August 31,
2015 (YAVORIV, Ukraine) - As Canadian soldiers stepped from the CC-177
Globemaster aircraft and onto the tarmac at the Lviv International Airport, they
took the first steps towards starting what promises to be a busy autumn. The
soldiers arrived in theatre in two groups on 25 and 31 August. The majority of
the soldiers came from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG) based at
Garrison Petawawa, Ontario. They will spend the next few months at the
Ukrainian Armed Forces International Security and Peacekeeping Centre in
Yavoriv, roughly 30 km from the Ukraine-Poland border.
The troops
are arriving in Yavoriv as part of Operation UNIFIER, Canada's military
training mission in Ukraine, where they will focus on teaching vital skills in
partnership with Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers. “In short we're here to pass
on our knowledge to our Ukrainian partners to ensure they have the skills to
survive and thrive on the battlefield,” said Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Jason
Guiney, the commander of Canada’s Joint Task Force Ukraine. “Our soldiers are
ready for this mission and we’re looking forward to being in the field and
working on the fundamentals of soldiering.”
While the
largest component of the mission will be the delivery of tactical training in
Yavoriv, there are other key elements of the mission such as working on more
specialized training with Ukrainian troops around the country and in Canada.
One of the specialized training activities will consist of an explosive
ordnance disposal (EOD) and improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) program
at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Demining Centre in Kamyanets-Podilsky.
Canadian engineers will be partnering with Ukrainian soldiers to enhance their
existing Counter Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) operations.
A team of
eight CAF personnel in the field of EOD/IEDD pre-deployed on June 13 to liaise
with Ukrainian military partners, observe training, and prepare training plans.
“We’ve deployed extremely capable and operationally experienced C-IED
instructors,” said the team leader for C-IED training. “We are going to partner
with the Ukraine to enhance the capability of their C-IED teams and build on
the extensive and impressive skills they already have displayed during our
short time here.” Outside Kiev, Canadian Military Police trainers are
delivering specialized courses on the use of force as well as investigation
techniques to Ukrainian Military Police officers drawn from around the country.
Back in
Yavoriv, LCol Guiney summarizes how the Task Force will approach the mission.
“As the first boots on the ground we know we have to set the standard for
future rotations of Canadian soldiers. I intend to work with our Ukrainian
partners to ensure a suitable and sustainable training plan is established to
help them succeed now, and in the future.”
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