May 8, 2023 | Local, Other Defence
May 8, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Today, Defence Minister Anita Anand welcomed her Polish counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, to Ottawa for a bilateral meeting.
Minister Anand and Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak reaffirmed that both countries will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Both Canada and Poland have been leaders in providing assistance to Ukraine, with Canada having committed over $1 billion in military aid and over $8 billion in combined military, economic, humanitarian, and other aid. Minister Anand commended Poland’s outstanding support to Ukraine, and both Ministers agreed on the importance of the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group as a forum for coordinating donations of military aid to Ukraine.
Minister Anand thanked Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak for Poland’s collaboration with Canada to provide military assistance to Ukraine. Under Operation UNIFIER, Canada currently has approximately 80 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel deployed to Poland, where they are:
These ongoing training efforts build on the CAF’s previous deployment to Poland from April to July 2022, when up to 150 CAF members deployed to Poland and worked in reception centres that coordinated the onward movement of Ukrainian refugees in Poland and across Europe. Minister Anand also noted that the Royal Canadian Air Force has transported over 8 million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada and its Allies, and commended Poland for its collaboration.
Minister Anand lauded Deputy Prime Minister Błaszczak for Poland’s leadership in hosting a Maintenance and Service Centre in partnership with Germany and Ukraine to sustain the Leopard 2 main battle tanks donated to Ukraine.
The two leaders also highlighted the Canada-Poland Defence Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which they signed on October 11, 2022 during Minister Anand’s visit to Poland. The MOU creates new opportunities for Canadian and Polish military and civilian personnel to learn from one another, train together, and enable cross-industry defence collaboration to modernize military technology.
Minister Anand reaffirmed Canada’s ironclad commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance, and highlighted Canada’s continued efforts to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank – notably by leading the multinational enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group in Latvia. Minister Anand welcomed the significant defence capabilities that Poland contributes to eFP Battle Group Latvia and NATO’s deterrence and defence posture.
Finally, Minister Anand noted her discussions over the past few months with Polish-Canadian community leaders who have shown remarkable dedication and compassion by contributing their time and resources to support Ukrainian arrivals in Canada. Minister Anand commended the leadership shown by the Polish-Canadian community and by the Polish government to support Ukrainians.
September 17, 2023 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR
The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale to Canada of munitions and other systems to be integrated into MQ-9Bs drones for $313.4 million, the Pentagon said on Friday.
September 14, 2018 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land
{Sent on behalf of Lieutenant-Colonel Stéphanie Godin, Chief Public Affairs Officer, CJOC} We have published the September 2018 CJOC PA Monthly Narrative. It is designed to inform all those who play a part in explaining the Canadian Armed Forces engagements in Canada, on the continent and around the world. This product is shared with DND/CAF colleagues and with our whole-of-government partners. It is updated and distributed on a monthly basis unless otherwise directed. New this month: On August 2, 2018, a small team of soldiers from the Canadian Army's 4 Engineer Support Regiment deployed to Iraq on Operation IMPACT. About 300 CAF members participated in a maritime domain defence and security exercise on Operation NANOOK from August 8, 2018 to September 4, 2018. The Government of Canada accepted the province of British Columbia's request for assistance with wildfire response on August 13, 2018. On September 7, 2018, the Province of B.C. announced that the wildfire situation improved and that the requirement for CAF assistance had diminished. Most CAF assets and members deployed on Operation LENTUS started to leave the province and return to their respective home units. About 100 personnel are still assisting with the operation. On August 15, 2018, Operation PRESENCE-Mali reached full operational capability, meaning personnel and equipment are prepared to conduct secondary tasks if the United Nations request them such as: the transportation of troops, equipment and supplies, and logistics support. About 135 personnel and five CF-18 Hornets deployed to Constanta, Romania on Operation REASSURANCE to participate in NATO enhanced Air Policing from September to December 2018. A CC-177 Globemaster aircraft conducted an airlift flight on Operation FREQUENCE between the Sahel region of Africa and France. About 29,000 kilograms of cargo were delivered to France. Follow us on social media: Twitter: http://twitter.com/CFOperations Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAFOperations
October 15, 2024 | Local, Land
The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, will travel to Europe from October 17-20 to meet with Allies and partners to discuss issues of shared interest and ways to strengthen defence relationships.