Overview

You will be a commissioned member of the Canadian Military Engineers. Together with the Armour, Infantry and Artillery, Engineers belong to the Combat Arms. In battle, your primary role will be to help the army live, move and fight while denying the same to the enemy. 

Main Benefits 

• Professional training provided for approximately 15 months 
• Opportunities for advancement

What They Do

As an integral component of the Combat Arms, Engineer Officers (ENGR) are responsible for force protection tasks wherever they are deployed, which includes the construction of habitable camps. ENGRs always have to be ready to fight alongside others to accomplish the Battle Group mission. They may perform tasks such as breaching minefields, using explosives to destroy a road or bridge, constructing a bridge or ferry using re-usable military equipment, building a combat road, disposing explosive ordnance on the battlefield, or constructing obstacles out of concrete, timber and wire.  

Qualification Requirements

ENGRs must be dedicated team members and selfless leaders. They must be able to solve complex technical problems in stressful situations, even when fatigued and uncomfortable. They must have strong character and be physically fit.

The preferred degree is a Bachelor of Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical (Power) Engineering. A Bachelor degree in Science (Applied), Math, Physics, Chemical/Fuels and Materials, Fire Protection, Nuclear, Geomatics/Survey Engineering or Engineering Management may also be considered.

Occasionally applicants with a three-year Community College Technology Diploma in Architectural Engineering, Water and Air Resources, Heating and Air Conditioning, Civil Engineering, Communication Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering are considered.

Training

The first stage of training for a successful applicant is the Initial Assessment Period and Basic Officer Training Period (BOTP) at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.

Second language training is available following BOTP course; depending on the second language proficiency of the candidate, it may take from two to nine months.

On successful completion of BOTP, the candidate will receive professional training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick. The first eleven weeks of training is conducted at the Infantry School and is intended to prepare the ENGR candidate for the Army, with the emphasis on navigation, radio communication and weapons handling. During the field training exercises, ENGRs will also learn to lead a section of eight soldiers and employ war fighting infantry tactics.

The next two phases take place at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering.  For the first two and a half months, training focuses on basic combat engineering skills and includes subjects such as basic demolitions, mine warfare, obstacle construction, field fortifications, and dismounted infantry tactics at the platoon level. This instruction ends with a three-week field deployment where the ENGRs' ability to lead a Troop of sappers conducting dismounted infantry tactics is assessed.

The final nine months of training concentrates on reconnaissance, planning, and Troop-level combat engineer tasks. Subjects included are: bridge building, minefield construction, booby-trap clearance, route denial, bridge demolition, combat road repair and construction, defensive works, timber and rope field machines, destruction of battlefield munitions, construction of temporary camps, and breaching various obstacles in the face of the enemy.

At the end of the last phase, during a comprehensive four-week field deployment, the skills acquired to lead a Troop conducting combat engineer tasks are assessed.

Working Environment

ENGRs may serve in various terrains – Arctic tundra, tropical jungle, desert, mountains, urban complex – and various climates. During training and on operations, they may be required to work long hours, by day or by night, often in physically demanding conditions that can include exposure to dust, mud, loud noise and combustion fumes.

Opportunities For Advancement

After the first tour of duty with a first line unit, ENGRs may choose to specialize in one of the following areas: mapping and geodesic support to joint operations, infrastructure engineering to both garrison and deployed installations, and technical engineering to support the procurement and management of equipment.

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