Eight allied nations joined Exercise Ardent Defender, a counter-explosive training at the 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, from Oct. 20 to Nov. 2.
According to a Canadian government press release, about 180 Canadian Armed Forces participants and some 150 military representatives from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States joined the 10th edition of the exercise. Scientists from Defence Research and Development Canada also joined the event.
Noting the importance of alliances, Lt. Gen. Jocelyn Paul, Canadian Army Commander, said, “The opportunity to come together, share lessons learned and understand each other better enables us to face potential adversary threats in the future.”
The drills focused on building a cohesive knowledge of current ordnance threats, whether conventional or improvised, and the solutions to counter them.
The participants learned from the current war zones, particularly in Eastern Europe where explosive ordnances have evolved, said CAF’s Lt. Col. Ben Aho, Exercise Ardent Defender director. During the exercise, various types of scenarios were created for explosive search and clearance teams to work on, he added.