Since 1947, the Canadian Armed Forces have completed 72 international missions.[1] More than 3,600 soldiers, sailors and Air Force personnel are deployed overseas on operational missions. On any given day, about 8,000 Canadian Armed Forces members Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy, and Canadian Army (one-third of the Canadian deployable force) are preparing for, engaged in or are returning from an overseas mission.[2]
Since the 21st century, Canadian direct participation in UN peacekeeping efforts greatly declined, with its military participation reallocated to UN-sanctioned operations through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).[9] This military reallocation resulted in a shift towards more militarized and deadly missions.[10]Canada's participation in the Afghanistan war (2001–2014) saw over 160 Canadian deaths, the largest for any single Canadian military mission since the Korean War in the early 1950s.[11][12]
Alongside many domestic obligations and a few ongoing peacekeeping missions, the Canadian Armed Forces are currently deployed in multiple foreign military operation.[13] Below is a list of all currently active and past Canadian Armed Forces operations both within Canada's borders and internationally.[14][13]
^Defence, National (19 October 2020). "Past operations". Canada.ca. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
^ abMassie, Justin (30 April 2019). "Why Canada Goes to War: Explaining Combat Participation in US-led Coalitions". Canadian Journal of Political Science. 52 (3). Cambridge University Press (CUP): 575–594. doi:10.1017/s0008423919000040. ISSN0008-4239.
^"Canada and the War in Afghanistan". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 11 September 2001. Retrieved 25 March 2024. In total, 165 Canadians died during the war in Afghanistan (158 soldiers, 7 civilians). More than 2,000 members of the CAF were wounded or injured during the war.