What They Do
Armour Officers are commissioned members of Canada’s Armour regiments, which (like the Artillery, Infantry and Combat Engineers) belong to the Combat Arms.
Armour has two roles in battle: reconnaissance and direct-fire support.
At the beginning of your career as an Armour Officer, you will be a troop leader commanding 15 to 23 soldiers and four tanks (in an Armour squadron) or eight armoured reconnaissance vehicles (in a Reconnaissance squadron). In this capacity, you will be responsible for your soldiers’ training, morale, discipline and combat efficiency, and for the operational readiness of their equipment.
As a Reconnaissance Troop Leader, you will employ stealth, flexibility and innovation on the battlefield, using advanced sensors and equipment, to locate the enemy and identify high-value targets for the commander. As a Tank Troop Leader or Direct-Fire Support Troop Leader, you will employ mobility, flexibility and shock action on the battlefield to use armoured direct-fire systems to destroy enemy targets. You may be deployed abroad on operational missions, or in Canada in support of civil authorities in cases of national emergency. You will work with Armour soldiers to crew and fight from armoured fighting vehicles such as the Leopard main battle tank, the Coyote surveillance vehicle, and the Command and Reconnaissance variant of the Light Utility Vehicle, Wheeled (LUVW).
Qualification Requirements
Personal Characteristics
Service as an Armour Officer calls for selfless leadership and the highest dedication to the chain of command, to your peers and, especially, to your subordinates. Armour Officers must be able to lead troops in close combat to achieve the commander’s goals. Troop leaders are frequently required to perform many physical and mental tasks at once, while confined in the crew commander’s position of an armoured fighting vehicle.
To succeed in this career, you must have physical and mental strength and stamina; methodical, efficient thought processes; cool, mature judgement; and the ability to perform steadily while under great stress.
Formal Qualifications
You must meet Canadian Forces medical standards, and successfully complete a selection process that includes interviews and a wide range of examinations.
If you are not qualified for Direct Entry, you must be qualified for either the Regular Officer Training Plan or (if it is available) the Continuing Education Officer Training Plan.
Direct Entry applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited Canadian university.
The Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP) comprises a full undergraduate education (to the Bachelor’s degree level) at the Royal Military College of Canada or another accredited Canadian university, followed by at least four years of obligatory service in the Regular component of the Canadian Forces, commencing immediately upon graduation.
To qualify for ROTP, you must have completed high school with the appropriate university-oriented credits, or be in Grade 12 in an appropriate program with full expectation of successful completion. You must also be willing to complete four years of obligatory service after graduation from university.
The Continuing Education Officer Training Plan (CEOTP) is open only when recruiting objectives are not met through other officer entry plans. To qualify for CEOTP, you must be prepared not only to complete a Bachelor’s degree in your own time, but also to demonstrate satisfactory progress in your university program before the end of your initial term of service.
Initial Employment
Upon completion of Phase IV, you will be posted to one of the following Armour regiments:
- The Royal Canadian Dragoons, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group,Petawawa Garrison, Ontario
- Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, Edmonton Garrison, Alberta
- 12e Régiment blindé du Canada, 5e Groupe-brigade du Canada, Valcartier Garrison, Quebec
Working Environment
As an Armour Officer, you could be called upon to serve in any kind of terrain — Arctic tundra, tropical jungle, desert, mountains, urban complex — and any kind of climate. Excellent performance is required whatever the conditions. During training and on operations, you will work long hours both by day and by night, and you can expect to be out of doors in all weathers, often in physically demanding conditions that include mud, dirt and frequent exposure to loud noise. Inside the armoured fighting vehicle, you will work in a small space, sometimes in the presence of combustion fumes. Appropriate training, environmental clothing and equipment will be provided and Armoured Officers’ health, safety and morale will be closely monitored.
The length and content of officer training depend on the entry plan you use to join the CF. Your entry-level training will culminate with the two modules of Developmental Period 1 (DP 1) of an Armour Officer’s career.
Phase I: Initial Assessment and Basic Officer Training
Initial Assessment and the Basic Officer Training Course (BOTC) are conducted at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. During BOTC, you will learn the principles of leadership, regulations and customs of the service, basic weapons handling, and first aid. Throughout Phase I, you will participate in a rigorous program of fitness training and sports, and you may also receive second-language training.
Phase II: Common Army Phase
For Phase II, the ”Common Army Phase“ of officer training, you will go to the Infantry School at the Combat Training Centre at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick. During this phase, you will build upon the leadership training you received in Phase I and you will learn the skills required of all Combat Arms soldiers and officers, including more advanced weapons handling, field-craft, and section-level tactics. You will also continue the rigorous fitness-training and sports program.
Phase III: Crew Commanding
On successful completion of Phase II, you will go to the Armour School at the Combat Training Centre for Phase III, the first module of the Armour Officer Development Program. This is where your Armour training begins in earnest. During Phase III, you will learn to drive an armoured fighting vehicle, operate its communications equipment, fire its weapons, deploy it in battle and direct its crew.
Phase IV: Troop Leading
During Phase IV, the second module of the Armour Officer Development Program, you will bring together all the knowledge and skills you have learned so far. Beginning with the primary duties of a Reconnaissance Troop Leader, you will be exposed to the planning and command aspects of Armour operations including surveillance, reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance and direct-fire support. On completion of Phase IV, most Armour Officers will be posted to Armour regiments for employment as Reconnaissance Troop Leaders. Armour Officers selected for direct-fire training also receive instruction in 105-mm gunnery techniques and an introduction to direct-fire tactics and operations. Upon completion of direct-fire training, these officers will be posted to Armour regiments for employment as Tank Troop Leaders and Direct Fire Support Troop Leaders.
