Canadian navy strengthened to aid counter terrorism efforts

The Canadian government has announced a significant increase in its contribution to Operation ARTEMIS, the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) ongoing contribution to counter terrorism and maritime security operations in Middle Eastern and East African waters.

The Canadian-led Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) has been strengthened with the addition of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Regina, Naval Replenishment Unit (NRU) Asterix, and a CP-140 Aurora aircraft. They will work in concert with several other coalition ships to patrol the waters of the Arabian Gulf and off the east coast of Africa, and the CP-140 Aurora will be used to conduct maritime surveillance.

Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, said: “The Canadian Armed Forces presence in the Middle East helps set the conditions for the long-term success of our regional partners by enabling them to more effectively plan and execute operations. Canadians can be proud of the leadership of our women and men in uniform in the fight against terrorism and ensuring that international oceans and waterways remain safe and secure.”

With the addition of the ships and CP-140 Aurora, Operation ARTEMIS is the CAF’s third largest operation, next to Operation IMPACT (Canada’s support to the Global Coalition  to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria as well as to NATO Mission Iraq) and Operation REASSURANCE (Canada’s support to NATO in Central and Eastern Europe).

The Canada-led CTF 150 is supported by personnel from the Royal Australian Navy.