Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden or 16 Wing Borden) is a Canadian Forces Base located in Borden , Ontario.

The birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CFB Borden is the largest air force training facility in the Canadian Forces. The expansive training area surrounding 16 Wing also houses a number of training schools for various components of the Canadian army's regular and reserve forces.

History

At the height of the First World War, the Borden Military Camp was opened at a location on a glacial moraine west of Barrie, Ontario in 1916 to train units for the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Camp Borden was selected in 1917 for a military aerodrome, becoming the first flying station of the Royal Flying Corps of Canada. During the inter-war period, the aerodrome, renamed RCAF Station Borden, was used as the training location for the nascent Royal Canadian Air Force. Camp Borden's training grounds were expanded in 1938 to house the Canadian Tank School. During the Second World War, both Camp Borden and RCAF Station Borden became the most important training facility in Canada, housing both army training and flight training, the latter under the British Commonwealth Air Training Program.

During the Cold War, Borden's importance as an RCAF facility in Ontario declined in favour of CFB Trenton , CFB Uplands and CFB North Bay however its use as an army facility stayed consistent.

The February 1, 1968 unification of the RCAF with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army resulted in the creation of the Canadian Armed Forces. The military facilities consisting of Camp Borden and RCAF Station Borden were grouped under a new name, Canadian Forces Base Borden (CFB Borden). The aerodrome was closed and the base saw use as a regular and reserve training facility for Canadian Forces Land Force Command (the army), as well as hosting various land-based training courses for Canadian Forces Air Command (the air force). In a 1990s reorganization of the Canadian Forces following the end of the Cold War, CFB Borden's air force training facilities were grouped under the name 16 Wing Borden.

Trivia

• During the Second World War RCAF Station Borden functioned as a training center for Royal Norwegian Air Force pilots, and the aerodrome is remembered in Norway as "Little Norway."

• CFB Borden hosts the Blackdown Cadet Training Centre, a training establishment for Royal Canadian Army Cadets in Ontario.

External link

• Department of National Defence Canada - CFB Borden