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B.C. reservists gather for military communications training in Chilliwack

Canadian Army’s communication skills are used in battle as well as domestic emergencies
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A soldier communicates by shouting and giving the thumbs up to a fellow soldier. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)

A group of 70 B.C. reservists were in Chilliwack earlier this month to brush up on their military communications training.

“This is a battlefield exercise… but because they are communications experts, these skills are the exact same skills that they would use in a domestic emergency,” says Capt. Jeff Manney.

In a domestic emergency (an earthquake, for example), when communications links need to be established with the rest of the country, it’s these soldiers who set up their satellite gear and mobile radios to make those first connections to people coming in to help.

On this cold and windy, but sunny, winter day the troops are thrown into a mock battle at the Opsee Training Area near Cultus Lake as part of exercise Jimmy Dogwood III.

Gunfire and shouting erupts all around. One soldier shouts that she sees the enemy on a ridge, then moments later, she yells she’s lost sight of him.

Her shouts are repeated by another soldier further down the line, then another. The information quickly makes its way to the tactical operations centre (TOC), the central location where all the information comes in.

“It’s a madhouse of organized chaos,” says Capt. Jeff Hamel referring to TOC. “Our main job is to provide a brain for a commander.”

Sometimes yelling is the fastest and simplest way to communicate, Manney says. Other forms of communication include satellites, radios, laptops, and mobile radio antennas.

They have a device called a radio rebroadcaster site — it’s a vehicle which tows a trailer with radio antennas on the roof. The vehicle is taken off-road, and parked on the top of a mountain (for example) so radio signals can be sent around mountains. It gives the military the ability to expand their coverage range.

They also have a mobile, inflatable satellite dish called a GATR, which packs up into a suitcase for easy transport.

“It’s an enormous beach ball,” describes Hamel of the dish which is about eight to 10 feet in diameter.

Inside the sphere, there are two chambers separated by a membrane. When inflated, because of differential air pressure, the membrane is pushed to create a convex shape, thus creating a satellite dish.

The GATR satellite is a last resort of communication due to its high cost of operation.

“The funny thing is they operate this really high tech stuff, as well as radios that look like they came out of World War II,” says Manney.

“The reason we’re doing this exercise is, in a couple months, we’re going to send some people to Iraq, we’re going to send some people to Ukraine and to Eastern Europe,” says Hamel. “Also this summer, the reserves in B.C. are going to be the first people to respond to natural disasters out of the army. We’re preparing and planning how to do all three of those at the same time.”

They call it the Road to High Readiness.

“It’s a plan to keep us in a state of readiness so that we’re trained, practised, and all our gear is packed so that our response time is as short as possible,” says Manney.

Reservists were also in Chilliwack recently for two other training exercises: a bridge-building event called Exercise Paladin Response, and divers training called Exercise Roguish Buoy.

READ MORE: Military engineers gather to build bridges in Chilliwack

READ MORE: Military divers training in Cultus Lake this month


 

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jenna.hauck@theprogress.com

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The inflatable ball-like GATR satellite is secured into place. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)
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Troops point to details on a map inside the tactical operations centre. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)
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A soldier takes part in the mock battle. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)
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Capt. Jeff Hamel (right) watches as soldiers run through a mock battle exercise. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)
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A soldier takes part in the mock battle. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)
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A soldier takes part in the mock battle. (Jenna Hauck/ The Progress)


Jenna Hauck

About the Author: Jenna Hauck

I started my career at The Chilliwack Progress in 2000 as a photojournalist.
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