New regiment's commandos head to Afghanistan soon

Undisclosed number to aid JTF2 contingent

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, 20 Oct 06

Members of the newly formed special forces regiment based in Petawawa are heading to Afghanistan as Canada continues to bolster its commitment to the war in that southwest Asian country.

The regiment, formed in August, will send an undisclosed number of troops to join members of the Ottawa-based Joint Task Force 2 special forces unit already operating in the Kandahar area.

It is the first mission for the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, which at this point has about 300 members, including headquarters and supply staff, as well as a training cadre. The unit is expected to expand to around 700 by 2010.

The Canadian Forces decision to increase its special forces in Afghanistan comes as NATO pleads with its member nations to contribute more soldiers to the mission and as some countries pull their commandos out.

Australia recently withdrew its 200-member Special Air Service contingent from Afghanistan. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the soldiers had served for a year in that country and he was concerned about overburdening the special forces troops with combat missions.

Earlier this month, there were reports that France will pull its 200 special forces troops from southeast Afghanistan by early next year. The reports cited the worsening security situation and the deaths of nine French special forces soldiers in ongoing fighting. The French defence ministry has refused to comment on the reports that it will withdraw its commandos.

France and Australia continue to keep regular troops in Afghanistan.

Canadian Forces spokesman Maj. Doug Allison said the military will not discuss how many members of the special operations regiment are being sent to Afghanistan or when they will leave.

"We anticipate in the near term that the regiment will make a contribution to the Canadian SOF (special operations force) efforts within Afghanistan," said Maj. Allison. "They will take part in the full spectrum of special operations contributing to the overall efforts in Afghanistan."

The regiment can be used for a variety of roles, including training foreign soldiers, special reconnaissance operations or direct-action missions, military parlance for attacking enemy targets or individuals.

The Canadian Special Operations Regiment began recruiting earlier this year from other units. After months of training and candidate selection, it reached its "interim operational" capability on Sept. 1 and is now ready for missions.

The regiment, located at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, provides support to JTF2 as well as handling its own operations.

JTF2 operatives have conducted combat missions in Afghanistan as well as recently taking on a new role of training Afghan special forces. Last year, three JTF2 soldiers were wounded during a raid on a terrorist compound where improvised explosive devices were being made. The number of JTF2 operatives in Afghanistan is secret.

The Canadian Forces is also looking for more infantry to send to Afghanistan, so soldiers who have already served there don't continually get sent back to the war zone. On Wednesday Gen. Rick Hillier, the chief of the defence staff, told a Commons committee that some soldiers who signed up for specific jobs in the military will now be "re-roled" as infantry.

"We'll re-role people that are in the training system right now, but who are designed to be something else," the general explained. "We'll say, 'For the next two or three years, you'll be infantry, and then go back to your primary role.'"

In addition, the Canadian Forces will make more use of reserve soldiers on the Afghan mission.

Behind the scenes, Gen. Hillier has also been trying to convince other NATO nations to contribute more troops to Afghanistan.

The Canadian Special Operations Regiment is part of a significant expansion in the military of such capabilities. Earlier this year, the military created the country's first special operations command to oversee such units. That command is responsible for JTF2, the special operations regiment, a special operations aviation squadron and an expanded nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological response unit. Eventually, the command will have around 2,300 personnel under its control.

Initially, $25 million was provided to get the special operations regiment started, but in the fall it hopes to receive approval for a $400-million project that would include new equipment and infrastructure. The Defence Department expects to build new training facilities and offices for the regiment at CFB Petawawa.

The regiment will have equipment and training similar to JTF2. Military officers say it is important that the two units are interoperable since the regiment will be used at times to provide combat support for JTF2.