Badge of Joint Task Force X

Blazon

Per saltire Argent and Purpure, in chief and in base a raven displayed Sable, in the flanks a Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife proper surmounted by an escutcheon Argent charged with a rose Gules;

Symbolism

The purple colour represents the joint nature of the unit while the white represents the integrity of the members of the Joint Task Force X (JTF X). The X division recalls the name of the unit as well as Camp X, the Second World War special operations training camp, which has historical links to JTF X. In First Nations mythology, the raven is a guardian, a bringer of knowledge, a trickster, a shape shifter and a cunning creature. As such, it represents the sources handlers and interrogators of JFT X. Its black colour symbolizes the clandestine nature of the unit’s covert role. The shields represent the force protection aspect of JTF X. The red rose was a Roman symbol of secrecy, and it is currently used by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intelligence units. The Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife was originally issued to the first Canadian Source Handlers who were trained at Camp X and has appeared in capability badges of previous Canadian human intelligence (HUMINT) units. It symbolizes targeting and striking, two primary roles of the unit.