*Shhhhh!*
CANSOFCOM soldiers were decorated yesterday by the Governor General. That's about all we know:
Facta Non Verba!
Update: I've been able to track down some additional detail on this.
The decorations were awarded to soldiers from the rank of Master Corporal to Major, and one of them was female. The two valour decorations were awarded to Sergeants for actions that took place sometime in 2005-2006.
While the soldiers involved are entitled to wear their decorations, the citations will remain officially sealed for at least twenty years. At that point they will be reviewed for three things: TTP, PERSEC, and details of operations. TTP stands for Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, and it's pretty obvious why you wouldn't want the other team knowing your playbook. PERSEC includes names, faces, et cetera, and while twenty years might seem a long time to keep such information secret, if you're decorated as a 23 year old Corporal, you might be a 43 year old MWO with the same Command in twenty years time - hence the need for review. As far as reviewing to see if the details of the operations concerned should be released, that comes down to how much information you want your enemy to have about which operations you undertake, and how you go about them. If one of the bad guys gets away, or spots your team hitting a target from a distance and observes (a "squirter" in the SOF parlance), you don't want him to even know it was you that did the job. Otherwise he and his cronies can gain intelligence on your TTP. If they can't connect the unit involved with the tactics they observed, you've maintained an advantage - which is why the details get reviewed before a decision is made to release them.
Even after twenty years.
During a private ceremony today at Rideau Hall, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, presented some of Canada’s highest honours to members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM). The decorations included two Medals of Military Valour, two Meritorious Service Crosses and seven Meritorious Service Medals, presented in recognition of bravery and commitment to service by personnel serving within CANSOFCOM during recent deployments. For security and operational reasons, recipients' names and citations are not released.
Facta Non Verba!
Update: I've been able to track down some additional detail on this.
The decorations were awarded to soldiers from the rank of Master Corporal to Major, and one of them was female. The two valour decorations were awarded to Sergeants for actions that took place sometime in 2005-2006.
While the soldiers involved are entitled to wear their decorations, the citations will remain officially sealed for at least twenty years. At that point they will be reviewed for three things: TTP, PERSEC, and details of operations. TTP stands for Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, and it's pretty obvious why you wouldn't want the other team knowing your playbook. PERSEC includes names, faces, et cetera, and while twenty years might seem a long time to keep such information secret, if you're decorated as a 23 year old Corporal, you might be a 43 year old MWO with the same Command in twenty years time - hence the need for review. As far as reviewing to see if the details of the operations concerned should be released, that comes down to how much information you want your enemy to have about which operations you undertake, and how you go about them. If one of the bad guys gets away, or spots your team hitting a target from a distance and observes (a "squirter" in the SOF parlance), you don't want him to even know it was you that did the job. Otherwise he and his cronies can gain intelligence on your TTP. If they can't connect the unit involved with the tactics they observed, you've maintained an advantage - which is why the details get reviewed before a decision is made to release them.
Even after twenty years.
posted by Babbling Brooks at 8:59 a.m.
5 Comments:
When do they open the books on citations such as these? Is it closer to ten years, or a hundred, before we'll know what they did?
No clue, Josh. I'll try and find out, though.
My uncle who served in Vietnam still could not get his awards and citations over 25 years later because they involved places, people and things that did not happen.
And, some were extended to "no tell." Which is why, even after his death, we cannot know.
That is the life of LRPS, SOFs, etc
God bless'em.
"Straight-talking colonel takes over Canada's special forces":
http://tinyurl.com/32fvwn
Mark
Ottawa
I say, as long as the soldiers are recognised personally, secret or not, then that is good enough. The individual service member knows he 'did good'..........national security can be maintained. As much as I think our heros should be made a household name, the fact that they are doing their job, and appeciated by people like you and me, and make us proud for their accomplishments, I can live with the secrecy.
real lives are on the line, and we need to respect that. The individual soldiers need to be the focus, not the needs of the public.
God bless those men and women for what they are doing over there. They make me very proud of them. I'll be front and centre Nov. 11 at 11 am, in whatever place I may be......to honour them all...... They command my respect.
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