Canada: Pennsylvania Army Guard transportation unit on the road as part of training exercise Steadfast Warrior

By Army Sgt. Matthew Keeler

109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CANADIAN FORCES BASE PETAWAWA, Ontario - Soldiers from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 131st Transportation Company, transported Canadian Army vehicles from Petawawa, Ont., to Toronto as part of Steadfast Warrior, a training exercise between the Pennsylvania Guard and the Canadian Army’s 32nd Canadian Brigade Group.

“I know in theatre we do a lot of blended operations,” said Canadian Army Capt. Jacquie Field, a logistics officer with the 32nd CBG, and a Sudbury, Ontario native. “For the central region, or where we are from, I don’t know that we have ever had Americans lift-stuff for us before. So, to me that was an inaugural kind of thing.”

But for many of the Soldiers of the 131st Trans. Co., transporting the trucks was business as usual, said Army Sgt. Jorge Aviles, a team leader with the unit.

“The 131st is often tasked to transport large equipment like Humvees and Bradleys across Pennsylvania that made this mission very similar,” he said.

On arrival to Petawawa the 131st Trans. Co. trucks carried equipment for the Pennsylvania Army Guard Soldiers training with Canadians.

The preparation not only for the movement to Canada, but to get clearance for the trucks to move to Toronto needed approval not only through the American side, but the Canadian side too, said Field.

 Field said she worked through her higher headquarters and alerted all the individuals needed to help support the movement.

“Then it was dealing with people repairing our vehicles to make sure that they were ready to lift,” she said. “And, then when that kind of stuff was taken care of, [the Pennsylvania Army Guard] did their business and we stayed out of the way.”

Securing the Canadian Army’s Light Support Vehicle Wheeled to the trailers they would be transported on gave newer members of the unit a chance to gain experience with different vehicles, said Aviles.

“There are a few different ways to chain equipment down to a trailer,” he said.

But,  no matter the vehicle being chained down, there are common techniques that Aviles stressed to his Soldiers.

“I prefer to harness the vehicle by its axle to eliminate the chance that the vehicle will bounce or move and loosen the chain,” he said, explaining one of those techniques.

 For Staff Sgt. Kelly Eitreim, acting convoy commander for the Toronto mission and a squad leader with the 131st Trans. Co., the mission’s success was based on the time element too. Arriving in Toronto on Sunday evening and leaving before rush hour prevented the trucks from getting bogged down in traffic.

The Soldiers arrived back at Petawawa from Toronto in under six-hours, and received high praise from their Canadian counterparts.

“They are consummate professionals, very positive and energetic,’” said Field. “You can tell that they are specialists in their field. I believe 28 minutes is what…it took to unload their trucks.”

With their trucks unloaded and more work to be done back in the States, the Soldiers from the 131st Trans. Co. boarded their trucks and made the journey back to the United States set to return to collect the equipment upon completion of the exercise.

Canada: Washington Army Guard combat engineers take part in international training exercise

By Army Pfc. Ryan Scott

122nd Public Affairs Operations Center

TRAIL, British Columbia - Soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard’s 204th Engineer Company recently spent time training with their Canadian Army counterparts as part of the combined training exercise Kootenay Castor 2012.

The two week training exercise consisted of maritime, demolitions, and other tactical operations, as well as a “best sapper” competition.

“This is a great opportunity for the Soldiers,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Anderson, a platoon sergeant with the 204th Eng. Co. “They’re looking forward to the combined training and are excited to be here.”

Both the American and Canadian soldiers were separated from their respective home units and then assigned to combined platoons. 

“It’s a way of maximizing our capabilities while fostering camaraderie between the two units and the two countries,” said Canadian Army Capt. Jason Kalincak, operations officer with the Canadian Army’s 39th Combat Engineer Regiment.

 The soldiers will be spending the next two weeks learning and sharing the tricks of their trade through in-depth training, friendly competition and a 24-hour field training exercise, something that many in the group are looking forward to.

“We’re very good at our way of doing things and when we work just as ourselves, we fall into a routine,” said Kalincak. “It gives a different perspective on tackling the same set of problems.”

War of 1812 Expert Delivers History Lecture at Pentagon

By John Valceanu

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2012 – A Pentagon audience yesterday learned about the impact and legacy of the War of 1812 on the United States from a historian specializing in the conflict.

Christopher T. George, author of “Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay” and editor of the Journal of the War of 1812, spoke about the war’s early stages to a packed room in the Pentagon Conference Center. The event was part of a speaker series coordinated by the Historical Office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

More than 100 people, including military service members from U.S. and allied nations, along with Defense Department civilians and guests, listened as George delivered a lecture titled “The War of 1812: First Campaigns on Land and Sea.”

Speaking with a British accent resulting from a childhood spent in England before emigrating to the U.S. as a boy, George described the defeats suffered on land by American troops against their British and Native American foes, as well as the stunning successes of U.S. naval forces against the British navy, which was then the dominant naval force in the world.

Though time limitations prevented him from going into great detail, George sketched some of the more important events and leaders of that conflict, including U.S. Brig. Gen. William Hull surrendering Fort Detroit to British Maj. Gen. Sir Isaac Brock and Brock’s later death during the Battle of Queenston Heights in what is now the province of Ontario, Canada.

British Navy Adm. Sir George Cockburn, whose troops burned Washington, D.C., and attacked Havre de Grace, Md., was another figure about which the historian talked, as well as U.S. 2nd Lt. John O’Neill, a hero of Havre de Grace who single-handedly manned what came to be known as the “Potato Battery” against the ransacking British.

But George didn’t just discuss U.S. and British military figures. He also talked about Tecumseh, a Native American leader of the Shawnee, who fought alongside the British against the Americans in the hope of creating an American Indian confederacy and stopping the westward expansion of European Americans, and about President James Madison and the impact his lack of military knowledge had on the war. In concluding his presentation, the historian noted that the war was an important milestone in the development of the United States.

“It was desperately hard work, but it was part of the growing up process for the new American nation,” he said. “It allowed American forces to stand toe to toe with a major nation, to gain a new respect in the world, for Americans to think of themselves at last as a nation, rather than a collection of states.”

Speaking with American Forces Press Service after the lecture, George expounded on that theme. “Previously, the nation saw itself as being just separate states in a federalized system, but here they managed to have a national identity,” he said. “The U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy had stood up to perhaps the preeminent military might in the world, and they managed to hold their own against the British without French help, which of course they had in the Revolution. So it was a whole new ball game, in a way.”

During the interview, George said he disagreed with those who use the term “the second war of American independence” to describe the conflict, as he said the British were clearly not interested in recapturing their colonies.  “The major British intent was to protect Canada,” he said. “By the end of the war, the U.S. Army and Navy had proved themselves and although it wasn’t an American victory overall, they had done themselves good credit.”

Though the war was essentially a stalemate, George says he sees it as “a big part of America’s expansion across the continent” and credits it with producing some important national symbols, such as the USS Constitution’s nickname, “Old Ironsides,” the Star Spangled Banner and the motto “Don’t give up the fight!”

“It’s sometimes said that the Americans think they’ve won the War of 1812, the Canadians know they won the War of 1812 and the British have forgotten all about it,” he said. “There’s something for each side to like about the war, some success that each of those three sides had.”

The biggest losers of the conflict, George pointed out, were the Native Americans. The possibility of realizing the dream of a nation of their own died along with Tecumseh and the dissolution of his confederacy.

U.S. Remains Committed to F-35 Program, Panetta Says

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

OTTAWA, Ontario, March 28, 2012 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta yesterday reaffirmed the Defense Department’s commitment to the F-35 joint strike fighter program and to ensuring it remains within the defense strategy’s budget.

The secretary spoke at a news conference following a meeting with Mexican and Canadian defense leaders here.

“As part of the defense strategy that the United States went through and has put in place, we have made very clear that we are 100 percent committed to the development of the F-35,” he said. “It’s a fifth-generation fighter, [and] we absolutely need it for the future.”

Acknowledging that the Defense Department has to be vigilant and provide as much oversight as possible as the aircraft continues to be developed, Panetta said Pentagon officials are confident that “this plane can do everything that it’s being asked to do in terms of performance.

“We’ve been testing it, and we continue to evaluate it as we proceed,” he continued. “And we’ve made very clear to the industries involved in its production that they have to keep it within the cross-confinements that we’ve provided with regards to this plane.”

Panetta noted the price of each aircraft varies from variant to variant, with three types involved in the program’s development. Canada signed on for the project’s production, sustainment and follow-on development phase on Dec. 11, 2006, along with Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay called the F-35 an example of interoperability as his country faces similar challenges with the joint strike fighter program.

“In addition, I would add that this is the aircraft that the Royal Canadian Air Force, after an extensive internal examination of capabilities and what was on the market, came to us and said, ‘This the plane we need. This is the plane we want for a whole number of reasons.’”

MacKay said “due diligence and analysis” are necessary to ensure taxpayers are well-served and their best interests are considered.

“On the aspect of budgets as we go forward, every department of government -- every defense department, certainly all of our NATO partners, our Mexican colleagues [and] our friends around the globe -- are looking to prioritize their defense spending,” he said. “It [should] come as no surprise to anyone here that Canada is going through that exact same process in determining what our defense needs are at home.”

Panetta Attends Historic Trilateral Defense Meeting

American Forces Press Service

OTTAWA, Ontario  – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta attended an historic trilateral meeting here today with defense leaders from Canada and Mexico to discuss common challenges and improve continental security.

“This is the first trilateral meeting of defense ministers from the United States, Canada and Mexico and it's a real honor for me to have this opportunity to be here in Ottawa to participate in this historic event,” Panetta said during a post-meeting news conference.

Panetta said the meeting provided the defense ministers with “an unprecedented opportunity to try to bring together our nations in a common approach to continental security.”

The ties between the North American nations “are deep, and they are abiding,” not just because of shared geography, he said.

“We share a similar identity rooted in the principles of liberty and democracy,” Panetta said. “American and Canadian forces have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghanistan for the last decade.

“The United States and Mexican forces have long cooperated in a number of areas, especially in the fight against illegal drug traffickers,” he added.

Panetta expressed his gratitude to Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay for Canadian forces’ partnership in Afghanistan.

“The mission there is on track, thanks largely to the efforts of countries like Canada and their tremendous contribution and sacrifice,” he said. “I can't tell you how much we appreciate what the Canadians have done to be part of this effort. And I understand and recognize the sacrifices that have been made on behalf of this effort.”

MacKay said it was important for the three nations to work together to improve continental security for North Americans.

“When it comes to the security of North America, none of us can afford to work in isolation, and that has been an easy conclusion to arrive at,” he said. “Our discussions today began with what I believe is an important dialogue on security and defense in North America that we will continue through regular meetings.”

MacKay, speaking in English, French and occasionally Spanish, discussed the importance of the trilateral meeting.

“Through our discussions today, we were able to better identify a number of opportunities to better coordinate our efforts on issues related to national defense,” he said. “We discussed the need to advance a common understanding of the threats facing North America.”

The three leaders also will be exploring ways to cooperate more closely on humanitarian assistance and disaster response, MacKay said. “We have defined a way forward and now is the time to go to work to operationalize … some of the discussions and the agreements that we've had today,” he said.

The leaders also discussed the need for a common threat assessment on challenges facing the area, better military-to-military relationships and improved regional engagement, Panetta said.

“Looking ahead, the U.S. is exploring other ways to improve our defense collaboration and to focus on areas like cyber security and defense support to civil authorities,” he added. “We continue to take steps on a bilateral basis as well.”

Panetta said he discussed the fight against drug cartels, disaster relief training and exchange programs with his Mexican counterparts. He also had “very constructive” talks with McKay, he said, about capacity building in Central America, NATO's long-term approach in Afghanistan, ongoing NATO reform efforts and America's commitment to the F-35 program.

“All of these steps herald a new era of defense cooperation on this continent,” he said. “A new effort that I believe will advance security in the Western Hemisphere and around the world.”

“Our nations are more than just neighbors,” Panetta said. “We are friends, we are partners, we are one family – una familia, un famil – committed to forging a better and more secure future for our people.”