Don't be alarmed if you see warships off Vancouver Island, says Canadian navy

More than 1,000 armed forces members will be conducting military exercises off Vancouver Island over the next few weeks, using warships, aircraft, and a submarine. 

The joint exercise, called Trident Fury, is being led by the Pacific fleet of the Canadian Armed Forces, with participation from both the United States and Mexico. 

Navy Capt. Sam Patchell, deputy fleet commander of Canadian Forces Fleet Pacific, told CBC News it's about preparing for worst-case scenarios. 

While he couldn't give a specific example, he said they plan by taking scenarios from the real world: for instance, the increased use of drones in conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war. 

"The use of uncrewed systems [drones] is really an emerging threat, and one we need to prepare ourselves for," Patchell said. 

Trident Fury is an exercise they've already done before, but he said there is a shift now to both practicing using drones and defending against them. 

Planning has been underway for over a year and, Patchell said, even as U.S. President Donald Trump began referring to Canada as the 51st state, there was no change in the discussions with allies.

"The United States has always been invited, and we're quite excited that they're sending one of their destroyers…as well as one of the Coast Guard cutters," Patchell said.

While locals may see more military craft, he said they don't need to worry about getting in the way of military manoeuvres — which will happen further offshore. 

Military craft will mostly be spotted off Cattle Point and Clover Point, in Oak Bay and Victoria respectively, as well as on the horizon west of Tofino. 

The exercises will run between June 16 and June 29, though vessels began arriving in the area on June 13.