News
RCAF’s 2 Wing sets stage for Exercise Resilient Resolve
Working quietly behind the scenes, 2 Wing Bagotville, Quebec, continues to enable air operations anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.
May 24, 2016 By RCAF
Most recently, the RCAF’s expeditionary wing set the stage for Exercise Resilient Resolve, a bilateral training exercise with the Romanian Air Force that took place from March 1 to April 7, 2016. Four CF-188 Hornet fighter aircraft and about 100 personnel, mainly from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing, deployed to Constanta, Romania.
Exercise Resilient Resolve was conducted to foster relations between the RCAF and the Romanian Air Force and to allow the two nations to exchange best practices.
It was 2 Wing’s job to ensure that everything was in place to sustain the air detachment’s operations when it arrived.Five members from 2 Wing’s Air Expeditionary Squadron and 8 Air Communication and Control Squadron (8 ACCS) formed the reconnaissance and air field activation surge team (AFAST) that deployed to Constanta. Three more members from 8 ACCS joined them shortly after.
They connected with the host nation and Romanian Air Force to study the exercise location and determine the logistical and communications support required. The team had to consider and attain everything from accommodations and feeding to maintenance set-up and security.
About two weeks after they arrived in Romania, 2 Wing’s team had fully met its command, administrative, infrastructure, contracting, communications, work space and maintenance requirements to receive the main body on March 1, 2016.
The first training mission took to the air a week later, on March 8, 2016.
“The success of the mission, whether it is an exercise or an operation, begins with the establishment of solid organization and infrastructures, tailored to the assigned air detachment requirements,” said Major Carl Brassard, commander of 2 Wing’s AFAST. “The 2 Wing AFAST team sets the conditions for success for the deployed force package. We are the first people on the ground setting the environment for sustainable air operations. We take that responsibility very seriously.”
Deployed members, including those from 2 Wing, returned to Canada on April 8, 2016, following the completion of the exercise.
Exercise Resilient Resolve continues to build on the strong relationships between Canada and Romania, an important NATO ally, by strengthening our mutual confidence in using common NATO procedures.
