Military personnel training to take place in Kingston region
The Department of National Defence (DND), on behalf of the Peace Support Training Centre here in Kingston, has issued a public service announcement ahead of an increased military presence throughout the Kingston region.
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, students and instructors from the Peace Support Training Centre will be conducting exercises in Odessa, Napanee, Picton, Smiths Falls, and Prescott from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to DND, approximately 40 Canadian and international students, along with their instructors, will be “conducting area assessments of local communities to train in the conduct of Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC).”
“An area assessment is a survey that gains knowledge about the community, its infrastructure, and its capabilities. For training realism, the students will be surveying the aforementioned towns,” DND said in a press release.
During this training, students will go out into the area, take pictures, talk with local residents, and try to understand the dynamics of the towns. This work will lead up to the students briefing course directing staff at the Peace Support Training Centre on their findings and recommendations, according to the release. The training will “have minimal impact on the community.”
According to the Government of Canada, Civil-Military Cooperation is “A military function that supports the commander’s mission by establishing and maintaining coordination and co-operation between the miliary force and civil actors in the commander’s area of operations.”
“We exist to identify and realize potential opportunities to cooperate with local businesses, non-profit groups and civilians in an operational theatre,” the CIMIC Government of Canada webpage reads.
Further information on the Peace Support Training Centre can be found on the Government of Canada website.