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With its unique mandate to project airpower on short notice and on a global scale, 2 Wing Bagotville, Que., deployed a rapid reaction package (RRP) to 19 Wing Comox, B.C., to take part in Exercise Ready Renaissance 1701.
The exercise was held from Feb. 24 to 28, 2017, and coordinated by the Canadian Army`s 1 Canadian Division in Kingston, Ont. It is the annual confirmation exercise for Canadian Armed Forces personnel tasked on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. This year, the scenario consisted of post-tsunami disaster response in the fictitious country of Macadamia.
The RRP concept, tested for the first time during the exercise, is a self-sustained air task force comprising several specialized components that can be customized according to operational needs. This particular RRP included a deployable operations centre, an expeditionary air traffic management team, an airfield surface assessment reconnaissance team, and an airfield activation surge team–totaling 20 personnel and a single CC-130J Hercules load. The aim was to verify whether this RRP would be viable in austere conditions similar to those in a disaster-struck nation. Reacting on very short notice, the RRP was able to complete the camp set-up and be declared operationally ready within seven hours of landing.
“I am very impressed with the capability, enthusiasm and professionalism that these airmen and airwomen bring to the fight,” said MajGen Omar Lavoie, commander of 1 Canadian Division. “Simply put, 2 Wing is a critical enabler and force multiplier to our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.”
Responding to disasters is nothing new for 2 Wing. Two members of the wing are on standby 24/7, ready to respond to a crisis anywhere in the world as part of the Humanitarian Assistance Reconnaissance Team. 2 Wing also maintains an air task force on alert, ready to support air operations wherever needed.
As the expeditionary wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), 2 Wing is constantly coming up with innovative strategies and tools designed to make the air force more agile, integrated and effective.
So what’s next for 2 Wing? Continued innovation in our rapid response capabilities, of course!
