Command and Staff Transformation

By LCol (Ret) J.C. Berezowski

Last year Canada announced a new defence policy for the Canadian Forces. It was posited that in today’s complex and chaotic world, our troops could be easily engaged in a “three-block-war”.

Missions could overlap in urban warfare where our forces could be engaged in combat against a well-armed militia in one city block, stabilization operations in the next block, and humanitarian relief and reconstruction two blocks over. Concurrently, our naval forces in adjacent coastal areas might be supporting troops ashore while enforcing a maritime exclusion zone and our air forces could be flying in supplies and humanitarian aid while standing by to directly engage a determined opponent.

The transformation of the CF command and control structure is the key first step to ensuring the effectiveness of the CF in the decades ahead, according to the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Rick Hillier. Under transformation, the CDS has directed that a new entity – the Strategic Joint Staff (SJS) – be created to provide direct support for his two main roles: Commander of the CF, and principal military advisor to the Government. Moreover, it will enable the CDS to affect strategic command, allowing him to plan and control operations in order to achieve strategic, operational and tactical objectives. This staff will be supported by a Strategic Command Centre linked to CF operational commands, selected other government departments, allied staffs and non-governmental organizations. It will be command-centric with a clear and unambiguous chain of command

At the Ottawa Congress Centre on Jan. 31 last, a ceremony marked the transfer of CF operations to the newly created operational commands from the exiting Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Group. The CDS introduced the commanders of the four new commands: VAdm Jean-Yves Forcier, commander, Canada Command; MGen Michel Gauthier, commander, Canadian Expeditionary Force Command; BGen Daniel Benjamin, commander, Canadian Operational Support Command; and Col David Barr, commander, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. With the formal signing of the Activation Scrolls by the four respective new commanders and the CDS, this event marked the beginning of the biggest changes for the CF in decades.

Canada Command (Canada COM): defines its area of responsibility as Continental North America (Canada, Continental USA (48 contiguous states and Alaska, and Mexico) and their approaches. It exercises command over allocated units: Joint Task Forces North, Pacific, West, Central, East and Atlantic, and all other assigned units within Canada. It is located in the Star Top Building east of Ottawa, along with CEFCOM. It will become the nerve centre of all Canadian military operations. The design has incorporated cutting-edge technology and the operations room is loaded with state of the art technology.

In conjunction with Government House, work has begun on the development of the official badges that will represent the new operational commands. In the meantime, authorized circular logos have been developed for various less formal identification purposes. For example, Canada Command logo will have a stylistic representation of Canada and North America with Canada highlighted in white. In Regional logos, the area of responsibility of each JTF is highlighted in white while the rest of Canada is grey-shaded.

Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM): All exercises and operations outside Canada now come under CEFCOM who assumed functions of DCDS and CF Joint HQ in Kingston. The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has been reassigned from the former DCDS Group; in addition, CEFCOM formally assumed command of overseas operations including: Task Force (TF) Golan, TF El Gorah, TF Middle East; TF Democratic Republic of Congo; TF Freetown; TF Cyprus; TF Tampa; Port au Prince; TF Sudan; TF Balkans; TF Iraq; TF Afghanistan; TF Addis Ababa; TF Standing NATO Maritime Group One; TF Jerusalem.

Canadian Operational Support Command (CANOSCOM): becomes a single focal point for all CF operational support at the national level for operations whether domestic or abroad, under Ministerial approval. It will have under command: CF Joint Signals Regiment and newly created Canadian Materiel Support Group (CMSG) with CF Postal Unit, 3CSG and 4 CFMCU from ADM (MAT) Group. CMSG has been assigned the following units which had reported to ADM (MAT): 7 CFSD, 25 CFSD, CFAD Angus, CFAD Bedford, CFAD Dundurn, and CFAD Rocky Point.

CF Health Services Group, 202 Workshop Depot and Communication Reserve will be under Operational Control of Comd CANOSCOM for appropriate aspect of support to CF operations.

Also, J6/COS (IM), J3 ENGR/DGME and CFPM will be responsive to Comd CONASCOM for operational support matters within their respective jurisdictions.

Of note, CF Joint Operations Group will be disbanded within the next 12 months.

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM): organizational changes include the allocation of Joint Task Force Two (JTF2) and Joint Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defence Company (DF JNBCD COY) to CANSOFCOM. As well, 427 Tactical Helicopter Sqn has been assigned to CANSOFCOM. One of the key elements will be the newly established Canadian Special Operations Regiment. This battalion-sized unit will be drawn from across the CF and will be able to deploy highly trained special operations people domestically and abroad. The tan beret will now be worn by all members of CANSOFCOM. It is an internationally recognized symbol of special operations forces.

Strategic Joint Staff (SJS): Cmdre Dan Murphy is the first Director of Staff. The SJS works directly for the CDS and is composed of four divisions: Operations, Plans, Requirements and Military Partnerships and Defence Liaison. The strategic operations staff role and specified command functions of the former DCDS Group have been transferred to SJS. Key roles are to provide timely and effective military analysis and decision support to the CDS: enable planning, initiation, direction and control of strategic level operations; and oversee those involved in military partnership and defence liaison activities. This will include: CDLS Washington, CDLS London, CFSU Europe, CFSU Colorado Springs, Directorate of Protocol and Foreign Liaison, Military Security Guard Unit, all Canadian Defence Attaché units.

Standing Contingency Task Force (SCTF): it will be a standing, integrated, seaborne and sea-based expeditionary joint amphibious force intended to be the first substantial CF response to an emerging crisis in the world’s littoral battle spaces. It is to consist of a headquarters, an embedded Team Canada (diplomacy, defence, development, commerce) element, an amphibious task group, a light battalion landing force, a naval task group, an air expeditionary unit and a support organization. Next fall in Halifax, a SCTF Working Group will conduct a live “Proof of Concept” exercise to refine a concept of operations.

So what? As noted by several critical observers of this vision, the CF transformation is in its early stages and it remains to be decided what residual force generation functions will remain with the Navy, Army and Air Force chiefs. Formal clarification of their roles in a joint staff is awaited. Others foresee the shades of Mr. Hellyer’s 1964 defence unification scheme lurking in the shadows. However, a more urgent concern is the apparent dominant mix of field general staff operational procedures over national general staff strategic functions. In the event of a major international crisis, this could fulminate into a clash of cross-purposes and the law of unintended consequences could arise once more.

With files from The Maple Leaf and Canadian Military Journal Winter 2005-2006

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