From 4-21 November2016, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment (5 CER), deployed to the Valcartier training area as part of Exercise INVINCIBLE SAPPER 2016.
The bulk of 5 CER’s personnel spent the duration of the exercise in Camp Ubique, a mock forward operating base located to the south of the Jacques Cartier River. 52 Field Squadron was stationed in Camp Stallion roughly 3km to the north of Camp Ubique, to focus on their efforts in supporting a Phase 4 Combat Engineer officer training course, the final stage in training for officer candidates that prepares them for the rigorous demands that being a field troop commander in a regiment entails.
Elements of 5 CER also took part, simultaneously, in separate training exercises in Gagetown, N.B for Exercise COMMON GROUND and Bathurst, N.B for exercise NIHILO SAPPER. Throughout INVINCIBLE SAPPER, the troops of 5 CER completed a variety of engineering and individual soldier tasks such as building searches, explosive demolitions and helicopter insertion techniques, in conjunction with 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron from St-Hubert, Quebec. It was also an excellent occasion for the troops to practice their bridge construction and assembly techniques, the bread and butter of the Combat Engineering.
The goal of INVINCIBLE SAPPER was to accomplish tasks in 4 main categories: counter mobility (implementation of obstacles), mobility (bridging, route clearance and route reconnaissance), force protection (construction of camp defences, UXO and IED removal), and general support (establishing engineer resource points and humanitarian aid tasks). During INVINCIBLE SAPPER, 5 CER had the pleasure of welcoming the Director of the Royal Canadian Engineers (Col D. Basinger) as well as the Commander of the 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (Col M.H. St-Louis). Members of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs also paid a visit, aiming to learn more about the day-to-day lives of soldiers when operating in field conditions.
The exercise has been a success for the Regiment and will likely be renewed next year. CHIMO!
