Operation Nanook

Operation Nanook (OP NANOOK; French: Opération Nanook) is an annual sovereignty operation and manoeuvre warfare exercise conducted by the Canadian Armed Forces in the Arctic. Sovereignty patrols in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and northern Canada are conducted by the Canadian Rangers, Canadian Coast Guard in tandem with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The exercise portion is intended to train the different elements of the Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy) to operate in the Arctic environment, as well as promote cooperation with allies and close military partners such as the United States Navy and Royal Danish Navy. It can involve multiple components, which are conducted at different times, places and by different units.

Operation Nanook 2007 was the 2007 joint exercise of Maritime Command and the Canadian Coast Guard to train for disaster and sovereignty patrols in the Arctic. Similar exercises have been conducted every year since.

Elements of the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police joined with elements of the Canadian Forces in the exercise. The Halifax-class frigate HMCS Fredericton, the Kingston-class coastal defence vessel HMCS Summerside, the Victoria-class submarine HMCS Corner Brook, CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft, reservists from the local Canadian Rangers, and Primary Reserve soldiers from across Canada composed the Canadian Forces component.

During the exercise Summerside played a drug smuggling vessel, nicknamed MV Rusty Bucket.

Operation Nanook 2008 was a joint exercise of Maritime Command and the Canadian Coast Guard, held in August 2008. Canada conducted a similar joint exercise, also named Operation Nanook, in 2007.

The exercise was held from 11 to 25 August 2008. Two Canadian warships and two air force planes, a CC-138 Twin Otter and a CP-140 Aurora, took part in the exercises in Canada's Arctic. The frigate HMCS Toronto, the minesweeper HMCS Shawinigan and the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker CCGS Pierre Radisson travelled along the Hudson Strait. The operation extended to Davis Strait and Frobisher Bay.

There have been 18 such humanitarian operations since 2002. As more Arctic ice melts, the ships sail through uncharted waters. Emergency response times were tested for such potential disasters as oil spills, or rescue operations such as responding to cruise ship emergencies.

General Walter J. Natynczyk, Canada's chief of Defence staff, Peter MacKay, Defence Minister as well as Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Steven Fletcher, Member of Parliament for Charleswood–St. James–Assiniboia and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, flew to Iqaluit, Nunavut, to officially launch the exercise on 19 August 2008 and observe the process.