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Richelieu Squadron is a Squadron of theRoyal Military College Saint-Jean that is named jointly in honour of bothCardinal Richelieu andRichelieu, Quebec.[1]
Richelieu Squadron was formed after the closure of theRoyal Military College Saint-Jean in 1995, on the site ofFort Saint-Jean to provide training and education to Naval and Officer Cadets that needed to complete a preparatory year before attending theRoyal Military College of Canada.[2] During this time Naval and Officer Cadets of Richelieu Squadron would undergo military training alongside academics in order to meet the academic requirements ofRMC.[3][4] Richelieu Squadron during these years would typically be made up of around 130 officer cadets each year who would graduate and transfer toRoyal Military College of Canada to continue their military education.
In 2007, it was announced that theRoyal Military College Saint-Jean (RMCSJ) would re-open and instead of disbanding Richelieu Squadron it would become one of 3 squadrons alongside Tracy and Iberville squadrons. RMCSJ would be inaugurated by Governor GeneralMichaëlle Jean in 2008, changing the role of Richelieu Squadron.[5] With the reopening of RMCSJ it was restricted to only the preparatory year and first year of university education, meaning that people would only be a part of Richelieu Squadron for a maximum of two years.
Today the squadron is broken into twoflights, named Cardinal and Mousquetaire. Cardinal Flight is named in honour ofRichelieu's position as aCardinal. and Mousquetaire Flight is named as a reference to the prominent role of Cardinal Richelieu in the story ofThe Three Musketeers byAlexandre Dumas. Each flight is commanded by a Cadet Flight Leader (CFL) and is composed of around 30 members.
In addition to the twoflights, there is also an HQ element that is composed of various positions in charge of different aspects of the Richelieu Squadron.