HALIFAX, NS – Federal Fleet Services (FFS), operator of Canada’s leading combat support ship, m/v Asterix, announced today that 52 of its civilian crew have received the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Operational Service Medal with Expedition (OSM-EXP) for their support during Operation PROJECTION in 2019.
Operation PROJECTION shows Canada’s ongoing commitment to global peace. The deployment of sailors, ships and submarines shows how the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is ready to defend Canada’s interests around the world.
The OSM-EXP medals were presented to the crew by Commodore Rich Feltham, Commander Canadian Fleet Atlantic at a socially distanced ceremony on board the m/v Asterix in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Typically, the OSM-EXP is awarded to CAF members. To be eligible for the OSP-EXP, service and direct support must be performed under exceptional circumstances and the person must have been deployed on a full-time basis for 21 days or more. The only civilians eligible to be awarded the OSM-EXP medal are members of the Public Service or Canadian civilians under contract with the Government of Canada (GoC), such as the 52 Asterix crew members.
In Canada, m/v Asterix is unique in being operated by both civilian and RCN personnel. Asterix is the product of Project Resolve, a GoC mandate to Davie Shipbuilding for the conversion of a commercial container ship into the RCN’s first Resolve-Class Combat Support Ship. Converted cost effectively in just 18 months to a military specified vessel, Asterix has been a resounding success since deployment in 2018 supporting countless operations as well as providing humanitarian and disaster relief worldwide.
