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More than 480 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) are in Alberta until the first week of June to participate in Exercise Maple Resolve 1401, the Canadian Armed Forces’ largest annual exercise. The exercise prepares and confirms both the RCAF and Canadian Army Task Forces for high readiness.
The RCAF expeditionary capability participating in this exercise is the Air Task Force (ATF) 1401, which comprises an ATF headquarters, the Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) and their detachments, and 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron. The ATF headquarters, exercising at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alberta, serves as the operational level headquarters and has operational command of all deployed RCAF assets.
“The ATF is proud to participate in Exercise Maple Resolve,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Denis O’Reilly, the commander of ATF 1401. “Short of the real thing, this exercise is one of the most challenging, dynamic, and realistic training environments possible. Maple Resolve provides the Air Task Force an excellent opportunity to plan and execute deployed full spectrum operations in a multinational, joint environment.”
The AEW – which has tactical command of assigned assets – enables and sustains deployed aerospace operations. The AEW is exercising at 4 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, Alberta, with additional assets supporting airfield operations from Wainwright at two separate airfields.
Airmen and airwomen from the following locations are participating in the exercise:
- 1 Canadian Air Division and 2 Canadian Air Division, both headquartered in Winnipeg, Man.
- 2 Wing Bagotville, Que.
- 3 Wing Bagotville, Que.
- 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta.
- 8 Wing Trenton, Ont.
- 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S.
- 17 Wing Winnipeg, Man.
- 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, which reports to 1 Wing Kingston, Ont., but is based in Edmonton, Alta.
The CC-130J Hercules, the CP-140 Aurora, and the CH-146 Griffon helicopters are providing essential air support.
The AEW is the core component of any Air Task Force, and may also be deployed as an independent air operation or as part of a joint, combined or coalition force, as required by the Government of Canada. It is also scalable and can be tailored to the assigned task.
“Exercise Maple Resolve will validate the operational readiness of the AEW prior to its period of high readiness,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Jay Nelles, the commander of AEW 1401. “It means that if the Government of Canada wishes to employ RCAF capabilities abroad, the AEW will always be ready to deploy and support essential air operations nearly anywhere in the world.”
