Soldiers from all around Ontario are at the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford for a ten-day military exercise.
When Bayshore Broadcasting visited the exercise Thursday, some of them were in a large, barn-sized structure which housed a series of smaller mock-up rooms with paper ‘figure 11’ targets of enemy combatants pinned on the walls. There was a catwalk area above, where instructors could watch soldiers practice moving through a makeshift built up area.
It it, they fired simunition rounds which are like paintball rounds and communicated to each other as they moved through the rooms.
About 280 of them, who are mainly reservists are taking part in exercise Stalwart Guardian.
It’s a major annual Canadian Army field exercise that provides 4th Canadian Division infantry soldiers with an extended period of training serving as the culmination of the Reserve Summer Training cycle.
This year, it’s led by 33 Canadian Brigade Group (headquartered in Ottawa) and includes soldiers from 32 Canadian Brigade Group (headquartered in Toronto).
They’ve come from all over, including, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Cornwall, Oshawa, the GTA and Ottawa.
In the coming days, a large-scale simulated battle will occur, where the months of summer training these soldiers have recently undergone will be tested.
Lt.-Col. Jason Fox, Commanding Officer for 33 Combat Engineer Regiment in Ottawa is the Exercise Director for Stalwart Guardian.
“Meaford is a fantastic training area. It has everything that one desires to put into an exercise and it’s centrally located. Other training areas are actually quite busy doing other operations, so this one fit the bill and it was definitely the best area for us to do this activity,” says Fox.
Some of Thursday’s training also involved practicing the use of gas masks in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threat (CBRN). “We practice our drills in that type of environment because the adversary has a say, and we might have to practice our decontamination drills,” says Fox.
Fox says the ten-day exercise allows reservists time to practice their skills multiple times, explaining, “That way we learn and build upon the skills we already know to really hone skills so they become second nature.”
He says the training they’re doing this week will also help those who will be heading to Latvia next year as part of Operation Reassurance, which is part of NATO deterrence efforts in Central and Eastern Europe. It’s currently the Canadian Armed Forces’ largest overseas mission. Canada has plans to expand its presence to brigade size there by 2026, which could be about 2,200 soldiers.
Meanwhile, Capt. Alex Marquardt, a Company-Second-in-Command serving with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa says Thursday’s exercise in the mock built up area began with simply learning how to walk in an urban environment.
“It’s a very specific way of soldiering. You’re not walking through a forest, worried about tank ruts and routes, you’re worried about buildings in front of you, civilians, rubble, fallen telephone poles. There’s a lot more going on, it can be over stimulating,” explains Marquardt, adding, “So you have to practice actually walking through that. Moving shooting, communicating. It really challenges a soldier’s skills.”
He says, “You have to really know where your weapon is pointed, who’s to your left and to your right. It can be extremely chaotic.”
Marquardt deployed to Latvia as part of Operation Unifier from June 2023 to January 2024 with the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment. “Our mission was to take Ukrainian conscripts and volunteers and in a short amount of time, give them a basic infantry course, give them the skills to be lethal and also survive on the battlefield,” says Marquardt.
“It was a life-changing experience,” says Marquardt, adding, “It was tough, training these people, building rapport with them, building camaraderie and a connection…and 35 days later they’re out the door and you often don’t know their fates or what becomes of them.”
“It was a really hard experience, it was a really rewarding experience as well. Something I’ll remember forever,” he says.
For reservists, most are doing this training either on their vacation time, or their day jobs have given them leave. Captain Marquardt, for example works in the public service in Ottawa.
He says, “We do it because we we enjoy what we do. We see the value in military service.”
Meanwhile the exercise also requires Combat Service Support, or more simply put, logistics for the exercise.
Lt.-Col. Neil Marshall, Commanding Officer at 33 Service Battalion says, “It’s really important for us to train at places like Meaford for longer periods of time. It’s relatively simple and easy to operate in the field for a few days, but we really test our capabilities when we run more lengthy exercises like Stalwart Guardian.”
