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Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) is an elite Special Operations Force of the Canadian Armed Forces primarily tasked with counter-terrorism operations.JTF2 together with the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR), 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron (427 SOAS), and the Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU) form the operational elements of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.
In 1992, Deputy Minister of Defence Robert Fowler announced he was recommending to Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn that he disband the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's SERT unit and create a new military counter-terrorism group. The decision was made largely because the Canadian Forces offered better-trained recruits for the program than civilian police forces, and it stemmed the public uproar about police being taught to use primarily lethal means.
In early 1993, the unit was activated with just over 100 members, primarily drawn from the Canadian Airborne Regiment and PPCLI. They were given the SERT facility on Dwyer Hill Road in Ottawa as their own base of operations, and permanently parked a Greyhound bus and a DC-9 aircraft on the grounds for use in training.
“ [JTF2] makes a significant contribution whenever deployed...but because of its specialized nature, as well as its focus on counter-terrorism, Joint Task Force 2 is not staffed at levels to train and operate in some of the other important Special Forces' mission areas. ”
—Ambassador Paul Cellucci, 2005
Its first scheduled action was Operation Campus, the protection of highways and water treatment plants around the Oka reserve while a police force tried to "crack down on smuggling" on the native reserve, immediately following the Oka crisis. However two daily newspapers in Quebec revealed the operation just days before it was to go into action, and it was canceled.
The federal budget of December 2001 allocated approximately $120 million over six years to expand unit capabilities and double its size to an estimated 600 personnel, as part of the overall plan following the attacks of 11 September 2001
Afghanistan: 2001–present
Approximately 40 JTF2 Assaulters were sent to southern Afghanistan in early December 2001, although the Canadian public was not informed of the deployment, following the American declaration of a War on Terror. However, in Sean M. Maloney's book 'Enduring The Freedom', it was reported that JTF2 was secretly deployed without Prime Minster Jean Chretien's permission in early October 2001.
Several months later, the Globe and Mail published an image on its front page showing Canadian forces delivering captured prisoners to the Americans, prompting an outcry in Parliament as they were never informed these operations were underway. Vice Admiral Greg Maddison was called before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to address claims that Minister of Defence Art Eggleton had purposely misled the public and the government, even failing to inform the Prime Minister that JTF2 had been operating in Afghanistan.
In 2004, an estimated 40 members of JTF2 serving with Task Force KBAR were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by the United States government for service in Afghanistan. While serving with Task Force K-Bar, commander Rear Admiral Robert Harward stated that his JTF2 team was his first choice for any direct action missions, yet Harward had eight other countries' special forces units to choose from, even his own SEALs. Very little is known on JTF2 operations in Afghanistan, but during a conference the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier, stated that JTF2 is in "high demand" and that they are considered to be "world class." He went on to say that the unit is providing direct support to the Afghanistan government and is targeting the Taliban leadership in southern Afghanistan. He stated that "trying to help neutralize those leaders is a key part of their role and that's what they will continue to do."
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In 1992, Deputy Minister of Defence Robert Fowler announced he was recommending to Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn that he disband the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's SERT unit and create a new military counter-terrorism group. The decision was made largely because the Canadian Forces offered better-trained recruits for the program than civilian police forces, and it stemmed the public uproar about police being taught to use primarily lethal means.
In early 1993, the unit was activated with just over 100 members, primarily drawn from the Canadian Airborne Regiment and PPCLI. They were given the SERT facility on Dwyer Hill Road in Ottawa as their own base of operations, and permanently parked a Greyhound bus and a DC-9 aircraft on the grounds for use in training.
“ [JTF2] makes a significant contribution whenever deployed...but because of its specialized nature, as well as its focus on counter-terrorism, Joint Task Force 2 is not staffed at levels to train and operate in some of the other important Special Forces' mission areas. ”
—Ambassador Paul Cellucci, 2005
Its first scheduled action was Operation Campus, the protection of highways and water treatment plants around the Oka reserve while a police force tried to "crack down on smuggling" on the native reserve, immediately following the Oka crisis. However two daily newspapers in Quebec revealed the operation just days before it was to go into action, and it was canceled.
The federal budget of December 2001 allocated approximately $120 million over six years to expand unit capabilities and double its size to an estimated 600 personnel, as part of the overall plan following the attacks of 11 September 2001
Afghanistan: 2001–present
Approximately 40 JTF2 Assaulters were sent to southern Afghanistan in early December 2001, although the Canadian public was not informed of the deployment, following the American declaration of a War on Terror. However, in Sean M. Maloney's book 'Enduring The Freedom', it was reported that JTF2 was secretly deployed without Prime Minster Jean Chretien's permission in early October 2001.
Several months later, the Globe and Mail published an image on its front page showing Canadian forces delivering captured prisoners to the Americans, prompting an outcry in Parliament as they were never informed these operations were underway. Vice Admiral Greg Maddison was called before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to address claims that Minister of Defence Art Eggleton had purposely misled the public and the government, even failing to inform the Prime Minister that JTF2 had been operating in Afghanistan.
In 2004, an estimated 40 members of JTF2 serving with Task Force KBAR were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by the United States government for service in Afghanistan. While serving with Task Force K-Bar, commander Rear Admiral Robert Harward stated that his JTF2 team was his first choice for any direct action missions, yet Harward had eight other countries' special forces units to choose from, even his own SEALs. Very little is known on JTF2 operations in Afghanistan, but during a conference the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier, stated that JTF2 is in "high demand" and that they are considered to be "world class." He went on to say that the unit is providing direct support to the Afghanistan government and is targeting the Taliban leadership in southern Afghanistan. He stated that "trying to help neutralize those leaders is a key part of their role and that's what they will continue to do."
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