October 30, 2026 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has completed Operation BOXTOP, its semi-annual resupply mission delivering critical supplies to Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert, Nunavut which ran from October 8 to 30, 2026.
Operation BOXTOP supports the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) permanent presence and near-persistent operational approach in the Arctic. The operation commenced when a CC-177 Globemaster III from 429 Transport Squadron, 8 Wing Trenton, deployed to Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, in support of the resupply mission.
Operation BOXTOP successfully delivered all planned dry cargo and anticipated fuel requirements to CFS Alert. The mission demonstrated the CAF’s ability to project and sustain air mobility operations in the Arctic’s challenging and remote environment while working alongside military and civilian partners from Denmark, Greenland and the United States. The integration of loadmasters from No. 99 Squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force further strengthened interoperability and enabled the exchange of expertise among allied air forces. By maintaining the station’s operations throughout the Arctic winter, Operation BOXTOP reinforces Canada’s ability to sustain continuous military presence and operational reach across the Arctic.
Quick facts
The CAF conducts major resupply operations to CFS Alert semi-annually. Using United States Pituffik Space Base in Greenland as a staging point, spring operations typically focus on delivering fuel, while fall operations aim to deliver dry goods and construction materials. However, this serial combined the delivery of both fuel and dry goods to support operations at CFS Alert.
Personnel from across the CAF supported Operation BOXTOP, including the RCAF’s 2 Air Movements Squadron, 8 Wing Operations Support Squadron, 424 Transport and Rescue Squadron, 8 Mission Support Squadron, 429 Transport Squadron as well as other units across Canada.
CFS Alert, a unit of 8 Wing Trenton, is the most northern permanently inhabited settlement in the world, situated on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
Operation BOXTOP began in the 1950s. Using United States Pituffik Space Base in Greenland as a staging point, the RCAF runs day and night, flying fuel and supplies to the station during the operation. Over the last 20 years, the mission has averaged an annual delivery of approximately 650,000 pounds of dry goods and 1.5 million litres of fuel into CFS Alert.