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The Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR; french: links=no, Régiment d'opérations spéciales du Canada, ROSC) is a
Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...
unit of the
Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...
and forms part of the
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM; french: links=no, Commandement des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada; COMFOSCAN) is a command of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is responsible for all special forces operations that are ...
(CANSOFCOM). As a
special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...
unit the regiment's roles include conducting complex or difficult raids, capturing strategic facilities and undertaking reconnaissance. It is also capable of working with the armed forces of other countries.


Unit history

The unit traces its roots to the
First Special Service Force The 1st Special Service Force was an elite American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, under the command of the United States Fifth Army. The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana i ...
(FSSF), the Canadian-American special forces unit that was stood up in 1942 and earned the "Devil's Brigade" moniker for daring night raids on German forces at the Anzio beachhead. CSOR perpetuates the battle honours of the FSSF. Recruiting for the new unit took place in early 2006, and the first CSOR selection course took place with approximately 175 candidates. On 13 August 2006, an official stand-up ceremony for CSOR took place at the unit's home station, Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa, with approximately 250 soldiers participating. The ceremony included a skills demonstration including rappelling from helicopters, and both static and freefall parachuting. It was also announced that the second training serial of CSOR recruits would take place in early 2007. The first commanding officer and regimental sergeant-major of CSOR were Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Jamie Hammond and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Gerald Scheidl. The regiment suffered its first casualty on 24 June 2011: Master-Corporal Francis Roy died in a non-combat incident while deployed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. In 2013, the unit competed in an international special forces competition held in Jordan, coming in third place after Chinese Special Police teams took first and second place. In March 2015, Sgt Andrew Joseph Doiron was killed by friendly fire while serving on
Operation Impact On 3 October 2014, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he would put forth a motion to send forces to participate in the coalition for military intervention against ISIL by deploying combat aircraft. On 7 October 2014, the Hous ...
in Iraq.


Operations and exercises

The regiment maintained a presence in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2014 in support of Canada's mission in Afghanistan. Under the auspices of the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program of
Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...
, CSOR conducted training with both the
Jamaica Defence Force The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The JDF is based upon the British military model, with ...
and the
Belize Defence Force The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the military of Belize, and is responsible for protecting the sovereignty of the country. The BDF is under the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, which is currently headed by Hon. Florencio Marin Jr ...
, culminating in Exercise Tropical Dagger. CSOR participates in Exercise Flintlock, a special operations forces–focused exercise planned, coordinated and executed by African partner nations and sponsored by
United States Africa Command The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM, U.S. AFRICOM, and AFRICOM), is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U ...
. CSOR participates in the CANSOFCOM commitment to
Operation Impact On 3 October 2014, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he would put forth a motion to send forces to participate in the coalition for military intervention against ISIL by deploying combat aircraft. On 7 October 2014, the Hous ...
, the Canadian Armed Forces' support to the international military intervention against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. Due to the Taliban offensive in 2021, CSOR operators were deployed to Afghanistan to assist Canadian embassy staff to leave and destroy anything sensitive. In January 2022, CSOR was deployed to Ukraine.


Organization

While the regiment is composed of personnel from the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force, it is part of CANSOFCOM, a joint command reporting directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff, responsible for providing agile, high-readiness special operations forces capable of operating across the spectrum of conflict at home and abroad. CANSOFCOM is composed of CSOR,
427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS) (french: link=no, 427e Escadron d'opérations spéciales d'aviation, 427 EOSA) is a tactical helicopter unit that provides aviation support to Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. The squad ...
, and the Canadian Special Operations Training Centre in
Petawawa Petawawa is a town located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Situated in the Ottawa Valley, with a population of 18,160 (2021 Census), Petawawa is the most populous municipality in Renfrew County. Geography The town lies on the we ...
,
Joint Task Force 2 Joint Task Force 2 (JTF 2; french: links=no, Deuxième Force opérationnelle interarmées, FOI 2) is an elite special operations force of the Canadian Armed Forces, serving under the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. JTF 2 is known to wo ...
(JTF-2) in
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
, and the
Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit The Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU) (french: links=no, Unité interarmées d'intervention du Canada, UIIC) of the Canadian Armed Forces was created "to provide timely and agile broad-based CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and ...
in Trenton.


Battle honours


Regimental culture

The CSOR badge represents many aspects of the culture and history of the regiment. The
V-42 stiletto The V-42 stiletto was a fighting knife issued during World War II to the First Special Service Force (1st SSF or FSSF, also known as Devil's Brigade), a joint American/Canadian commando unit. Design and features Based on the Fairbairn–Sy ...
is recognized as the
fighting knife A fighting knife has a blade designed to most effectively inflict injury in close-quarters physical confrontations.Burton, Walter E., ''Knives For Fighting Men'', Popular Science, July 1944, Vol. 145 No. 1, p. 150Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills ...
of the FSSF and links CSOR to allied American special forces organizations and is the main CANSOFCOM symbol. The crossed arrows signify friendship and are a direct link to the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion, which is viewed as the founding Canadian special operation forces unit. The laurel wreath defines the knowledge of SF operators as educators and captures the unique role of CSOR as warrior diplomats and teachers of foreign forces. The wings signify swiftness, exemplified in the unit's readiness to undertake operations around the world. The motto, , translates to "Let us dare". It encapsulates that the regiment will accept any task and will step up to any challenge that comes its way. CSOR was authorized the regimental standard by Governor General
David Johnston David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...
on 15 April 2015. CSOR's regimental march is " Over the Hills and Far Away", a traditional British folk song thought to date back to the 16th century and popularized during the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
during the 1800s. The regimental drink is whisky and was chosen in recognition of the regiment's lineage to the FSSF. On 5 December 1943, while stationed in Italy and during the Battle for Monte la Difensa, the FSSF went into a defensive posture once Monte la Difensa was secured. Colonel Robert T. Fredrick, commander of the FSSF, directed his assistant commander, Colonel Paul Adams, to get 15 cases of whisky to bolster the spirits of his soldiers. The men's rations were supplemented that night with whisky which greatly improved morale. The regimental drink is used to welcome newly badged special forces operators to the regiment and during mess dinners in order to toast the regiment. The special forces badge is awarded to personnel once they complete the Special Forces Course and become badged special forces operators. The arrowhead is symbolic of the FSSF, the V-42 symbolizes both the connection to the FSSF and allegiance to CANSOFCOM. The lightweight combat utility tool, referred to in the regiment as "the tomahawk", is issued to each special forces operator. In addition to being an element of their operational equipment, the tomahawk represents the great contribution of
Indigenous peoples in Canada In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and '' Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider th ...
to the development of irregular and special warfare. The origin of the steel tomahawk comes from the boarding axes used by Royal Marines during naval combat. The design of the head was a proven utility item and if needed a combat weapon. Its use flourished by both French and British frontiersman as well as a trade item to Indigenous peoples. The first European military uses in North America came from the original French Marine Militia dispatched to New France and later was an issued item among British colonial regiments, specifically the colonial-raised ranger regiments, one of the most famous of which was Captain
Rogers' Rangers Rogers' Rangers was a company of soldiers from the Province of New Hampshire raised by Major Robert Rogers and attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War ( French and Indian War). The unit was quickly adopted into the British arm ...
who conducted scout and special operations missions during the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...
. During the
War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
Captain Rogers fought for Britain against the Continental Army.


Canadian Special Operations Regimental Association

The Canadian Special Operations Regiment Association was incorporated May 2016 and founded to provide an avenue to resources and support services, including training, social services, family education grants, emergency support services and the like.


See also

*
Joint Task Force 2 Joint Task Force 2 (JTF 2; french: links=no, Deuxième Force opérationnelle interarmées, FOI 2) is an elite special operations force of the Canadian Armed Forces, serving under the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. JTF 2 is known to wo ...
*
Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit The Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU) (french: links=no, Unité interarmées d'intervention du Canada, UIIC) of the Canadian Armed Forces was created "to provide timely and agile broad-based CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and ...
, the
chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN defence) are protective measures taken in situations in which chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare (including terrorism) hazards may be present. CBRN defence consi ...
response unit *
427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS) (french: link=no, 427e Escadron d'opérations spéciales d'aviation, 427 EOSA) is a tactical helicopter unit that provides aviation support to Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. The squad ...
, the aviation arm of the Canadian special forces


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

*
Canadian Special Operations Regiment AssociationSpecial Force CBC Documentary
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Airborne units and formations of Canada Canadian Special Operations Force Command Military units and formations established in 2006 Regiments of Canada Special forces of Canada Special forces units and formations Counterterrorist organizations Army reconnaissance units and formations