Canadian Forces
On February 1, 1968 the RCN, RCAF and Canadian Army were unified into the Canadian Forces. The same day saw RCAF Station Greenwood change its name to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Greenwood.
That year saw many decisions aimed at reducing duplication among the services, with various units being reorganized, moved, or disbanded. To alleviate further overcrowding at CFB Greenwood, 103 RU was moved to CFB Summerside.
By the mid-1970s, 6 of Greenwood's 18 Argus aircraft were mothballed and 242 personnel cut from all ranks. By the late 1970s, the Argus was identified as a candidate for replacement and the CP-140 Aurora was selected.
In September 1978, the Maritime Patrol and Evaluation Unit transferred from CFB Summerside. 415 Squadron flew the Argus out of CFB Summerside until the spring of 1981 when the unit transferred to Greenwood and converted to the Aurora.
The first Auroras replaced the Argus at Greenwood and Comox with 14 and 4 respectively. Greenwood saw its first Aurora on May 27, 1980 and the last one arriving July 10, 1981.
The 1989 federal budget cuts to the Department of National Defence identified CFB Summerside as a candidate for base closure. In 1991 the base was closed and the majority of military personnel were transferred to CFB Greenwood, with Summerside's only operational unit, 413 Squadron (successor to No. 103 RU) moving its CH-113 Labrador and CC-115 Buffalo aircraft on June 10, 1991; the Buffalo were replaced by the CC-130 Hercules shortly after 413 transferred.
Further defence cuts and reorganization in 1995 saw the 434 Squadron move from CFB Shearwater to Greenwood, bringing its Canadair CE/CT-33 Silver Star and Canadair CC/CP/CE-144 Challenger combat support aircraft to the base. This squadron was disbanded on April 28, 2002.
Later in 2002, 413 Squadron at CFB Greenwood saw its CH-113 Labrador helicopters replaced by the new CH-149 Cormorant, a version of the EH-101 helicopter.
On 9 January 2008, Defence Minister Peter MacKay appointed Canadian country singer-songwriter George Canyon to the position of honorary colonel at 14 Wing. In December 2011 Barb Stegemann replaced Canyon as honorary colonel of the wing.
Read more about this topic: CFB Greenwood
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