Defence is one of the few Canadian national institutions that are solely under federal authority. All forces ultimately report to Canada's National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa, which is responsible to the Minister of National Defence. The military chain of command leads to the Chief of Defence Staff while civilian personnel report to the Deputy Minister of National Defence. Regular forces currently stand at approximately 60,000 personnel. In 2000, the government committed to an increase in Army Reserves to 18,500 with plans for greater integration of regular and reserve forces. CF troops are supported by 19,000 full-time civilian employees.
The structure of the Canadian Forces originated with a multi-service model based on British traditions. In 1964, an act of Parliament combined the army, navy and air force into a unified force under a single command. Unification[?] was highly controversial at the time and, since then, the branches have regained much of their distinct character and organization.
Canadian Forces includes Land Forces Command or LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications Command or CC, Training Command or TC), Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Rangers.
Canadian army brigades are administered through four geographically determined area commands:
LC Atlantic Area based in Halifax NS
LC Quebec Area based in Montreal
LC Central Area based in Toronto
LC Western Area based in Edmonton.
In each command (except Atlantic), regular force troops comprising a Mechanized Brigade Group (CMBG) are supported by reserve forces in 9 brigade groups. Regular forces in the Atlantic command are based in the Combat Training School at Gagetown.
Canadian naval forces are deployed through bases in Esquimault BC on the west coast and in Halifax NS on the east coast. The Canadian fleet is comprised of 12 multi-role patrol frigates, 4 area air defence destroyers, 4 long-range patrol submarines and 12 coastal defence vessels, supported by supply ships, surveillance aircraft and anti-sub helicopters. The vessels are more or less evenly divided between the two bases.
CF air wings are located at 13 bases across Canada under the direction of 1-Canadian Air Division and Canadian NORAD Region based in Winnipeg MB. A Canadian component of the NATO Airborne Early Warning Force is based in Geilenkirchen, Germany. Wings vary in size from several hundred personnel to several thousand. Principal aircraft include the CF-18 Hornet tactical fighter, CP-140 Aurora/Arcturus long-range patrol aircraft, CH-146 Griffon tactical transport helicopters and CC-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's federal police force, also works cooperatively with regular forces in counter-terrorism, drug interdication and international peacekeeping missions.
Canadian troops in colonial times served as regular members of British forces and in local militia groups. After Confederation in 1867, Canada's forces remained under British command until the turn of the 20th century. Canadian militia defended their homeland in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and in the Fenian Raids. A Canadian expeditionary force assisted Britain in the Boer War.
Since 1947, the CF has undertaken 73 operations worldwide. In 2002, nearly 3000 Canadian troops were on active duty in 11 additional operations including the international war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the NATO stabilization force[?] (SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Canadian regular and reserve troops are a visible and respected force at home as well. In 2001 alone, the Canadian Forces responded to more than 8,000 search and rescue incidents and helped to save more than 4,500 lives.
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legs gave way, and, bleeding from a hundred hurts, he fell heavily
hard to row against the tide, for the number of its passengers
up, as here it often does towards morning; and the officer, Thompson,
some difficulty, for the mast had to be drawn out and shipped--
craft over till the gunwale was almost level with the water.html">water.html">water.
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live. In fact, two hours later they were forced to lower the sail.html">sail
them, saying that now they were in the track of vessels, and if they
the hope.html">hope of finding a place free of breakers where they might land. If
sat in heavy silence, watching the sky.
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from the surface of the sea.html">sea. Half an hour more and this was gone, and
they stared at each other to see which of their company were still
with water.
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be dead, and had better be thrown overboard, as it would lighten the
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the wide expanse of sea. Presently he whispered to a sailor near him,
passengers, craning their heads round, saw far away to the right a
of sail was hoisted, with a white cloth of some sort tied above it,
to the left in the hope of intercepting the steamer.
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On
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