Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre (CADTC)

The Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre includes several organizations:

• Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre Headquarters
• Peace Support Training Centre
• Canadian Army Command and Staff College
• Army Doctrine Centre
• Canadian Army Lessons Learned Centre
• Canadian Army Simulation Centre
• Canadian Armed Forces Arctic Training Centre
• Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre

• Combat Training Centre

The Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre (CADTC) is a formation of the Canadian Army headquartered at Canadian Force Base Kingston, Ontario. This HQ manages the 2800 strong Army formation responsible for the supervision, integration resourcing and delivery of land operations training at the Combat Training Centre, the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, and across the country in the Canadian Army Divisions. The HQ itself synchronizes and coordinates training delivery via the normal headquarters staff functions that include personnel, logistics, communications, finances, business planning, operations, environmental, safety, performance management and public affairs.

Peace Support Training Centre is the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) center of excellence for Peace Support Operations (PSO) training. It trains over 1,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces and other Government of Canada personnel each year in Kingston, prior to their deployment on operations. In addition, Peace Support Training Centre instructors provide mission specific Peace Support Operations training to thousands of personnel in Canadian Armed Forces contingents and Task Forces every year outside of Kingston. During the past several years, Peace Support Training Centre has also evolved as the Canadian Army centre of excellence for Information Operations (Info Ops), and provides the baseline training of select Canadian Armed Forces members for Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) and Psychological Operations (PSYOPS).

Canadian Army Command and Staff College is charged with developing in army officers the ability to perform command and staff functions in war. Courses currently conducted at, or under the auspices of, the College include the Army Operations Course, the Primary Reserves Army Operations Course, and the Commanding Officers Course.

The Army Doctrine Centre (ADC) writes, maintains, and oversees Canadian Army doctrine, which serves as the intellectual foundation for land operations and force development. As the authority for Canadian Army doctrine, ADC ensures that Canadian Army doctrine is relevant and complementary to allied doctrine. ADC achieves this latter goal by working with both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand (ABCANZ) Armies Program. ADC also manages the Army Publishing Office (APO) that is responsible for publishing CA doctrine. Additionally, the APO supports editing, translation, and printing of other Canadian Army publications.

The Army Lessons Learned Centre is the Canadian Army’s centre of excellence for lessons learned, the Army Lessons Process, and coordinator of the Army’s lessons learned community of practice. Through the Army Lessons Process, the community of practice supports Commanders to plan and communicate experiences from operations and training, and the Army to learn and improve as an institution.  The ALLC and the community of practice are the conduit that links lessons learned throughout the Army and across the DND/CAF and our mission partners.

The Canadian Army Simulation Centre is the Canadian Army’s centre of excellence for constructive simulation (that which involves simulated people operating simulated systems). The CASC provides appropriate synthetic training environments to enable realistic and immersive training for Canadian Army soldiers and teams.

Canadian Army modernization efforts include maximizing training opportunities through simulation and digitalization. For increased efficiency, virtual and constructive simulation are leveraged for both individual training and collective training to confirm skills before engaging in live events like field exercises.

The CASC is located at CFB Kingston, and has detachments co-located with Canadian Army units in Edmonton, Petawawa, Valcartier, and Gagetown.

The Canadian Armed Forces Arctic Training Centre is housed in a Natural Resources Canada owned facility in Resolute Bay Nunavut, where Collective Training and Individual Training is carried out to ensure that our Canadian Armed Forces personnel are able to carry out their assigned tasks in the demanding Arctic environment.

Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre is a national training centre which designs and delivers collective training in Full Spectrum Operations in the contemporary operating environment. The Centre’s weapons effects simulation technology; purpose-built urban infrastructure; role-playing civilians; and resident Opposing Force enables the chain of command to confirm the readiness of the Canadian Army to conduct domestic and international operations. The cadre of Observer Controller Trainers ensures that commanders and soldiers alike are able to learn and gain the most from this training. Short of an actual deployment, Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre provides the most realistic and dynamic experience imaginable of operational situations up to and including force-on-force combat.

Combat Training Centre is the centre of excellence for Army individual training. The centre consists of the Canadian Army Trials and Evaluation Unit, the Artillery School, the Infantry School, the Tactics School and the Armour School. Combat Training Centre also includes the Canadian Forces Land Advance Warfare Centre. This centre, located at 8 Wing Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ont. provides all parachutist related courses, aerial delivery, advanced winter warfare, mountain operations, rappelling, patrol pathfinder and all parachute rigger qualification. The Canadian Forces School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at Canadian Forces Base Borden; the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics at Canadian Forces Base Kingston; and the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering at 5th Canadian Division Support Group Gagetown are also part of Combat Training Centre.

Training is the process that forges soldiers and material over time into combat ready units and formations. Such a process requires an effective, efficient Army Training Centre that produces the combat effective and readiness for all elements of the force.

That is what Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre is all about.