Members of the Canadian military are training in the Comox Valley this month, focusing on Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices.
They are taking part in Ex TAZ Runner with teams from the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Navy.
Exercise operations officer Cpt. Rich Howis says it is important for members to maintain their skills.
“They are very highly trained but it’s something you need to keep proficient at,” said Howis.
“The qualifications are good for three years and at that point, everybody needs to recertify. This is one of the main recertification exercises in the country for that.”
Howis says they are looking to recertify a dozen members through this year’s exercise, which features different scenarios of disrupting improvised explosives.
One scenario done today involved a robot moving to a red vehicle and punching the car with a directional water disruptor to deal with the explosive.
(All three photos supplied by Vista Radio Staff)
Howis adds that for the members, training together is critical.
“Every team has their own little tricks of the trade, so this is a great opportunity for everybody to learn from each other,” said Howis.
“We always aim to have as diverse of a group as possible in these exercises.”
Ex TAZ Runner is a yearly exercise that runs in February. For this year they are running it until Mar.ch 1 at 19 Wing Comox.
