Post World War II: Canadian Army 2nd Special Service Force
In 1977, 2 Combat Group combined with the Canadian Airborne Regiment to form the 2nd Special Service Force, a formation of the Canadian Army. This latter day Special Service Force represented a compromise between the general purpose combat capabilities of a normal brigade and the strategic and tactical flexibility that derived from the lighter and more mobile capabilities of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. The Forces was a brigade-sized command with strength of 3,500, created to provide a small, highly mobile, general-purpose force that could be inserted quickly into any national or international theatre of operations. To this end each unit in the Force had a parachute sub-unit that would be used to support the Airborne Regiment. The 8th Canadian Hussars had an armoured recce troop with M-113 1/2 Lynx command and recon vehicles until 1987, then replaced by the Royal Canadian Dragoons, 2nd Royal Canadian Horse Artillery had a parachute battery (E Bty) with 105mm L5 Pack Howitzers and 2 Combat Engineer provided an Airborne Engineer Troop. Command and supporting elements of SSF HQ and Sigs were Airborne, as were a platoon provided from 2 Field Ambulance and a Tactical Air Movements Section from 2 Service Battalion. Though ultimately the Special Service Force's readiness and deployability were never tested as a formation, its units and soldiers served often & well in operations both at home and around the world. They have served in Cyprus, Somalia, the Former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Namibia and internally at the Native uprisings in Ipperwash & SE Ontario.
The following Units were serving in the SSF on disbandment in 1995:
- 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment
- 2 Field Ambulance
- Royal Canadian Dragoons
- 2 Military Police Platoon
- 2 Combat Engineer Regiment
- 2nd Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
- 2 Service Battalion
- 2 Intelligence Platoon
- 427 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
- 22nd Air Defence Regiment
- SSF HQ & Signals Squadron
- Canadian Airborne Regiment (now disbanded)
With the addition of Leopard tanks for the RCD, M109 howitzers for 2 RCHA & the addition of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, the Special Service Force was officially redesignated as 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (CMBG) by a Ministerial Order signed on 24 April 1995. This decision and the associated reorganizing and re-equipping of the formation are a reflection of the current emphasis in Canadian defence policy on general purpose capabilities. With a smaller force structure, a smaller defence budget and more frequent operational taskings, it has become clear that general purpose capabilities provide the best return on investment in defence. Accordingly, 2 CMBG has been designed to be a mirror image reflection of its two sister formations, 1 CMBG in Western Canada, and 5e Groupe-brigade Mécanisée du Canada (GBMC) in Quebec. In completing this transformation, 2 CMBG will maintain the fine spirit and traditions of the Special Service Force, while mastering the equipment and tactical doctrine that will give it wide employability in the range of possible taskings that face Canada's Land Force today.
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