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differences are overcome without diffculty. Most technical engineering doctrine
is the same for both armies, and the minor
differences are easily mastered. A few of
the unique characteristics are:
■
Demolitions. The color of the detonation cord used by the two armies is
the frst major difference, along with the
use of electric demolition sets and
metric units of measurement by Canadian Army engineers.
■
Vehicles and equipment. Most of the
Canadian Army engineers maneuver
in an engineer variant of the light
armored vehicle, which is similar to
the U.S. Army engineer Stryker vehicle. The Canadians also have the Badger, an armored engineer vehicle, built
on a tank chassis, with a dozer blade
and a large excavating bucket on a
telescoping arm.
■
Culture. The Canadian Army engineer greeting or toast is Chimo (pronounced CHEE-mo). This expression
The author debriefs a Canadian offcer after evaluating his performance
is also often used as a closing on correas a platoon leader during a feld training exercise.
spondence between engineers. The
commanders. They must also attend courses throughout
offcer's mess plays an important role in the Canadian
their time as a captain, including—
Army. Every week at the close of business, all offcers
meet at the mess to share a drink and discuss the week.
■ Army junior offcers staff qualifcation.
Although sometimes seen as "mandatory fun," the mess
■ Army tactical operations course.
provides a location to establish relationships and receive
mentoring from senior leaders.
■ Army operations course.
■ Engineer operations course.
Senior captains and junior majors waiting to take squadron command attend the engineer squadron commander and
combat team commander courses. The frst week is spent
on engineer-specifc doctrine, followed by 3 weeks of combat team garrison instruction and then a 2-week feld training exercise with students leading combat team elements
through a hasty attack.
The leader development training for Canadian Army
enlisted engineers is similar to training for U.S. Army NCOs.
Before advancing to the position of troop warrant offcer,
Canadian NCOs attend an 8-week intermediate leadership
program. The next key course in the glide path of a Canadian Army NCO is the advanced leadership program, a nonbranch-specifc course that prepares master warrant offcers
to become staff NCOs and squadron sergeants major. The
senior leadership program trains future chief warrant offcers, and the senior appointment program develops them for
leadership in the highest enlisted ranks within the Canadian Forces.
The concept and application of interoperability is not
that diffcult for Canadian and U.S. Army engineers. The
similarities largely overshadow the differences, and the
30 Engineer
The goal of the U.S. Army engineers is to create a milieu
in which coordination and cooperation with our closest
neighbor is routine rather than the exception. To meet this
goal and enhance the concept of collective defense, the U.S.
military continues to work closely with the Canadians on
military operations. This is accomplished through the Military Personnel Exchange Program and several joint exercises throughout the year. This close partnership enables
effective interoperability, which allows us to fght any foe as
a cohesive coalition force.
Endnotes:
"Interoperability: Connecting NATO Forces,"