The fact that Canada is one of the most prosperous, calm countries in the world is known to many. There are rarely terrorist attacks, and the crime rate is extremely low. However, Canada, of course, has its own army. The army cannot boast of large sizes, and new developments rarely come here - mainly equipment from other countries is purchased. But nevertheless, it will be useful to talk more about the Canadian army - this topic is of interest to many.
History of creation
As many of the course of history know, Canada has long been an English colony. Therefore, this country did not have its own army - it was defended by the British army, and its own armed forces were limited to several Canadian police units.
In 1867, the Confederation of Canada, an independent state, was created. Britain was not going to defend the foreign land, so the army was withdrawn. However, Canada was in no hurry to acquire its own army. At first, all the armed forces were represented by permanent police, and several decades later, regular troops appeared. On their basis, the Canadian Royal Horse Artillery, the Royal Canadian Regiment and the Royal Canadian Dragoons were formed. They form the basis of the Canadian army to this day.
In the entire history of existence, no one has attacked Canada. Therefore, the opportunity to demonstrate military prowess among local residents was not enough. Although regular troops were sent to Africa during the Boer War. A more serious test was the First World War, in which the Canadian military also participated. And during the Second World War, more than a million people were mobilized. Of course, not all of them took part directly in the battles. But still, about 45 thousand people died, and another 54 were injured of varying severity.
In subsequent years, Canada did not formally engage in any war.
Army strength
Despite the vast territory (second in the world after Russia), Canada cannot boast of a large population - today only 36 million people live here. The absence of aggression led to the fact that the country does not contain a large army. The total army of Canada is less than 22 thousand people. But this is only a regular army. If necessary, reservists will also be mobilized - about 24 thousand people. These include about 5 thousand rangers - soldiers and officers who have undergone special training.
In general, service in the Canadian Army is quite prestigious. A good salary in the amount with universal respect leads to the fact that many teens at the age of 16 enroll in cadet schools to devote their lives to serving their country.
And yet Canada cannot boast of a serious army. Its main weapon is neutrality in most issues and the absence of special ambitions.
Armament of soldiers and officers
Now it is worth telling briefly about the armament of the Canadian army. The most common small arms are Diemaco 7/8 assault rifles - slightly modified American automatic rifles M16 and M4. Moreover, there are seven varieties that differ in barrel length and other details.
Also in service are two sniper rifles - the Canadian C14 Timberwolf and the American McMillan TAC-50.
Machine guns are mainly represented by Belgian products - C9 Minimi and FN C6 MAG. There is also an American "Browning M2", but the number of these machine guns is significantly inferior to the Belgian.
Pistols are more diverse. Canadian officers are usually endowed with service weapons from Germany, Belgium or Switzerland. The German are represented by Heckler & Koch USP - they are made specifically for Canadian special forces. P225 / P6 and P226 are imported from Canada to Canada. Well, the Belgians export the FN P-35 / Hi-Power quite successfully.
What tanks is the army equipped with
Of course, no serious army can do without tanks. Canadian military leaders understand this very well, and therefore there are tanks in the country. True, Canada still cannot boast of serious armored forces. As the main attack tanks used German "Leopards 2A4", released back in the late eighties. And their number is not too large - only 60 units.
Additionally, there are 20 more "Leopards 2A6". So Canada can boast only 80 tanks - of course, for any serious war this is a real trifle.
Drones in the service of canada
Not wanting to lag behind the militarily advanced countries, the Canadian authorities purchased unmanned aerial vehicles, used primarily as intelligence. True, as in the case of tanks, the army cannot boast of a large number of UAVs. Their total number does not exceed ten. Used devices manufactured in the USA and Israel. But all the available equipment is relatively new, therefore it fully complies with international standards.
Canadian artillery
Artillery was and remains a formidable god of war. Serious fighting is simply impossible without it. But Canada, not going to fight with anyone, did not make a special bet on large and modern artillery.
Artillery is mainly represented by the American C3 Close Support Gun. There are as many as 96 of them in the army. And Canadians are not at all embarrassed that this equipment was produced in the first half of the 40s of the last century, being used during the Second World War. Although the powerful and easy-to-learn 105-mm guns have proven their worth, today they have a place in the museum rather than on the battlefields.
Almost three times smaller than the English 105-mm guns M777. They are much more modern - production began in 2005 and has not been discontinued to this day, which is an indicator of compliance with international standards. Here are just 37 such cannons in Canada.
French artillery did not remain out of work either. Canada has 28 105 mm guns LG1 Mark II. They are also quite modern, and it is Canada that is the largest importer of this artillery.
There is also information about the English 81-mm mortar L16, which is in service with the Canadian artillery. However, there is no exact information about them, as well as about abundance in the public domain. However, it does not matter much - weapons were manufactured back in the middle of the last century and have long been considered obsolete - since then a huge number of more dangerous representatives of mortars have appeared.
Who can serve in the Canadian Army
As mentioned above, the conditions for military personnel in Canada are quite good. It is not surprising that many of our compatriots are interested in how to get into the Russian army of Canada and whether this is possible at all.
In general, to serve in the Canadian army, you do not need to have special skills. You can enter the service at the age of 17 years - with the consent of the parents. At age 18, you can become a soldier without parental consent. It is also necessary to have a secondary school education - unlearn 10 years and get the appropriate document.
The main snag is in another. To serve in the Canadian Army, you must be a citizen of the country. Yes, although this law has not been discussed for the first year, service in the Canadian Army for foreigners remains closed. So, before you go to serve, you must first obtain citizenship. For other people, this opportunity is completely closed.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. From it you learned a lot of interesting things about the Canadian army - history, strength, weapons. And at the same time we found out who could go to serve here. We hope you find the answers to your questions.