Communications and Electronics Branch

Communications and Electronics Branch
The cap badge of the Communications and Electronics Branch.
Active	1968 -
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Forces personnel branch
Motto	Velox Versutus Vigilans Latin "Swift, Skilled, Alert"

The Communications and Electronics (C&E) Branch is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces (CF).

History

Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers (13 February 1863 - 21 October 1910) was the founder of the Canadian Signalling Corps, forerunner of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and the Communications and Electronics Branch of the Canadian Forces.

Uniform

• Cap badge: A silver depiction of Mercury with golden lightning bolts on either side placed on a field of blue.
• Army shoulder title:
  • English: "SIGNALS" (all uniforms)
  • French: "TRANS" (Service Dress tunic), "TRANSMISSIONS" (all other uniforms)
• Miscellaneous:
  • The Signalman's trade qualification badge (worn on the lower sleeve of the Service Dress jacket) is the only such trade badge that features colours (blue and white) instead of just gold

Customs and traditions

• Colonel-in-Chief: Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal

Flag of the Communications and Electronics Branch

• Branch flag: Horizontal bicolour, French grey (Munsell Notation 5PB5/2) over dark blue (Munsell Notation 7.5PB2/2). It is commonly believed that the colours of the flag represent "grey skies over blue waters"; however, the colours were inherited from the officer's Mess Dress uniforms of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS), which were in turn inherited from the 21st Lancers, the first unit of Major Carruthers, founder of the RCCS
• Home Station: CFB Kingston, Ontario
• Motto: Velox Versutus Vigilans (Latin, "Swift, Skilled, Alert"); motto inherited from the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
• Nickname:
  • "Jimmies" – after "Jimmy", the nickname given to the Roman god Mercury as patron (and insignia) of Signals in Commonwealth countries; the origin of this particular sobriquet for the god is unknown; there are a number of theories as to why 'Jimmy' was adopted as a term of endearment for the emblem. The most widely accepted is that it came from a very popular Royal Signals boxer, called Jimmy Emblem, who was the British Army Champion in 1924 and represented the Royal Signals Corps from 1921 to 1924.
  • "Sigs" – after the abbreviation of "Signals"
  • "Sig Pigs" – rhyming slang name; sometimes used deprecatingly by non-Signalmen, generally with pride by Signalmen
  • "Rubberheads" - Nickname applied only to Communicator Research personnel; considered pejorative or insulting when used by non-Communicator Research personnel; this references the large padded earphones that were often used by the trade.
• Authorized march: "The Mercury March"
• Branch colours: French grey and dark blue
• Miscellaneous:
  • Signals units follow the Cavalry practice of naming their units "Regiment" for "Battalion", "Squadron" for "Company", and "Troop" for "Platoon".
  • Trained Privates in Signals or Communications units are styled "Signalman" or "Sig".

Training

Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics

The Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics(CFSCEE) in Kingston, Ontario was founded in 1937. Initially, CFSCEE provided training in Communications and Electronics in Canadian Army and now in the Canadian Forces. The last "E" was dropped in recent times, and is now called CFSCE. CFSCE provides basic, intermediate and advanced training to military personnel in the field of Communications and Electronics.

Occupations

Military occupations and military occupation codes (MOCs) within the Branch are listed below. Also listed are the uniform environment restrictions.

MOSID	MOC	Occupation	Abbrev	Uniform
Officers
00340	083	Communications and Electronics Engineering (Air)	CELE (AIR)	RCAF
00341	084	Signals	SIGS	CA
Non-commissioned members
00362-1		Army Communication & Information Systems Specialist	ACISS	CA
00362-2		Line System Technologist	LST	CA
00362-3		Communication System Technologist	CST	CA
00362-4		Information System Technologist	IST	CA
00362-5		Communication Information System Technology Manager	CISTM	CA
00109	226	Aerospace Telecommunication & Information Systems Technician	ATIS TECH	RCAF
00120	291	Communicator Research Operator	COMM RSCH	RCN, CA, RCAF
Non-commissioned members (Prior to 1 October 2011)
00015	052	Lineman	LMN	CA
00329	215	Signal Operator	SIG OP	CA
00109	226	Aerospace Telecommunication & Information Systems Technician	ATIS TECH	RCAF
00110	227	Land Communication and Information Systems Technician	LCIS TECH	CA
00120	291	Communicator Research Operator	COMM RSCH	RCN, CA, RCAF

Units

Regular Force Units

• 1 CMBG Headquarters and Signal Squadron
• 2 Area Support Group Signal Squadron
• 2 CMBG Headquarters and Signal Squadron
• 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment
• 3 Area Support Group Signal Squadron
• 5 CMBG Headquarters and Signal Squadron (Fr 5e GBMC Quartier général et Escadron de transmissions)
• 4 Telecommunications and Information Services Squadron
• 8 Telecommunications and Information Services Squadron
• 14 Telecommunications and Information Services Squadron
• 17 Telecommunications and Information Services Squadron
• 731 Signal Squadron
• 742 Signal Squadron
• Canadian Forces Information Operations Group
  • 764 Communication Squadron
  • Canadian Forces Electronic Warfare Centre (CFEWC)
  • Canadian Forces Information Operations Group Headquarters (CFIOGHQ)
  • Canadian Forces Network Operation Centre (CFNOC)
  • Canadian Forces Signals Intelligence Operations Centre (CFSOC)
  • Canadian Forces Station Leitrim
• Canadian Forces Joint Signal Regiment
• Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics
• Information Management Group
  • 76 Communication Group
  • Canadian Forces Crypto Maintenance Unit
  • Canadian Forces Crypto Support Unit
  • Canadian Forces Data Centre

Reserve Force Units

• 70 Communication Group Headquarters
  • 700 (Borden) Communication Squadron
  • 705 (Hamilton) Communication Squadron--Now 31 Signal Regiment
  • 709 (Toronto) Communication Regiment
  • 763 (Ottawa) Communication Regiment-----Recently renamed to 33 Signals Regiment
  • 772 Electronic Warfare Squadron Kingston
• 71 Communication Group Headquarters
  • 712 (Montreal) Communication Squadron
  • 713 (Beauport) Communication Regiment (Fr Le 713e Régiment des communications) [1]
  • 714 (Sherbrooke) Communication Squadron
• 72 Communication Group Headquarters
  • 721 (Charlottetown) Communication Regiment
  • 722 (Saint John) Communication Squadron
  • 723 (Halifax) Communication Squadron
  • 725 (Glace Bay) Communication Squadron
  • 728 (St. John's) Communication Squadron
• 73 Communication Group Headquarters
  • 734 (Regina) Communication Squadron
  • 735 (Winnipeg) Communication Regiment
  • 736 (Thunder Bay) Communication Squadron
  • 737 (Saskatoon) Communication Squadron
• 74 Communication Group Headquarters
  • 741 (Victoria) Communication Squadron
  • 744 (Vancouver) Communication Regiment
  • 745 (Edmonton) Communication Squadron
  • 746 (Calgary) Communication Squadron
  • 748 (Nanaimo) Communication Squadron
  • 749 (Red Deer) Communication Squadron

Order of precedence

Preceded by Canadian Military Engineers

Communications and Electronics Branch

Succeeded by Royal Canadian Infantry Corps

External links

• Canadian Forces Recruiting
• Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence
• List of Signals Units