A soldier of the Algonquin Regiment, a reserve brigade in the Canadian Forces, simulates the capturing of an enemy in an abandoned Corbeil school on Saturday. The regiment performed four exercise routines in total with upwards of 60 soldiers taking part. PHOTOS BY LIAM BERTI
A menacing silence fills the empty hallways of an abandoned school just south of the Corbeil corners. The anticipation of the looming chaos sends the mind racing a million different ways, wondering which direction the next attack will come from.
And then, without hesitation, comes the incessant sound of a rapid-fire attack.
What looks like a chaotic scramble to secure the location is actually a meticulous, strategically planned urban offensive strike, with each and every soldier playing a pivotal role.
While it might just seem like just another day of training for the Algonquin Regiment of 33 Canadian Brigade Group, a reserve brigade in the Canadian Forces, today’s unique opportunity is proving to be priceless.
This particular training operation emphasizes battle procedures and urban operations training. In a world where precise planning, preparation and communication are paramount, you can never be too perfect.
At least that’s according to anyone you ask in the Algonquin Regiment.
“With urban-ops, there are a lot of unknowns, so the key is flexibility, movement and constant communication,” said Warrant Officer Sarah Surtees. “That’s why we do this, for preparation; to make sure we’re ready for whatever it is we face.
“The more unknowns that you can make known, the smoother everything will run.”
But whereas a standard urban operations training procedure might see the regiment fire blank rounds in a limited, modest facility, Saturday’s training was a step outside the comfort zone for the troops.
Thanks to a collaboration and partnership with Ontario Provincial Police training instructors, the Algonquin Regiment was awarded the use of the abandoned school to broaden their practical understanding of the complex tactics.
The large multi-level facility is like nothing the soldiers have trained in before.
“With the dynamics of having to upstairs and downstairs, having multiple entrances and different size rooms, all of those factors make it a very challenging environment,” said Surtees.
According to the regiment, working in a forest or field is one thing; controlling an urban environment, on the other hand, is a different world altogether.
“We don’t just train to do one type of warfare; urban operations is just one slice of the pie, if you will, of what we do when we train for full-spectrum warfare,” said soldier Ryan Croghan. “This is a different environment than we would normally go into, and it’s always good to be exposed to different types of environments when you’re training.”
Pair the unfamiliar setting with the use of paintball guns and tangible ammunition, and the soldiers are that much closer to simulating the real deal.
But with the more realistic scenario comes new daunting elements.
Most notably, the sensation of tunnel vision and “going into the black,” as the soldiers say, begins to take over in the heat of the battle. In other words, when a soldier reaches a state of uber-focus, they tend to forget their tactical situational awareness; everything they’ve prepared for goes out the window and it’s a dangerous place to be.
Warrant Officer Surtees says the soldiers are all equipped with a tactical breathing technique to get them out of those dire scenarios to ensure they don’t become a casualty.
“When you have that fear that you’re actually going to get hit, it brings your intensity level up and allows you to really feel and react closer to how you would in a real situation,” said Croghan.
“Any time you’re doing this type of training, you want to get into the mindset that you’re doing it for real; that will allow you to get the best out of the training and really take that lesson and internalize it.”
After an evening of planning and theoretical preparation on Friday, the troops stepped into the practical realm and put their systems to the test. The day started at 0600 and after four strenuous exercises, the regiment walked away from the derelict school with a wealth of new knowledge and experience.
“It definitely does humble you because when paintballs are going by you, you start to get tunnel vision,” Pvt. Benjamin Stephenson explained. “Maybe you get lax on your drills or you might start to freeze up, so it definitely humbles you.”
The regiment, which employs approximately 100 part-time soldiers in the North Bay and Timmins area, is designed to augment Canada’s military by providing trained infantry soldiers. On this day, though, upwards of 60 soldiers are participating in the unique training, a significant increase thanks to the advanced facility.
And while the training routines are not mandatory for the soldiers, the intensity and focus of those in attendance remains.
During one particular debrief, a few chuckles follow the confession of accidental friendly fire during the previous exercise, causing one senior-ranking soldier to interject and remind everyone just how serious that mistake can be.
“Communication is one of the most important things when it comes to urban operations,” said Stephenson. “Information needs to get passed down from the front all the way to the rear, otherwise things don’t go properly.”
After their third exercise of the morning, everyone involved took part in a half hour debrief session. Transparency and accountability were at the forefront of the discussion, with almost every soldier contributing their thoughts as to how they can improve.
As a reserve unit, those in the regiment also have to balance their life as a soldier with their life as a civilian. Most, if not all, of the soldiers are either full-time employees elsewhere or post-secondary students.
The Algonquin Regiment trains one or two weekends each month from September to May, with that schedule ramping up significantly in the summer months. But regardless of what other training lies ahead, Saturday's experience will without a doubt be valuable to the regiment in the future.
