News
TO OUR C&E BRANCH MEMBERS – SERVING AND RETIRED LATE LAST MONTH ON 28 OCT DURING C&E WEEK I HANDED OVER MY COL CMDT DUTIES TO BGEN (RETIRED) JOSEE ROBIDOUX, OMM,CD. WHAT FOLLOWS IS A FEW MOMENTS OF REFLECTION ON THE PAST THREE YEARS AND LONGER. IT WAS IN SEP 1971 THAT I FIRST PUT ON MY CAF UNIFORM AND 50 YEARS LATER IN OCT 2021 I TOOK IT OFF FOR THE LAST TIME. DURING THOSE 50 YEARS I HAVE SERVED AS BRANCH LEADER, PRESIDENT OF OUR MUSEUM FOUNDATION, PRESIDENT OF OUR C&E ASSOCIATION AND NOW AS COLONEL COMMANDANT. SO I HAVE SEEN OUR C&E FAMILY FROM MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. I HAVE BEEN TRULY HONOURED AND HUMBLED TO SERVE AS YOUR COLONEL COMMANDANT. IT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY MILITARY CAREER AND JUST TO BE ON THE SAME LIST WITH NAMES LIKE GENET, CLARK, WEBBER, BANKS AND RICHARD IS A RATHER HUMBLING EXPERIENCE. MY GOAL WHEN I WAS APPOINTED COLONEL COMMANDANT IN 2018 WAS TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF THE APPOINTMENT WITH OUR SERVING MEMBERS. YOUR BRANCH CHIEF CWO PHILIBERT AND I OUTLINED A PLAN THAT WOULD HAVE HAD US VISIT EVERY UNIT OF OUR BRANCH DURING OUR THREE […]
On 28 October 2021, C&E Family witnessed Change of Appointment Ceremony from BGen (Ret’d) Kevin O’Keefe, OMM, CD to BGen (Ret’d) Josée Robidoux, OMM, CD. The ceremony was televised via MS Teams and was attended by outgoing Colonel Commandant: Brigadier-General Kevin O’Keefe (Retired); incoming Colonel Commandant: Brigadier-General Josée Robidoux (Retired); the Branch Leader: Brigadier-General James Lambert; and the Branch Chief: Chief Warrant Officer Gilles Philibert, as well as C&E Branch dignitaries. Deeply emotional speeches described outgoing Col Cmdt’s enormous contributions and selfless dedication to C&E Family in these difficult times. During his 50 years in uniform, BGen (Ret’d) O’Keefe served the Branch in various roles, including Branch Leader, President of C&E Association and C&E Museum Foundation. BGen (Ret’d) O’Keefe is an inspiration for many generations of soldiers, we keep you in our hearts as we thank for your service, Sir! BZ. We welcome new Col Cmdt to C&E Family! VVV
Your Association took full advantage of C&E Week to deliver service to the C&E Family. On 27 Nov, we conducted a Professional Development Seminar in conjunction with AFCEA Canada. Four in-depth panel discussions (Digitalization, Remote Working, Cyber Aspects of Continental Defence and Lessons from Recent Ops) were attended by up to 100 persons; the panels from military, academic and industry backgrounds were moderated by distinguished retired military officers and the President of AFCEA Ottawa Chapter. Then on 28 November, your President took part in the C&E Family Update, describing work done in the heritage, and member services areas during the past year. The Association Annual General Meeting completed the business year for the organization, including an update of the By-Laws of the Association to bring it in line with recent regulatory changes. A capable team from CFSCE supported us with the MS Teams platform to deliver it all virtually. The photo shows the Association President, MGen (Ret) John Leech in action, talking to the screen, with the support team beavering away in the background. We continue to work for our whole Family to deliver quality services to all.
The EW Troop, also known as W Tp amongst the eFP Sigs Sqn is a total of 23 people of different trades coming from 21 EW Regt. This team has come together on this ROTO to provide support to the eFP BG and contribute to a well-rounded EW capability in theatre – ROTO 21-01 was the first one to see the return of the Mobile Electronic Warfare Team (MEWT) platform since Afghanistan. The current EW Troop is comprised of both heavy and light EW platforms as well as a Mobile Analytical Collection Element (MACE) operated by SIGINT specialists and INT analysts. The platforms are supported by a team of technical specialists, mechanics, and signal operators. The EW Troop’s mission is to support the eFP BG by exploiting and denying the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) by adversaries, and promoting awareness and understanding of the EMS to enhance force protection and targeting acquisition. Upon arrival, the team had to overcome multiple challenges with regards to many technical issues, creating interoperability with the eFP BG during Ex SILVER ARROW, as well as learning how to conduct EW in a multinational environment. In all instances, EW Tp was able to push ahead […]
Even on Operation our members took the time to celebrate 118th Anniversary of the C&E Branch – Happy birthday, Jimmy!!! On the Featured Photo (from left to right): Maj Ghassan Basheer, Sgt Stephanie Gartshore, Col Mike Purcell, LCol Steeve Lavoie, MCpl Alex Renaud and Maj Steve Blais.