Answering the Call: 1 ESU Laying the Foundation for Multinational Cooperation
By Captain Brandon Pinkney
Canada has seen significant participation in collective defence over the last four years through Operation REASSURANCE, the country’s commitment to supporting allies in the Baltic region of northern Europe. As the framework nation and higher headquarters of a NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group since its stand-up in June 2017, Canada’s Task Force Latvia has achieved a number of accomplishments, not the least of which is managing unprecedented levels of multinational integration and cooperation. To achieve this, the CAF required a permanent liaison with the Latvian National Armed Forces (LNAF); rather than continuously occupy limited office space within the LNAF Joint Headquarters, Task Force Latvia identified the need for a permanent structure to call home.
To realize this goal, dedicated engineering effort was required. As a unit within the Canadian Forces Joint Operational Support Group (CFJOSG), 1 Engineer Support Unit (1 ESU) provides specialist engineering support to the CAF and other government departments and agencies anywhere in the world. This mandate made the unit perfectly postured to provide the engineering expertise required. In short, the unit acts as a hybrid engineering consultant and construction management firm that is able to operate in all environments, from permissive to hostile. At just over 100 individuals, 1 ESU punches far above its weight class; it is often easier to count the operations in which the unit has not participated, as 1 ESU truly embodies the engineer motto: UBIQUE.
May 2017 saw some of the first major engagements of 1 ESU personnel in the so-called Multinational Headquarters (MNHQ) project. Within weeks of project inception, unit members were preparing to complete reviews of proposed sites to determine soil conditions, water table states, and the methods through which construction should proceed, all while balancing Latvian construction processes and design codes with Canadian security requirements. 1 ESU had begun work on the largest expeditionary infrastructure project undertaken by the CAF in decades.
Every construction engineering trade was represented during the design phase, including input from heavy equipment operator combat engineers and firefighters. Secure construction techniques were researched and applied, ensuring the finished building met the stringent requirements for security classification where necessary. Tendering and award of the design-build contract for the structure occurred in the fall of 2018; the final design saw a two-story structure housing over 90 personnel across 2,428 m2 (26,135 sq. ft.) of floor space. The management of a project of this size, from the integration of complex systems and adherence to rigorous security standards, to drafting of detailed contracting documents, demanded a lot of 1 ESU personnel in order to complete the work.
Pressure only increased for the unit in June of 2019, when a dedicated 1 ESU project team deployed to Latvia to conduct quality control management during the contractor-led portion of construction.
Not even a global pandemic would decrease the momentum that 1 ESU members had created around the MNHQ project. At home, unit members overcame procurement challenges as logistic networks were disrupted, ensuring key materials were delivered to the job site in time for use by deployed members. With global travel restrictions and physical interaction between groups severely curtailed, deployment of unit members continued, reaching a peak in the fall of 2020 for the completion of interior fit-up activities. As pandemic restrictions continued to increase, MNHQ project members became the only CAF personnel in Latvia that had retained some freedom of movement to allow for travelling to and from the work site. Throughout these challenges, 1 ESU members ensured quality was achieved in all aspects of ongoing construction.
The long days and, for many, months away from family and friends over a difficult period paid off; the MNHQ building was officially opened on 28 June 2021. The effort of the entire MNHQ construction team resulted in the project being completed ahead of schedule, and significantly under budget.
For the commitment and effort put forth by 1 ESU members throughout the MNHQ project, the Canadian Forces’ Unit Commendation was awarded to 1 ESU on 22 July 2021. Awarded to a formation, unit, or sub-unit within or working with the CAF, the Unit Commendation recognizes the performance of a deed or activity beyond the demand of normal duty. Joining previous Unit Commendations presented to 1 ESU in 1976 and 2012, this latest is a statement to the unwavering professional rigor, inspiring vision, and consistent technical prowess espoused by unit members.
Over 50 individuals from 1 ESU were directly involved with the MNHQ building task for a prolonged period, resulting in 67 individual deployments across the duration of the project. Spanning four years, multiple different project groups, and touching nearly every member of 1ESU in some way, the achievement of a Unit Commendation is a feather in the cap of many unit members, past and present.
With the closure of the MNHQ project, 1 ESU has ensured that the Canadian effort towards NATO collective defence in the Baltic region will endure, facilitating continuous multinational cooperation in Latvia for years to come.
Photos:
Photo 1: LCol Krajcik, CO 1 ESU, accepts the Canadian Forces' Unit Commendation from VAdm Auchterlonie, Comd CJOC, on behalf of 1 ESU members for work done on the Task Force Latvia Multinational Headquarters build project, 22 July 2021.
Photo 2: MNHQ building at various stages of construction.
