A hearty battlefield cry repeated often throughout history, and this fall was no exception as CFB Kingston welcomed 1 Engineer Support Unit (1 ESU). But many of you are still wondering … who is 1 ESU?
1 ESU is a unit of the Canadian Forces Joint Operational Support Group. 1 ESU functions much like a combined engineering consulting firm and construction management company that can operate in a permissive or hostile environment. While it provides technical engineering expertise to the CAF and OGDs, its personnel can deploy and implement infrastructure projects anywhere around the world.
The unit is like a consulting engineering firm, conducting infrastructure, environment and force protection engineering studies, design and project management that cannot be completed by contracted of departmental agencies.
Despite the small size of the unit, less than 100 people, 1 ESU contributes to most CAF operations and many exercises. During OP ATHENA 1 ESU maintained a continuous presence of 13 members which supported infrastructure projects in Afghanistan and has participated in over 30 international and domestic operations since 1990. In the future 1 ESU will be participating in major exercises such as Ex MAPLE RESOLVE and OP NANOOK 14, all while providing specialist engineering support to projects taking place all over Canada and the world.
1 ESU moved from Moncton, NB to Kingston piece by piece throughout the summer with the last of its equipment arriving in early November. The unit is temporarily housed in the Dunlop Training Building and the Alternate Base Operation’s Center, in the MP building. It is anticipated that in the fall of 2014, the unit will move to a semi-permanent location, 667 Cataraqui Woods Dr, while the permanent building will be built on base several years from now.
The arrival of 1 Engineer Support Unit in Kingston was marked on 3 October 2013, when 1 ESU hosted its first mess dinner in Kingston. Many Engineers, serving and retired, from Kingston and the surrounding area came out for the event, along with the Base Commander, Commander Canadian Forces Joint Operational Support Group and the guest of honour, the Canadian Military Engineer Branch Colonel Commandant, BGen DesLauriers (Ret’d).
The Members of 1 Engineer Support Unit are thrilled to be here in Kingston and grateful to all those who assisted in making the move successful.
Chimo!
