Land Force Central Area-Dept of National Defence-Media Invited to Attend Exercise Southern Bear

Canadian Forces via Marketwire ^ | 2007-12-04 | (media advisory)

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Dec 04, 2007 10:24 ET

Media Advisory: Land Force Central Area-Dept of National Defence-Media Invited to Attend Exercise Southern Bear

CFB PETAWAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 4, 2007) - Media are invited to cover Exercise Southern Bear, a massive 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade group exercise taking place at Fort Bliss, Texas designed to prepare soldiers for deployment to Afghanistan in 2008.

Media are invited to the exercise from February 21st to the 26th, 2008.

The exercise will involve roughly 3,300 soldiers, with the overwhelming majority based in Ontario at CFB Petawawa.

Media will be able to capture the visible likeness of Southern Texas to Kandahar Province while observing Canadian soldiers conduct various training exercises specifically designed to prepare them for deployment next summer.

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.

Media attending will need to secure transportation to the American base at Fort Bliss, located just outside El Paso, Texas.

Note to the editors:

Due to space constraints, this visit is open to 12 media positions, including reporters and camera operators. As this is an international media visit, interested media should RSVP as soon as possible in order to commence paperwork required for a cross border military exercise.

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2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group will be deployed to Afghanistan July/August 2008.

The units are:

2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, CFB Petawawa
The Royal Canadian Dragoons, CFB Petawawa (Armoured)
2 Combat Engineer Regiment, CFB Petawawa
1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, CFB Petawawa (Mechanized infantry)
2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, CFB Gagetown (Mechanized infantry)
3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, CFB Petawawa (Light infantry)
2 CMBG Headquarters & Signal Squadron, CFB Petawawa
2 Service Battalion, CFB Petawawa
2 Military Police Platoon, CFB Petawawa

Working closely with the Group although not officially part of it are units of the following:
2 Field Ambulance of Canadian Forces Medical Group, and,
427 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (operating TUAVs)

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The present rotation is a battle group built around the Royal 22e Regiment (the “Vandoos”). It will be rotated out in January/February and replaced by a battle group built around the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (the “Patricias”)

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