Personnel branch


Personnel branches, in the Canadian Armed Forces, are groupings of related military occupations.
Personnel branches were officially established at unification in 1968 to amalgamate the old Canadian Army corps and similar occupational groupings in the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force.
According to Canadian Forces Administrative Orders,
"Personnel Branches were created to enable members of the Canadian Forces in related occupations to identify with each other in cohesive professional groups. These groups are based on similarity of military roles, customs and traditions." –CFAO 2-10

Branches are applicable to all members of the rank of colonel/captain and below; flag and general officers normally do not belong to branches. Exceptions to this rule are the judge advocate general, the chaplain general, and the surgeon general.
Military occupations for officers and non-commissioned members are grouped within a particular branch under the coordination of the Director – Military Human Resource Requirements and the approval of the Chief of Military Personnel.

Uniforms

Assignment of Distinct Environmental Uniform is a function of military occupation, not personnel branch. For example, within the Communications and Electronics Branch, all signal operators are uniformed army and all aerospace telecommunication and information systems technicians are designated as air force. On the other hand, within the Royal Canadian Logistics Service, supply technicians may be designated as any environment.

Branch advisors

Each Branch has its own branch advisor — normally a colonel or naval captain — to the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Branch traditions

Branches have carried forward many of the traditions inherited from their corps or service predecessors. They have authorized marches, differences in accessories and accoutrements for full dress and mess dress uniforms, branch-specific toasts, ceremonial commanders such as colonels-in-chief, etc. For example:
The following is a list of CF personnel branches in order of precedence: