There’s an increased military presence in the BC Interior this week, but that’s no cause for concern.
The Canadian Forces Naval Security Team (NSL) made the trek from their Canadian Forces Base in Esquimalt to hit Okanagan Lake for a training exercise.
The team of 19 personnel along with three 30-foot Defender boats will be cruising the lake from Penticton to Vernon, as they work on navigational skills and high-speed tactical maneuvering.
“What we’ve come to do with the Naval Security Team, is what we’re doing more than anything is a combination of public outreach and also trialling our ability to deploy remotely,” said Master Sailor, Daniel Cramer.
“While we do a lot of training in Esquimalt, this gives us the opportunity to see if we took all of our assets and people and we picked them up and dropped them somewhere else, how effectively would be able to the things that we train for.”
While weapons will be fully visible on board the watercraft like the C6 and the C9 mounted on both ends of the boat, the NSL wanted to make it very clear there is no ammunition on board.
It won’t be hard to miss the large pontoon boats floating around the lake, but as Cramer noted it’s best to give them some room as they practice their training.
“Doing operation in a lake environment gives us the opportunity to really understand how we want to build our navigation picture,” Cramer explained.
“Out on the ocean if there's a spit on land and you wanna give it a little bit of room, you can give it a lot of room because you have the entire ocean, whereas here you can only get so far from anything without getting closer to something else, so it just helps to build that situational awareness.”
Those looking to potentially pursue a career in the naval forces are more than welcome to get a quick tour of the boats, or even chat with some of the personnel at their recruitment booth set up at the Kelowna Marina from 3-5 pm on July 6.
Cramer added: “Here in Kelowna, you’re all around water all the time. So, I would hope that people who really have a passion for it, would look at how they could do that professionally.”
“We’re looking for eager people who like to work hard, have fun and do important work.”
Learn more about the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Naval Security Team here.
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