Transcript

(N) In this episode, we’re on the ground in Norway…

(P) …we recap the exciting Invictus Games…

(N)…and we get one step closer to new warships for the Royal Canadian Navy.

(P) Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE recently took place in Norway and the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden.

We’re joined by Lieutenant-Colonel Todd Anstey to learn more about the exercise.

Hello Lieutenant-Colonel, can you please explain the purpose of Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE?

(LCol) The purpose of Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE, for Norway, it’s an Article 5, collective defence exercise. So it’s an exercise where the members of the Alliance, the NATO Alliance, come together to simulate a defensive exercise, so therefore, a threat or something against one NATO Alliance is therefore deemed a threat against the entire Alliance, so therefore the entire Alliance comes by to the aid of that country.

(P) How many people are participating?

(LCol) Right now, globally with all of NATO, approximately about 50,000 soldiers from all the NATO countries are here for TRIDENT JUNCTURE.

(P) What is the Canadian Armed Forces contribution to the exercise?

(LCol) Our Canadian Forces contribution to this exercise is about 2,000 personnel, ranging from Navy, Army, Air Force, our National Command Element, and a Joint Task Force support component.

(P) How does participation in this NATO exercise benefit the Canadian Armed Forces?

(LCol) From a Canadian Armed Forces perspective, this is a great opportunity for Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces to demonstrate our capability to come and support NATO, support the Alliance. And from the Canadian Forces perspective, it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to work, sort out our interoperability, our best practices with our NATO members.

(P) Thank you for joining us, Lieutenant-Colonel.

(LCol) Thank you, and have a great day.

(N) Team Canada proudly represented Canada at the 2018 Invictus Games, held recently in Sydney, Australia.

The team won two silver and four bronze medals over the course of the week-long competition.

The 39 members of Team Canada competed in 11 sports against more than 500 ill and injured armed forces members from around the world.

The Invictus Games highlight the power of sport to inspire recovery and support rehabilitation. Congratulations to Team Canada for embodying the spirit of sportsmanship and determination!

(N) Before we go, a key milestone was recently achieved for the Canadian Surface Combatant fleet procurement project. Namely, the identification of a preferred bidder to provide the design for the warship.

(P) These warships will form the backbone of the Royal Canadian Navy, and be Canada’s future major surface component of maritime combat power. For more information on this significant milestone, visit the related links.

(N) That’s it for us. Thank you so much for watching. See you next time…

(P) …for Defence Team News!