Canadian Armed Forces in the context of "Canadian Forces Station Alert"

The military history of Canada spans centuries of conflicts within the country, as well as international engagements involving the Canadian military. The Indigenous nations of Canada engaged in conflicts with one another for millennia. The arrival of European settlers in the 17th century led to new alliances and hostilities among Indigenous nations and colonial powers, leading to conflicts such as the Beaver Wars.

The late 17th and 18th centuries saw four major British-French conflicts fought in Canada, culminating with the British conquest of New France in 1760. This reshaped the region and contributed to the American Revolutionary War, during which American attempts to seize Quebec and spark a revolt in Nova Scotia failed.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; French: Marine royale canadienne, MRC) is the naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 Halifax-class frigates, 4 Kingston-class coastal defence vessels, 4 Victoria-class submarines, 5 Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels, 8 Orca-class patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. Officially, the RCN consisted of 8,400 Regular Force and 4,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians.

Founded in 1910 as the Naval Service of Canada (French: Service naval du Canada) and given royal sanction on 29 August 1911, the RCN was amalgamated with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Army to form the unified Canadian Armed Forces in 1968, after which it was known as Maritime Command (French: Commandement maritime) until 2011.

The governor general of Canada (French: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal representative of the Canadian monarch, currently King Charles III. The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the advice of his or her Canadian prime minister, appoints a governor general to administer the government of Canada in the monarch's name. The commission is for an indefinite period—known as serving at His Majesty's pleasure—usually five years. Since 1959, it has also been traditional to alternate between francophone and anglophone officeholders. The 30th and current governor general is Mary Simon, who was sworn in on 26 July 2021. An Inuk leader from Nunavik, Quebec, Simon is the first Indigenous person to hold the office.

As the sovereign's representative, the governor general carries out the day-to-day constitutional and ceremonial duties of the monarch. The constitutional duties include appointing lieutenant governors, Supreme Court justices, and senators; signing orders-in-council; summoning, proroguing, and dissolving the federal parliament; granting royal assent to bills; calling elections; and signing commissions for officers of the Canadian Armed Forces. The ceremonial duties include delivering the speech from the throne at the state opening of parliament; accepting letters of credence from incoming ambassadors; and distributing honours, decorations, and medals. Per the tenets of responsible government, the governor general acts almost always (except on the matter of honours) on the advice of the prime minister.

A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety of celebration.

The term "parade" is also used in different contexts; for example, in the Canadian Armed Forces, "parade" is used both to describe the procession and in other informal connotations.

An artillery observer, artillery spotter, or forward observer (FO) is a soldier responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire support onto a target. An artillery observer usually accompanies a tank or infantry unit. Spotters ensure that indirect fire hits targets which those at a fire support base cannot see.

The Canadian Army (French: Armée canadienne) is the branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) responsible for conventional land operations. As of 2024, it includes about 22,500 Regular Force personnel, 21,500 reservists, and 5,300 Canadian Rangers. Headquartered at NDHQ Carling in Ottawa, it maintains bases and facilities across Canada. The Army is led by the Commander of the Canadian Army, under the authority of the Chief of the Defence Staff.

The Army traces its roots to the colonial-era Canadian militia, though nearly all of its existing units were established after the Militia Act of 1855, which created the Active Militia in the Province of Canada. Shortly after Confederation, the Active Militia became Canada's sole functional military force, participating in several conflicts before being renamed the Canadian Army during the Second World War. It was reorganized as Force Mobile Command in 1965, ahead of the 1968 unification of Canada's military. Renamed Land Force Command in 1992, it reverted to the Canadian Army name in 2011.

The AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is the air-sea rescue variant of the AgustaWestland AW101 (formerly EH101) helicopter for the Canadian Armed Forces. Developed by AgustaWestland in Italy (now merged as part of Leonardo), the CH-149 is a medium-lift helicopter for military applications.

In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, career progression, and environment will affect where the person ends up. They receive more pay and benefits than members of the Primary Reserve and can be ordered into overseas deployments.

Regular Force personnel are employed full-time, and have usually signed long-term contracts ranging anywhere from three to nine years, not including subsidized training or education.