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DAOD 2020-2, Canadian Rangers

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Overview
  3. Organization
  4. Tasks
  5. Patrols
  6. Administration
  7. Consequences
  8. Responsibilities
  9. References

1. Introduction

Date of Issue: 2015-05-21

Application: This DAOD is an order that applies to officers and non-commissioned members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF members).

Supersession: Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) letter, Revised – Role, Mission, Tasks of Canadian Rangers, 11 July 2008

Approval Authority: Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (VCDS)

Enquiries:

2. Overview

Role of the CR

2.1 The CR is the sub-component of the Reserve Force (Res F) that provides a CAF presence in those sparsely settled northern, coastal and isolated areas of Canada which cannot conveniently or economically be covered by other elements of the CAF.

Mission

2.2 The mission of the CR sub-component is to provide lightly-equipped and self-sufficient mobile forces in support of CAF sovereignty and other domestic operations.

Liability to Serve

2.3 Under QR&O subparagraph 2.034(d), Reserve Force – Sub-components, the CR sub-component consists of CAF members who have undertaken, by the terms of their enrolment, to perform such military duty and training as may be required of them, but who are not required to undergo annual training.

2.4 A CAF member of the CR sub-component (CR member) is liable to perform duties of a military nature, including any duty involving public service, only:

  1. if called out on service in an emergency under QR&O paragraph 9.04(3), Training and Duty; or
  2. if placed on active service by the Governor in Council under section 31 of the National Defence Act.

2.5 Paragraph 33(2)(a) of the National Defence Act provides that a CAF member of the Res F (including a CR member) may be ordered to train for such periods as prescribed in regulations made by the Governor in Council.

Note – To date, no regulations prescribing periods of training for CR members have been made.

2.6 A commanding officer (CO) of a Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (CRPG) may authorize the attendance of a CR member on courses sponsored by the Regular Force (Reg F) or Res F.

3. Organization

Command

3.1 CR members are commanded by the:

  1. CDS through the Comd CA for force generation; and
  2. Comd CJOC for force employment.

Composition of CRPGs

3.2 The CR sub-component is organized into five CRPGs. Each CRPG is a unit comprised of a headquarters (HQ) element and a number of CR patrols that are detachments of the CRPG. The officer appointed to command a CRPG is a CO.

CR Patrol

3.3 A CR patrol is a sub-unit comprised of CR members. The establishment structure of a CR patrol and the associated ranks of the CR members within a CR patrol are determined by the CRNA.

Creation and Location of a CR Patrol

3.4 The creation and location of a CR patrol are based on operational and national objectives determined in consultation with CJOC and the provisions of this DAOD.

3.5 A CR patrol is stood up, disbanded or relocated, as required, to:

  1. enhance CAF capability to fulfill the CAF mission;
  2. enhance local and domestic operational capability; and
  3. benefit the social fabric of Canada and the local community.

4. Tasks

CR Tasks

4.1 The tasks in the following table may be undertaken by a CR member on duty when authorized by their CRPG HQ:

Tasks Examples
Conduct and provide support to sovereignty operations
  • Conduct and provide support to surveillance and sovereignty patrols, including training in Canada.
  • Conduct North Warning System site patrols.
  • Report suspicious and unusual activities.
  • Collect local information of military significance.
Conduct and provide assistance to CAF domestic operations
  • Conduct surveillance of Canadian territory.
  • Provide local knowledge and CR expertise (i.e. advice and guides).
  • Participate in search and rescue operations.
  • Provide support in response to natural or man-made disasters and support in humanitarian operations.
  • Provide assistance to federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government authorities.
Maintain a CAF presence in the local community
  • Instruct, mentor and supervise junior Canadian rangers.
  • Participate in and support events in the local community (e.g. Yukon Quest, Canada Day, Remembrance Day, etc.).

Note – When assisting with the conduct of the activities of the Junior Canadian Rangers’ Programme, CR members are contributing to national goals of the Government of Canada by significantly improving the quality of life of junior Canadian rangers across the country, especially in the most isolated areas of Canada.

Tasks Not Assigned

4.2 The following tasks may not be assigned to a CR member, except when placed on active service under section 31 of the National Defence Act:

  1. undertaking tactical military training;
  2. performing immediate local defence tasks, such as containing or observing small enemy detachments pending the arrival of other forces;
  3. providing vital point security (e.g. dams, mines, oil pipelines, etc.);
  4. assisting federal, provincial, territorial or local police in the discovery, reporting and apprehension of enemy agents, saboteurs, criminals or terrorists; and
  5. serving in aid of the civil power.

5. Patrols

Unusual Activities

5.1 In the course of their daily civil activities, a CR member may observe or be informed of unusual activities in their area, such as:

  1. the presence of an unknown ship or submarine;
  2. the movements of an unknown, low flying aircraft;
  3. the presence of unknown persons; or
  4. the flying of another nation’s flag on Canadian territory.

5.2 CR members are encouraged to report information about any unusual activities to their CRPG HQ, even though they may not be on duty at the time they observe or are informed of the unusual activity or when they make the report.

Information Gathering

5.3 CR members may be tasked to conduct patrols for the purpose of gathering information or for any other specified purpose. The following types of patrols may be conducted:

  1. sovereignty patrols;
  2. surveillance patrols; and
  3. North Warning System site patrols.

5.4 Information collected and any unusual activities observed by CR members during any of the above patrols must be reported to their CRPG HQ including a report of the route taken during the patrol.

Sovereignty Patrols

5.5 Sovereignty patrols are conducted to demonstrate that Canada is able to maintain a presence for a limited time anywhere asserted to be sovereign Canadian territory by the Government of Canada.

Surveillance Patrols

5.6 Surveillance patrols are conducted as part of the systematic observation of Canada’s air, land and ocean areas by all available and practicable means, primarily for the purpose of locating, identifying and determining the unusual movements and activities of aircraft, ships, submarines, vehicles and unknown persons.

North Warning System Site Patrols

5.7 North Warning System site patrols are conducted to carry out an exterior and physical security inspection of a designated site. The CRPG HQ provides specific guidelines for the conduct of patrols to each type of site, whether:

  1. a short-range radar site;
  2. a long-range radar site; or
  3. an abandoned Distant Early Warning Line site.

6. Administration

Enrolment

6.1 DAOD 5002-1, Enrolment, sets out the conditions for enrolment in the CR sub-component.

Promotion

6.2 The substantive rank of a CR member is private. A CR member may only be promoted to a higher acting rank.

6.3 A CR member may be promoted to fill an establishment position within a CR patrol either:

  1. normally, by an elective promotion process involving the concurrence of their community and the approval of the CO of their CRPG; or
  2. by exception, solely on the authority of the CO of their CRPG.

Pay

6.4 Annual pay increments that apply for a CR member holding acting rank are set out in the applicable tables in Compensation and Benefits Instructions for the Canadian Forces (CBI) Chapter 204, Pay of Officers and Non-Commissioned Members.

6.5 A CR member is entitled to be paid when participating in training authorized by the CO of their CRPG or when the CR member is tasked by the CO of their CRPG to perform a duty. See the tasks for CR members in paragraphs 4.1 and 5.3.

6.6 CBI Chapter 204 sets out the applicable rates of pay for periods of duty or training of a CR member on Class "A" or "B" Reserve Service and for days of Class “C” Reserve Service.

Classes of Service

6.7 A CR member may serve on Class “A”, “B” or “C” Reserve Service under Canadian Forces Military Personnel Instruction (CF Mil Pers Instr) 02/15, Supplementary Reserve.

Class “C” Reserve Service

6.8 Class “C” Reserve Service under QR&O article 9.08, Class “C” Reserve Service, for a CR member may only be authorized by or on behalf of the CDS. For the purpose of QR&O subparagraph 9.08(1)(b), a CR member is on Class “C” Reserve Service when the member is on full-time service and is serving on the following types of operations:

  1. a routine operation in Canada;
  2. a humanitarian assistance operation; and
  3. an operation involving the performance of any duty involving public service.

6.9 The Application block in DAOD 5023-1, Minimum Operational Standards Related to Universality of Service, provides that a CR member is not required to meet the minimum operational standards unless attached, seconded or transferred on consent to the Reg F or Primary Reserve (P Res). Therefore, when authorizing a CR member to be placed on Class “C” Reserve Service, approval authorities should note that the minimum operational standards in DAOD 5023-1 do not apply.

Release Process

6.10 A CO of a CRPG must process the release of a CR member from the CAF in accordance with Chapter 15 of A-PM-245-001/FP-001, Military Human Resources Records Procedures.

Retirement

6.11 CR members do not have a compulsory retirement age and can serve as long as they are able to meet the requirements listed in paragraph 6.12.

6.12 To continue to serve, a CR member must be:

  1. physically able to continue performing their duties; and
  2. likely to promote, from an educational or administrative perspective, the general efficiency of their patrol, the CR sub-component and the CAF.

Employment Restriction

6.13 A CR member must not be employed in any P Res position.

7. Consequences

Consequences of Non-Compliance

7.1 Non-compliance with this DAOD may have consequences for both the CAF as an institution and CAF members as individuals. Suspected non-compliance will be investigated. The nature and severity of the consequences resulting from actual non-compliance will be commensurate with the circumstances of the non-compliance.

8. Responsibilities

Responsibility Table

8.1 The following table identifies the responsibilities associated with this DAOD:

The ... is or are responsible for ...
Comd CA
  • ensuring the force generation of CR members for employment to meet operational requirements.
Comd CJOC
  • determining the force employment requirements for the CR.
COS A Res, acting as the CRNA,
  • developing CR policies;
  • carrying out CR personnel management, including administration, finance, training, equipment and supply; and
  • coordinating the structure and organization of the CR, including the formation and location of CR patrols.
  • notifying the VCDS of any non-compliance with this DAOD.
comds of land force areas and the Comd Joint Task Force (North)
  • managing the CR members serving in their applicable areas of responsibility;
  • providing the interface between the strategic level, the Comd CA, the tactical level and the CRPG, in commanding the CR; and
  • providing guidance to CRPG COs.

9. References

Acts, Regulations, Central Agency Policies and Policy DAOD

Other References

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