Regular Force

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In the Canadian Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve. The term is regularly abbreviated as Reg Force.

Regular Force personnel are employed full-time, and have usually signed long term contracts committing them to regular service. They receive more pay and benefits than members of the Primary Reserve, and can be ordered into overseas deployments.

There are approximately 64,000 Regular Force personnel in the Canadian Forces.

Today, the Regular Force component of the Land Force Command (Army) consists of three field-ready brigades, with elements of a fourth located at CFB Gagetown:

• 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Edmonton, Alberta,
• 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in CFB Petawawa, Ontario, and
• 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in CFB Valcartier, Quebec (the francophone brigade).

Each brigade contains one regiment each of artillery, armour, and combat engineers and three battalions of infantry (all scaled in the British fashion), as well as a service battalion (logistics), a headquarters/signals squadron, and several minor organizations. A tactical helicopter squadron and a field ambulance are co-located with each brigade but not part of the brigade's command structure.