Increased military testing activity expected at CFB Suffield as base takes on larger testing role

The sprawling training area, which covers nearly 2,700 square kilometres and has been used for more than half a century, has long been a key site for large-scale military exercises.

Officials say its size and isolation make it particularly well-suited for experimentation and future-focused development work.

Much of that future focus is being driven by changes in how modern warfare is being fought and studied on the ground.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Eaton, Commander of the British Army Training Unit Suffield, said militaries are being forced to adapt quickly.

“It’s absolutely massive, and the lessons from Ukraine have taught us that a $200 toy RR drone can defeat a multi-million dollar tank,” Eaton said.

Eaton said that the shift is changing not just equipment priorities, but how soldiers are trained to understand threats in every direction.

“With the technology that you’ve got now. Most soldiers [are] now on a three-dimensional threat,” Eaton said.

“They’re not just looking at what’s in front of them; they need to look at what’s above them now.”

Drone technology is evolving at a faster rate than traditional procurement systems can keep up with, as Eaton said the technology changes “on a daily basis.”

He said the solution is that testing and experimentation need to be more flexible and faster-moving than in the past, as drones are moving from surveillance tools to active weapons systems.

“The technology now, where drones are being controlled by fibre optics, 25 kilometers fiber optic cable, who’d have thought that [this] would have been the technology?”

Eaton says the pace of change is driving a new model of military development at Suffield, where equipment is tested, refined, and rapidly integrated into service, including a shift toward smaller, more mobile trial teams working in isolation before systems are scaled up

“The development of Suffield will ensure that it’s in a position to support the activity of the future,” Eaton said.

“So teams will come in on a phased [approach], they will look at the pieces of equipment, put it through its testing phase, and then integrate it into the force.”

The goal is to move from experimentation to deployment as quickly as possible, particularly for systems that are already influencing global conflicts.

“It will be deployed to a point of need globally,” Eaton said.

“We’re looking small at the moment. We’re looking at a proof of concept [of] how this would work with expeditionary activity,” he added.

“And if that’s how we want to make it work, then we’re looking at the development exploiting exactly what the uniqueness of Suffield is, which is size, space, isolation, and the freedoms that we’ve got.”

Eaton said that the goal is closely tied to technology investment and ensuring soldiers are properly protected as threats evolve, which includes heavy investment in both drone warfare and counter-drone systems, with Suffield positioned as a key location for that work.

“The UK and Canada are investing heavily in UAS drone technology, both drone warfare and counter-drone warfare,” Eaton said.

Eaton says the base is uniquely suited to that mission because of its scale and existing infrastructure, while adding that balancing capability with cost is important as defence budgets remain under pressure.

Beyond the military implications, there is a broader regional impact as activity at the base increases again after a quieter period in recent years.

Eaton said renewed activity would bring both economic and community benefits to the region, while also strengthening long-standing partnerships.

“There’s an eagerness from Alberta to make it the centre for drone, counter-drone training, activity, research and development, of which we’re keen to be part of that investment,” Eaton said.

“I understand acutely the pain that was felt when we downsized our activity in previous years,” he added.

“But I’m also keen as a serving soldier to make sure that what we bring here is both sustainable and improves the ability for us to stay here.”

Eaton said the relationship between British and Canadian forces remains central to the base’s future.

“The long-term friendship and arrangement we’ve got with the Canadians, certainly the British in the armed forces, but also as a country, I think we need to make that last,” Eaton said.

— With files from the Canadian Press

by Jett Schwaier

Increased military testing activity expected at CFB Suffield as base takes on larger testing role

Our Community