Canada’s Military Launches Scaled-Down Annual Arctic Exercise

About 160 Canadian soldiers are taking part in a scaled down version of the annual Arctic exercise Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT 2021 in the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.), according to RCI.

The exercise kicked off over the weekend in the territorial capital of Yellowknife, which houses the headquarters of Joint Task Force North, one of six regional joint task forces of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) that covers military operations from the sub-Arctic regions of Canada all the way to the High Arctic.

“Despite the challenges of operating in a COVID-19 environment, the CAF remains committed to enhancing our capacity to conduct operations in the Arctic and the North, and enhancing our ability to respond to a variety of situations in the region,” said in a statement Lt.-Gen. Christopher Coates, Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command.

Brig.-Gen. Patrick Carpentier, Commander of Joint Task Force North (JTFN), said the exercise, which began on Feb. 27 and will wrap up on March 7, hones the military’s ability to operate in challenging environments while demonstrating a consistent presence in Canada’s North.