Canadian Forces facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Canadian Armed Forces Forces armées canadiennes
The Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force each have a distinctive service dress uniform differentiated by colour, cut and headdress. Badge of the Canadian Armed Forces
Current form	1 February 1968 – present
Parts	Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Army Royal Canadian Air Force
Headquarters	National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	Queen Elizabeth II represented by Governor General David Johnston Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Minister of National Defence	Minister Harjit Sajjan
Chief of the Defence Staff	General Jonathan Vance
Serving soldiers
Military age	16–60 years old
Conscription	No
Available to be a soldier	8,031,266 males, age 17–49, 7,755,550 females, age 17–49
Fit to be a soldier	6,633,472 males, age 17–49, 6,389,669 females, age 17–49
Active employees/soldiers	68,250 (31 March 2011)
Reserve personnel	27,000 (Paid Primary) 5,000 (Rangers)
Deployed personnel	2000+
Expenditures
Budget	C$18.6 billion, (2016–2017)
Percent of GDP	0.97% 1.19% (Disputed)
Industry
Suppliers from inland	L-3 Communications MAS Bombardier Aerospace CAE Meggitt Training Systems Canada Colt Canada Textron Systems Canada Kongsberg Protech Systems Canada Rheinmetall Defence Canada Irving Shipbuilding Inc. General Dynamics Land Systems Canada Raytheon Canada Limited Seaspan Marine Corporation Thales Canada Boeing Canada
See also
History	Fenian Raids Wolseley Expedition North-West Rebellion Second Boer War First World War Russian Civil War Second World War Cold War Korean War October Crisis Gulf War Bosnian War Oka Crisis Kosovo War Afghanistan War Iraq War Somali Civil War 2011 Libyan Civil War Operation Serval 2014 military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Ranks	Canadian Armed Forces ranks and insignia

The Canadian Forces (CF) (French: Forces canadiennes; FC), is the army, air force, and navy of Canada, commanded by a single structure, unlike the United States.

Under the National Defence Act, "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces." The Commander in Chief of the Canadian Forces is the Head of State of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor General of Canada, David Lloyd Johnston. The Chief of the Defence Staff (or CDS), the senior professional member of the service, is General Thomas J. Lawson. The CDS answers to a politician, the Minister of National Defence, who is currently Robert Nicholson of the Conservative Party.

Structure
- Main Branches
- Operational Branches
Defence Policy
Images for kids
See also

Structure

The Canadian Forces is composed of 67,000 personnel (soldiers, sailors, and airmen/airwomen). Every unit accepts male and female soldiers, if they qualify for the position. The CF is divided in seven main branches, which are called commands.

Main Branches

The Environmental branches (called Commands) are mainly administrative structures. They manage the personnel, the equipment and the facilities, but not the operations. There are three commands in the Canadian Forces, because there are no Marines. All the commands work very closely with each other, for example, the Air Force provides helicopters to both the Navy and the Army. These commands also each have a reserve element, made of part-time employees.

Land Force Command (LFCOM)

This is the army of Canada and the largest branch of the CF. It uses tanks and other armoured vehicles, such as the LAV III, as well as artillery, engineering vehicles, and a variety of weapons, such as the Colt Canada C7 rifle.

Maritime Command (MARCOM)

This is the navy of Canada. It has 33 active warships including submarines, frigates and destroyers.

Air Command (AIRCOM)

AIRCOM is the air force of Canada. It operates a variety of helicopters and airplanes to support the army and the navy, and also has CF-18 fighters.

Operational Branches

The Operational commands are responsible for specific types of operations or for conducting exercises or deployments. There are four operational commands.

Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM)

The CANSOFCOM is responsible for providing special forces and asymmetric warfare capabilities to Canada. It is the smallest command of the Canadian Forces, and is composed of four joint units that do not answer to either the Army, Navy or Air Force. These units are the Joint Task Force 2, the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, the 427th Special Aviation Squadron and the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CBRN).

Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM)

This is the command responsible for managing foreign operations and deployments outside of Canada, such as Canada's contribution to the War in Afghanistan.

Canada Command (CANCOM)

Canada Command works with the United States Northern Command to ensure national security and the defence of the North American continent. CANCOM also is responsible for emergency management, such as when the Army is needed to respond to disasters in Canada.

Operational Support Command (CANOSCOM)

This command is responsible for supporting all the other commands with things such as logistics, engineering, health services, and the military police.

Defence Policy

From the second half of the 20th century, the defence policy of Canada is made of these objectives :

The defence of the country
The defence of North America, with the United States Military
Contributing to international security

During the Cold War, a major focus of the Canadian Forces was helping with the defence of Europe against the threat posed by the Soviet Union. Some Canadian soldiers lived in Europe during that time.

Today, the Canadian Forces goals are based on the Canada First Defence Strategy, introduced by the conservative government of Stephen Harper. The new goals and objectives are being able to do the following :

Make regular domestic operations, in the Arctic and to support NORAD
Help with the security of a major national event, such as the 2010 Winter Olympics
Respond to a major terrorist attack
Help citizens in case of a natural disaster
Lead or make a major international mission during a long time
Send soldiers to respond to an international crisis for a short time

Images for kids

Uniforms of the Canadian militia in 1898. The Canadian Armed Forces traces its roots to the militia.
Two armourers of No. 440 Squadron RCAF, re-arming a Hawker Typhoon. By the end of the Second World War, Canada possessed the fourth-largest air force in the world.
Soldiers from the Canadian Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan. The Canadian Forces were in Afghanistan as a part of the NATO-led United Nations International Security Assistance Force until 2011.
Construction of a Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessel at Halifax Shipyard in 2018. The ship emerged from the Arctic Patrol Ship project.
A member of the CAF briefs Vermont Army National Guard soldiers on the integration of women into the forces
The Armed Forces Council is the senior military body of the Canadian Forces. The Council typically operates from Pearkes building in Ottawa.
HMCS Calgary of the Royal Canadian Navy departs Pearl Harbor for the at-sea phase of RIMPAC 2014
Soldiers from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry conducting an exercise during RIMPAC 2012
A Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet over Iraq in support of Operation Impact
Members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment during a freefall jump out of a USAF C-17 Globemaster III. The regiment is one of five units that make up CANSOFCOM.
A Canadian Rangers training camp in Alert, Nunavut. The Canadian Rangers are a sub-component of the Canadian Armed Forces reserve force.
Members of The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, an infantry regiment of the Primary Reserve, march through Ottawa, Ontario
Operational dress uniforms for the three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces, shown here with naval rank insignia.
The Royal 22nd Regiment parading in full dress for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. The Canadian Army's universal full dress includes a scarlet tunic, and midnight blue trousers.