CAN Enhanced (Permanent?) Fwd Presence in Latvia

[Fabius]

Light Infantry Battalion. Starting this fall, once a year the high readiness LIB will deploy to Latvia for a couple months to demonstrate and exercise the fly over capability.

 

[Ludoc]

we’ll see how this first LIB fly over ex goes.

I actually have a super power. I can look into the future. Let me just take a glance at this...

Everyone at the higher level AAR is in agreement, the whole endeavour was a rousing success, high fives for all the command teams involved. CJOC/Army commendations for multiple Majors and Senior Captains for planning such a successful exercise.

 

[PuckChaser]

Light Infantry Battalion. Starting this fall, once a year the high readiness LIB will deploy to Latvia for a couple months to demonstrate and exercise the fly over capability.

Is the timing of arrival flexible based on whether we actually can get serviceable A/C together or if the aircrew wants a nice layover in Malaga?

 

[markppcli]

We’ll all helpfully ignore that the LIB to fly over is in double duty as the GRTF, so how that double hat is supposed to work…

 

[Fabius]

Interestingly enough the deployment of the LIB going to Op REASUSSANCE in Latvia is specifically and explicitly NOT the GRTF construct although it is the Bn that is filling the GRTF role.

The GRTF expressly does not include reserves due to the HR timelines yet the LIB deployment has significant reserves augmentation due to the manning pressures in the Bns.

In theory it would be simple enough for CJOC to mobilize aircraft to Latvia and load the LIB and redeploy it elsewhere. However that would require a dynamic capability that would stretch the mental and physical agility of the CAF I think.

Edited to add it’s likely more of a CA agility challenge than RCAF. The CA and CJOC seem to view forces assigned to specific missions as rigid and unable to be shifted or reinforced dynamically like we see inside a US Combatant Command for example. My experience is that outside of a mindset issue it’s also due to the role that the SJS and Cabinet have in rigidly setting pers caps etc.

 

[McG]

Light Infantry Battalion. Starting this fall, once a year the high readiness LIB will deploy to Latvia for a couple months to demonstrate and exercise the fly over capability.

Exercise the fly-over capability, or just fly-over and then exercise? Subtle nuance but the first option is much more challenging for the RCAF to exercise how it’s going to get through Russian AAAD to deliver a LIB to Latvia. The second option ignores that problem and administratively flys the LIB into theatre for a ground exercise.

 

[Fabius]

From what I’ve seen it’s the second option. My understanding is that it’s a FLF Bde exercise that the LIB is joining NOT an exercise of strategic force projection per se, although obviously elements of it get practiced.

I am not sure we would want to be flying the LIB in after a war has started, I would imagine we would want to get it on the ground before hostilities actually start, same as we flew weapons into UKR prior to the invasion.

 

[McG]

I am not sure we would want to be flying the LIB in after a war has started, I would imagine we would want to get it on the ground before hostilities actually start, same as we flew weapons into UKR prior to the invasion.

So, we hope Russia will not contest a build-up when we reach the point of believing war is about to start? I suspect Russia would have attempted to interdict the western arms flights into Ukraine if it though war with NATO was an imminent inevitability.