Canadian Armed Forces helicopters are taking to the skies between Edmonton, Alta., and Alaska.
People living in northwest Alberta, northeast B.C. and southwest Yukon may see and hear six CH-146 Griffin helicopters flying as low as 500 feet between Jan. 26 and 28 as part of Exercise STRIKING BAT, which the air force describes as a “large-scale, multinational combat training event designed to prepare military forces for operations in Arctic and sub-Arctic environments.”
The exercise takes place in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and will involve Canadian forces working alongside units from the United States, Norway, Italy and Mongolia.
Canadian forces have taken part in previous STRIKING BAT exercises held in Fort Wainwright in 2024 and in Twentynine Palms, Calif., in 2021.
However, this year’s event comes at a time when U.S. cooperation with traditional military allies in the Arctic has been called into question by comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who last week threatened tariffs against European countries taking part in exercises in Greenland, as Trump insisted the territory should be turned over to the United States.
In an interview with CBC News on Jan. 18, host Rosemary Barton asked Gen. Jennie Carigan, chief of the defence staff, about the future of military cooperation between Canada and the United States in a changing political landscape.
Caringan said Canada is closely aligned with Europe, but pointed out that “we share the continent with the Americans. Defending this is a lot easier doing it together.”
She said she saw no reason to stop working with Americans on joint defence exercises and, “on the contrary, we really have to keep those communication channels open to make sure that we understand each other … In some cases we might disagree, but I would say military to military, those conversations, discussions are always ongoing.”
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