The army was formed in 1855, as the Active Militia, in response to the threat of the United States to the Province of Canada after the British garrison left for the Crimean War.

Finally, in 1940, an order in council changed the name of the Active Militia to the Canadian Army.

Some current regiments of the Canadian Army trace their origins to these pre-Confederation militia and Fencible units.

The major operations that regular Canadian troops, in the 19th century, participated in included: the North-West Rebellion in 1885, and the Second Boer War.

Canadian troops were also committed to the NATO presence in West Germany during the Cold War.

[18] In addition to the four regional command areas, the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, commanded by a major-general and headquartered at McNaughton Barracks, CFB Kingston, Ontario, is responsible for the supervision, integration and delivery of Army training and doctrine development, including simulation and digitization.

Other regiments developed independently, resulting in a mixture of both colourful and historically familiar names.

On 15 September 1968, the 2nd Battalion of the Queen's Own Rifles was reduced to nil strength and transferred to the Supplementary Order of Battle.

Further reductions occurred from mid-June to early-July 1970, with the Regular Force unit from the Fort Garry Horse being disbanded on 16 June 1970.

The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Black Watch were reduced to nil strength on 1 July 1970, and transferred to the Supplementary Order of Battle.

After the Canadian Guards were reduced to nil strength, the role of the Household Troop reverted to the two seniormost infantry regiments of the Reserve.

The Army Reserve is organized into under-strength brigades (for purposes of administration) along geographic lines.

LFR regiments have the theoretical administrative capacity to support an entire battalion, but typically have the deployable manpower of only one or two platoons.

A trained private within the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps is a trooper, whereas the same rank within the artillery is gunner.

There are also patrol packs, which are small high-protein snack-type foods (such as beef jerky or shredded cheese) and boxed lunches (consisting of assorted sandwiches, juice, fruit, pasta and a dessert) provided for soldiers to consume in situations in which meal preparation is not possible.

Prior to unification in 1968, the uniforms between the three branches were similar to their counterparts in the forces of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries, save for national identifiers and some regimental accoutrements.

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, announced on 8 July 2013 the Government of Canada's intent to restore Canadian Army rank insignia, names and badges to their traditional forms.

[32] The full dress uniforms of the Army regiments originated from the Canadian militia, and was eventually relegated from combat to ceremonial use.

Since the First World War, Canada has produced its own infantry fighting vehicle, anti-tank guided missile and small arms for the Army.

[39] The Army also operates approximately 150 field artillery pieces including the M777 howitzer and the LG1 Mark II.

In 1965, prior to the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces, the journal was merged with similar publications from across the services.