CFB Edmonton - CFB Edmonton Today

CFB Edmonton Today

CFB Edmonton is currently the headquarters of Land Force Western Area, the highest military authority in western Canada, and a number of brigade groups, including 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG), the only Regular Force brigade group in the region. The base is situated at Steele Barracks (named for Sir Sam Steele) just outside of the city. The area formerly known as CFB Griesbach within the city itself is no longer operational, all buildings and land were sold and are no longer crown assets. The base as a collective is an important part of the community surrounding Edmonton and is home to some of the most prestigious and experienced units in the Canadian Military.

The 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, along with elements of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) and 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (all part of 1 CMBG) were chosen to be a part of Canada's military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks and were deployed on combat operations to Afghanistan (including Operation Anaconda) in 2001 and 2002. Units from the base are currently deployed or in the process of deploying to Kandahar, Afghanistan as part of the Canadian Forces command takeover in that area as well. Units from Edmonton have also been deployed on domestic operations such as to assist with the Red River Flood in 1997 (where the entire 1 CMBG was deployed) and, more recently, as a part of Operation Peregrine in response to the forest fires in British Columbia in 2003. Units from CFB Edmonton have also been deployed on innumerable peacekeeping operations, including to Bosnia and Kosovo, among others.

The Area Support Unit (ASU) and CFB Edmonton provide infrastructure and support to 47 units located in and around Edmonton. The number of military personnel at these units includes 4,500 regular, and 500 reserve force soldiers. There are also 500 civilian employees and 7,800 family members, bringing the total population of the Edmonton military community to approximately 13,300.

In February 2012, it was reported that the Alberta Government had been in contact with the federal government and military officials in Ottawa and Edmonton over the use of the runway for MEDIVAC flights once Edmonton City Centre is closed. Alberta Deputy Premier Doug Horner said that he had spoken with the Minister of National Defence, Peter MacKay, and the Minister of Public Works, Rona Ambrose for further discussion.