The Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR; ) is a special forces unit of the Canadian Armed Forces and forms part of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM). As a special forces unit, the regiment's roles include conducting complex or difficult raids, capturing strategic facilities and undertaking reconnaissance. It is also capable of working with the armed forces of other countries. Unit history The unit traces its roots to the First Special Service Force (FSSF), the joint Canadian–American special forces unit that was stood up in 1942 and earned the "Devil's Brigade" moniker for daring night raids on German forces at the Anzio beachhead. CSOR perpetuates the battle honours of the FSSF. Recruiting for the new unit took place in early 2006, and the first CSOR selection course took place with approximately 175 candidates. On 13 August 2006, an official stand-up ceremony for CSOR took place at the unit's home station, Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa, with approximately 250 soldiers participating. The ceremony included a skills demonstration including rappelling from helicopters, and both static and freefall parachuting. It was also announced that the second training serial of CSOR recruits would take place in early 2007. The first commanding officer and regimental sergeant-major of CSOR were Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Jamie Hammond and Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Gerald Scheidl. The regiment suffered its first casualty on 24 June 2011: Master-Corporal Francis Roy died in a non-combat incident while deployed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. In 2013, the unit competed in an international special forces competition held in Jordan, coming in third place after Chinese Special Police teams took first and second place. In March 2015, Sgt Andrew Joseph Doiron was killed by friendly fire while serving on Operation Impact in Iraq. Operations and exercises The regiment maintained a presence in Afghanistan from 2006 to 2014 in support of Canada's mission in Afghanistan. Under the auspices of the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program of Global Affairs Canada, CSOR conducted training with both the Jamaica Defence Force and the Belize Defence Force, culminating in Exercise Tropical Dagger. CSOR participates in Exercise Flintlock, a special operations forces–focused exercise planned, coordinated and executed by African partner nations and sponsored by United States Africa Command. CSOR participates in the CANSOFCOM commitment to Operation Impact, the Canadian Armed Forces' support to the international military intervention against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. Due to the Taliban offensive in 2021, CSOR operators were deployed