CFB Edmonton set to grow by 1,000 soldiers as Canada stands up new warfighting division

CFB Edmonton is about to become the operational hub of Canada's first true warfighting division in 80 years, backed by an expansion of 1,000 military personnel over the next five years.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced an $82-billion defence package in June; this month, the 1st Canadian Division officially took command from Edmonton, replacing the 3rd Canadian Division that had been headquartered there. The new division has coast-to-coast responsibility for Canada's regular-force units with an operational and expeditionary focus — a shift from geography-based command to a functional model built for rapid deployment and sustained combat operations.

"Canada has not actually operated in combat at a division level since the Second World War," said Col. Robert Tesselaar, commander of the Canadian Support Group West. In Afghanistan, he noted, Canada provided leadership and staff to a divisional headquarters, but it was a contribution to an allied mission, not a true Canadian division.

The new capabilities being added are substantial. Long-range precision strike systems — HIMARS rocket launchers purchased from the United States — will be based in Shilo, Manitoba. But the division itself will field drones capable of reaching a battlefield 100 kilometres away, air defence and electronic warfare capabilities not deployed since the Cold War's peak, and new Canadian-made Colt rifles alongside updated uniforms and logistics vehicles.

Recruiting will begin in earnest, with new positions opening across multiple bases. Some new units will be based in Edmonton; others could be stationed in Shilo, Wainwright, or Suffield. The current base strength sits around 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers.

Col. Tesselaar framed the shift as a response to lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how it has destabilized NATO's security assumptions. "If Canada is going to operate at that level of warfighting, there are capabilities that we don't currently have, such as long-range precision strike, which is going to be addressed through buying some systems from the Americans," he said.