OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/01/12 -- Exercise Maple Resolve, a month-long high-readiness training exercise involving nearly 4000 soldiers, concluded today at the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Center in Wainwright, Alberta.

"The men and women of our Canadian Forces have yet again shown their professionalism and commitment during this rigorous training," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. "The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that military personnel are adequately trained for future operational needs."

Exercise Maple Resolve provided soldiers the opportunity to practice conventional war-fighting skills, preparing them for a wide range of operations. As one of the largest training events in the history of Canadian Manoeuvre Training Center, the exercise included over 15 Canadian Forces units, members of the U.S. National Guard and over 900 vehicles, and 30 aircraft.

"Exercise Maple Resolve is a challenging training event that focuses on readiness," said Lieutenant-General Peter Devlin, Commander of the Canadian Army. "The Canadian Army is committed to creating and sustaining well-trained, well-equipped and well-led units that can meet any challenge in any environment around the world."

Many adaptive scenarios were incorporated into the training and various Army, Air Force and support-element capabilities were leveraged to promote realism. One of the scenarios included simultaneous air and land operations, presenting soldiers an opportunity to coordinate activities with air operations assets.

"Exercise Maple Resolve was an opportunity to synchronize the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army training for our high-readiness forces," said Major-General Steve Bowes, Commander of Land Force Doctrine and Training System. "Joint training is critical for success in future deployments."

Exercise Maple Resolve ran from October 1 to November 1, 2012. The majority of participating troops were from Land Force Quebec Area, primarily from 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group based in Valcartier, Que. Approximately 2000 of the participating troops now form Task Force 3-12, the high-readiness contingent able to deploy on short notice upon request from the Government of Canada.

For further information on Exercise Maple Resolve please visit the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre website: http://www.army.gc.ca/iaol/143000440000729/index-Eng.html