Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Training for Afstan: You read it first in the El Paso Times

Who knew in the Canadian media? (Via GAP and milnewstbay)
A massive two-Canadian mechanized brigade (check the Colonel's words at the link) will participate in Exercise Southern Bear at Fort Bliss in February, according to a news release from Canada's Land Force Central Area - Dept of National Defence.

The exercise, designed to prepare soldiers for deployment to Afghanistan in 2008, will involve roughly 3,300 soldiers, with the overwhelming majority of them based in Ontario at CFB Petawawa.

Involved in the exercise will be members of the Canadian Battle Group, Provincial Reconstruction Team, Observer Mentor Liaison Team, National Support Element and the Headquarters for Joint Task Force Afghanistan Rotation 5.
Somehow I doubt our national media will notice. And if they did I'm pretty sure somewhere in the story the words "American-style" (or some such characterization) would show up. Our media might contact Steve Staples for a quick comment.

Video update:

5 Comments:

Blogger MyviewfromCalgary said...

Looks like somebody has a problem understanding the use of numbers in a military context in El Paso.

The news release refers to 2 CMBG (as in Second) not 2 Brigades (eg 6 CIBG and 12 CABG).

7:55 p.m., December 05, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hmmm third week of Feb in Pet, listening to cold, cold winds whistle down Mattawa Plains or some time way down south in Texas ??

Guess I'll go for Texas

10:59 p.m., December 05, 2007  
Blogger Dave in Pa. said...

Fred, they're actually going to south Texas at the only decent weather time of the year.

I speak from personal experience. This is when I went through USAF basic training at Lackland AFB, near San Antonio.

I arrived at the beginning of February, when it was still cold enough to wear winter gear-field jackets with liners, and gloves. That lasted about a week. The weather during the last week of basic training in mid-March was hot, humidly hot.

So, TWO Brigade is hitting that brief window of decent weather in Texas. (and why the hell you guys don't use proper terminology and say SECOND Brigade, I just dunno! :-)

2:46 a.m., December 06, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thnx Dave - Texas weather sounds Ok to me. . . but if you haven't been to Pet in Feb, you'd know anywhere is better :)

Maybe except Gagetown :) :) :)

8:42 a.m., December 06, 2007  
Blogger Minicapt said...

Dave
Because SECOND would refer to SECOND Division; Brigades are referred to as One, Two Three, etc. And we've been doing it that way for about 93 years.

Cheers
JMH

7:10 p.m., December 07, 2007  

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