Everything
that the Canadian Armed Forces does, both at home and abroad, relies on a
complex and integrated support system.
The Canadian Armed Forces has been doing this through an integrated
Logistics Branch since 1968.
On
February 4, 2014, approximately 35 Canadian and U.S. military personnel
gathered together at the Colorado Room of the North American Aerospace Defense
Command and United States Northern Command Headquarters to celebrate the 46th
anniversary of the Canadian Armed Forces Logistics Branch.
"La
logistique", translated in English to logistics, was coined from the term “Marechal
General de Logis” (Quartermaster-General) and by Baron Antoine-Henri De
Jomini. Based principally upon his war
campaign experiences as a staff officer for Napoleon, Jomini wrote his Precis
de L'art de la guerre (Summary of the Art of War) in 1836. He divided the art
of war into five branches: strategy,
grand tactics, logistics, engineering and tactics, and defined logistics,
"as the practical art of moving armies". By this, he meant not merely
the mechanics of transportation, but the staff work, administrative arrangements
and even reconnaissance and intelligence involved in moving and sustaining
organized military forces.
The
formation of a single Logistics Branch aimed at supporting all three
environments of the Canadian Armed Forces took place in 1968, and included transportation,
supply, finance and food services. The birthday or official date of formation
of the Canadian Armed Forces Logistics Branch is recognized on 1 February 1968,
the date that the Canadian Armed Forces Reorganization Act was proclaimed. The Royal Canadian Navy Supply Branch, Two
Royal Canadian Army Corps, the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps and four Branches
of the Royal Canadian Air Force were integrated to form the Logistics Branch.
Comprised
of Non-Commissioned Member and Officer occupations, there are slightly over 25 Canadian
logisticians at NORAD and USNORTHCOM HQ.
This year’s celebration consisted of the traditional cake cutting
ceremony with NORAD Deputy Commander, Lieutenant-General Alain Parent, Canadian
Joint Operations Command J4, Colonel Chuck Mathé, NORAD and USNORTHCOM Deputy
Director, Logistics and Engineering, US Colonel Chris Weimar, Commanding
Officer of the Canadian Forces Support Unit (Colorado Springs), Lieutenant-Colonel
Joann Montgomery and Corporal Pat Daguerre,
the
youngest Canadian logistician serving at NORAD.
The Branch looks
forward to another 46 years, living by its motto: Servitium Nulli Secundus, translated as “Service second to none.”