CSOR
2006 – A YEAR TO REMEMBER FOR THE CANADIAN SPECIAL OPERATIONS REGIMENT.
For the members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR), 2006 has been quite a year. It was less than one year ago that the chief of defence staff (CDS) directed Colonel David Barr, the commander of the Canadian Special Operations Force Command (CANSOFCOM) to stand up the first company within the regiment.
The CSOR is a new, high-readiness, agile and robust special operations force that has its home base at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa. The regiment is capable of supporting and conducting a broad range of special operations missions at home and abroad. CSOR roles include support to counter-terrorism, direct action, special reconnaissance, non-combatant evacuation operations, as well as defence diplomacy and military assistance.
CSOR falls under the command of CANSOFCOM, a new formation within the Canadian Forces (CF) that stood up on February 1, 2006. CANSOFCOM is a joint organization that also includes 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS), the Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Company, and Joint Tactical Force 2 (JTF 2).
An inaugural special operations basic qualification (SOBQ) course was held from April to August 2006 to select new members for the regiment and to ensure they were prepared for the unique challenges of special operations. “We started with quality people selected from across the Canadian Forces,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Hammond, commanding officer CSOR. “After 16 weeks of rigorous, demanding, but professionally delivered training we now have our first direct action company, full of well-trained special operators ready to deploy and serve at home and abroad on complex and challenging missions.”
Upon graduation from the SOBQ, about 250 soldiers participated in the CSOR standup ceremony on August 13, 2006, in the CFB Petawawa training area. The ceremony demonstrated, to an audience of about 1,500, some of the wide range of capabilities of this newly formed regiment and included parachuting both static and freefall, helicopter rappelling, fast roping, and extraction and controlling CF-18s.
“In fact, today marks the first time in almost 40 years that a new Canadian regiment has been raised,” said Lieutenant General Walter Natynczyk, the vice chief of Defence Staff. “So today is definitely a proud day for the Canadian Forces… With the stand up of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, we are increasing the CF’s ability to conduct missions worldwide. The CSOR, with the other units of CANSOFCOM, is a complete special operations team that is integrated to interoperate seamlessly, as opposed to being put together on an ad hoc basis.”
The ceremony also included an acknowledgement of the courage and sacrifices of the predecessors of CSOR, the Devil’s Brigade of WW II, or the First Special Service Force (FSSF). A member of that illustrious unit, Sergeant (Ret.) Charlie Mann was an integral part of the ceremony. He made references to his experiences and reminded the members of CSOR of the work that lay ahead and wished them, “Godspeed, congratulations and come home safe.”
The linkage between the FSSF and CSOR was further demonstrated when 13 members of CANSOF participated in the 60th reunion of the FSSF Association along with members of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command held in Helena, Mont.. This visit allowed CANSOF personnel to gain a much deeper appreciation for the achievements of the members of the First Special Service Force. In addition, this visit provided an invaluable opportunity to make contacts with our American counterparts and begin to build what will hopefully become a solid and long-lasting relationship with the U.S. SOF community.
In the fall of 2006 many members of CSOR conducted advanced training in a variety of skills both individually and collectively. Additionally, the support and administrative personnel within the regiment have continued to work extremely hard in receipting and issuing new equipment, developing infrastructure and a host of support activities. This is all with a view to continue to develop the operational effectiveness of the regiment.
“As both CANSOFCOM and CSOR have only recently been established, SOF equipment procurement has not been without its challenges,” stated Major Neil Nicholoson. Unlike commander USSOCOM, commander CANSOFCOM does not yet have similarly unique acquisition authorities and responsibilities, or the resources that would be required to exercise them, which means that we need to rely upon proven technologies already in use by our allies, including USSOCOM.
However, much of the leading edge equipment in use by SOF forces is manufactured in the U.S. and in some cases is only available for procurement through Foreign Military Sales cases, or there are specific International Traffic in Arms Regulations restrictions, each of which impose extended delivery times and are only satisfied if the requirement is not in competition with U.S. demands. As CSOR continues to grow to a full strength organization, so will our acquisition capabilities and processes to ensure we continue to equip our forces with the best possible SOF-proven equipment available in the shortest time possible.”
As Major Doug Allison, CANSOFCOM senior public affairs officer has stated, “We anticipate in the near term that the canadian special operations regiment will make a contribution to the Canadian special operations forces efforts within Afghanistan. They will take part in the full spectrum of special operations, contributing to the overall efforts underway in Afghanistan.”
“We have now turned the CDS’ vision into mission and developed operational capability with a pace not seen in Canada in over 50 years,” said Hammond. “As 2006 comes to a close, I want to commend our members, both at home and abroad, for your continued enthusiasm and support to our mission. You represent your country with professionalism, dedication and excellence, and I know your families are as proud of you as I am.” ♦