What is BATUS?
The British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) British Army’s is the premier training unit located at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Suffield. The role of BATUS is to provide training and training support, principally to armoured forces, but also to other units as required. BATUS is located at CFB Suffield because of the large expanse of prairie allocated as a training area often called the Suffield Block, where live firing exercises may take place. The permanent staff based at BATUS are primarily here to ensure delivery of training to the exercising troops. The exercise season will normally run from the beginning of May through to the end of October, and during this time, battlegroups arrive and are put through their paces on Exercise Medicine Man.
Whilst here in BATUS you will be one of 208 permanent staff, approximately 75% of whom are married accompanied. Permanent staff generally fall into one of two categories:
1) Training Staff - if you are part of the training staff you can expect to be busy throughout the exercise season, often out on the prairie overseeing the training of the exercising troops, but you will be less busy during the winter months. This is when you can most easily take leave.
2) Training Support Staff – if you are part of the training support staff then your work will be spread more evenly throughout the year. During the training season you will be supporting training, whilst during the winter months most personnel will be involved in supporting the BATUS Winter Repair Programme. You will be expected to fit your leave around your work commitments.
During the course of the year BATUS is augmented by temporary staff which fluctuate from approx 150 to 350 depending on the time of year, as well as approximately 350 opposing force (OPFOR) troops during the exercise season and one battlegroup of about 1500 soldiers per month from May to October.
As well as BATUS staff there is also a contingent of Canadian Forces based at CFB Suffield who support BATUS. Defence Research and Development (DRDC), an agency of the Canadian Department of National Defence responding to the scientific and technological needs of the Canadian Forces, are also co-located at CFB Suffield.
For more information about BATUS, the following websites may be useful