What They Do
Artillery Officers are commissioned members of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, which (like the Armour, Infantry and Combat Engineers) belongs to the Combat Arms. Artillery has three principal roles in battle: indirect fire support, air defence, and target acquisition.
At the beginning of your career in a Field Artillery unit, you will be a Troop Commander leading 30 soldiers and 3 guns. In an Air Defence Unit, you will command 4 Air Defence Anti-Tank Systems (ADATS) and 40 soldiers. Target Acquisition units have many configurations, but you will likely command a troop of Counter Battery (CB) Radars or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) composed of 20 to 25 soldiers. 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 an Artillery Officer, your main duties will be to solve problems, make timely decisions, and prepare for new and greater responsibilities as your career progresses. In addition to field guns and missile systems, you will be expected to become an expert with a wide variety of high-technology equipment including (but not limited to) laser range-finders, fire-control computers, surveillance and target-acquisition radars, and UAVs. You will likely be deployed overseas on operational missions, and in Canada in support of civil authorities in cases of national emergency.
Qualification Requirements
Personal Characteristics
Service in the Artillery calls for the highest dedication to the chain of command, to peers and, especially, to subordinates, as Artillery Officers must be able to lead troops in combat, even fighting as infantry if necessary. 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. A talent for mathematics and computer equipment is also highly desirable.
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 or equivalent, subject to verification.
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 service in the Regular component of the Canadian Forces.
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 make satisfactory progress in your university program before the end of your initial engagement.
Initial Employment
Upon successful completion of Phase IV, you will be commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery and posted to one of the following units:
- 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, CFB Shilo, Manitoba
- 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, Petawawa Garrison, Ontario
- 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada, 5e Groupe brigade du Canada, Valcartier Garrison, Quebec
- W Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery School, Combat Training Centre, Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick
- 4th Air Defence Regiment, Moncton and Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick
Working Environment
As an Artillery 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. During training and on operations, you will work long hours under stress both by day and by night, and you can expect to be out of doors with little shelter in all weather, often in physically demanding conditions that include dirt, lack of privacy, and frequent exposure to loud noise and combustion fumes. Appropriate training, environmental clothing and equipment will be provided and Artillery 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.
Phase I: Initial Assessment and Basic Officer Training
Initial Assessment and Basic Officer Training are conducted at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. During Phase I, you will learn the principles of leadership, regulations and customs of the service, basic weapons handling, and first aid. You will also take part in a rigorous program of sports and fitness training, and may receive second-language training as well.
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 Phase II, you will build upon the leadership training you received in Phase I and you will learn the skills required of all Combat Arms soldiers, including more advanced weapons-handling, field-craft, and section-level tactics.
Phase III: Basic Artillery Officer Training I
Phase III introduces you to the duties required of you as a leader in the Artillery and is conducted at the Royal Canadian Artillery School, Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick. You will develop your leadership skills while learning the basic duties of an Air Defence Officer, a Field Artillery Officer, and a Target Acquisition Officer. This includes reconnaissance and deployment of a wide variety of equipment including ADATS, indirect fire Artillery equipment, radars and UAVs.
Phase IV: Basic Artillery Officer Training II
During Phase IV, Field Artillery candidates develop and refine their fire-discipline skills, and learn to move a gun battery on the battlefield, to bring guns into action quickly, and to select and prepare a gun position. Air Defence candidates learn about command and control of Air Defence Units in the field. All training is conducted at the Royal Canadian Artillery School, Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.
