About The Centre

We are the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre.

What was once an organic training establishment as part of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (1st Can Para), as part of the famed British 6th Airborne Division in 1942, was re-incarnated as the “Canadian Airborne Centre” (CABC) in 1985.

Housed in Edmonton, Alberta, the mandate of the CABC was to directly support the training requirements for the Canadian Airborne Regiments operational tasks, through a centralized establishment. Though “Airborne” in name, it also delivered training in other Specific Operations and Environments. Upon disbandment of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, the Canadian Airborne Centre was renamed to the “Canadian Parachute Centre” (CPC), and was housed as a lodger unit at CFB Trenton, our current home, on Canada’s largest and busiest operational Air force Base.

Though the operational unit it was designed to support was no longer in existence, there was still a requirement to deliver the all of the training specialities to the Canadian Army, and Canadian Armed Forces at writ. As organizations and command structures evolved, so did the naming of the Centre. In 2002 it was renamed the “Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre”, and in 2013 the “Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre” (CAAWC)

Our unit name and tasks have changed significantly throughout the years, but our core identity and commitment to excellence remains the same. It's no wonder our unit is the Centre of Excellence for Operations in Unique and Complex Environments for the Canadian Army, the Canadian Armed Forces.

The CAAWC is under the command of the “Combat Training Centre” (CTC), in Gagetown New Brunswick responsible for Army Individual Training, as part of the larger Formation of the “Canadian Army Doctrine Training Centre”, in Kingston, Ontario.

Our Centre delivers two main areas of individual operational Training:
Airborne Operations (Pathfinder, Parachute, Heliborne, Airborne Logistics, Parachute Rigging/Maintenance)
Specific Environmental Operations (Mountain/Compex Terrain, Cold Weather Operations, Jungle, Desert, Amphibious, Survival)

This operational training is continuously under review for effectiveness, and we strive to work on a continual basis with the field force and national level directorates to deliver, develop and evolve the individual training requirements, and the elements to support the employment.

We have an operational task to support assistance to major air disasters, and house an organic “Major Air Disaster” (MAJAID) team, immediately responsive the requirements of the Canadian Joint Operational Command (CJOC), and by extension Joint Rescue Centre (JRC).

We also house the former, Parachute Maintenance Depot (PMD), where all parachutes of the Canadian Armed Forces come for inspection, repair, maintenance, packing, and issuance to the requisite units, as well as train the Parachute Packers, Maintainers and Riggers to the exacting standards required to ensure parachute delivery safety.

We also house the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team the “SkyHawks”, the Canadian Armed Forces Precision Parachute Demonstration team.

We work consistently with the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy, and Canadian Special Operations Forces, national and international civilian agencies and partners, as well as other allied militaries around the world, ensuring excellence of delivery of the training we provide.

We are, the CAAWC.