Navy Task Group to Join Other Navies for Warfare Exercise

Official press release from Canadian Navy, Thursday, October 18, 2007:

More than 1,100 sailors in five ships sail Monday to join with United States and Chilean naval vessels for a large warfare exercise Oct. 29 to Nov. 14 off Southern California.

The Canadian naval task group will be comprised of Her Majesty’s Canadian ships Algonquin, Protecteur, Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver, CH-124 Sea King helicopters and a CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft. The aim of the exercise is to practice defence operations independently as well as with the multi-ship USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a Chilean submarine.

“The Task Group is a flexible, responsive combination of forces, designed for complex missions ranging from combat to humanitarian assistance,” said Commodore Nigel Greenwood, Commander of Canadian Fleet Pacific. “Canadian task groups can operate independently or integrate into a larger coalition task force. Continually enhancing our task group capability keeps us on track towards a fully multi-purpose, combat-capable Canadian Forces, able to operate seamlessly with multinational partners,” he added.

During the action-packed exercise, Calgary will test fire two Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSMs) at the Southern California Offshore Range (SCORE). Calgary is the first of Maritime Forces Pacific’s five Halifax-Class frigates to complete the ESSM upgrade program, which enhanced her Command and Control systems, infrastructure and software as well as led to new anti-air defence tactics and procedures.

During the exercise, the Canadian ships will conduct diplomatic visits at San Diego, California, and Ensenada, Mexico. On Nov. 11, the Canadian ships will honour Remembrance Day in a ceremony while at anchor off San Diego.