Maj. Christian Lepage organized the NATO training exercise at CFB Suffield. (Photo Courtesy Ross Lavigne)

By Meghan Cobb

CFB Suffield hosts month-long NATO training exercise

Jul 12, 2022 | 5:02 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – CFB Suffield has welcomed 400 people to our region for the month of July to take part in a NATO training exercise at the base.

NATO Precise Response is a training exercise that started in 2004. Canada’s contribution to the alliance for the annual training is to provide the live-agent training ground.

“It’s the same as firefighters who prepare on a daily basis,” said Maj. Christian Lepage, NATO exercise director. “It’s the same training cycle for NATO. We provide live-agent training on a yearly basis.”

Each nation provides training in its own country and comes together to reach a certain level of readiness each year.

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“There are various levels of scenarios that we are providing to them at the non-specialist level or the specialist level for CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear),” Lepage explained.

Groups participate in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear scenarios that are meant to mimic real-life situations.

CFB Suffield is the only facility that can safely host the simulations within the Department of National Defence.

“We are providing chemical and biological warfare agents in various forms,” Lepage said. “Each participant develops the scenario as they would do if a real situation were to happen in various places in the world.”

The exercise runs July 11 -29. Lepage says to expect to see the participants around town for the entire month.

“More than likely some of them will be going to the Medicine Hat Stampede in a couple of weeks,” said Lepage.