Canadian Forces Base Shilo (CFB Shilo; french: Base des Forces canadiennes Shilo — BFC Shilo) is an operations and training base of the

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

, located east of Brandon,

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

and adjacent to Sprucewoods.Canadian Forces Base Shilo
/ref> During the 1990s,

Canadian Forces Base A Canadian Forces base or CFB (french: links=no, base des Forces canadiennes, BFC) is a military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces base, it must station one or more major units (e.g., army r ...

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. It is located at the very southwest corner of the

Municipality of North Cypress – Langford The Municipality of North Cypress – Langford is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located northeast and east of the City of Brandon. The Town of Neepawa borders the RM to the north. Canadian Forces Base ...

, and the very northwest corner of the

Municipality of Glenboro – South Cypress The Municipality of Glenboro – South Cypress is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba. History The RM was incorporated on January 1, 2015 via the amalgamation of the RM of South Cypress and the Village of Glenboro. ...

. Additionally, it lies adjacent to the eastern border of the

Rural Municipality of Cornwallis Cornwallis is a rural municipality located in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It surrounds the east, south and west sides of Brandon, Manitoba. Most of the land comprising the municipality is farmland, but it contains a few settlements. One o ...

. The base has an 18-hole golf course. The course hosts numerous military and civilian golf events.

History and demographics

CFB Shilo has been a training facility for the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

since 1910,CFB Shilo Facts
/ref> and saw an increase in its use as a training facility following the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The base is also home to the

Royal Canadian Artillery Museum The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum, Canada's National Artillery Museum, is a museum dedicated to telling the complete story of more than 200,000 Canadian Gunners who have served Canada in war and peace since 1855. Canada's National Artillery Mus ...

and many artillery pieces are on display including a cannon used at the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a Resistance movement, resistance by the Métis people (Canada), Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Natio ...

. 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 The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Canadian Army formed in July 1942 during the Second World War; it served in North West Europe, Landing in Normandy during Operation Tonga, in conjunction with the D-D ...

was transferred here from

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama– Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employee ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

RAF Ringway The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) ...

in the United Kingdom. The existence of the base has enhanced the

economic stability Economic stability is the absence of excessive fluctuations in the macroeconomy. An economy with fairly constant output growth and low and stable inflation would be considered economically stable. An economy with frequent large recessions, a pron ...

of the surrounding area through contracted employment with the

Department of National Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

, 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.

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

aggregate Aggregate or aggregates may refer to: Computing and mathematics * collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...

s are also ideal for artillery and munitions training. The lack of surface bedrock outcropping greatly reduces the chances of hazardous ricochets during live-fire exercises and also assists in the safe retrieval and secure disposal of both detonated and un-detonated ordnance.

Units

CFB Shilo is the home to the following operational units: * 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery * 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry It hosts the following detachments supporting

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from t ...

: * 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, "C" Company Shilo 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre
/ref> * 1 Military Police Regiment, detachment Shilo. * 11 CF Health Services Centre * 3rd Canadian Division Support Group Signal Squadron, detachment Shilo File:PPCLI.JPG,

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

File:TrpÜbPlKdtr Shilo..png, Shilo Training Area Command badge showing the connection with Germany

External connections/partnerships

Throughout the years both Regular Forces and

Primary Reserve The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Première réserve des Forces canadiennes) is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, th ...

troops have trained at CFB Shilo. Troops from other countries, such as Germany, France, Denmark and the United States, have used the area for training. In particular the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

Training Establishment Shilo has, from 1974 to 2000, trained in excess of 140,000 troops. CFB Shilo has also seen use by

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

officers and employees of the Manitoba Department of Corrections.

Transportation

The base is south of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

on PR 340. There were two heliports associated with the base. Shilo Heliport was located on the base while Shilo (Flewin Field) , was located south at , .

Royal Canadian Artillery Museum

The

is the only museum in the world that explores the history of Canadian gunners who served Canada since 1855. Established in 1962 at CFB Shilo and provides a national portrait of Canadian gunnery. It includes more than 65,000 artifacts, including more than 150 artillery pieces and vehicles.

Financial information

CFB Shilo expends $105 million yearly in salaries and purchases, has 1,350 military people and employs 350 civilians.CFB Shilo Overview
/ref> Having a population of 1,700 people

References

External links

Department of National Defence - CFB ShiloThe Royal Canadian Artillery Museum - CFB ShiloCFB Shilo
presentation — CAF Connection {{authority control Shilo Defunct airports in Manitoba