Soldiers from Edmonton’s 3rd Canadian Division are readying for deployment to Ukraine.
About 30 military personnel — including some from CFB Shilo, Man. — will fly out of Edmonton International Airport on Thursday as part of Operation UNIFIER, a joint support mission between United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
This week’s deployment is part of an ongoing federal government commitment announced in 2015 for around 200 Canadian Forces members to rotate through Ukraine until March 31, 2017.
While their primary focus will be on “tactical soldier training, also known as small team training, which consists of individual weapons training, marksmanship, moving, communication, survival and ethics training” they will also be offering medical, flight safety and language training.
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Previous troops have been drawn from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and the 2nd Canadian Division in Québec.
Canada has pledged to send 450 troops to Latvia as part of a 1,000-strong NATO force to deter Russian aggression in the Baltic states.
