39 Signal Regiment, formerly known as 744 Signal Regiment in Vancouver, 741 Signal Squadron in

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...

and 748 Signal Squadron in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

, is a

Primary Reserve The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces () is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (f ...

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), 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 re ...

unit of the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (part of the

Communications and Electronics Branch The Communications and Electronics Branch () is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The army component of the branch is designated the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (). History Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers (13 Feb ...

) in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Victoria and Nanaimo, British Columbia.

Location

The unit consists of four squadrons (A Squadron in Vancouver, B Squadron on Vancouver Island and C Squadron in Kelowna) along with Headquarters Squadron at the MGen B.M. Hoffmeister Building (named after Bert Hoffmeister), Vancouver.

History

* No. 11 Section authorized in Victoria 4 June 1913 * Redesignated No. 11 (Fortress) Signal Company 15 April 1920 * Redesignated No. 11 Fortress Signal Company 1 April 1936 * Redesignated No. 11 (Reserve) Fortress Signal Company 1 January 1941 * Redesignated No. 5 Area Signal Company 1 April 1946 * Amalgamated with No. 3 Area Signal Company and No. 4 Area Signal Company to form the West Coast Signal Regiment 1 October 1946 * West Coast Signal Regiment (less No. 3 Area Signal Squadron) reduced to nil strength 28 February 1965 * No 3 Area Signal Squadron, West Coast Signal Regiment, redesignation to 744 (Vancouver) Communication Squadron authorized 1 April 1970 * Redesignated 744 (Vancouver) Communication Regiment / 4 July 1978 * Amalgamated with 741 (Victoria) Communication Squadron / and 748 (Nanaimo) Communication Squadron / and redesignated 39 Signals Regiment / 26 July 2011 * Redesignated 39 Signal Regiment / 9 March 2012

Role

39 Signal Regiment specializes in tactical and strategic communication, employing voice, electronic and telecommunication systems. Their mandate is to provide individual and collective support to Canadian Forces operations, both domestic and international. Many of their members have served in various UN and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

missions around the world. This unit also provides communication support to the Army Reserve. Some units in the Communication Reserve also provide manning support to the Navy Transportable Tactical Command Centres.

Deployments

Members of the regiment have deployed on several operations including: International: * Operation Aegis – Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) contribution to the Government of Canada's effort to evacuate Afghans with significant and/or enduring relationship with the Government of Canada, along with their accompanying family members. July to August 2021. * Operation Apollo – Operations in support of the United States in its military operations in Afghanistan. The operation took place from October 2001 to October 2003 * Operation Archer – Since July 2005 to July 2006, Canada's participation in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan has been conducted under Operation Archer *

Operation Athena Operation Athena was the Canadian Forces' contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The operation was divided in two phases: the first one took place from July 2003 to July 2005 in the Kabul region and the s ...

– Canadian deployment with the

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

in Afghanistan * Operation Attention – Canadian deployment with NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan * Operation Calumet - CAF role in the

Multinational Force and Observers The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The MFO generally operates in and around the Sinai peninsula, ensuring free navigation through ...

(MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. * Operation Harmony – Support to the

United Nations Protection Force The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...

(UNPROFOR) in Croatia *

Operation Impact On 3 October 2014, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he would put forth a motion to send forces to participate in the coalition for military intervention against ISIL by deploying combat aircraft. On 7 October 2014, the Hous ...

– Canada's contribution to the US-led international coalition against ISIS. * Operation Kinetic – Contribution to

Kosovo Force The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO-led international NATO peacekeeping, peacekeeping force and military of Kosovo. KFOR is the third security responder, after the Kosovo Police and the EU Rule of Law (European ...

(KFOR), the NATO peacekeeping force that operated in Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia from June 1999 to June 2000 * Operation Reassurance – Deployment in Central and Eastern Europe as part of NATO reassurance measures. *

Operation Unifier Operation UNIFIER was the Canadian Armed Forces and French Armed Forces mission to bolster the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the provision of critical military training. It was launched in 2015 in response to the 2014 Anne ...

– Contribution to support Ukrainian forces through capacity building, in coordination with the U.S. and other countries providing similar training assistance. Domestic: * Operation Cadence – Security for the 2018 G7 summit held in Quebec * Operation Laser – Domestic response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. * Operation Lentus – Contingency plan that outlines the joint response to provide support for humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) to provincial and territorial authorities in the case of a major natural disaster that overwhelms their capacity to respond. * Operation Nanook – To assert Canada's sovereignty over its northernmost regions, to enhance the Canadian Armed Forces' ability to operate in Arctic conditions, to improve coordination in whole-of-government operations, and to maintain interoperability with mission partners for maximum effectiveness in response to safety and security issues in the North * Operation Podium – Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games * Operation Peregrine - British Columbia 2003 wildfires deployed to support Emergency Management BC and BC Forest Service in response to six major interface fires in Barrier, Okanagan Falls, Chase, Maclure and Kelowna *

Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...

– NORAD CANR communications support post-9/11, 2001. As the Canadian geographical component of NORAD, CANR provides airspace surveillance and control, and directs all air sovereignty activities for the Canadian NORAD Region. CANR and its assigned air force assets throughout the country ensure air safety and security against potential air threats and have supported special events such as the G-8 Summit and the visits of foreign dignitaries. * Operation Abacus – Y2K Canadian computer rollover response 1999 * Operation Reconfiguration – 1999 migration of CF most C&C systems from Banyan VINES to Windows prior to Y2K * Operation Pyramid – Victoria heavy snowfall (100 cm) 1996 * Operation Pope Canadian – Pope John Paul II Canadian visit, Vancouver, September 1984

Occupations

39 Signal Regiment primarily employs the following occupations in the

, among others: * Signal operator * Line technician * Signal technician * Information systems technician * Supply technician * Human resources administrator * Finance services administrator * Mobile support equipment operator * Signals officer

Training

Training is a year-round activity and soldiers are expected to attend up to two weekend training activities per month. Once fully trained, soldiers can apply for various full-time and part-time employment opportunities available throughout the year.

References

External links

*
List of Signals UnitsArmy Communications & Information Systems SpecialistSignals Officer
{{Portal, Canada, Electronics Military communications regiments of Canada Military units and formations established in 2010