Canadian Special Operations

Authors

  • Commodore (Ret'd) Eric Lerhe Dalhousie University

Abstract

The current Canadian special operations capability resides in JTF 2, a unit established within the Canadian Forces in 1992 to take over the domestic counter-terrorism task from the RCMP. The government’s recent International Policy Statement (IPS) called for a significant enhancement of this capability. It is, however, difficult to determine precisely what tasks this new Special Operations Group will perform, how large it will be, how much of our defence treasure it will consume in even rough terms, or who will command it. Much of this data is necessarily imprecise because the process of transformation announced in the IPS has only just begun. There is also a certain secrecy attached to special force developments, much of which I will argue is overdone. Finally, the development of this capability is not assisted by a small but strident amount of special forces advertising or boosterism verging on hype. This paper will, therefore, examine the tasks, size, cost, and leadership of our Canadian special forces with a critical eye and offer as concrete a set of recommendations as is possible.

Author Biography

Commodore (Ret'd) Eric Lerhe, Dalhousie University

Commodore (Ret’d) Eric Lerhe joined the Canadian Forces in 1967 and was commissioned in 1972. From 1973 until 1983 he served in the HMCS RESTIGOUCHE, YUKON, FRASER and ANNAPOLIS. He was promoted to Commander on 1 January 1986 and assumed command of HMCS NIPIGON in September 1987 and then HMCS SAGUENAY on 6 January 1989. During the 1990’s he served as Director Maritime Force Development and Director NATO Policy in NDHQ. He earned his MA at Dalhousie in 1996 and was promoted to Commodore and appointed Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific in January 2001. In that role he was a Task Group Commander in the Persian Gulf during the War on Terror in 2002. His achievements included the capture of four al Qaeda members and making significant improvements in coalition C41 interoperability. Cmdre Lerhe retired from the CF in September 2003 and commenced his doctoral studies at Dalhousie.

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Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2005): Winter 2005/06

Section

Articles