The fact that Canada is one of the most prosperous, peaceful countries in the world is known to many. There are rarely terrorist attacks, and the crime rate is extremely low. However, Canada, of course, has its own army. The army cannot boast of a large size, and new developments rarely come here - equipment from other countries is mainly purchased. But still, it will be useful to tell more about the Canadian army - this topic is of interest to many.
History of Creation
As many of you in the course of history know, Canada has long been an English colony. Therefore, this country did not have its own army - it was defended by the British army, and its own armed forces were limited to several units of the Canadian police.
In 1867, the Confederation of Canada was created - an independent state. Britain was not going to defend a foreign land, so the army was withdrawn. However, Canada was in no hurry to acquire its own army. At first, all the armed forces were represented by a permanent militia, and after a few decades, regular troops appeared. Based on themformed the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, the Royal Canadian Regiment and the Royal Canadian Dragoons. They form the basis of the Canadian army to this day.
No one has attacked Canada in its entire history. Therefore, the locals had little opportunity to demonstrate military prowess. Although regular troops were sent to Africa during the Boer War. A more serious test was the First World War, which also involved the Canadian military. And during the Second World War, more than a million people were mobilized. Of course, not all of them took part directly in the battles. But still, about 45 thousand people died, and another 54 were injured of varying severity.
In subsequent years, Canada did not officially participate in any war.
Army strength
Despite its huge territory (the second largest in the world after Russia), Canada cannot boast of a large population - today only 36 million people live here. The lack of aggression has led to the fact that the country does not maintain a large army. The total strength of the Canadian army is less than 22 thousand people. But this is only the regular army. If necessary, reservists will also be mobilized - about 24 thousand people. They include about 5 thousand rangers - soldiers and officers who have undergone special training.
In general, service in the Canadian army is quite prestigious. A good salary in total with universal respect leads to the fact that many teenagers already at the age of 16 are enrolled in cadetsschools to devote their lives to serving their country.
And yet, Canada cannot boast of a serious army. Her main weapon is neutrality in most matters and lack of special ambitions.
Armament of soldiers and officers
Now it's worth briefly talking about the weapons of the Canadian army. The most common small arms are the Diemaco 7/8 assault rifles, slightly modified American M16 and M4 automatic rifles. Moreover, there are seven varieties that differ in barrel length and other details.
There are also two sniper rifles in service - the Canadian C14 Timberwolf and the American McMillan TAC-50.
Light machine guns are predominantly Belgian products - C9 Minimi and FN C6 MAG. There is also an American "Browning M2", but in terms of the number of these machine guns are significantly inferior to the Belgian ones.
Pistols are more varied. Canadian officers are usually issued service weapons from Germany, Belgium or Switzerland. The German ones are presented by Heckler & Koch USP - they are made specifically for Canadian special forces. P225/P6 and P226 are imported from Switzerland to Canada. Well, the Belgians are quite successful in exporting the FN P-35/Hi-Power.
What kind of tanks is the army equipped with
Of course, no serious army can do without tanks. Canadian military leaders are well aware of this, so there are tanks in the country. True, Canada still cannot boast of serious armored forces. As main attack tanksused German "Leopards 2A4", released back in the late eighties. And their number is not too large - only 60 units.
Additionally, there are 20 more "Leopards 2A6". So Canada boasts only 80 tanks - of course, for any serious war, this is a mere trifle.
UAVs in the service of Canada
Not wanting to lag behind militarily advanced countries, Canadian authorities have purchased unmanned aerial vehicles used primarily as reconnaissance. True, as in the case of tanks, the army cannot boast of a large number of UAVs. Their total number does not exceed ten. Devices made in the USA and Israel are used. But all the available equipment is relatively new, so it fully complies with international standards.
Canadian artillery
Artillery has been and remains a formidable god of war. Without it, the conduct of serious hostilities is simply impossible. But Canada, not intending to fight with anyone, did not make a special bet on large and modern artillery.
Mainly artillery is represented by American C3 Close Support Gun. There are as many as 96 of them in the army. And the Canadians are not at all embarrassed that this equipment was produced in the first half of the 40s of the last century, used during the Second World War. Although powerful and easy to master, 105mm guns have proven themselves, today they belong more in a museum than in the fields.battles.
Almost three times smaller than British 105mm M777 guns. They are much more modern - production began in 2005 and has not been stopped to this day, which is an indicator of compliance with international standards. There are only 37 such guns in Canada.
The French artillery was not left out of work either. Canada has 28 105mm LG1 Mark II guns. They are also quite modern, and it is Canada that is the largest importer of this artillery.
There is also information about British 81mm L16 mortars in service with Canadian gunners. However, exact information about them, as well as the number of them, is not widely available. However, this does not matter much - the weapon was produced back in the middle of the last century and has long been considered obsolete - since then a huge number of more dangerous representatives of mortars have appeared.
Who can serve in the Canadian Army
As mentioned above, the conditions for the military in Canada are quite good. It is not surprising that many of our compatriots are interested in how a Russian can get into the Canadian army and is it even possible.
In general, to serve in the Canadian army, you do not need to have special skills. You can enter the service at the age of 17 - with the consent of the parents. At 18, you can become a soldier without parental consent. It is also necessary to have a secondary school education - unlearn 10 years and get the appropriate document.
The main snag is elsewhere. To serve in the Canadian army, you must be a citizen of the country. Yes, although this law has been discussed for more than a year, service in the Canadian army for foreigners is still closed. So, before you go to serve, you will first have to obtain citizenship. For other people, this opportunity is completely closed.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. From it you learned a lot of interesting things about the Canadian army - history, numbers, weapons. And at the same time found out who can go to serve here. We hope you found the answers to your questions.
