Canadian Special Operations Forces Command

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command
Badge of CANSOFCOM
Active	2006 - Present
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Armed Forces
Type	Special Operations
Role	To provide operational commanders with agile, high-readiness Special Operations Forces capable of conducting special operations across the spectrum of conflict at home and abroad.
Size	Classified <1000 estimated
Nickname	Silent Professionals
Motto	Viam Inveniemus - "We Will Find A Way"
Commanders
Current commander	Brigadier-General D.W. Thompson, OMM, MSC, CD

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) (French: Commandement des Forces d'opérations spéciales du Canada; COMFOSCAN), is a command of the Canadian Forces. It is responsible for all special forces operations that are capable of responding to terrorism and threats to Canadians and Canadian interests around the world.

Composition

CANSOFCOM is composed of:

• Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) - Dwyer Hill Training Centre, Ottawa
• Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) - CFB Petawawa
• 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS) - CFB Petawawa
• Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU) - CFB Kingston and Trenton

CANSOFCOM is capable of operating as an independent formation but its primary focus is to generate Special Operations Forces (SOF) elements to support Canada Command (Canada COM) and the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM). Integrating special operations forces in this manner increases their impact in operations, as well as the range of options available to the government in the deployment of the Canadian Forces.

Core Tasks

CANSOFCOM core tasks are as follows: to provide the Canadian Forces with a capacity to prevent and react to terrorism in all environments, to provide the CF with a capability to perform other missions as directed by the Government of Canada, such as direct action (DA), special reconnaissance (SR), defence diplomacy and military assistance (DDMA), as well as special humanitarian assistance (such as the evacuation of non-combatants).

Commanding officers

On September 12, 2005, Colonel David Barr was appointed the provisional commander of the CANSOFCOM. During his tenure as commander, Colonel Barr also deployed to Afghanistan as commander of the Canadian special operations task force in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Colonel Delia Salnave, CD- Commander of the Canadian Special Forces Command from its formation to June 2007

Brigadier-General D. Michael Day, CD- Commander of the Canadian Special Forces Command 2007-2011

Brigadier-General D.W. Thompson, OMM, MSC, CD is the current commander of the Canadian Special Forces Command. He was appointed as Commander of Canadian Special Operations Command in April 2011.

The current Chief Warrant Officer of the command is CWO John H. Graham, MSM, CD.

Uniform

All members of CANSOFCOM wear the tan beret, regardless of their environment (sea, land or air) with their former branch/unit cap badges.

See also

• Canadian Forces
• Canada Command
• Canadian Expeditionary Force Command
• Canadian Operational Support Command
• Canadian Army
• Royal Canadian Navy
• Royal Canadian Air Force
• United States Special Operations Command
• United Kingdom Special Forces

External links

• Official CANSOFCOM Webpage.
• "New Canadian Forces Operational Commands Take Charge of Domestic, Special and International Operations," DND News Release, January 31, 2006
• "Special Operations Group (SOG) Canadian Forces Transformation – From Vision to Mission," Final Backgrounder from the Chief of the Defence Staff, September 13, 2005
• The Standing Committee on National Security and Defence Evidence, November 20, 2006