News Release / October 21, 2013 / Project number: NR - 13.311

OTTAWA – At the request of the United Nations (UN), Canada provided military airlift this week to support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), whose members are presently operating in Syria.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) contributed a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft from 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, to deliver 10 armoured civilian vehicles to the OPCW. These vehicles, donated by the United States (U.S.), will be used by the OPCW to safely transport their members, along with UN personnel involved in verifying and destroying Syria’s chemical weapons.

“Canada is committed to assisting the UN and the OPCW in their efforts to ensure the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria,” said the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence. “This airlift mission by the RCAF is just another fine example of the capability of the CAF and their readiness to respond rapidly whenever called upon.”

The 10 armoured civilian vehicles were airlifted from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. to Lebanon. The vehicles were transported via two flights over a three-day period, starting last Thursday. Another agency is now responsible for moving the vehicles from Lebanon to Syria to assist the work of the OPCW and UN. This aircraft and CAF personnel were not part of any operations in Syria.

Canada’s four CC-177 Globemaster III strategic airlifters have been serving Canadians at home and abroad since 2007. As a state-of-the-art strategic airlifter, the Globemaster is able to rapidly transport everything from troops and cargo to oversized combat equipment over intercontinental distances.

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Notes to Editor/News Director:

For more information, please visit the following web page on the CC-177 Globemaster III and the following imagery of the loading of the vehicles in Maryland.