Op IMPACT: CAF in the Iraq & Syria crisis

[exgunnertdo]

http://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/386thAirExpeditionaryWing/News/Display/tabid/5446/Article/671952/386th-aew-and-coalition-forces-first-responders-build-skills-partnerships.aspx

Southwest Asia --
Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing partnered up with coalition forces for a mass casualty exercise at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Feb. 18.

The purpose of the exercise was to test the medical group and Canadian Forces field medical response capability. 

“We staged a scenario in which a car crashed into a group of bicyclists off the side of the road,” said Chief Master Sgt. Ruben Vazquez, 386th Expeditionary Medical Group chief enlisted manager.  “The team had to respond to six casualties total.”

Mass casualties are intense and you need to be ready, said Senior Airman Alan Villegas, a 386th EMDG medical technician. My mission was to stabilize my patients and get them to a clinic. In the moment being knowledgeable of triaging patients and of the severity of the injuries helped me prioritize and make sure we have the best outcome possible.

From the time an incident on base is reported, medical personnel are typically on scene within five minutes.

“Overall, I believe the exercise was a huge success, said Vazquez. The biggest benefit of this type of exercise is the mutual interaction of the emergency personnel responding to the event and allowing them to truly test their interoperability.  The ultimate goal is to challenge the emergency personnel in a controlled environment and build muscle memory so they will be ready in the event of a real world mass casualty.”

In the end, it was also a reminder that in an emergency situation first responders have two things to rely on—their team and their training.

“Working with [coalition partners] was relatively easy. We were able to communicate with each other with ease and do what we needed to do,” said Villegas. “In the midst of the chaos I learned that staying calm and trusting my instincts is the best way to go.”

This is from the USAF PA machine. In actual fact, this was a Canadian exercise - in which the USAF was invited to participate. 

 

[Good2Golf]

Don't worry, if when the Canadian main story comes out of the PA machine, it will no doubt be properly spell-checked and well written.......

 

[The Bread Guy]

Don't worry, if when the Canadian main story comes out of the PA machine, it will no doubt be properly spell-checked and well written.......

... several weeks later.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

My point is that I don't think Op Impact is the type of mission the EXP ribbon was designed for.

Ya...except the whole "military service in the face of an armed enemy in the political boundaries and airspace of Iraq" stuff...other than that, there is no natural line drawn between the two.  ;D

 

[MarkOttawa]

Denmark to send troops to Syria

A majority of Parliament has approved sending Danish F-16 fighter jets, a transport aircraft and a team of special forces to fight the organisation Islamic State in Syria.

As of mid-2016, the total Danish military contribution will encompass about 400 soldiers, incuding pilots and support personnel. 60 of the 400 will be member of the two Danish special forces groups: the Hunter Corps (Jægerkorpset) and the Frogman Corps (Frømandskorpset).

“The government wishes to intensify the battle against the terror orgnisation IS. We need to fight IS, which kills innocent men, women and children, with targeted efforts and power,” said the prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

“It’s a serious decision to send Danish men and women on a mission in one of the world’s flash points and I appreciate that the government’s proposal enjoyed broad support from the parties in Parliament.”

Aside from the Venstre-led government, the broad majority that supported the proposal consisted of Dansk Folkeparti, Socialdemokraterne, Konservative and Radikale...
http://cphpost.dk/news/denmark-considering-sending-troops-to-syria.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Sub_Guy]

Ya...except the whole "military service in the face of an armed enemy in the political boundaries and airspace of Iraq" stuff...other than that, there is no natural line drawn between the two.  ;D

I get what you are saying but it does go against what the medal was designed for.  It wasn't designed specifically for "military service in the face of an armed enemy in the political boundaries and airspace of Iraq", it was designed for smaller missions where a separate award wouldn't be feasible or make sense, back in 2003 and with 9 awarded prior to Op Impact it made sense.  Have a look at the eligibility for the SSM-EXP, it's all small little missions/dets/etc...  "The EXPEDITION ribbon was created to provide a flexible tool of recognition for operations for which it is not possible or practical to create a separate ribbon."

I think that awarding it for Op Impact goes against what it was originally designed for that's all.

On to the Danes.  For a country as small as Denmark they have their shit together, we had them there with us last year.

 

[Good2Golf]

Yes, the Neovikings are pretty gripped. :nod:

 

[jollyjacktar]

Did a half NATO with HDMS Peter Tordenskiold (F356).  She and her crew were a joy to sail with, we loved the Vikings.  Awesome bunch of guys.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I get what you are saying but it does go against what the medal was designed for.  It wasn't designed specifically for "military service in the face of an armed enemy in the political boundaries and airspace of Iraq", it was designed for smaller missions where a separate award wouldn't be feasible or make sense, back in 2003 and with 9 awarded prior to Op Impact it made sense.  Have a look at the eligibility for the SSM-EXP, it's all small little missions/dets/etc...  "The EXPEDITION ribbon was created to provide a flexible tool of recognition for operations for which it is not possible or practical to create a separate ribbon."

I think that awarding it for Op Impact goes against what it was originally designed for that's all.

On to the Danes.  For a country as small as Denmark they have their shit together, we had them there with us last year.

Well, thankfully they amended the criteria and GCS-Exp it is.  GSM-Exp's are being handed out in theatre...I don't know a single person who received a throwing star yet.  Imagine how long and fucked up it would be in they started from scratch.  Christ, they already have the medal and the criteria and guys who are on their 3rd ROTO haven't seen it yet.  Reinvent the wheel?  No thanks, the CAF sucks at this kind of stuff.

It took almost a year to decide the HA/RA for Kuwait (they were pretty quick to determine the Iraq rates though... :) and a year and a half to decide tax relief.  Fuck the starting something from scratch crap.

Exp is fine, nice ribbon, already in the system and criteria amended.  Now they just have to quick march instead of mark time.

 

[The Bread Guy]

From the Info-machine:

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) officially marked the transitioning of the Air Task Force-Iraq mission during a parade today in Kuwait. Lieutenant-General Michael Hood, Commander Royal Canadian Air Force, presided over the parade, which commemorated the contributions of all CAF members who have deployed to conduct and support air operations since the beginning of Operation IMPACT.

Air Task Force-Iraq will continue to operate two types of aircraft in support of coalition air operations. The CC-150T Polaris supports coalition air assets in the region with aerial refueling and two CP-140 Auroras conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions based on identified and pre-determined areas of interest.     

As directed by the Government of Canada, the CF-18 Hornets ceased airstrike operations on February 15, 2016, and will depart the region in a phased approach in the coming weeks ...

 

[Old Sweat]

From the Info-machine:

And reading that, does this mean the Griffons will be under adult leadership?

 

[Ostrozac]

And reading that, does this mean the Griffons will be under adult leadership?

Good catch. The Griffons operating up north will NOT be part of the Air Task Force -- they will be part of the Special Operations Task Force.

For our historians in the house, when did the helicopters of 10 TAG leave Mobile Command (now known as the Canadian Army) and join Air Command (now known as the Royal Canadian Air Force)? Was it on stand-up of Air Command in 1975, or later?

 

[Good2Golf]

Ostrozac, between 68 and 75, 10 TAG technically was under 'full command' (in the defined sense) of CADO (Chief of Air Doctrine and Operations) in NDHQ...the two-leaf precursor to Commander Air Command in Winnipeg. There was also an 'operational command' relationship with FMC (later LFC) that itself as an operational-level entity took its orders from CLDO (Chief of Land Doctrine and Operations) in Ottawa.  Perhaps E.R. Campbell or Old Sweat can confirm, but I believe CADO, CLDO and CMDO were direct reports to the DCDS.

That said, in 1975,with the stand-up of AIRCOM in Winnipeg, 'full command' of 10 TAG was chopped to AIRCOM, while 10 TAG retained its OPCOM relationship with FMC.  The only exception was 444 Tac Hel Sqn, which was chopped under full command to Comd 4 CMBG in CFE, while retaining a 'command for administration' relationship with HQ 10 TAG. 

With the formal move of the Air Staff (and by technicality and CFOO, Air Command) to Ottawa and stand-up of the operational-level 1 CAD in Winnipeg in the summer of 97, on 26 June 1997, the last Comd 10 TAG, BGen Ken Pennie on order from Commander Air Command stood down 10 TAG and transferred command of the Tactical Aviation force to then Col Charlie Bouchard as Commander 1 Wing, with tactical headquarters being transferred from St-Hubert to Kingston, to remain located with the Tac/Op level of the Army in the form of 1 Cdn Div.  There are others better informed and qualified to speak about the trials and tribulations of the 1990's re-birth of 1 Cdn Div (and subsequent thrash through the JHQ/JOG life cycle before re-re-birthing as 1 Cdn Div yet again), so I'll defer to those better suited to inform on that.

To this day, most of the 1 Wing units remain lodged on Army bases (less 400 AMS and 438e ETAH) and through 1 Wing HQ coordination with respective Div/Bde/CDSG HQs, continues to provide support to CA activities.  The notable exception being 427 SOAS that, while under Full Command of 1 Wing HQ, has an OPCOM command relationship with CANSOFCOM, and thus provides primary support to CANSOF units/TFs and residual support to other CAF elements as available.

:2c:

Regards
G2G

 

[Quirky]

When you file.  Your HA/RA will be included in Box 40 on your T4.  The amount in Box 40 will not be included as taxable income.

Regards
G2G

Just checked block 40 and didn't see any significant amount, I did get t4 before this was announced. Am I waiting another year for this?

 

[Eagle_Eye_View]

My understanding talking with the SOR is they'll issue new T4, hopefully before end of April.

 

[dimsum]

From the CBC; I don't recall any Canadian article before this mentioning the complexity of the ROE/targeting process while in Libya/Afghanistan (happy to be corrected), so it's good that for once, the military isn't made out to look like the Huey door gunner in Full Metal Jacket.

It's over now but, looking back, it's a wonder that the CF-18 pilots fighting ISIS didn't take a LEGAD with them every time they took to the sky. One wrong move, and they could violate the LOAC by bombing something on the NSL and end up on the wrong end of a CDE.

The LOAC is the law of armed conflict and the NSL is the no-strike list. A CDE is a collateral damage estimation. Watch out for those...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cf18-bombing-forms-milewski-1.3476675

 

[SupersonicMax]

I like how he pretends to know what he is talking about...  Yup, he found out what the acronyms mean and has a general idea of what is required to get a bomb off however, he has no clue how the process actually works realtime...  Which is far more smooth than what he leads people to believe.  And the chain doesn't start and stop at the pilot.

 

[PuckChaser]

The process may be smooth, but if the layman thinks it's very complex and difficult, makes it easier to counter the "baby killer" narrative that rears its head every time we use force somewhere.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I like how he pretends to know what he is talking about...  Yup, he found out what the acronyms mean and has a general idea of what is required to get a bomb off however, he has no clue how the process actually works realtime...  Which is far more smooth than what he leads people to believe.  And the chain doesn't start and stop at the pilot.

The process may be smooth, but if the layman thinks it's very complex and difficult, makes it easier to counter the "baby killer" narrative that rears its head every time we use force somewhere.

Can't win here (especially with the reporter in question).

If the process has a lot of steps, you get the headline you see.

If the process seems to have few steps or not enough oversight, the headline becomes, "Loose legal controls over CAF aerial bombing."

 

[dimsum]

Can't win here (especially with the reporter in question).

If the process has a lot of steps, you get the headline you see.

If the process seems to have few steps or not enough oversight, the headline becomes, "Loose legal controls over CAF aerial bombing."

And between the two choices, I'd rather have the first instead of the second.  It's harder to stir up outrage when the message is "look at all the checks and balances we need to use our weapons."