By Sgt Lance Wade, 36 CBG HQ Public Affairs

Army reservists from 36 Canadian Brigade Group (CBG) and the New Hampshire National Guard teamed up to hone their cold weather climate survival techniques as part of the Basic Winter Warfare Course conducted in Sydney, Nova Scotia between January 23 and 28. 

The Basic Winter Warfare Course provides soldiers the experience to operate in cold weather environments. The training teaches survival scenarios which include first line medical treatment, constructing improvised shelters, cold-weather hygiene, navigation, camouflage and concealment, snowshoeing and skiing.

When asked what the highlights of working with the Canadians were, Staff Sergeant Jason Kovarik from 237^th Military Police Company from Concord N.H. said “The training has been great.  We did a lot of hands-on making improvised shelters. We’re also putting our winter clothing to good use and adopting the seven layer system.” The seven-layer system is a protective clothing system developed by the U.S. Army designed to protect soldiers in temperatures ranging between +4 and -51 Celsius.

A total of 23 candidates from 36 CBG included members from The Halifax Rifles (RCAC), The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC), 1^st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA (1 Fd Regt), 36 Combat Engineer Regiment, 725 Communications Squadron, 1^st Battalion, The Nova Scotia Highlanders (North), and 3 Intelligence Company. The training was consisted of a two-day theory portion held at the Canadian Coast Guard College followed by a four-day outdoor practical exercise.

What is it like working with the New Hampshire National Guard?  Bombadier Oliver Johnson from 1^st Fd Regt, responded with, “Working with the American was a great experience. They operated on common ground, it didn’t matter what the rank, getting the task done was a team effort.”

New Hampshire National Guard, Staff Sergeant Daniel Mankiewicz said, “The Canadians tolerance for cold weather survival is high.  These guys take it a step further and the instructor’s knowledge has been paramount – it’s kept us motivated.”

The Basic Winter Warfare Course provided 36 CBG soldiers the opportunity to operate and train with their U.S. counterparts in an effort to develop their interoperability skills and build strong ties.  This type of training amongst our countries assists in further preparing our soldiers for deployments at home and abroad.