Canadian Forces Base Shilo (CFB Shilo; ) is an operations and training base of the

Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

, located east of Brandon,

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

and adjacent to Sprucewoods.Canadian Forces Base Shilo
/ref> During the 1990s, Canadian Forces Base Shilo was also designated as an Area Support Unit, which acts as a local base of operations for south-west Manitoba in times of military and civil emergency. It is located at the very south-west corner of the

Municipality of North Cypress – Langford The Municipality of North Cypress – Langford is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located northeast and east of the City of Brandon. The town of Neepawa borders the RM to the north. Canadian Forces B ...

, and the very northwest corner of the Municipality of Glenboro – South Cypress. Additionally, it lies adjacent to the eastern border of the Rural Municipality of Cornwallis. The base has an 18-hole golf course, which hosts numerous military and civilian golf events.

History and demographics

CFB Shilo has been a training facility for the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

since 1910,CFB Shilo Facts
/ref> and saw an increase in its use as a training facility following the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The base is also home to the

Royal Canadian Artillery Museum {{Multiple issues, {{more citations needed, date=April 2023{{{advert, date=February 2016 {{Infobox museum , name = Royal Canadian Artillery Museum , native_name = , native_name_lang = , logo = Royal C ...

and many artillery pieces are on display including a cannon used at the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...

. The principal purpose of this base is for training in artillery and munitions, activities audibly recognized, though not begrudged, by generations of nearby residents. In 1942, training of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was transferred here from

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

RAF Ringway RAF Ringway was a Royal Air Force satellite station at Ringway, Cheshire, England, near Manchester. It was operational from 1939 until 1957. The site is now occupied by Manchester Airport. Prewar years Manchester's first municipal airfield w ...

in the United Kingdom. The existence of the base has enhanced the

economic stability Economic stability is the absence of excessive fluctuations in the macroeconomy. An economy with fairly constant output growth and low and stable inflation would be considered economically stable. An economy with frequent large recessions, a pronou ...

of the surrounding area through contracted employment with the Department of National Defence, and provision of off-base services to staff and trainees. CFB Shilo provides employment for approximately 1,400 military personnel, as well as an additional estimated 450 civilian personnel. The base is located within the federal electoral district of Brandon—Souris.

Geographic/geological significance

The landscape in this area is particularly well suited to these operations. The rolling hills are well suited to hidden target firing drills. Soil compositions of loose sand/gravel aggregates are also ideal for artillery and munitions training. The lack of surface bedrock outcropping greatly reduces the chances of hazardous

ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

s during live-fire exercises and also assists in the safe retrieval and secure disposal of both detonated and un-detonated ordnance.

Units

CFB Shilo is the home to the following operational units: * 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery * 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry It hosts the following detachments supporting

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Northwestern Ontario including the ...

: * 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, "C" Company Shilo 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre
/ref> * 1 Military Police Regiment, detachment Shilo. * 11 CF Health Services Centre * 3rd Canadian Division Support Group Signal Squadron, detachment Shilo File:Emblem Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.svg,

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricias) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

File:TrpÜbPlKdtr Shilo..png, Shilo Training Area Command badge showing the connection with Germany

External connections/partnerships

Throughout the years both

Regular Force In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, caree ...

s and Primary Reserve troops have trained at CFB Shilo. Troops from other countries, such as Germany, France, Denmark and the United States, have used the area for training. In particular the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

Training Establishment Shilo has, from 1974 to 2000, trained in excess of 140,000 troops. CFB Shilo has also seen use by

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

officers and employees of the Manitoba Department of Corrections.

Transportation

The base is south of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

on PR 340. There were two heliports associated with the base. Shilo Heliport was located on the base while Shilo (Flewin Field) , was located south at , .

Royal Canadian Artillery Museum

The

is the only museum in the world that explores the history of Canadian gunners who served Canada since 1855. Established in 1962 at CFB Shilo and provides a national portrait of Canadian gunnery. It includes more than 65,000 artifacts, including more than 150 artillery pieces and vehicles.

Financial information

CFB Shilo expends $105 million yearly in salaries and purchases, has 1,350 military people and employs 350 civilians.CFB Shilo Overview
/ref> Having a population of 1,700 people

References

External links

Department of National Defence - CFB ShiloThe Royal Canadian Artillery Museum - CFB ShiloCFB Shilo
presentation — CAF Connection {{authority control Shilo Defunct airports in Manitoba Buildings and structures in Westman Region, Manitoba