Don’t be alarmed if you see soldiers on the streets of Chatham-Kent this weekend.
More than 600 Canadian Army soldiers from 31 Canadian Brigade Group, headquartered in London, will be taking part in a training exercise across Southwestern Ontario from April 25 to the 28.
That includes about 120 soldiers who will be deployed in Chatham-Kent starting Friday as they operate as a Domestic Response Company at the Chatham Memorial Arena.
Residents will also see soldiers and military vehicles in the immediate area and around Chatham-Kent.
The exercise is called “Arrowhead Response”—and officials say the goal is to practice the planning and execution of domestic support operations.
Those operations occur during a crisis like a natural disaster or an industrial accident.
The exercise will involve a simulated hazardous material spill in a scenario that includes a request for assistance from a local municipality.
Overall, the exercise will include the deployment of three units in Chatham-Kent, Hanover and Woodstock, and other unit deployments including an armoured reconnaissance squadron, a combat engineer squadron, an administrative support company, a communications squadron, and a headquarters to provide command and control of deployed personnel and assets.
The exercise scenario will include a variety of training tasks and objectives, including the set-up of reception centres, establishment of command posts, and conducting patrols in the community by vehicle and foot.
All Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members will be completely unarmed, and will have no access to ammunition or pyrotechnics of any kind.
Officials say there will be opportunities for the public to interact with army personnel.
Residents are also encouraged to visit the various locations and talk to the soldiers, but use extra caution when near military vehicles.
