In a historic move to restore the heritage of their armed force, Canada renamed the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Canadian Air Force. Since 1968 they have been known respectively as Land Forces Command, Maritime Command and Air Command.
Photo: Canada DND
CANFORGEN 147/11 VCDS 021/11 151502Z AUG 11
RESTORING THE HISTORIC NAMES OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY, THE CANADIAN ARMY AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE.
THE CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS RESTORING THE HISTORIC NAMES OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY (RCN), THE CANADIAN ARMY (CA), AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF)
THE INITIATIVE TO RESTORE THE HISTORIC NAMES OF CANADA’S THREE FORMER SERVICES IS AIMED AT RESTORING AN IMPORTANT AND RECOGNIZABLE PART OF CANADA S MILITARY HERITAGE. THESE WERE THE SERVICES THAT FOUGHT AND EMERGED VICTORIOUS FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND KOREA AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEFENCE OF EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF THE COLD WAR. THESE WERE ALSO THE SERVICES THAT PAVED THE WAY IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS
THE CHANGE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY RENAMING THE THREE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMANDS. MARITIME COMMAND WILL BE NAMED THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY LAND FORCE COMMAND WILL BE NAMED THE CANADIAN ARMY AND AIR COMMAND WILL BE NAMED THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. IN THIS WAY WE WILL REGAIN AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR COLLECTIVE HERITAGE WITHIN A UNIFIED EFFECTIVE CANADIAN FORCES COMMAND STRUCTURE
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION WILL BE PROMULGATED BY YOUR RESPECTIVE CHAINS OF COMMAND AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE
FOR GREATER CERTAINTY, ALL CURRENT RESPECTIVE COMMAND ORDERS, RULES, DIRECTIVES, INSTRUCTIONS OR SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT UNTIL AMENDED TO REFLECT THE NAME CHANGE OF THE COMMAND
Tags: Canada
Now, if only they can rename the Signals branch back to ‘Royal Canadian Signals’.
YEA! RCEME
There’s a mistake in the tiny article though. The Army has never been and will never be ‘Royal’. It’s even in the official message: ‘Canadian Army’. The british tradition is to leave the ground troops associated to their own country (see the Aussie and Kiwi armies) and IIRC it dates back to the empire.
I looked and it doesn’t say “Royal Army” anywhere. What are you talking about? There’s no mistake in this article.
This is no good.. If anything I would hope we could get away from ALL things royal, including removing the R from the RCMP.
What a shame… Canada really has little to do with anything “royal”, aside from the vestiges of the parasitic British Monarchs.
Royals are by nature parasites; they live high off of the hard work of their subjects while giving and doing little for their fellow man….this is a step in the wrong direction for a great nation who should be proud NOT to have “royal†in front of its Navy or Air Force.. insane!
@.308 – I totally agree with you, but Canada is still part of the British Commonwealth and so are still aligned with their Monarch. What really makes me disgusted is the way that Americans get all crazy over the Royals. The US has, thankfully, no tradition of royalty. Maybe this is why the country is so enamored with them.
Back on target now. This announcement sounds like a step backwards IMHO. The US DOD could learn from the examples of our allies. Combine all our forces into Land, Maritime and Air forces. Get rid of the redundant and wasteful bureaucracies. This would be an easy, but some what painful, way to reduce the DOD’s budget.
Just my .02.
Congratulations to the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
.308 Canada is a democracy and the majority of Canadians don’t agree with you. Still you’re free to gob off and the RCN, CA, RCAF and RCMP will protect your right to do so.
Buckaroo. The Queen Elizabeth is Head of the Commonwealth. She is also Queen of Canada and of some other Commonwealth countries. It’s not an ‘alignment’. It’s part of the constitutional settlement in those countries. All of them are democracies that choose maintain the monarchy (for the time being).
Many of HM’s subjects find the enthusiasm in America for our monarchy a tad embarrassing but it’s hardly disgusting. The US is also a free country. It’s citizens are free to enthuse about whatever they will.
We can all learn from the experience of others. Canada’s experiment with purplism has much to teach us. Both where it succeeded and where it failed.
There is also much to learn from the USMC about integration and also about where it may not work.
The “monarch” in Canada has zero power to govern, make laws or really… do anything at all. The major vestige comes down to the Governor General who is the “Queens representative” however does not consult the Queen nor does she have any say in what happens in Canadian politics or major decisions on any level.. so why have any “Royal” anything when they have no say and no power in Canada?
I think you would be surprised how many would agree with me, its mainly the older citizens who remember the glory days of the parasitic, racist and archaic British commonwealth; its over..
America I think was the only country to actually forcefully eject the British, damn thats cool!
Actually you might be suprised to realize that the Queen still has lost of power in Canada, she just chooses not to use it.
@.308 – Ah the joys of ignorance.
Congrats to the Canadian forces for taking a step in the right direction and tacking on the ‘Royal’ prefix to their Air Force and Navy.
This is in fact as many know not a step backward at all, as they should not of done it in the first place! In Australia here we have never retired the ‘Royal’ prefix on our services and allthough the Army is the ‘Australian Army’ it’s Corps and Regiments are ‘Royal’ prefixed such as Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) or The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery (RAA). So the question must be asked within the Canadian Army will the Corps and Regiments be prefixed with ‘Royal’ or remain as they are?
The Royal title is never given to Commonwealth Armies (CA, AU, NZ, & UK)…it is only bestowed to Regiments and Corps! The Cdn Combat Arms retained the Royal title after unification (1968)…Royal Canadian Horse Artillery…but the Corps were all stripped of the honour when unified with like trades of the RCAF & RCN. The last remaining thing is to restore the Royal title to those Army Corps that were debased…ie Royal Canadian Engineers, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps…
Oh bye the bye .308….Her Majesty in our constitution is legal described as the Head of State of the Dominion of Canada! Furthermore, the “Crown” and her representative the Governor General very much are part of our government….yes they do not pass legislation…but without them there would have been no “Writ of Parliament†signed during the last “no-confidence†vote and consequently the government would have ceased to function and pay its bills, like our neighbours to the south!! I will always choose the Monarchy over not paying our brave servicemen & servicewomen!! Helps if you know what the bloody hell you are talking about!!!