http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=509d2d71-8f9a-4d00-a8e8-3c486c6da278&k=47296
Military to base new anti-terror commando regiment in Comox David Pugliese, CanWest News Service Published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 OTTAWA -- The military will create a 250-member Marine Commando Regiment at its base in Comox as part of an expansion and reorganization of its special forces units. The Comox regiment will focus entirely on maritime operations, and will be able to react to sea borne terrorist incidents, both at home and internationally. It will also be given the job of rescuing Canadians trapped in war-torn nations that are accessible by sea. While it's expected to start with about 250 personnel, the military plans to expand the regiment over the years. Details about the new unit will be released when the Harper government tables its long-awaited "Canada First" defence strategy that was supposed to be released last fall. As part of that new strategy, the military will move its 600-member Joint Task Force 2 counter-terrorism unit to Trenton, Ont., from its current location in Dwyer Hill, Ont., just south of Ottawa. It will also further expand a recently formed special forces regiment located at Petawawa, Ont., and pre-position special forces equipment at sites around the country to allow for a quicker response to terrorist attacks. JTF2 will complete the move to its new home at Canadian Forces Base Trenton by 2010. Positioning JTF2 at one of the country's main air bases allows it immediate access to aircraft for both domestic and overseas missions, military officers said. The idea for the Comox regiment was first mentioned last June by Rear Admiral Roger Girouard, commander of maritime forces in the Pacific, during a speech in Victoria. At the time, he said "no decisions had been made" about the regiment, but he noted that ferries and cruise ships are particularly vulnerable to terror attacks, and indicated the unit would likely comprise of navy personnel and specially trained officers. Currently, the military base in Comox is focused on air force operations. Built in 1942 to defend against a possible Japanese invasion, it is the only air force base in B.C., and employs about 1,400 people. It is responsible for maritime patrol and search and rescue operations. Also contained in the new strategy is the government's plan to change the name of JTF2 to the 1st Battalion, Special Service Regiment. The Canadian Special Operations Regiment, now located at CFB Petawawa, would be renamed the 2nd Battalion, Special Service Regiment. Both units will include a parachute capability, according to officers. The Harper government is easing off somewhat on its election promise to create a new airborne regiment based at Trenton. Instead, it argues that the special forces units should have a parachute capability, in addition to the army's existing parachute companies. The army is going to investigate whether it makes sense to form those three companies into a single unit, but there is no firm commitment to create an airborne regiment. The government wants the country's special forces units to be able to work more closely with similar organizations in the United States when to reacting to incidents potentially threatening North America. Canada's special forces will also play more of a role in training foreign militaries. © Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007 +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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