News release
RCMP completes high-stakes scenario exercise; hones its approach to interoperability and preparedness together with partners
May 26, 2026
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Ottawa, Ontario
From: RCMP National Headquarters
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The RCMP is always looking for ways to improve its operations – and the best way is to learn by doing. From March 23rd to April 15th, the RCMP participated in an exercise called “Vital Archer”. We worked with Canadian and United States law enforcement, military, security and civilian partners to practice interoperability and preparedness in the event of a weapon of mass destruction threat on Canadian soil in annual exercise, Vital Archer.
Credit: CANSOFCOM Image Technician
The on-the-ground portion of Exercise Vital Archer 2026 involved Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), the RCMP, the Toronto Police Service, and the Ontario Provincial Police. Support at a broader level included participants from 11 different federal agencies including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Canada Border Services Agency. The United States military also participated, from within the United States.
Credit: Credit: CANSOFCOM Image Technician
Vital Archer began in 2013 and was designed to reinforce a whole-of-government approach to crisis response in a no-fail national security scenario. Now a yearly routine exercise, it spans multiple locations across both nations.
This year, a broad range of RCMP members participated including representation from our Emergency Response Teams, Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) teams, Communications, Intelligence, and more. The exercise culminated with kinetic components which were held in the industrial setting of the Old Hearn Power Plant on the Toronto waterfront in Ontario, and in Mississippi Mills, west of Ottawa.
Credit: CANSOFCOM Image Technician
One of the major objectives of Vital Archer is to learn and adapt, which is why this year, for the first time, participation included municipal agencies. Building strong ties between federal, provincial and municipal entities is critical to ensuring a robust response to public safety threats. In this role, the Toronto Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police have been invaluable and collaborative partners, reflecting the importance of coordinated responses across all levels.
For Vital Archer, major cities like Toronto provide real-world settings, allowing agencies to test coordination, logistics and responses in environments where they may be required to operate. Exercising in unfamiliar areas within complex infrastructure, provides personnel with realistic and challenging scenarios that better prepare them for any future deployments, while also providing the opportunity to train with municipal agencies like Toronto Police Service.
Credit: CANSOFCOM Image Technician
While the RCMP has the mandate to lead national security investigations and response, an event as exercised in Vital Archer, would require a whole-of-government response and a degree of interoperability that is challenging to train for. This makes Vital Archer a great opportunity offering the scale required for all agencies involved, both Canadian and American, from the municipal level upward, to better prepare and further develop the necessary network of partnerships to succeed.