The Canadian Army is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also responsible for the Army Reserve, the largest component of the Primary Reserve. The Army is headed by the concurrently held Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff, who is subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Staff. The Army is also supported by 3,000 civilian employees from the civil service.
Garrison Petawawa is located in Petawawa, Ontario. It is operated as an army base by the Canadian Army.
The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Army.
The 1st Canadian Division is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short notice, and is staffed and equipped to meet Canada’s military objectives to counter any potential threat.
The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.
The Canadian Airborne Regiment was a Canadian Forces formation created on April 8, 1968. It was not an administrative regiment in the commonly accepted British Commonwealth sense, but rather a tactical formation manned from other regiments and branches. It was disbanded in 1995 after the Somalia affair.
The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps is the armoured corps within the Canadian Army, including 3 Regular and 18 Reserve Force regiments, as well as the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School.
This is the structure of the Canadian Army, as of August 2022.
1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group is a Canadian Forces brigade group that is part of the 3rd Canadian Division of the Canadian Army. Originally headquartered at CFB Calgary, it is currently based in CFB Edmonton in Alberta with two major units at CFB Shilo in Manitoba, and consists of eight Regular Force units.
Beginning with establishment of Fort Calgary in 1875, the city of Calgary, Alberta, has had some degree of permanent military presence throughout its history.
The Special Service Force was a designation used by two army units: a World War II Canadian-American formation, and a Canadian Army formation from 1977 to 1995.
In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, career progression, and environment will affect where the person ends up. They receive more pay and benefits than members of the Primary Reserve and can be ordered into overseas deployments.
Canadian Forces Europe was the Canadian Forces military formation in Europe during the Cold War. The CF assisted other NATO allies in watching the military activities of Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union.
The 3rd Cavalry Division was a division of the British Army in the First World War. It was formed at Ludgershall, Wiltshire England in September 1914 under the command of Major-General the Hon. Julian Byng. The division moved to Belgium in the first week of October 1914, landing at Ostend, although its third Brigade was only formed there once. During the war the division took part in most of the major actions where cavalry were used as a mounted mobile force, and also many where the troops were dismounted and effectively served as infantry.
3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR) is a regular force light infantry battalion of the Canadian Forces. 3 RCR's most notable service occurred in Korea, Germany, Bosnia and Afghanistan. In 2006–2010, the battalion was deployed to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. All three rifle companies were deployed at various times during this period of combat. Also notable was the period between 2003 and 2004, when it was the initial Canadian Forces unit to serve as part of the International Security Assistance Force, deploying to Kabul in August 2003.
Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) is a NATO-allied forward-deployed defense and deterrence military force in Central and Northern Europe. This posture in Central Europe through Poland and Northern Europe through Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, is in place to protect and reassure the security of NATO's Central and Northern European member states on NATO's eastern flank.
The following is a hierarchical outline for the Canadian Armed Forces at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations.
The 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is a regular artillery regiment of the Canadian Army. It is based at CFB Shilo. It forms part of the 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
The 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is a regular artillery regiment of the Canadian Army. It is based at CFB Petawawa. It forms part of the 4th Canadian Division's 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
