Military exchange officer programme
British Officers are posted to Canada to do the job of Canadian Officers with equivalent rank; the reciprocal arrangements apply to Canadian Officers. Currently we exchange; Pilot Officers, Diving Officers, Logistics Officers, Engineering Officers, Intelligence Officers and Military Police Officers to name only some. The exchange officer programme covers most employment in the Forces.
We have exchange officers of all 3 Services and some Ministry of Defence civilian accredited officers.
| Ottawa (ON) |
Cornwall (ON) | Borden (ON) | Toronto (ON) | Esquimalt (BC) |
| Kingston (ON) |
Winnipeg (MB) | Cold Lake (AB) | Edmonton (AB) | Vancouver (BC) |
| Moose Jaw (SK) | Gatineau (QC) | Halifax (NS) | Bagotville (QC) | Moncton (NB) |
| Shearwater (NS) | Gagetown (NB) |
All administration of the British Officers is carried out by the British Defence Liaison Staff in Ottawa under the direction of the Defence Adviser. Canadian Officers are administered by the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff based in London, England. All minor local administration for exchange officers is carried out by their host unit.
Advantages of the Exchange Officer Programme
In today’s changing world nearly all operations against enemy forces, no matter where they may be, are carried out by Multinational Forces that make up a Coalition Force. The main benefit of the exchange officer program is that it promotes a mutual understanding of how each others military operates. This is invaluable when allied forces are joined together at short notice and are required to produce effective combat-power.
Another valuable by-product of the exchange program is, in military parlance, ' Best Practice'. This is defined as the sharing of the most effective policies and practices of each country’s military program, in order to increase the efficiency of both. In simple terms this means that whilst the exchange officer is with the host unit, he/she might see or experience something that is done more or less efficiently than at here. The exchange of proven Tactics, Techniques and Procedures helps to maintain professionalism.
