Missile re-arm shows CAF logistical reach in the Indo-Pacific

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) demonstrated its ability to project logistical support into the Indo-Pacific with a forward Harpoon missile rearmament of a Halifax-class frigate in July.

The rearmament took place on HMCS Ville de Québec during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 as part of a live-fire exercise off the coast of Australia, over 16,000 kilometers away from the ship's home port of Halifax. Such extreme distances drive the need for forward rearmament capabilities.

Forward rearmaments are generally conducted by airlifting ammunition to a third location for storage to await the arrival of a ship. Historically, in the Indo-Pacific region, rearmaments have happened almost exclusively in Hawaii immediately following Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC). However, with Canada's renewed emphasis on security and freedom of movement across the Indo-Pacific region, there is a necessity for rearmament operations to be conducted in new locations.

Such operations demonstrate the CAF's ability to shorten strategic lines of communication and provide efficient logistic support for distant missions, especially in cases of highly specialized commodities like ammunition.

The rearmament was conducted by the Canadian Material Support Group (CMSG) in coordination with the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF). This operation displayed the CAF's interoperability with the ADF and reinforced our commitment to working with allies in the region.

Forward rearmaments have become the norm for Canadian ships deployed to the Indo-Pacific in recent years and are expected to remain so into the foreseeable future.