Canada will participate in massive NATO's drills "Trident Juncture 2015".

“We are planning to commit tactical forces, maritime, air and land to the live (fire) exercise,” said Lt.-Gen. Stuart Beare, the country’s joint operations commander.

It is a significant decision because NATO is pushing behind the scenes to significantly expand the size of its rapid reaction force. The alliance already announced last week it plans to base soldiers in eastern Europe to reassure jittery allies.

The crisis response unit — currently compromised of 13,000 high-readiness troops, a headquarters and reserve formations — operates on a rotational basis with different nations committing forces for up to a year at a time.
Next year’s participation in the exercise does not commit Canada to become part of that rotation, but it could set the stage.

“Those are strategic and political decisions,” said Beare. “I can’t answer the question specifically, but I can tell you we are acting in a way that, if we do, we’ll be really, really good at it.”
Taking part in the exercise would help the military reacquaint itself with how NATO does business on its home turf, a familiarity that has been lost since the last Canadian Cold War garrison was withdrawn from Europe in the 1990s.