Let’s stop pretending that Canadian Rangers are real soldiers

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What’s worse than a country that refuses to protect itself? What would you say about a country that deliberately misleads its population into believing that it is protected by a viable military force when in reality it is not?

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Over the past few years, our much-vaunted and much-publicized Canadian Northern Rangers have immersed themselves in a love of public affairs fueled by the desperation of our politicians and generals to appear to have a military presence. serious and permanent in the Arctic when in fact, we do not. In reality, our Canadian Rangers are an auxiliary component of the reserve militia, non-combat capable and largely untrained. They constitute the only substantial element of our otherwise symbolic military presence in the Arctic.

The need to generate this new “militia myth” of a northern sovereignty protection force of elite, primarily indigenous, special services is understandable. Unlike even smaller NATO allies like Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, we in the Great White North have no combat capable units operating in the Arctic. Nothing even remotely resembling well-trained, equipped and ready for winter operations units like the famous Finnish Jaeger brigade or the Danish Sirius patrol in Greenland, the Swedish Norrbotten brigade or the Norwegian GSV Ranger battalion exists in the Northern Canada.

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But that hasn’t stopped a storm of corny accolades in public affairs. Writing in a style and tone more appropriate to a personal love interest, Brig.-Gen. David Millar, then commander of Joint Task Force North in 2009, described the Canadian Rangers as “our beacon, our scouts, those eyes, ears, hearts and soul of the North that protect us.” Similarly, General Wayne Eyre, our Chief of the Defense Staff, described the Canadian Rangers as “a critical part of the security solution.”

Wiping away our tears of pride at our so-called version of crack, elite “scouts” being the essential part of Canada’s security solution against the aggressive ambitions of Russia and China, let’s look at what it takes to become one of the so-called “guardians” of Canada. North. »

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Do you have what it takes to become a Canadian Ranger? In fact, it probably is. Almost every adult reading this today would be considered a Canadian Ranger if they lived in a northern region that has a Ranger patrol unit. Unlike combat-capable reserve units here in the South, Rangers are considered “trained upon enlistment.” According to Whitney Lackenbauer, certainly the Canadian Rangers’ most prolific academic propagandist, the Rangers are a “postmodern militia” where “service is based more on what one can bring to the force than on what one can teach them.” .

In other words, just be yourself and you too can become a Canadian Ranger!

Once undertaken, basic training with the Rangers lasts 10 days. The main items of the Rangers “uniform” are the distinctive Rangers hoodie and cap. Only recently has the Ranger’s WWII-era Lee Enfields been replaced. Ranger Patrol leaders are elected.

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And with only four years of part-time non-combat auxiliary service, members of some Ranger units are eligible to receive the Canadian Special Service Medal. This is something that combat-trained reserve soldiers, sailors and airmen here in the South are not normally entitled to receive as part of their regular part-time service.

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Certainly, this unconventional approach can be useful if the new Ranger has practical knowledge and a skill set that could be useful in areas such as search and rescue. But in the absence of a coherent training program and much of the verification of professional and human skills that goes with it, how could “training upon enlistment” take place when less savory individualistic attitudes and ambitions and helpful mix with the unconventional and permissive disciplinary culture of the Canadian Rangers.

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For example, the only known attempt to assassinate a prime minister by a member of the Canadian Armed Forces was that of a Canadian Ranger — Corey Hurren, who in 2020 crashed his weapons-laden truck onto the property from Rideau Hall, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resides. but he was arrested before he could confront anyone.

Fortunately, most of what we have received from our post-modern Canadian Ranger militia has been useful auxiliary service during natural disasters, search and rescue operations, and support whenever our emasculated professional military personnel could make a presence temporary symbolism in the Arctic. Ultimately, we should respect our Rangers for the non-combat ancillary support they provide to our real military.

Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that the Canadian Rangers are somehow like combat soldiers trained and ready to defend Canada.

— Smol is a retired military intelligence officer who served in the Canadian Armed Forces for over 20 years. He is currently completing a doctorate in military history. Contact him at [email protected].

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