Canadian Special Operations Regiment

Canadian Special Operations Regiment
	Régiment d'opérations spéciales du Canada (French)
Active	2006–present[1]
Country	Canada
Type	Special operations
Role	Direct action[1]; Special reconnaissance[1]
Size	Battalion[1]
Part of	Canadian Special Operations Forces Command
Garrison/HQ	CFB Petawawa[2]
Motto(s)	Latin: Audeamus, lit. 'Let us dare'
March	"Over the Hills and Far Away"
Engagements	Afghanistan ; Iraq
Website	canada.ca/en/special-operations-forces-command/corporate/organizational-structure/so-regiment.html
Commanders
Current; commander	LCol Michael Laplante
Notable; commanders	LCol Jamie Hammond
Insignia
Headdress	Tan beret

The Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR; French: Régiment d'opérations spéciales du Canada, ROSC) is an elite unit of the Canadian Armed Forces. It forms part of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. As a special forces unit, the regiment's roles include conducting complex or difficult raids, capturing strategic facilities and undertaking reconnaissance. It is also capable of working with the armed forces of other countries.

Unit history

Members of the regiment during a freefall jump out of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III during Emerald Warrior 2013, Hurlburt Field, Florida.

The unit traces its roots to the First Special Service Force (FSSF), the Canadian-American special forces unit that was stood up in 1942 and earned the "Devil's Brigade" moniker for daring night raids on German forces at the Anzio beachhead.[2]

CSOR perpetuates the battle honours of the FSSF.

Recruiting for the new unit took place in early 2006, and the first CSOR selection course took place with approximately 175 candidates.[3]

On 13 August 2006, an official stand-up ceremony for the Canadian Special Operations Regiment took place at the unit's home station, Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa, with approximately 250 soldiers participating. The ceremony included a skills demonstration including rappelling from helicopters, and both static and freefall parachuting. It was also announced that the second training serial of CSOR recruits would take place in early 2007. The first Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant-Major of CSOR were Lieutenant Colonel (LCol) Jamie Hammond and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Gerald Scheidl. Subsequent command teams were LCol Greg Smith and CWO Daniel Brissette, LCol John Vass and CWO Daniel Brissette, LCol Hank Szelecz and CWO Tom Verner and LCol Steven Hunter and CWO L. Mike Gauley.

The regiment suffered its first casualty on 24 June 2011: Master-Corporal Francis Roy died in a non-combat incident while deployed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.[4][5]

In 2013, the unit competed in an international Special Forces Competition held in Jordan, coming in 3rd place after Chinese Special Police teams took 1st and 2nd place.[6]

In March 2015, Sgt Andrew Joseph Doiron was killed by friendly fire while serving on Operation Impact in Iraq.[7]

Operations

The regiment maintained a presence in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2014 in support of Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Under the auspices of the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program of Global Affairs Canada, CSOR conducted training with both the Jamaican Defence Force and the Belizean Defence Force, culminating in Exercise Tropical Dagger.

CSOR participates in Exercise Flintlock,[8] a special operations Forces–focused exercise planned, coordinated and executed by African partner nations and sponsored by United States Africa Command.

CSOR participates in the CANSOFCOM commitment to Operation Impact, the Canadian Armed Forces' support to the international military intervention against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

In the execution of its mandate, CSOR personnel have been recognized for their operational excellence, such as receipt of the Star and Medals of Military Valour, Chief of Defence Staff Commendations, mentions-in-dispatches, Meritorious Service Decorations, among other honours and awards.

Organization

Canadian special operations soldier descends in front of Mt. Rainier onto Fort Lewis, Wash., with U.S. 1st Special Forces

While the regiment is composed of personnel from the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force, it is part of CANSOFCOM, a joint command reporting directly to the Chief Defence Staff, responsible for providing agile, high-readiness Special Operations Forces capable of operating across the spectrum of conflict at home and abroad. CANSOFCOM is composed of CSOR, 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron, and the Canadian Special Operations Training Centre in Petawawa, Joint Task Force 2 (JTF-2) in Ottawa, and the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit in Trenton. The current CSOR command team is Commanding Officer (CO), Lieutenant Colonel (LCol) Michael Laplante and Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM), Chief Warrant Officer Jeff Chalmer.

Battle honours

Monte Camino[9]
Monte la Difensa – Monte la Remetanea[9]
Monte Majo[9]
Anzio[9]
Rome[9]
Advance to the Tiber[9]
Italy, 1943–1944[9]
Southern France[9]
North-West Europe, 1944[9]
Afghanistan[10]

Regimental culture

The CSOR badge represents many aspects of the culture and history of the regiment. The V-42 stiletto is recognized as the fighting knife of the FSSF and links CSOR to allied American special forces organizations and is the main CANSOFCOM symbol. The crossed arrows signify friendship and are a direct link to the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion, which is viewed as the founding Canadian special operation forces unit. The laurel wreath defines the knowledge of SF operators as educators and captures the unique role of CSOR as warrior diplomats and teachers of foreign forces. The wings signify swiftness, exemplified in the unit's readiness to undertake operations around the world. The motto, Audeamus, translates to "Let us dare". It encapsulates that the regiment will accept any task and will step up to any challenge that comes its way.

The Canadian Special Operations Regiment was authorized the regimental standard by the Governor General, David Johnston, on 15 April 2015.

CSOR's regimental march is "Over the Hills and Far Away", a traditional British folk song thought to date back to the 16th century and popularized during the Napoleonic Wars during the 1700s.

The regimental drink is whisky and was chosen in recognition of the regiment's lineage to the FSSF. On 5 December 1943, while stationed in Italy and during the Battle for Monte la Difensa, the FSSF went into a defensive posture once Monte la Difensa was secured. Colonel Robert T. Fredrick, commander of the FSSF, directed his assistant commander, Colonel Paul Adams, to get 15 cases of whisky to bolster the spirits of his soldiers. The men's rations were supplemented that night with whisky which greatly improved morale. The regimental drink is used to welcome newly badged special forces operators to the regiment and during mess dinners in order to toast the regiment.

The special forces badge is awarded to personnel once they complete the Special Forces Course and become badge special forces operators. The arrowhead is symbolic of the FSSF, the V-42 symbolizes both the connection to the FSSF and allegiance to CANSOFCOM.

The lightweight combat utility tool, referred to in the regiment as "the tomahawk", is issued to each special forces operator. In addition to being an element of their operational equipment, the tomahawk represents the great contribution of Canada's Indigenous peoples to the development of irregular and special warfare. The origin of the steel tomahawk comes from the boarding axes used by marines during naval combat. The design of the head was a proven utility item and if needed a combat weapon. Its use flourished by both French and British frontiersman as well as a trade item to Indigenous peoples. The first European military uses in North America came from the original French Marine Militia dispatched to New France and later was an issued item among British colonial regiments, specifically the colonial-raised ranger regiments, one of the most famous of which was Captain Rogers' Rangers who conducted scout and special operations missions during the French and Indian War. During the War of American Independence Captain Rogers fought for Britain against the Continental Army.