On Sunday, January 26, HMCS Harry DeWolf departed Halifax for a six-week deployment in the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean involving counter-narcotics-related activities with US forces.
Sadly, this is another sign of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) no longer conducting combat training.
When was the last time anti-submarine warfare, long the specialty of the RCN, was practiced?
During Operation CARIBBE, the ship will participate in United States Coast Guard (USCG)-led efforts to monitor and intercept vessels of interest to impede the flow of illicit drugs and goods between South America, the Caribbean, and North America. As part of these efforts, sailors will support boarding and maritime interdiction operations with embarked USCG Tactical Law Enforcement Team personnel, partner nation surface assets, and maritime patrol aircraft.
The Royal Canadian Navy has no legal authority for high-seas arrests. The actual law enforcement is by a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET). The Canadian naval ships involved have no combat capability.