14 Wing Greenwood Commander Colonel Luc Vachon and a slate of command team leaders led a high-level tour of the wing for close to a dozen foreign service attachés, describing the range of roles, responsibilities, equipment and personnel.
“But I’m telling you right now – come back in five years, and what you’re seeing now will be completely different, not recognizable,” Vachon said.
He and leaders from the eight main 14 Wing squadrons and units briefed military visitors from Finland, Romania, Chile, Turkiye, Poland, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Israel on the November 5 visit. While presentations covered a hint of the past and a description of today’s day-to-day work, many of the units were able to cover the excitement, challenge and opportunities ahead, with new aircraft and capabilities and infrastructure all on 14 Wing’s immediate horizon.
413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Norris described the 5.5-square-kilometre area of responsibility his unit’s “integrated, agile” personnel cover 24/ 7, along Canada’s East Coast, into the North and halfway across the Atlantic Ocean: averaging 160 calls a year and, so far in 2024, saving 71 lives. He credited the “system of systems,” with Canadian-based military, Coast Guard and partner agencies; combined with five neighbouring countries’ resources, for a successful framework that “cuts through politics to respond to life and limb” emergencies.
405 (Long Range Patrol) Squadron Major Joe MacKinnon, 404 (Long Range Patrol and Training) Squadron Lieutenant-Colonel Alex Gignac and 415 (Long Range Patrol Force Development) Squadron Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre-Luc Lafontaine all talked about their units’ roles operating, training and advancing Canada’s long range patrol mission, traditional anti-submarine warfare, but expanding through the signature CP140 Aurora’s service to include anti-surface warfare, sovereignty patrols, surveillance, search and rescue; and partnering work to counter fisheries and environmental violations and drug-trafficking. All are excited with – and challenged by – the next few years’ work in LRP, as Canada replaces the Aurora with P8A Poseidon aircraft.
14 Air Maintenance Squadron’s Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Travis explained how 14 AMS looks after all the second-line aircraft maintenance, technical documentation and record-keeping, weapons systems and more for the LRP fleet, here at 14 Wing and from Canada’s West Coast; CC130 Hercules maintenance responsibilities; and the provision and servicing of both fleets’ life-saving equipment. AMS, too, is looking at its new roles as the P8A comes into service.
14 Operations Support Squadron Lieutenant-Colonel Garrett Milne and 14 Mission Support Squadron Major Jordan Phillips described the work their squadrons do across dozens of trades and workspaces to support the wing’s airfield and support operations and maintenance; while Deputy Wing Commander Branch Major Al Baillie detailed the “quite broad” work of a “very wide, very flat – often one, two or three people deep” unit that includes personnel services, the wing’s finances, morale and welfare programs for members and their families, health services, information management, safety and more in 12 diverse sections and with the help of 18 lodger units.
“Since 1942, when the wing was established, we’ve been hosting units and work all along,” said Vachon – but the next few years will see all of it change again. He described the impending addition of the CC295 Kingfisher to Greenwood’s search-and-rescue response, the CH149 Cormorant helicopter upgrade, the phased arrival of the P8A over the next half-dozen years, the 2028 introduction of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) capability – and all the infrastructure that will support the advances in Greenwood.
The visiting attachés had the opportunity to ask questions throughout the set of briefings, with topics covering climate change impacts on operations, flight safety as a mission in itself, the effects of personnel shortages and recruitment, fleet transition – and more.
“Thank you for the briefings, hosting us at your airbase and providing us the opportunity to visit and see a distinguished air force,” said Colonel Hikmet Unal, from Turkiye. He took a moment, as well, on behalf of the group “as the only air force fellow here in the visiting group;” to present Vachon and 14 Wing with the Ottawa Service Attachés Association coin.
