Canadian Army Organization

Organization

The Canadian Army consists of a national headquarters, four geographically based divisions and a doctrine and training centre. The divisions are further divided into three regular force mechanized brigade groups, a combat service support brigade and 10 reserve force brigades. Divisions also include intelligence companies, Canadian Ranger patrol groups and divisional support groups and bases, as appropriate. A military police regiment is also located in each division, which is under the operational control of the divisional commander but not an integral part of the division.

The major elements of the army are shown on the following organization chart, along with the headquarters location of each component:

The Canadian Army is commanded by a lieutenant-general, with a major-general as deputy commander. Army Headquarters consists of three main sections: Army Operations, Army Strategy and Army Reserve. Each section is led by a brigadier-general. A major-general commands the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre (CADTC). The CADTC controls all individual and collective training activities for the army at its various training establishments across Canada and in the divisions.

Divisions

The four divisions command Regular and Reserve army units within their boundaries and are each commanded by a brigadier-general. The divisions’ numbers are based on the divisions that the Canadian army deployed to Europe during the two world wars. In the First World War, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions served on the Western Front as part of the Canadian Corps, while 5th Canadian Division remained in Britain as a training and reinforcement formation. During the Second World War, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions and 4th and 5th Armoured Divisions served in Europe as part of First Canadian Army.

Although 1st Canadian Division Headquarters exists in Kingston, it is not an army formation. The headquarters was established in 2010 as a high-readiness joint organization that leads sea, land and air operations for Joint Operations Command.

Regular Force Brigade Groups

All brigade groups are commanded by colonels. The army’s three regular force mechanized brigade groups each consist of an armoured regiment, artillery regiment, combat engineer regiment, headquarters and signal squadron, two mechanized and one light infantry battalion and a service battalion. Although not an integral part of each CMBG, a field ambulance from the CF Health Services Group, a tactical helicopter squadron from 1 Wing RCAF and a military police platoon from the Canadian Army Military Police Group are affiliated with each CMBG. These units work and train closely with the CMBGs on a permanent basis.

Covering the four western provinces and a portion of northwestern Ontario, 1 CMBG consists of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, 1 CMBG Headquarters and Signal Squadron, three battalions of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and 1 Service Battalion. Affiliated units from other organizations are 1 Field Ambulance, 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron and 1 Military Police Platoon.

Stationed in Ontario and New Brunswick, 2 CMBG consists of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 2 Combat Engineer Regiment, 2 CMBG Headquarters and Signal Squadron, three battalions of the Royal Canadian Regiment (two in Ontario and one in New Brunswick) and 2 Service Battalion. Affiliated units from other organizations are 2 Field Ambulance, 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron and 2 Military Police Platoon.

In Quebec, 5 CMBG consists of 12e Régiment blindé du Canada, 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, 5 CMBG Headquarters and Signal Squadron, three battalions of the Royal 22e Régiment and 5 Service Battalion. Affiliated units from other organizations are 5 Field Ambulance, 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron and 5 Military Police Platoon.

The 6th Canadian Combat Support Brigade originated in April 2014 as the Canadian Army Enablers Group and became a combat support brigade in April 2018. Its units, which are spread across Canada, are 4th Artillery Regiment (General Support), 4 Engineer Support Regiment, Canadian Army Intelligence Regiment, 21 Electronic Warfare Regiment and the Influence Activities Task Force. Its units are a mix of Regular and Reserve Force ones.

Reserve Force Brigade Groups

The Army Reserve (formerly known as the militia) consists of 10 Canadian Brigade Groups located in more than 100 communities across Canada. Each CBG includes a number of armoured reconnaissance, artillery and infantry units, plus a combat engineer regiment, signal regiment and service battalion. Additionally, reserve field ambulances from the CF Health Services Group and reserve MP platoons from the Canadian Army Military Police Group are affiliated with each CBG. The numbers of the CBGs are based on Reserve Brigade Groups that served in Canada during the Second World War.

While each CBG has a combat engineer regiment, a signal regiment and a service battalion, their armoured, artillery and infantry composition is not standardized. This is due to the historical roots of the Army Reserve in the militia, when units were formed in various population centres. In total, there are 17 armoured regiments plus an independent squadron, 16 artillery regiments and three independent batteries and 51 infantry battalions in the 10 CBGs. All reserve units have a small cadre of Regular Force personnel attached to assist with administration and training. (See 31 CBG, 32 CBG, 33 CBG, 34 CBG, 35 CBG, 36 CBG, 37 CBG, 38 CBG, 39 CBG, 41 CBG.)

The CBGs assist the Regular Force with domestic tasks and provide it with trained reinforcements, especially during overseas deployments. They also form Territorial Battalion Groups (TBGs) to support domestic operations such as providing assistance during natural disasters. (See The Canadian Armed Forces and Natural Disasters.) Apart from a small command staff, TBGs are not permanent organizations but draw their personnel from existing CBG units when required.

The Canadian Rangers provide patrols and detachments for national security and public safety missions. There are 194 Ranger Patrols in more than 220 sparsely settled northern, coastal and isolated communities.

As of early 2024, the army was composed of about 22,000 Regular Force soldiers, 20,000 Reservists, 5,000 Canadian Rangers and 3,500 civilian employees.