OP BOREAS - Info?

[ggranatstein]

Hello,

Anyone been on Op Boreas / Bronze? I will be heading over in a few months as part of a LOT, and I'd like to know if anyone cares to share their experience with me.

Thanks a lot.

 

[3rd Horseman]

OK 84 reads and no posts I will bite.....what is OP Bronze/Boreas? And I thought all OPs had translations in french and english that were the same.

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

They're two different operations - in the same place.

Op BRONZE is Canada's contribution to what remains of the NATO mission - largely HQ staff in Sarajevo.

Op BOREAS is Canada's contribution to the EU mission that took over from SFOR; it includes the LOT teams and is largely (for Canada) based out of Banja Luka and Bihac.

Hope this helps...

 

[ggranatstein]

Boreas is only composed of a Liasion Observation team as far as I know.

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

I know it was recently downsized, so I might be a bit stale-dated.  There used to be a couple of people (out of the 11 total on BOREAS) in Banja Luka, but that may have changed.

For more, see here:  http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/operations/bronze/view_news_e.asp?id=992#EUFOR

 

[Fishbone Jones]

From the Maple Leaf, October 2005

Op BRONZE and Op BOREAS – Following its summit meeting in Istanbul on June 28, 2004, NATO announced that operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina would be turned over to a European Union Force (EUFOR). During the autumn of 2004, NATO’s Stabilization Force (SFOR)was gradually reduced while EUFOR built up. The transfer of command authority from SFOR to EUFOR took place on December 2, 2004,marking the start of Op BOREAS. The change of command authority to EUFOR marked another change of name for the Canadian contingent in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is now designated Task Force Balkans (TFB). TFB comprises CF personnel deployed on Op BRONZE serving at NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, and CF members deployed on Op BOREAS supporting EUFOR Liaison and Observation Teams in Bihac with the Multinational Brigade Northwest. Current deployment:Op BRONZE: 10; Op BOREAS: 12Op

 

[3rd Horseman]

Thanks guys very informative.

 

[Bart Nikodem]

I did a Technical Assistance Visit (TAV) to OP Boreas as a medic during the 2004 Christmas season.  Hopefully my info isn't too out of date. Basically if you are part of a LOT, you will be based out of Bihac and do liason work around the the Bihac area, in the Una-Sana canton. When I was there they were doing a weekly one hour radio show on the local radio station, ( I was DJ Bartman) I don't know if they still do that.
As I mentioned I was there just for a 4 week TAV as a medic so I didn't have any experience on the LOT side, except for what I gathered by looking at people work and in the "O" groups.
If you have any specific questions please let me know.
All the best,
Bart
P.S.
As for it being called "Boreas" is the Greek god of the north wind so I assume it is the same in english or french. Also I think "Bronze" is also a french word.