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Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Regina, accompanied by naval replenishment unit Asterix, and a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, departed its homeport of Esquimalt, B.C., on Feb. 6 for a deployment to the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.
This is the third deployment for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) Cyclone helicopter fleet, and its first deployment with the Pacific fleet. The first operationally-deployed Cyclone recently returned to Canada after participating in Operation Reassurance. HMCS Toronto, with an embarked Cyclone, replaced HMCS Ville de Quebec.
The ships will initially support Operation Projection, working with partner navies and conducting key leader engagements to enhance military cooperation and partnerships in support of Canada’s diplomatic efforts in the Asia-Pacific region.
In March 2019, the ships will transition to Operations Artemis, supporting the Canadian-led Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150). CTF 150 is part of the Combined Maritime Forces, which is a naval coalition of 33 partner nations that promotes security and stability in international waters of the Middle East regions.
CTF 150 works to deter and deny terrorist organizations from using the high seas for smuggling weapons, illicit cargo, or narcotics, while ensuring the safe passage of merchant ships in some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
Upon completion of its support to Operation Artemis, the ships will transition back to Operation Projection for the remainder of the deployment and continue with engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.
