How Exercise ARDENT DEFENDER Sharpens NATO’s C-IED Edge

CAF EXERCISES: Explosive Expertise

BY JEREMY HULL

Representatives from 10 allied nations and four partner observers gathered at 5^th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown in Oromocto, N.B., for Exercise ARDENT DEFENDER, held from October 16-29.

ARDENT DEFENDER is a multinational counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) Exercise hosted by Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) organization.

“It allows us to introduce complex scenarios that replicate incidents that are being seen in current conflicts around the globe,” said Major Vincent Dupont, the Exercise Director. “It also provides the platform for these operators to do their craft with other nations in an EOD focused Exercise.”

PARTICIPATING NATIONS

Among the participating nations were Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia and the United Kingdom who all brought experts in explosive-ordnance detection and disposal. Observing partner nations included Peru, Cyprus, Georgia and Jamaica.

“The Exercise and competition develop explosive detection, response and disposal proficiency while improving interoperability and knowledge-sharing among participating nations,” said Dupont. Beyond live-fire drills and simulations, the Exercise builds camaraderie among technicians whose high-risk trade relies on trust.

“For my background in technical exploitation it’s really one of the only opportunities that we have internationally to exercise… and really synchronize how we do things back home in Australia with the rest of the world and NATO,” said Captain Jake Moscato of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). “We take a lot of lessons learned from the experience gained in Exercises like this.”

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ARDENT DEFENDER has been training NATO allies every year since 2013. This was the third year it was held at Gagetown, making use of the Camp Argonaut Training Centre as a staging area to support participants.

According to Dupont, Gagetown is an ideal site for the Exercise because it offers a lot of room to conduct multiple ranges simultaneously and the east coast location is accessible to travelling allies.

“The operator will go to a site and assess the danger,” said Dupont. “We’ll conduct the [disposal] procedure but that’s only the first step.”

The counter-explosive threat cycle includes collecting intelligence to prevent and counter future attacks.

“This Exercise has three phases,” Dupont told CDR.

In the first week, support staff oversee logistics. That’s followed by force-integration training – a four-day exchange of tactics and procedures, including live-range exercises to ensure every team understands the mission. The third phase sees every team face an explosive-ordnance threat every day for 10 days followed by forensic analysis.

“That’s for the unit personnel, for technical exploitation specialists,” said Dupont. “They operate in a laboratory environment analyzing the collected materials. They work mostly overnight.”

During the forensic and intelligence phase, EOD teams analyze both the devices and the individuals behind them — studying their training, financing and motivations to help identify and prevent future threats.

“The Exercise is constructed around a lot of the lessons the team brought back specifically from the war in the Ukraine as well as the Middle East,” said Moscato. “We’re seeing a lot of evolving threats in the space of UAS (uncrewed aircraft system), specifically additive manufacturing as well as some elements of AI and how that’s being incorporated into contemporary warfare.”

For Canada, ARDENT DEFENDER supports ongoing modernization and restructuring efforts and CAF’s readiness mandate.

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“It evolves fast for us,” Dupont said. “Those devices are still IEDs but nowadays they fly, so we have to adapt some of our procedures to make sure that the drone threat is mitigated.”

ARMY MODERNIZATION

Lieutenant-General M.C. Wright, Commander of the Canadian Army, recently unveiled a sweeping modernization initiative to transform the army into a force capable of meeting the demands of a “volatile global security environment.” The effort is being driven by Inflection Point 2025, a plan authored by the Army Modernization Team that was released in August.

“The Defence Investment Agency is modernizing Canada’s defence procurement by centralizing expertise, cutting red tape and streamlining decisions,” said the federal government in a statement.

“People are at the core of everything the Canadian Armed Forces does to deliver on its [readiness] mandate,” said a CAF report.

According to Dupont, Exercises like ARDENT DEFENDER ensure that Canadian soldiers – including operators from the 4 Engineer Support Regiment – are among the best in the field. “We have very good operators,” he told CDR. “Our equipment is good. Our training is excellent.”

Dupont said CAF has been building on their mature and robust capabilities since the campaign in Afghanistan. “Hence the importance of this Exercise,” he said. “It really brings together the EOD and intelligence communities.”

U.S. ABSENT FROM EXERCISE

Representatives from the United States were absent during this year’s Exercise. Dupont said they were unable to attend because of constraints imposed by the government. He said organizers were able to adapt and rearrange operations to accommodate their absence. “The Americans, although they are a great nation and part of NATO… they do not operate a key role in planning or conducting the Exercise.”

Leadership is fully integrated at ARDENT DEFENDER, so Canada isn’t responsible for all the planning and execution. “You get to operate next to people from other nations that have a similar trade,” said Dupont. “Junior officers are training and learning how to do their craft… working with allies that are of similar rank and similar skill set, so it really makes this special.”

Another CAF initiative, Our North, Strong and Free: a Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence, will see defence spending increase by $8.1 billion over the next five years to strengthen defence through investment in people and capabilities, said the CAF readiness report. ARDENT DEFENDER is one of the longest-running Exercises of its kind and an example for further investment in CAF readiness.

“It is seen as one of the premier training venues for counter-explosive threat specialists across the world,” Dupont told CDR. “Every year the Exercise grows in interest. I really get positive feedback from more and more nations and the NATO Centre of Excellence. They want to hear about what we’re doing here. They want to participate and they want to integrate so it just tells me that we’re on the right path.”

Jeremy Hull is CDR’s Halifax Correspondent