Exercise Roguish Buoy 2017

During a rare winter storm in Victoria, Canadian dive supervisors conducted an equipment familiarization dive with allied divers during Exercise Roguish Buoy 2017, the Canadian Army’s annual combat diving training event. Photo courtesy Capt. H.J. Morrison, OIC Army Diving, CFSME

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

Military divers from Canada and around the world have converged in the waters off Albert Head for Exercise Roguish Buoy 2017.

Approximately 100 divers from Canada’s military, along with personnel from international NATO partners, are taking part in the military exercise at Albert Head Training Centre, which began Feb. 7 and concludes on Feb. 26.

The exercise is being hosted by the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering, a school of the Combat and Training Centre located in Gagetown, N.B. 

Divers are testing and improving their skills in underwater construction and infrastructure repair, underwater debris clearance, the repair of floating military equipment, and underwater search and recovery. The operation will go a long way in improving diver readiness to respond to any situation, says Colonel Craig Aitchison, Commanding Officer of the Combat Training Centre.

“As soldiers we must remain flexible, always prepared to deploy when our government calls upon us, whether at home or here in Canada or somewhere else in the world,” said Col Aitchison. “Events like Exercise Roguish Buoy help ensure the soldiers we send on underwater operations can meet their objective and exceed all expectations.”

Col Aitchison says the exercise will help refine and confirm diving doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures to achieve assigned battle-task standards, standardize diving operations with the Canadian Army, and ensure that Canadian combat divers are capable of both “functioning and integrating” with other NATO combat divers.

NATO countries participating in the event include the United States, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.