Camp Mirage

Location

It was established in December 2001 to support Canadian Forces operations in southwest Asia, namely Afghanistan. The exact location of Camp Mirage and the nature of its mission(s) are not officially acknowledged by the Canadian Forces or the Government of Canada, however, it has been widely reported that the facility is located at Al Minhad Air Base, operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force.

Operations

Camp Mirage was originally used by the Long Range Patrol Detachment Southwest-Asia using CP-140 Aurora maritime-patrol aircraft, starting in December 2001, a time later CC-130 Hercs arrived. Strategic airlift aircraft in the form of C-17 Globemaster III and CC-150 Polaris operated from CFB Trenton and other air bases in Canada to Camp Mirage to drop off and pick up cargo. This cargo was then transferred onto tactical airlift aircraft in the form of C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for the final flight to Kandahar International Airport in Afghanistan. This final flight was believed to take a route approximately 400 nautical miles (740 km) east southeast over the Gulf of Oman until passing east of the Iran-Pakistan border before turning north over Pakistan airspace for the remaining 500 nautical miles (930 km) to Kandahar. The base also included aircraft maintenance facilities, sleeping areas, a cafeteria and a ball-hockey rink. The annual throughput at the base was reported to be 3,600,000 kilograms (7,900,000 lb) and as many as 32,500 personnel per year. The Canadian garrison at Camp Mirage ranged between 225 and 250 personnel, with ground personnel rotated every six months and CC-130 Hercules aircrew replaced every eight weeks.

Allied forces

Al Minhad Air Base is also believed to be used as a logistics facility by the Australian Defence Force, the New Zealand Defence Force (almost certainly Task Group Troy), and the Military of the Netherlands. These militaries likely have their own codewords for their logistics operations based there.

Canadian Forces non-combat fatality

A Canadian Forces military police non-commissioned member was found dead on July 4, 2008 in the sleeping quarters of Camp Mirage. Brendan Anthony Downey's death was the 11th non-combat fatality related to Canada's mission in Afghanistan; the incident remains under active investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service.

Fall 2010 closure

CTV News disclosed on October 6, 2010 that the Canadian Forces might be closing a facility at a base near Dubai, United Arab Emirates. An unnamed source in the Government of Canada stated that the Government of the United Arab Emirates had threatened to revoke the Canadian Forces' access to the facility if the Government of Canada did not grant civilian landing rights to Emirates and Etihad Airways at the Calgary International Airport and Vancouver International Airport in Canada. The Government of Canada source continued by stating that Canada was "essentially a pawn in a heavy-handed blackmail scheme and the demands were unacceptable." It was announced on October 11, 2010 that the facility would be closed. On the same day, a military transport aircraft carrying the Canadian Defence Minister and the Chief of the Defence Staff returning from a visit to Afghanistan was refused landing permission at the airbase housing Camp Mirage. The UAE responded to the incident in the media saying that the Canadian government was distorting information about the incident saying that the plane had been notified ahead of time that landing rights had been suspended, and that the Canadian government was resorting to "fear tactics" to spin a negative light on the UAE in the Canadian media.

Operations at Camp Mirage were officially ended on November 3, 2010.