EDMONTON - The army’s new Western Canada commander says the military’s focus will shift from strictly combat training to a back-to-basics approach.
Brig.-Gen. Christian Juneau took over command Wednesday of Land Force Western Area, which runs from the Pacific Ocean to Thunder Bay, Ont., at a change-of-command ceremony at CFB Edmonton. About 200 people attended, including Lt.-Gen. Peter Devlin, commander of the Canadian army.
Juneau’s responsibilities will include rebuilding and equipping the army to be ready for any possible scenario, from providing humanitarian aid to going to war.
“We have trained for a counter-insurgency environment for a long time; now we’re going back to the basics,” he said, referring to Canada’s war in Afghanistan.
To attract new recruits, Juneau said training must be exciting. That means providing realistic adventures in places that might be unfamiliar, such as the North. Simulation training will also remain vital because it is cost-effective.
“The young soldiers, they join because they want to have adventures, they want to have war stories. They want to be excited and that’s what we have to focus on.”
Juneau, who is originally from Quebec, last lived in Western Canada when he was serving as commander of the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre at CFB Wainwright, from 2008-10. Within the next 100 days, he said he hopes to get acquainted with massive area he will now oversee.
As Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan winds down, Juneau took a moment to reflect on those who have lost their lives.
“It’s part of the risk you assume when you become a soldier. You have to understand that as a soldier and your family and friends have to understand that,” he said.
Capt. Bob Hackett of the Land Force Western Area has completed four tours in Afghanistan, the last of which ended in December 2011. He shared Juneau’s sentiments.
“There are days when I think of the people I knew. You never forget; it’s hard. But they would want us to go on and so we do,” he said.
Morale is high among the troops who are still in Afghanistan training Afghan army and police forces, he added.
“When we went in there in 2006, outside of the observation bases, it was still wild,” he said.
“Now ... when you go out through the villages in the daytime, you see people outside and markets and things, which we didn’t see a lot of six years ago. The changes are remarkable,” he said.
The Edmonton Journal