluelet Rent-It Center supplying washroom and garbage facilities, Wet Again Water delivering fresh water, and Cedar and Salt Restaurant providing catering. These contributions...

A/Slt Kim Wachockier MARPAC Public Affairs Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) sailors from HMCS Nanaimo and members of the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (4CRPG) recently collaborated on a humanitarian training exercise. Exercise (Ex) SEA RANGER 2025 successfully took place last month with both groups sailing, training, and engaging with communities in and around Haida Gwaii. With stops in Masset, Skidegate, and Prince Rupert, the seven-day-long exercise aimed to improve the Defence team’s capacity to support remote Canadian communities in times of natural disaster. While in Masset, the Nanaimo was opened for public ship tours. A reminder of what the Navy uniform and the military means to Canadians, the afternoon saw families, teenagers, and service workers forming a steady stream of locals eager to explore the inside of a RCN vessel. 4CRPG Rangers and select Nanaimo crew members also leveraged the opportunity to practice marksmanship, weapons handling, and compass navigation in Masset. The two groups also participated in a successful training exercise at Taaw Tildaawee National Park that saw teams practising unfamiliar terrain movement, casualty evacuations, and a variety of response procedures. The exercise provided Nanaimo sailors and 4CRPG Rangers alike with the opportunity to practise adaptability in the context of real exercises shaped by the region’s geography. Following three days spent in Masset, HMCS Nanaimo departed toward Skidegate, where the vessel’s crew, 4CRPG Rangers, and Canadian Coast Guard visited a local heritage centre for a cultural presentation on traditional Haida canoe-building, history, art, and ceremony. A Skidegate community barbeque also united Ex SEA RANGER participants before the Nanaimo transported over thirty Rangers back to Prince Rupert. Importantly, Ex SEA RANGER continues to show that Canada’s northern and coastal communities are more than training grounds. Rather, they are real communities full of life, culture, and history.

Archana Cini Lookout Newspaper Service deep beneath the waves is anything but quiet. To Chief Petty Officer Second Class (CPO2) Patricia Inglis, supporting emergency responses; maintaining morale in a confined environment; serving as a communication hub; upholding discipline; participating in briefings; and managing administrative tasks are just some of what keeps a submarine deployment fast paced. CPO2 Inglis is currently posted to HMCS Windsor as the Canadian Submarine Force’s (CSF) first female coxswain. The coxswain is especially vital on submarines where communication with the outside world fades underwater, space grows tight, and tensions run high. Though her appointment as the first female coxswain of a submarine carries historical significance, CPO2 Inglis remains focused on the responsibilities of her job. “I am incredibly proud to be the first woman to hold this position within the Canadian submarine community, and I sincerely hope to honour the legacy,” she said. “But importantly, I hope this reinforces that leadership within the CSF is about real competence, and the ability to connect with crew regardless of background.” To CPO2 Inglis, milestones like this also encourage long-term growth by demonstrating how diverse perspectives and approaches enhance team effectiveness. When it comes to the life of a submariner, what surprises people the most is lack of internet access beneath the surface. “While those serving on ships typically have access to both internal networks and the internet, the experience on a submarine is very different,” said CPO2 Inglis. “We have no access until we return to port, making even checking in with loved ones or reading the news impossible.” Raised in Nova Scotia, CPO2 Inglis didn’t always envision herself in a naval uniform. She first explored a career in tourism and hospitality; however, the sea called. After deploying aboard HMCS Winnipeg for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of...

Canadian and Latvian Divers Jump From CH-148 Cyclone in High-Stakes Helocasting Jazmin Holdway with contributions by Andrea Modesto Lookout Newspaper Canadian combat engineer diving specialists (combat divers) from Gagetown, Valcartier, Petawawa, and Edmonton joined forces with port inspection divers from three Naval Reserve divisions and Latvian divers to train in this year’s iteration of Exercise Roguish Buoy, the Canadian Army’s only collective dive exercise held this year between Jan. 20 and Feb. 15 at CFB Albert Head in Metchosin, B.C. Helocasting is an insertion technique used when land access is not readily available and involves dispatching divers from a helicopter into the water to conduct operations such as area search and obstacle clearance, according to Master Corporal (MCpl) Mark Suffoletta, a member from 2 Combat Engineer Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont. who was involved in the exercise. He explained how crucial this training opportunity is for combat divers, preparing them for real-world scenarios in which the mobility of friendly forces is at stake. “What I like to say is we’re combat engineers underwater, so we do all the capabilities that combat engineers do, but below the surface,” he said. “When we say obstacle clearance, that’s clearing debris and anything that may impede our forces from coming in.” Captain (Capt) Willis Ripley, exercise director for Roguish Buoy 2025, highlighted the value of training in such dynamic environments. “Helocasting is just one tool in our toolbox,” he said. “It allows us to get members into the water in austere situations where traditional transport isn’t an option. This skillset could be used in scenarios like mine-clearing operations, obstacle removal, or responding to a crash in a remote area.” The exercise tested critical combat engineering capabilities by placing dive teams in a multitude of scenarios including search and recovery of sunken equipment, clearing shorelines from...

All photos: Patrol Craft Training Unit vessels performing a formation sail of all 8 training craft during an exercise in the Juan De Fuca straits off of Vancouver Island on Jan. 29. Photos: Sailor First Class Brendan McLoughlin, MARPAC Imaging services. SLt Simon Gonsalves, MARPAC Public Affairs  —  In a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) first, all eight Orca-class training vessels have successfully sailed together. On the morning of Jan. 29, the eight vessels embarked together from CFB Esquimalt’s Z-Jetty to sail across the harbour in formation. Planned and executed under the title Photographic Orca Deployment Exercise (PODEX) 2025, this was a unique moment in RCN’s recent history. Operated by the Patrol Craft Training Unit (PCTU), these vessels, often simply referred to as Orcas, are designed as a stepping stone to larger, more complicated warships. Able to operate effectively with a small crew complement, these specialized ships provide invaluable practical at-sea training for RCN sailors across a wide range of experiences and expertise. At any given time, it is common practice for one or more Orcas to be unavailable for use while undergoing scheduled maintenance and repairs. However, a rare opportunity arose at PCTU—for a relatively short window, all Orcas were scheduled to be ready and available to sail. Those in charge of the unit decided to take full advantage of this unique opening, planning and executing the first ever PODEX in fine detail.  When asked about the unique opportunity to showcase his unit, Lieutenant-Commander (LCdr) Eric Lashinski, Commanding Officer of PCTU, stated that “it’s just never worked out that we’ve had all of the ships out and available at the same time…to actually get out of the trainer side and come to sea is an amazing opportunity for everybody, it’s genuinely so important.” The fortuitous alignment of ship readiness cycles also...

HMCS Discovery  —  HMCS Discovery’s first training day of 2025 was a full and successful one, made complete with a visit from Commodore Patrick Montgomery, Commander, Naval Reserve and Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Campbell, Formation Chief Petty Officer, Naval Reserve. Photos provided    

HMCS Ottawa is currently taking part in multinational exercise La Perouse 25, centered around a French Carrier Strike Group. The exercise involves nine partner nations and takes place in the coasts and straits between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean: Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok. During the exercise, commanding officers from the different ships had the opportunity to meet face-to-face onboard French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle while French sailors visited and learned more about the Royal Canadian Navy.  Photos:  Sailor 3rd Class Jacob Saunders  

Lt(N) R. Davies, Uncrewed System Officer, ANCU  —  From October to November 2024, Advanced Naval Capabilities Unit (ANCU) took part in Bold Quest 24, a significant multinational event hosted by the United States Joint Staff in Jacksonville, North Carolina. This prestigious event brought together approximately 2,000 personnel from 17 different nations, fostering collaboration and enhancing capabilities among allied forces. The ANCU team had three primary missions during the exercise: to integrate into the intelligence cycle of the exercise, participate in a medical demonstration and practical field test of modern medical networking technologies, and support Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance operations. To achieve these goals, ANCU deployed a team comprised of an Intelligence officer, a medic and Uncrewed Systems operators flying the CU-175 Puma – a miniature fixed wing Uncrewed Aircraft system used both on land and at sea. One of the standout achievements of the ANCU team during Bold Quest 24 was their support for the first successful execution of the Intelligence Requirement Management and Collection Management (IRM&CM) process using solely Canadian assets through Federated Mission Network (FMN). ANCU sailors played a critical role in providing Full Motion Video (FMV) to the FMN and the Mission Partner Environment. This FMV was subsequently transmitted to the Canadian Forces Maritime Warfare Centre and Trinity in Halifax, marking a significant advancement in the speed and efficiency of intelligence collection and processing. Leading the intelligence efforts, Lieutenant(N) Jeong served as the Naval Intelligence lead for Bold Quest 24, heading a team focused on the practical use of Common Intelligence Picture tools and implementing the IRM&CM cycle. Meanwhile, ANCU’s medic, Master Corporal (MCpl) Patterson, integrated with the Royal Navy and the United States Marine Corps to evaluate the United States Air Force Research Laboratories Battlefield Digital Data Collection Kit (BATDOK), to address medical needs and gather vital...

A/SLt Samantha Cortes Munoz, MARPAC Public Affairs — The Canadian Forces Environmental Medical Establishment (CFEME) completed a successful NATO Submarine Medical Officer course held Oct. 28 to Nov. 8 in Esquimalt. This important training brought together medical professionals from around the globe, including 15 students from Canada, Australia, Singapore, [...]