Canadian Rangers

The Canadian Rangers are a reserve sub-component of the Canadian Forces, which provide a limited military presence in Canada's sparsely settled northern, coastal, and isolated areas. Formally established on May 23 1947, the main duty of this volunteer, part-time force is to conduct surveillance or sovereignty patrols (SOV PATS) as required. Some Canadian Rangers also conduct inspections of the North Warning System (NWS) sites. Each Canadian Ranger is issued a red Ranger sweatshirt, armband, baseball cap, and a safety vest, and in some northern remote areas, snowmobiles. The Rangers are a fully volunteer force made up largely of Inuit. Members of the Rangers are only paid when on training and special missions.

History

Modern Canadian Rangers can trace their history back to the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers (PCMR). Formed on March 3 1942, the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers were volunteers who patrolled, performed military surveillance, and provided local defence of the coastlines of British Columbia, and in the Yukon against the wartime threat of a possible Japanese invasion. At their height, the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers consisted of 15,000 volunteers in 138 companies. The Pacific Coast Militia Rangers were officially dismantled on September 30 1945.

Patrol Area of the PCMR

The PCMR was comprised of 138 companies under 3 major patrol areas, which were Vancouver Island, the Lower Fraser Valley and the Bridge River Area. Some of the main officers of the PCMR were Lieutenant-Colonel C.W. Peck, Lieutenant-Colonel A.L. Coote and Major H. Ashby. There are currently 4,000 Canadian Rangers serving in five Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups (CRPG) in 165 communities. By 2008, they are expected to reach a strength of 4,800.

Equipment

Weapons

The previously issued weapon of the Canadian Rangers was the .303 British calibre Lee Enfield No 4 rifle, which had 200 rounds of ammunition each year. While the Lee Enfield is an old WWII-era, bolt-action rifle, it has proved very reliable in freezing Arctic conditions. Rangers are still permitted to carry the weapon, even though they are no longer expected to engage enemy forces. Because of this, the requirement to carry a firearm has been dropped.

On 10 August 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced [Backgrounder: Expanding Canadian Forces Operations in the Arctic 10 August 2007 http://www.pm.gc.ca/includes/send_friend_eMail_print.asp?URL=/eng/media.asp&id=1785&langFlg=e] the Canadian Forces Land Force Command is embarking on a Canadian Ranger Modernization Program which will procure a replacement weapon for the Lee-Enfield.

Patrol areas

There are five main patrol areas of the Rangers. Those are the Canadian Forces Northern Area (CFNA), Land Forces Quebec Area (LFQA), Land Forces Central Area (LFCA), Land Forces Western Area (LFWA) and the Land Forces Atlantic Area (LFAA).

The Junior Canadian Rangers Programme was created on May 31 1996, and consists of 3,000 members in 104 locations, and is expected to expand to 3,800 members by 2008. Under the supervision of the Canadian Rangers, the Junior Canadian Ranger Programme is open to young Canadians, from ages 12 to 18.

Issued on September 1 1942, the training publication, "The Ranger", was in circulation for the PCMR, as it contained such articles as "Know where to shoot", "Edible plants of BC", "What can you do with a tarp?", and "Dig or die".

The Canadian Rangers' motto is "Vigilans".

ee also

* Regional Force Surveillance Units

External links

* [http://www.rangers.dnd.ca/ Canadian Rangers]
* [http://www.rangers.dnd.ca/pubs/jcr/intro_e.asp Junior Canadian Rangers]
* [http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/7_5_1_1.asp Canadian Rangers Patrol Group (CRPG)]

References