Quotulatiousness

July 24, 2014

The current organization of the Canadian Army

Filed under: Cancon, Military — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 00:03

Canadian Army Land Force CommandI posted a link about a military exercise to be held next month in the Niagara Peninsula, and it mentioned the 31st Brigade, which reminded me I’d lost track of the current organization of the Canadian Army (which back in my day was still hiding under the name “Mobile Command”). In common with other allied armies, the units and organizations have changed significantly since the end of the Cold War — in the case of the Canadian Army, many of the changes were triggered earlier by unification in 1968. In the case of the regular infantry regiments, Wikipedia has this to say about the post-WW2 era:

Between 1953 and 1971, the regular Canadian infantry consisted of seven regiments, each of two battalions (except the Royal 22e Régiment, which had three, the Canadian Guards which had four battalions between 1953 and 1957 and the Canadian Airborne Regiment, which was divided into three commandos [roughly battalion-sized units]). The three present Regular infantry regiments were augmented by three further regiments each of two battalions:

  • The Canadian Guards
  • The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada
  • The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada

Following the unification of the three services to form the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, the Regular Force battalions of the QOR and the Black Watch were dissolved (their Militia battalions remained in Toronto and Montreal, respectively), the Regular regiment of The Fort Garry Horse was disbanded and the Canadian Guards were reduced to nil strength.

It is now (2014) organized as five divisions, including both the regular and reserve force units (Wikipedia has a large org chart if you prefer the visual approach). For the sake of space, I’m only listing the infantry, armoured, and artillery units. Most brigades have attached headquarters, signals, engineering, and service units as well.

1st Canadian Division

1st Canadian Division HQ (Kingston, ON) – The 1st Division has no permanently attached ground combat units, but provides a deployable headquarters for overseas operations and is intended to take combat and additional support units under command for the duration of those operations.

2nd Canadian Division (formerly Land Force Quebec Area)

5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, Valcartier, QC (all regular force units)

  • 5e Regiment d’artillerie-legere du Canada, Valcartier, QC
  • 12e Regiment Blinde du Canada, Valcartier, QC
  • 1e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment, Valcartier, QC
  • 2e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment, Valcartier, QC
  • 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Regiment, Valcartier, QC

34 Canadian Brigade Group, Montreal, QC

  • The Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal), Montreal, QC
  • Le Régiment de Hull (RCAC), Hull, QC
  • 4e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment (Châteauguay), Laval, QC
  • 6e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC
  • Le Régiment de Maisonneuve, Montreal, QC
  • Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, Montreal, QC
  • The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, Montreal, QC
  • The Canadian Grenadier Guards, Montreal, QC
  • The Royal Montreal Regiment, Westmount, QC
  • 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Montreal, QC

35 Canadian Brigade Group, Quebec, QC

  • Sherbrooke Hussars, Sherbrooke, QC
  • 12e Régiment blindé du Canada, Trois-Rivières, QC (Note: it’s not a typo, there are indeed two entries for 12e Régiment blindé du Canada)
  • Le Régiment de la Chaudière, Lévis, QC
  • Le Régiment du Saguenay, Chicoutimi, QC
  • Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC
  • Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent, Rimouski, QC
  • Les Voltigeurs de Québec, Quebec City, QC
  • 6th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Lévis, QC
  • 62nd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Shawinigan, QC

3rd Canadian Division (formerly Land Force Western Area)

1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, CFB Edmonton, AB (all regular force units)

  • 1st Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Shilo, MB
  • Lord Strathcona’s Horse, Edmonton, AB
  • 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton, AB
  • 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Shilo, MB
  • 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Edmonton, AB

38 Canadian Brigade Group, Winnipeg, MB

  • The Saskatchewan Dragoons, Moose Jaw, SK
  • The Fort Garry Horse, Winnipeg, MB
  • The Royal Regina Rifles, Regina, SK
  • The North Saskatchewan Regiment, Saskatoon, SK
  • The Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Winnipeg, MB
  • The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, Thunder Bay, ON
  • The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, Winnipeg, MB
  • 10th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Regina, SK
  • 26th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Brandon, MB
  • 116th Independent Field Battery, Kenora, ON

39 Canadian Brigade Group, Vancouver, BC

  • The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own), Vancouver, BC (armoured)
  • The British Columbia Dragoons, Kelowna, BC
  • The Rocky Mountain Rangers, Kamloops, BC
  • The Royal Westminster Regiment, New Westminster, BC
  • The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, Vancouver, BC
  • The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s), Victoria, BC
  • 5th (British Columbia) Field Regiment, RCA, Victoria, BC
  • 15th Field Regiment, RCA, Vancouver, BC

41 Canadian Brigade Group, Calgary, AB

  • The South Alberta Light Horse, Edmonton and Medicine Hat, AB
  • The King’s Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC), Calgary, AB (armoured)
  • The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry), Edmonton, AB and Yellowknife, NWT
  • The Calgary Highlanders, Calgary, AB
  • 20th Field Regiment, RCA, Edmonton and Red Deer, AB
  • 20th Independent Field Battery, RCA, Lethbridge, AB

4th Canadian Division (formerly Land Force Central Area )

2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, CFB Petawawa, ON (all regular force units)

  • 2nd Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Petawawa, ON
  • Royal Canadian Dragoons, Petawawa, ON
  • 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, Petawawa, ON
  • 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, Gagetown, NB
  • 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, Petawawa, ON

31 Canadian Brigade Group, London, ON

  • The Windsor Regiment, Windsor, ON (armoured)
  • The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment), Hamilton, ON
  • The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, St. Catharines and Welland, ON
  • 4th Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, London and Stratford, ON
  • The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, Cambridge and Kitchener, ON
  • The Essex and Kent Scottish, Windsor and Chatham, ON
  • The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s), Hamilton, ON
  • 11th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Guelph and Hamilton, ON
  • 56th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Brantford, St. Catharines, and Simcoe ON

32 Canadian Brigade Group, Toronto, ON

  • The Governor General’s Horse Guards, Toronto, ON
  • The Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC), Toronto and Aurora, ON
  • The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, Toronto, ON
  • The Royal Regiment of Canada, Toronto, ON
  • The Grey and Simcoe Foresters, Owen Sound and Barrie, ON
  • The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment), Brampton, Oakville, and Georgetown, ON
  • 48th Highlanders of Canada, Toronto, ON
  • The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Own), Toronto, ON
  • 7th Toronto Regiment, RCA, Toronto, ON

33 Canadian Brigade Group, Ottawa, ON

  • The Ontario Regiment (RCAC), Oshawa, ON (armoured)
  • Governor General’s Foot Guards, Ottawa, ON
  • The Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment, Kingston, ON
  • The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, Belleville, Peterborough, and Cobourg, ON
  • The Brockville Rifles, Brockville, ON
  • Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, Cornwall, ON
  • The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh’s Own), Ottawa, ON
  • The Algonquin Regiment, North Bay and Timmins, ON
  • 2nd Battalion, Irish Regiment of Canada, Sudbury, ON
  • 30th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Ottawa, ON
  • 49th (Sault Ste. Marie) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Sault Ste Marie, ON
  • 42nd Field Artillery Regiment (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish), RCA, Pembroke, ON

5th Canadian Division (formerly Land Force Atlantic Area )

36 Canadian Brigade Group, Halifax, NS

  • The Halifax Rifles (RCAC), Halifax, NS (armoured) (Note: this is to date the only unit to have been revived from the Supplementary Order of Battle.)
  • The Prince Edward Island Regiment, Charlottetown, PEI (armoured)
  • 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Halifax, NS
  • 84th Independent Field Battery, RCA, Yarmouth, NS
  • The Princess Louise Fusiliers, Halifax, NS
  • The West Nova Scotia Regiment, Aldershot, NS
  • The Nova Scotia Highlanders, Truro, NS
  • The Cape Breton Highlanders, Sydney, NS

37 Canadian Brigade Group, Moncton, NB

  • 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s), Moncton, NB
  • 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, RCA, Saint John, NB
  • 1st Battalion, The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (Carleton and York), Fredericton, NB
  • The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, Bathurst, NB
  • 1st Battalion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, St. John’s, NL
  • 2nd Battalion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Corner Brook, NL

Update, 10 August: Having just read a short article in the most recent Dorchester Review, I’m reminded that I neglected to include Canada’s special forces units (as much as we know about them, anyway). Special forces fall under their own service command, a fourth service separate from the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force, known as the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), established in 2006. I’ve posted an item about CANSOFCOM here.

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