EvanL
10-24-2003, 12:31 PM
Military elite has growing pains
Forces struggling to find 600 soldiers good enough to serve in crack JTF2 unit
Bruce Garvey
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, October 24, 2003
Canada's super-secret JTF2 commando unit is slowly emerging from the shadows as special forces assume a greater role in the global war against terrorism.
But as the federal government seeks to double the force to an estimated 600, the military is having difficulty filling the ranks and admits that the standard of recruits for the elite unit may be slipping.
The revelation that the military has had to alter the commando team's selection process to recruit enough candidates for the future comes in the new book Shadow Wars by David Pugliese, the Citizen's military affairs writer. The book examines the increasing role of special forces, such as the British and Australian SAS and U.S. navy SEALs, in current military ventures such as Afghanistan and Iraq, along with previously unpublished details of Canadian commandos' front-line role in the Afghan operation.
According to the book, the JTF2 is also placing emphasis on maritime counter-terrorism missions, conducting operations in Victoria, B.C., in the spring and in the Halifax harbour last year. In other cases, British and Canadian commandos have teamed up to stage practice raids on the Hibernia oil platform, in case terrorists try to seize that key installation.
Modelled on the legendary British SAS, the Ottawa-based JTF2 was originally designed as a domestic counter-terrorism unit trained to deal with such incidents as hostage-taking and hijackings. Following exacting standards of training and proficiency, only 10 per cent of specially screened applicants could be expected to qualify and report to the highly secret base at Dwyer Hill.
In 1995, applicants had to have spent four years in the forces and hold at least the rank of corporal. That year, of 90 potential commandos, only nine passed the arduous selection process and became members of JTF2. But, by 2001, the requirement for the corporal rank had been waived and length of military service for new recruits reduced to two years. Out of a total of 65 applicants, 32 were accepted, a success rate of 50 per cent, according to the book.
"The primary risk associated with the (JTF2 expansion) project is that recruiting and training may not be able to sustain the rate of expansion," a JTF2 officer admits in a report obtained by Mr. Pugliese.
The root of the problem lies in the fact that by 2000, although on paper the Canadian Forces was still around 60,000-strong, it had only around 52,000 active members. The army's strength had dwindled to around 18,000 and fewer than half of those were front-line combat troops.
"The Canadian Forces, particularly the army, simply does not have enough personnel to properly fuel the desired expansion of JTF2," writes Mr. Pugliese. "The most obvious solution, according to some defence analysts, is to increase the size of the army. Others warn that the government's order to boost the size of JTF2 will simply shuffle some of the best troops in the Canadian Forces into one unit."
He describes the decision to double the size of JTF2 as "a double-edged sword ... On one hand, it provided a large influx of cash (almost $119 million) and the chance to purchase much-needed equipment. It also made JTF2 a major player in the pecking order of the Canadian Forces. On the downside, some argued, it would lead to a reduction of the quality of the unit's operators and a watering down of training and selection standards."
Behind the decision to expand Canada's commando capability lies the continuing and increasingly significant role being played in Afghanistan and Iraq -- both in the invasion phase and postwar anti-guerrilla campaigns -- by special forces such as American SEALs, Delta force, British and Australian SAS, Poland's GROM commando units and German Kommando Spezial Kraefte.
The special forces' role emerged as both the Australians and Americans relaxed rules of secrecy that for years had been a hallmark of the British SAS and its Canadian descendant.
Initially, Canada's role jumped onto front pages around the world with the publication of a picture of Taliban suspects being escorted off a helicopter at Kandahar by U.S. troops. When it turned out the soldiers were in fact members of JTF2, it set off a political firestorm in Canada.
But it was a crack in the wall of secrecy built around the soldiers from Dwyer Hill.
When Canadian commandos took part in the bloody storming of the Mirwais hospital in Kandahar after it had been seized by al-Qaeda fighters, the JTF2 involvement inevitably leaked.
And none other than coalition war leader Gen. Tommy Franks confounded Department of National Defence efforts to stifle reports of Canadian activity when, during a live televised press conference, he named Canada as one of the special forces participants in Operation Anaconda in the Shah-e-Kot valley.
On the domestic front, in the face of a consensus that another major terrorist attack on North America is virtually inevitable, the expanding JTF2 continues to develop a reach that goes far beyond hostage-taking and hijacking.
"This elusive enemy may sit in the shadows for years," Mr. Pugliese writes, "emerging only occasionally to strike a deadly blow when and where it is least expected. But the special operations forces of the West work in the shadows too -- training, planning, and adapting to the ever-changing rules of the new war against terrorism."
The book also details how JTF2 has embarked on a strategy of establishing important links to the world's top counter-terrorism teams, turning the unit's Dwyer Hill training centre into a hub of commando activity.
JTF2 has had a long-standing relationship with the U.S. navy's SEALs, in particular SEAL Team Six. JTF2 has hosted SEAL snipers at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, and has also hosted the commanding officer of the British SAS, members of the U.S. Delta Force, New Zealand SAS and others, according to the book, which also details how members of the British military's Special Boat Squadron trained with the JTF2's 4 squadron for a maritime counter-terrorism mission dubbed Exercise Hydra in November 2000.
Also revealed is a mission by JTF2, code named Cop Zombie, to rescue Canadian soldiers and civilians trapped in the Central African Republic.
Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism by David Pugliese is published by Esprit de Corps Books and available in book stores today.
© Copyright 2003 The Ottawa Citizen
Forces struggling to find 600 soldiers good enough to serve in crack JTF2 unit
Bruce Garvey
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, October 24, 2003
Canada's super-secret JTF2 commando unit is slowly emerging from the shadows as special forces assume a greater role in the global war against terrorism.
But as the federal government seeks to double the force to an estimated 600, the military is having difficulty filling the ranks and admits that the standard of recruits for the elite unit may be slipping.
The revelation that the military has had to alter the commando team's selection process to recruit enough candidates for the future comes in the new book Shadow Wars by David Pugliese, the Citizen's military affairs writer. The book examines the increasing role of special forces, such as the British and Australian SAS and U.S. navy SEALs, in current military ventures such as Afghanistan and Iraq, along with previously unpublished details of Canadian commandos' front-line role in the Afghan operation.
According to the book, the JTF2 is also placing emphasis on maritime counter-terrorism missions, conducting operations in Victoria, B.C., in the spring and in the Halifax harbour last year. In other cases, British and Canadian commandos have teamed up to stage practice raids on the Hibernia oil platform, in case terrorists try to seize that key installation.
Modelled on the legendary British SAS, the Ottawa-based JTF2 was originally designed as a domestic counter-terrorism unit trained to deal with such incidents as hostage-taking and hijackings. Following exacting standards of training and proficiency, only 10 per cent of specially screened applicants could be expected to qualify and report to the highly secret base at Dwyer Hill.
In 1995, applicants had to have spent four years in the forces and hold at least the rank of corporal. That year, of 90 potential commandos, only nine passed the arduous selection process and became members of JTF2. But, by 2001, the requirement for the corporal rank had been waived and length of military service for new recruits reduced to two years. Out of a total of 65 applicants, 32 were accepted, a success rate of 50 per cent, according to the book.
"The primary risk associated with the (JTF2 expansion) project is that recruiting and training may not be able to sustain the rate of expansion," a JTF2 officer admits in a report obtained by Mr. Pugliese.
The root of the problem lies in the fact that by 2000, although on paper the Canadian Forces was still around 60,000-strong, it had only around 52,000 active members. The army's strength had dwindled to around 18,000 and fewer than half of those were front-line combat troops.
"The Canadian Forces, particularly the army, simply does not have enough personnel to properly fuel the desired expansion of JTF2," writes Mr. Pugliese. "The most obvious solution, according to some defence analysts, is to increase the size of the army. Others warn that the government's order to boost the size of JTF2 will simply shuffle some of the best troops in the Canadian Forces into one unit."
He describes the decision to double the size of JTF2 as "a double-edged sword ... On one hand, it provided a large influx of cash (almost $119 million) and the chance to purchase much-needed equipment. It also made JTF2 a major player in the pecking order of the Canadian Forces. On the downside, some argued, it would lead to a reduction of the quality of the unit's operators and a watering down of training and selection standards."
Behind the decision to expand Canada's commando capability lies the continuing and increasingly significant role being played in Afghanistan and Iraq -- both in the invasion phase and postwar anti-guerrilla campaigns -- by special forces such as American SEALs, Delta force, British and Australian SAS, Poland's GROM commando units and German Kommando Spezial Kraefte.
The special forces' role emerged as both the Australians and Americans relaxed rules of secrecy that for years had been a hallmark of the British SAS and its Canadian descendant.
Initially, Canada's role jumped onto front pages around the world with the publication of a picture of Taliban suspects being escorted off a helicopter at Kandahar by U.S. troops. When it turned out the soldiers were in fact members of JTF2, it set off a political firestorm in Canada.
But it was a crack in the wall of secrecy built around the soldiers from Dwyer Hill.
When Canadian commandos took part in the bloody storming of the Mirwais hospital in Kandahar after it had been seized by al-Qaeda fighters, the JTF2 involvement inevitably leaked.
And none other than coalition war leader Gen. Tommy Franks confounded Department of National Defence efforts to stifle reports of Canadian activity when, during a live televised press conference, he named Canada as one of the special forces participants in Operation Anaconda in the Shah-e-Kot valley.
On the domestic front, in the face of a consensus that another major terrorist attack on North America is virtually inevitable, the expanding JTF2 continues to develop a reach that goes far beyond hostage-taking and hijacking.
"This elusive enemy may sit in the shadows for years," Mr. Pugliese writes, "emerging only occasionally to strike a deadly blow when and where it is least expected. But the special operations forces of the West work in the shadows too -- training, planning, and adapting to the ever-changing rules of the new war against terrorism."
The book also details how JTF2 has embarked on a strategy of establishing important links to the world's top counter-terrorism teams, turning the unit's Dwyer Hill training centre into a hub of commando activity.
JTF2 has had a long-standing relationship with the U.S. navy's SEALs, in particular SEAL Team Six. JTF2 has hosted SEAL snipers at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, and has also hosted the commanding officer of the British SAS, members of the U.S. Delta Force, New Zealand SAS and others, according to the book, which also details how members of the British military's Special Boat Squadron trained with the JTF2's 4 squadron for a maritime counter-terrorism mission dubbed Exercise Hydra in November 2000.
Also revealed is a mission by JTF2, code named Cop Zombie, to rescue Canadian soldiers and civilians trapped in the Central African Republic.
Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism by David Pugliese is published by Esprit de Corps Books and available in book stores today.
© Copyright 2003 The Ottawa Citizen