The British Army has concluded that Canadian Forces Base Suffield remains the best option for conducting large-scale training with live ammunition and has extended an agreement with the Canadian government to allow thousands of U.K. soldiers to train at the southern Alberta base near Medicine Hat.
However, it wants to revise the deal to lower costs.
In a speech at the base on Monday, Col. Jim Landon, commanding officer of the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS), said that U.K. Secretary of State Philip Hammond had informed Defence Minister Rob Nicholson “that we intend to seek savings in the support costs of running BATUS. Minister Nicholson has recognized this concern and undertaken to work with us to identify ways to save money.”
According to reports, Landon said the British military considered moving the training unit to a base in Germany.