Regional Cadet Support Unit (Atlantic) (RCSU(A)) is the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Ai ...

unit that is responsible for providing support to the

Canadian Cadet Organizations The Canadian Cadet Organizations, marketed under the name of Cadets Canada, are a youth program known as the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Royal Canadian Army Cadets, and Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The program is sponsored by the Canadian Armed Fo ...

(Royal Canadian Sea, Army and Air Cadets) in Canada's Atlantic provinces -

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. The unit is headquartered at Canadian Force Base Halifax at 12 Wing in

Shearwater, Nova Scotia Shearwater is an unincorporated Nova Scotia suburban community in the Halifax Regional Municipality between Woodside Woodside may refer to: Places and buildings Australia *Woodside, South Australia, a town *Woodside, Victoria, a town Canad ...

and is an integral unit of National Cadet and Junior Rangers Support Group.

Leadership

The Commanding Officer of RCSU(A) is Lieutenant Colonel Marc-Andre Watier CD. The Chief of Staff is

Lieutenant-Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

Marilyn Keiley, CD and the

Coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...

is Chief Petty Officer First Class Daniel Legault, MMM CD. The Deputy Commanding Officer is Maj Shawn Sperry, CD

Subordinate units

RCSU(A) supports the 240 Cadet Corps and Squadrons located throughout Atlantic Canada, comprising approximately 8,500 cadets. RCSU(A), in conjunction with its Area Offices located in

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ameri ...

and 5CDSB Gagetown, New Brunswick, and the 1,400 Cadet Instructors Cadre Officers within the region, are responsible for the support, protection, administration, supervision, and training of all cadets throughout the training year and at Cadet Summer Training Centres in the region.

Cadet Summer Training Centres

RCSU(A) is also responsible for the support of the following Cadet Training Centres: * Argonaut Cadet Training Centre (Argonaut CTC) located at

Canadian Forces Base Gagetown 5th Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, formerly known as and commonly referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base covering an area over , located in southwestern New Brunswick. Construction of the base At the ...

. The Commanding Officer of Argonaut CTC is Cdr Charlotte McAleer * Greenwood Cadet Training Centre (Greenwood CTC) located at

Canadian Forces Base Greenwood Canadian Forces Base Greenwood , or CFB Greenwood, is a Canadian Forces Base located east of Greenwood, Nova Scotia. It is primarily operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is one of two bases in the country using th ...

. The Commanding Officer of Greenwood CTC is LCol Nicole Whiteway

Regional Cadet Instructor School (Atlantic)

The Regional Cadet Instructor School (Atlantic) (RCIS(A)) is the training school for officers of the

Cadet Instructors Cadre The Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC; french: Cadre des instructeurs de cadets) consists of approximately 7,500 Canadian Forces (CF) officers whose primary duty is the safety, supervision, administration and training of Royal Canadian Sea, Army, and Ai ...

in the Atlantic Region. RCIS(A) is headquartered at Canadian Force Base Halifax on the lower base at

with detachments at CFS St. John's,

and

CFB Gagetown 5th Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, formerly known as and commonly referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base covering an area over , located in southwestern New Brunswick. Construction of the base At the ...

. The Commandant of RCIS(A) is Major John F. Cater, CD.

Notable events

On January 15, 2009, Her Excellency, the Right Honourable

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person ...

, the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...

, approved a heraldic badge for RCSU(A). The badge was officially unveiled on June 3, 2009 in a ceremony presided over by Her Honour, the Honourable

Mayann Francis Mayann Elizabeth Francis, (born February 18, 1946) was the 31st Lieutenant Governor of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Early life and education Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and raised in Whitney Pier, she is the daughter of Archpriest Geo ...

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the viceregal representative in Nova Scotia of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other Commonwea ...

. RCSU(A) participated actively in the 2009 centennial celebrations for the Flight of the Silver Dart and the

branch. In 2010, RCSU(A) took part in various events associated with the Canadian Naval Centennial celebrations, including the International Fleet Review and

Royal Visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. RCSU(A) was successful in managing a 2009 outbreak of

Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 In virology, influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) is a subtype of influenza A virus. Major outbreaks of H1N1 strains in humans include the Spanish flu, the 1977 Russian flu pandemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. It is an orthomyxovirus ...

at the

Argonaut Army Cadet Summer Training Centre The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...

. The training centre's Commanding Officer,

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Kenneth Fells, the RCSU(A) Public Affairs Officer,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Doug Keirstead, and the staff of the training centre's medical clinic were commended by Vice-Admiral

Paul Maddison Vice-Admiral Paul Andrew Maddison, is a Canadian academic, former diplomat and retired officer of the Royal Canadian Navy. He served as Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy from 22 July 2011 to 21 June 2013. He subsequently served as the High Co ...

, who was then Commander of

Maritime Forces Atlantic In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) is responsible for the fleet training and operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. It was once referred to as Canadian Atlantic Station. ...

, for their actions in the successful management of the outbreak, which was later the subject of a clinical and epidemiologic case-control study by the

Public Health Agency of Canada The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC; french: Agence de la santé publique du Canada, ASPC) is an agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disea ...

. RCSU(A) staff were praised by local media for their handling of the outbreak in the July 30, 2009 edition of the

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

Daily Gleaner.

References

{{reflist

External links

RCSU(A) Official Website
Military units and formations of Canada