CFB Shilo
Encyclopedia
Canadian Forces Base Shilo (or CFB Shilo) is an Operations and Training base of the Canadian Forces
, located 35 km (21.7 mi) east of Brandon
, Manitoba
. During the 1990s, Canadian Forces Base
Shilo was also designated as an Area Support Unit, which acts as a local base of operations for south-west Manitoba in times of military and civil emergency.
. The principal purpose of this base is for training in artillery
and munitions
, activities audibly recognized, though not begrudged, by generations of nearby residents. In 1942, training of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
was transferred here from Fort Benning
, Georgia
. The existence of the base has enhanced the economic stability of the surrounding area through contracted employment with the Department of National Defence
, and provision of off-base services to staff and trainees. CFB Shilo provides employment for approximately 1,400 military personnel, as well as an additional estimated 450 civilian personnel. The base is located within the federal electoral district of Brandon—Souris
.
s are also ideal for Artillery and Munitions training. The lack of surface bedrock outcropping greatly reduces the chances of hazardous ricochet
s during live-fire exercises and also assists in the safe retrieval and secure disposal of both detonated and un-detonated ordnance.
In addition, CFB Shilo lodges training units such as:
Other supported units include 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
, RCA Brandon's Reserve Unit and 38 Canadian Brigade Group
, headquartered in Winnipeg
.
It also serves as a base for some support units of Land Force Western Area
, including 742 Signal Squadron.
and reserve soldiers
who train at Shilo, troops from several foreign countries, including Germany, France, Denmark and the United States, have trained here. Germany, in particular, trained over 140,000 soldiers from 1974 to 2000 under the direction of the German Army
Training Establishment Shilo (GATES). Many signs of the 27-year legacy left by the Germans remain at Shilo and throughout the southwest Manitoba region. CFB Shilo has also seen use by Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officers and employees of the Manitoba Department of Corrections.
Despite this uncertainty, recent years have seen government investment into the base. In the period from 2004-2008, over $50 million was spent on expansion of base facilities.
on PR 340. There are two heliport
s associated with the base. Shilo Heliport is located on the base while Shilo (Flewin Field) , with a 66 foot pad
, is located 1.1 NM south.
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
, located 35 km (21.7 mi) east of Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. During the 1990s, Canadian Forces Base
Canadian Forces base
A Canadian Forces Base or CFB is a military installation of the Canadian Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces Base, it must station one or more major units .Minor installations are named Canadian Forces Station or CFS A Canadian Forces Base or CFB (French Base des forces...
Shilo was also designated as an Area Support Unit, which acts as a local base of operations for south-west Manitoba in times of military and civil emergency.
History and demographics
CFB Shilo has been a training facility for the Canadian Forces since 1910, and saw an increase in its use as a training facility following the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The principal purpose of this base is for training in artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and munitions
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
, activities audibly recognized, though not begrudged, by generations of nearby residents. In 1942, training of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
1st Canadian Parachute Battalion
The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was formed in July 1942 during the Second World War; it served in North West Europe. Landing in Normandy on D Day, June 6, 1944 and in the airborne assault crossing of the River Rhine, Operation Varsity...
was transferred here from Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The existence of the base has enhanced the economic stability of the surrounding area through contracted employment with the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
, and provision of off-base services to staff and trainees. CFB Shilo provides employment for approximately 1,400 military personnel, as well as an additional estimated 450 civilian personnel. The base is located within the federal electoral district of Brandon—Souris
Brandon—Souris
Brandon—Souris is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953.-Demographics:-Geography:The district is in the southwestern corner of the Province of Manitoba...
.
Geographic/geological significance
The landscape in this area is particularly well suited to these operations. The rolling hills are well suited to hidden target firing drills. Soil compositions of loose sand/gravel aggregateConstruction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
s are also ideal for Artillery and Munitions training. The lack of surface bedrock outcropping greatly reduces the chances of hazardous ricochet
Ricochet
A ricochet is a rebound, bounce or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. The possibility of ricochet is one of the reasons for the common firearms safety rule "Never shoot at a flat, hard surface."-Variables:...
s during live-fire exercises and also assists in the safe retrieval and secure disposal of both detonated and un-detonated ordnance.
Associated units
CFB Shilo is the home of the:- 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse ArtilleryRoyal Canadian Horse ArtilleryThe Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is the name given to the regular field artillery units of the Canadian Army. RCHA units are the senior units of the Canadian land field force, with a history dating back to the birth of Canada as a nation...
- 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light InfantryPrincess Patricia's Canadian Light InfantryPrincess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three regular force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army. The regiment is composed of four battalions including a primary reserve battalion, for a total of 2,000 soldiers...
- Home Station of the Royal Regiment of Canadian ArtilleryRoyal Regiment of Canadian ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Forces .-History:...
In addition, CFB Shilo lodges training units such as:
- Western Area Training Centre Detachment Shilo
Other supported units include 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
The 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery is a Canadian Forces militia artillery regiment located in Brandon, Manitoba....
, RCA Brandon's Reserve Unit and 38 Canadian Brigade Group
38 Canadian Brigade Group
38 Canadian Brigade Group is composed of all Canadian Forces' Primary Reserve Army units in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Western Ontario East to Thunder Bay. 38 CBG is part of Land Force Western Area. Geographically, 38 CBG is Canada's largest brigade group.-Brigade Units:-External links:* official...
, headquartered in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
.
It also serves as a base for some support units of Land Force Western Area
Land Force Western Area
Land Force Western Area is one of four operational commands of the Canadian Army. LFWA is responsible for all Canadian Army administration and operations in western Canada from the Pacific Ocean to Thunder Bay, Ontario...
, including 742 Signal Squadron.
External connections/partnerships
In addition to the many Canadian Regular ForceRegular Force
In the Canadian Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve.Regular Force personnel are employed full-time, and have usually signed long-term contracts committing them to regular service...
and reserve soldiers
Canadian Forces Primary Reserve
The Primary Reserve is a reserve force of the Canadian Forces. It is the largest of the four sub-components of the CF reserves; those being the Primary Reserve, the Supplementary Reserve, the Canadian Rangers, and the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service .The reserve force is...
who train at Shilo, troops from several foreign countries, including Germany, France, Denmark and the United States, have trained here. Germany, in particular, trained over 140,000 soldiers from 1974 to 2000 under the direction of the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
Training Establishment Shilo (GATES). Many signs of the 27-year legacy left by the Germans remain at Shilo and throughout the southwest Manitoba region. CFB Shilo has also seen use by Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officers and employees of the Manitoba Department of Corrections.
Fiduciary concerns
Since the late 1970s, CFB Shilo has been the subject of much political debate regarding the possibility of ceasing operations due primarily to the costs associated with operating and maintaining the base. These political arguments arise regardless of which political party forms the respective Federal and Provincial governments. At this point, the issue has been debated for approximately 25 years and there are still no definitive decisions as to the continuation or cessation of operations.Despite this uncertainty, recent years have seen government investment into the base. In the period from 2004-2008, over $50 million was spent on expansion of base facilities.
Transportation
The base is 8 km (5 mi) south of the Trans-Canada HighwayTrans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
on PR 340. There are two heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
s associated with the base. Shilo Heliport is located on the base while Shilo (Flewin Field) , with a 66 foot pad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
, is located 1.1 NM south.