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The handful of Canadian military members serving on exchange with U.S. forces in the Middle East remain in their posts, but have been assigned “other duties” outside of the campaign against Iran, the Department of National Defence said.
There are as many as 18 Canadians serving with various American headquarters, including the combined air operations centre in Qatar, the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.
“[Canadian Armed Forces] members currently serving in the Middle East are continuing to perform their regular duties unrelated to U.S. operations in the region,” said the Defence Department in a statement.
The department reiterated its insistence, first issued Sunday, that the Canadian military has no involvement in Operation Epic Fury, the combined U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran, and that no Canadians took part in the planning.
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan told reporters that the Forces have agreements in place regarding what Canadians can do prior to going on exchange.
“There is restrictions to what they can actually do,” she said Thursday evening.
A former senior commander with deep experience in the region, retired major-general Denis Thompson, said given the sensitivity of where the Canadians were serving it was “highly likely” that they were aware of the planning and co-ordination, given the scope of the U.S. forces assembled in the region.
The Defence Department suggests, but does not come out and state directly, that the Canadians were kept in the dark.
“It is not unusual for host nations to conduct the planning and execution of their operations without the involvement of exchange officers, at the discretion of the host nation,” said the department.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada and its allies were not given a heads up by the Trump administration, nor Israel, that the attack was about to start on Saturday.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday that he can’t ‘categorically rule out’ Canadian military participation in the expanding war in the Middle East. Wendy Gilmour, former NATO assistant secretary general for defence investment, says that’s sensible, as it’s impossible to know how the conflict will unfold.
As Thompson also noted earlier, the Defence Department said “CAF members cannot be involved in operations with foreign militaries without the approval of the government of Canada.”
The department was asked a specific series of questions on Wednesday about the timing of when Canadian military members were told to perform “other duties.” It has not responded.
According to the Defence Department’s own website, the duties of the exchange officers involve being a liaison between the Canadian and American militaries.Â
The department was asked if there was any warning ahead of time through military-to-military channels. It has not responded.
Nor has it clarified the status of “aerospace controllers” who are part of the exchange package and whose day-to-day job is working with the U.S. military to co-ordinate air traffic in the Middle East.
The department does say all Canadian personnel in the region are currently safe and accounted for.