By Geoff Fein
For the next six months, the HMCS Charlottetown, will deploy with the USS Truman (CVN-75) carrier strike group (CSG) as part of Operation Altair, the Canadian navy’s contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
The deployment of the Halifax-class patrol frigate with the CSG significantly enhances the interoperability of Canadian and U.S. navies, according to the Canadian Forces.
“This deployment is focused on operations. We will do some training in order to maintain our proficiency, but mostly this is conducting operations in support of OEF, the U.S. led operation against terrorism,” Cmdr. Patrick St-Denis told Defense Daily Sunday before deploying to the Middle East.
The Canadian version of the deployment is dubbed Operation Altair. St-Denis said it is the maritime component of OEF.
The Charlottetown will deploy with 250 personnel and a Sikorsky [UTX] Sea King helicopter. During the deployment, St-Denis will also have two liaison officers aboard the Truman to help with the subtle differences in language.
“We have two Canadians on board the Truman. My intention is to rotate those people so that everyone gains that experience. The more exposure the better we will become in operations,” St-Denis said.
The liaison officer on the Truman makes sure the terminology is correctly translated, if required, St-Denis said. “He provides a naval Canadian presence on board the carrier so we make sure our interests are looked after as well.”
In the past, the Canadians have issues with the acronyms that U.S. Navy personnel use. Many of those terms are not used in the Canadian forces, St-Denis noted. “Now everything is familiar to me.”
The Charlottetown will be contributing to global security and the war against terrorism, he added. “[She] will conduct maritime security operations in the region to ensure the security and safety of shipping, so that private and naval [ships] can operate freely in region.”
The frigate departed Halifax, Nova Scotia Nov. 1 and departed yesterday with the Truman CSG. St-Denis said the ship should be returning to Halifax in the May ’08 time frame.
The Canadian navy has been deploying for quite a few years, and this is the 25th time a Canadian vessel will be deploying to the Persian Gulf region, he noted.
“We have been deploying with the strike group or other coalition forces in the Gulf quite regularly. Normally we do operations but we do some training as well with the U.S. Navy,” St-Denis said.
This is the second Gulf deployment for the Charlottetown, St-Denis added. The ship deployed back in March and July of this year to prepare for Operation Altair, he added.
Deploying with the U.S. Navy enables both navies to improve interoperability of systems, St-Denis said.
“Right now [we are] able to be totally integrated with the strike group. We have some communication and intelligence sharing that we will be able to [do with] those systems,” he said. “[We will] be almost like a U.S. unit. We have very similar systems. We we will be able to interact with U.S. and coalition forces as well.”
The effort to make sure the U.S. and Canadian navies can operate together helps ensure ships like the Charlottetown can contribute to the overall global security mission, St-Denis added.
Besides improving interoperability, deployments such as these provide the Canadian navy the opportunity to be involved in global maritime security.
“If you look at operating with U.S. and coalition partners, one nation can’t do this by itself. It’s a global problem, therefore a global approach [is needed],” St-Denis explained. “The maritime security operations will ensure the security and safety, in international waters, of all shipping, therefore everyone has to be involved. Many nations are involved in global security and the war on terror. It is extremely important we continue to do so.”
St-Denis added that every time Canadian forces go to sea on a joint deployment, they improve their knowledge.
“We gain a lot professionally and personally from those deployments. Without these kind of deployments, it would be very hard to move the interoperability piece ahead. It’s crucial we do this,” he said. “It is very rewarding to do this kind of deployment because we know we are contributing to global security. It does mean something, and it’s good to know our security is increased.”