CDSN Podcast Network

Canadian Defence and Security Network - Réseau Canadien Sur La Défense et la Sécurité
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We now have 5 network podcasts: 1. Battle Rhythm is hosted by Stephen Saideman, Anessa Kimball, Artur Wilczynski, Wendy Wong, Thomas Hughes and Linna Tam-Seto, and released every second Wednesday, features timely discussion on the defence and security issues of the day, as well as feature conversations with experts. 2. Conseils de sécurité hosted by Sarah-Myriam Martin-Brûlé and Laurent Borzillo, comes out the corresponding Wednesdays that Battle Rhythm doesn't and is completely en français. 3. SecurityScape is a monthly podcast produced by graduate students from the Centre of Military, Security, and Strategic Studies. Each episode highlights scholars and students and the important research they are conducting relating to security. 4. The NATO Field Report will bring you field reports via a ‘special’ (occasional) podcast featuring the NATO Field School staff, students, and guest speakers. Each episode will be moderated by NFS staff and students and themed to a particular topic, discussing key takeaways and unique perspectives while discussing this topic with experts and decision-makers in the field. https://www.sfu.ca/politics/natofieldschool.html 5. Resilience Plus is a unique, evidence-based, bilingual program at RMC and RMC Saint-Jean hosted by Meaghan M. Wilkin & Lobna Cherif

  1. Bylines & Frontlines Episode 8: Localization as Strategy. Rethinking WPS from the Ground Up from WIIS-C

    1D AGO

    Bylines & Frontlines Episode 8: Localization as Strategy. Rethinking WPS from the Ground Up from WIIS-C

    What if localization isn’t just a principle of good practice—but a strategic necessity? In this episode of Bylines & Frontlines, Frieda Garcia Castellanos sits down with Katrina Leclerc, a leading expert on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), to unpack what localization really means—and why it matters now more than ever. Drawing on experience across the United Nations, national governments, and grassroots peacebuilding, Katrina challenges conventional approaches to WPS implementation. This conversation moves beyond checklists and compliance to examine localization as a process of shifting power, resourcing local actors, and building legitimacy from the ground up. From a defense and security perspective, this episode explores localization not as a constraint—but as a force multiplier. Together, Frieda and Katrina discuss how locally grounded approaches can strengthen trust, improve early warning, and enhance operational effectiveness in complex environments. They also confront difficult questions: * Why does localization so often become tokenistic in practice? * What are we getting wrong in how we measure success? * And who must be willing to give up power for localization to truly work? This is a conversation for practitioners, policymakers, scholars, and anyone working at the intersection of security, governance, and community resilience.

    45 min
  2. Episode 4.15: Mistrusted to Serve? with Dr. Jean-Christophe Boucher

    APR 29

    Episode 4.15: Mistrusted to Serve? with Dr. Jean-Christophe Boucher

    Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Artur Wilczynski, retired DG of Foreign Intelligence Operations Canada and Senior Fellow GPSIA, University of Ottawa; Artur and Steve Saideman discuss what Canada’s military is doing in the Philippines to reinforce our Asia Pacific Strategy, while back at home the CAF is under media scrutiny after senior military leaders get caught trying out propaganda and surveillance techniques on Canadians. Today’s feature interview is with CDSN Co-Director, Jean-Chritophe Boucher. Steve and JC discuss capturing Canadian attitudes on defence through survey work in advance of their co-authored paper Mistrusted to Serve? Discrimination in the Military and Its Impact on Public Support in Armed Forces & Society Jean-Christophe Boucher is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. He is currently a director of research in civil-military relations at the Canadian Defence and Security Network funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. A fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute; a research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University; Senior Fellow at the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les relations internationales du Canada et du Québec. He holds a BA in History from the University of Ottawa, a MA in Philosophy from the Université de Montréal and a PhD in Political Science from Université Laval. He specializes in international relations, with an emphasis on Canadian foreign and defence policies, international security, and methodology. References: Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy: https://www.international.gc.ca/transparency-transparence/indo-pacific-indo-pacifique/index.aspx?lang=eng Message from David Hartman, Ambassador of Canada to the Philippines: https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/philippines/manila-manille-rep.aspx?lang=eng Burke, Ashley. How Canadian military members violated intelligence-gathering rules during COVID-19. 7 April 2026, CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/military-intelligence-gathering-violations-pandemic-9.7152467 Feaver, Peter D., Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military (New York, 2023; online edn, Oxford Academic, 20 July 2023), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197681121.001.0001,

    59 min
  3. Episode 4.14: People Centered Security and Defence

    APR 15

    Episode 4.14: People Centered Security and Defence

    CDSN Podcast Producer Melissa Jennings steps in for Steve Saideman as she and Dr. Linna Tam-Seto (Assistant Professor Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto) discuss some long-term community security implications for Canadians that have been overlooked in all the defence spending news. This includes the effects of budget cuts to Veterans Affairs Canada, housing availability, disaster/emergency preparedness mitigation and planning in the provinces as well as research on the health impacts of new equipment and mandates for CAF members. Steve still had time to interview CDSN/Norman Paterson School of International Affairs’ Visiting Defence Fellow, Col. Shawn Guilbault. Colonel Shawn Guilbault is currently Visiting Defence Fellow at Carleton University’s Norman Patterson School of International Affairs. An RCAF base brat, he began his military career with the Governor General’s Foot Guards in Ottawa before commissioning as an Aerospace Control Officer. His postings span mobile radar, air defence sector, and E-3 AWACS operations in Canada and the United States, including the privilege of commanding 51 Aerospace Control & Warning [Operational Training] Squadron and the Canadian Detachment at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. Staff tours include lead air battle management standards at 1 Canadian Air Division, Chief Combat Systems Integration and, most recently, as Director Plans North America within the Strategic Joint Staff. Shawn is a graduate of the Fighter Weapons Instructor Course and the UK’s Advanced Command and Staff Course. He is married and a proud father of three amazing daughters. Links referenced for this episode: Unions, MPs warn funding cuts could affect services for veterans. The Canadian Press. Updated: March 13, 2026 at 6:16PM https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/unions-mps-warn-funding-cuts-could-affect-services-for-veterans/ Mixed reactions in the North to Carney’s $35B defence and major projects announcement: N.W.T. leaders welcome announcement, but some Yukon leaders say they’re underwhelmed. Sarah St-Pierre · CBC News · Posted: Mar 13, 2026 9:54 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 13https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/mixed-reactions-carney-35b-defence-major-projects-announcements-9.7126958 Lack of air quality monitoring in rural B.C. raises concerns as wildfire smoke risks grow: Death of 9-year-old Carter Vigh in July 2023 highlights health risks and gaps in air quality monitoring. CBC News · Posted: Mar 28, 2026 10:00 AM https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wildfire-smoke-and-air-quality-monitoring-in-b-c-9.7145399 Peguis evacuation owing to flooding may be inevitable: minister. Winnipeg Free Press Posted: 7:03 PM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2026 https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/04/14/peguis-evacuation-owing-to-flooding-may-be-inevitable-minister?utm_campaign=headstart&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--l3gYpei5pbmHuJ4dncIYCzgVhmCDrzc_AsU36J13LaH7vHHUXjPPn9nk5cHkLrF4JRWtPxLJjBnRUuV_VYoCUG-o9L8soPl7V1o4KRdqjeKdEkxM&_hsmi=16045117&utm_source=hubspot IDMC's Internal Displacement Updates (IDU) Canada. https://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/canada/

    42 min
  4. Episode 4.13: Exercising Restraint and Evaluating Trade-Offs with Dr. Andrea Charron

    APR 1

    Episode 4.13: Exercising Restraint and Evaluating Trade-Offs with Dr. Andrea Charron

    Welcome to Spring and to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University. Steve and Thomas discuss European reactions to the US demands for assistance and how this may affect the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara as Canada meets its 2% of GDP defence investment and the New York Times reporting that the arctic may be too cold for the Canadian Armed Forces to operate in. Today’s Feature Interview is with CDSN Co-Director and Continental Defence expert, Dr. Andrea Charron. Dr. Charron holds a PhD from the Royal Military College of Canada (Department of War Studies). She obtained a Masters in International Relations from Webster University, Leiden, The Netherlands, a Master’s of Public Administration from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Queen’s University. Dr. Charron worked for various federal departments including the Canadian Privy Council Office in the Security and Intelligence Secretariat. She is now Professor (IR), Political Studies and Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies. Dr. Charron has been featured in the Economist twice for her Canadian foreign policy and NORAD expertise (2019 and 2021) and on the CBC radio show Ideas (2020). She has 4 peer reviewed books (2011, 2022, 2023, 2023) on NORAD, sanctions and 9/11. She is on the editorial board of the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, the Journal, the Canadian Naval Review and the Army Journal. She has peer-reviewed articles in International Affairs, International Studies, Strategic Studies Quarterly, International Journal, Canadian Foreign Policy Journal and others. Check-Out Thomas’s forthcoming book: Military Exercises and Threat Perception in Europe: NATO, Russia, and the Politics of War Games, 1975–2018 https://www.routledge.com/Military-Exercises-and-Threat-Perception-in-Europe-NATO-Russia-and-the-Politics-of-War-Games-1975-2018/Hughes/p/book/9781041234210

    1h 15m
  5. Episode 4.12: Space Lords with Commander of 3 Canadian Space Division, Brigadier-General C.J. Horner

    MAR 19

    Episode 4.12: Space Lords with Commander of 3 Canadian Space Division, Brigadier-General C.J. Horner

    Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Anessa L. Kimball, Ph.D., Professor at Université Laval; Steve Saideman and Anessa discuss perspectives on the Iran war, US Secretary of Defense’s war crimes announcement, and Canada’s role in it as an oil producing middle power. The hosts also discuss PM Carney’s ‘our north, strong and free’ tour to friendly Arctic nations and what the future trade-offs may be for more alliance relationships. In today’s feature interview, Steve speaks with Canada’s Space Division Commander, Chris Horner. Brigadier-General (BGen) Christopher Horner joined the Canadian Armed Forces as an Aerospace Controller on 20 Jun 1998. After graduating from the Royal Military College of Canada and completing his initial training at Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Control Operations in 2003, he began his career as an Air Battle Manager. Over the course of the next decade, BGen Horner held various operational positions from deep within NORAD’s underground complex of Canadian Air Defence Sector, served as an Air Weapons Officer and Evaluator Senior Director with the United States Air Force E-3 AWACS Program, and finally as Mission Crew Commander and Director of Operations within 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron, North Bay. Operating with Joint and Allied forces around the globe, BGen Horner amassed nearly 1,300 hours on the E-3 AWACS including over 430 combat flight hours supporting Operations ENDURING and IRAQI FREEDOM, in counter-narcotics missions supporting Operation CARRIBE, and both in the air and on the ground throughout the United States and Canada actively supporting Operation NOBLE EAGLE counter-terrorism missions. Prior to assuming command of the Canadian Joint Warfare Centre in July 2022, BGen Horner was fortunate enough to command 51 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron (2013-15) and later serve as Commandant of the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Control Operations (2017-19). Apart from his operational focus and command appointments, BGen Horner filled various staff roles at 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters, the Strategic Joint Staff at National Defence Headquarters, and within CAF Strategic Response Team on Sexual Misconduct. Having admitted to once owning a Commodore 64, he returned to operations and was appointed Deputy Joint Force Cyber Component Commander in 2019 where he remained until his selection as Special Advisor to the Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command in 2021. BGen Horner was promoted to his current rank and assumed the role of Commander 3 Canadian Space Division in 2024. BGen Horner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics and Political Science, a Master of Arts in Defence Management and a Master of Science in Leadership. He is a graduate of the Canadian Forces College Joint Command and Staff Program and the United States Air Force Air War College. Together with his spouse and their three boys, BGen Horner tries hard to find balance between hobbies that won’t be fatal and life experiences that make great memories. Of all his adventures, those he shares with his family remain his greatest passion.

    1h 2m
  6. Bylines & Frontlines Ep 7: Canada’s Leadership in Gender-Responsive Military Design

    FEB 25

    Bylines & Frontlines Ep 7: Canada’s Leadership in Gender-Responsive Military Design

    This episode examines Canada’s emerging leadership in integrating sex-specific data and human systems integration into military equipment design, with implications for both domestic force readiness and international support to Ukraine. Although women now constitute over 16% of the Canadian Armed Forces and nearly 14% of NATO forces, legacy validation standards for ballistic protection, load carriage systems, and personal protective equipment were historically based on homogeneous male datasets. This structural bias shaped procurement processes and industrial design incentives across the Alliance. Canada has begun to shift this paradigm. Through deliberate incorporation of women’s morphology into testing standards, expanded anthropometric datasets, dynamic biomechanical analysis, and targeted user trials, Canada is moving beyond “general usability” toward survivability-centered design for the full force. Frieda Garcia Castellanos is joined by Dr. Linna Tam-Seto (University of Toronto), Emma Moon (Department of National Defence), and Melanie Lake (Deputy G1 of the NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives). The discussion highlights: ● The integration of women’s morphology — including breast tissue considerations — into global ballistic testing standards ● Canadian field trials evaluating operational performance under varied armor configurations ● NATO Summary of National Reports data demonstrating uneven equipment adaptation across allies ● Emerging battlefield lessons from Ukraine linking equipment fit to fatigue, secondary injuries, and survivability under delayed evacuation Canada’s approach reframes equipment adaptation as a combat effectiveness and casualty - reduction imperative, rather than a symbolic inclusion measure. At stake is a fundamental institutional question: whether defense modernization will continue to operate from a legacy “default body” model, or whether it will deliberately design for the full operational force from the outset. Produced by Frieda Garcia Castellanos

    59 min
  7. Episode 4.10: Buying Security with Dr. Bohuslav Pernica

    FEB 18

    Episode 4.10: Buying Security with Dr. Bohuslav Pernica

    Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Anessa L. Kimball, Ph.D., Professor at Université Laval; Steve Saideman and Anessa discuss recent Canadian public opinion on threat perception and translating this into a defence spending strategy, while Vancouver and other Canadian cities jockey to host a new NATO Bank of Investment for Security and Defence and finally who wants more NATO in the arctic and why. In today’s Feature Interview, Anessa Kimball speaks with Dr. Bohuslav Pernica, Assistant professor in the Department of International Relations and European Studies at Masaryk University while he visits Quebec. Lt. Col. (ret.) Dr. Bohuslav Pernica is an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, a consultant to the Czech Ministry of Defence, and a member of the Czech anti-corruption watchdog (Kverulant). He also served in the Czech Armed Forces from 1992 to 2014. Links: Data Dive with Nik Nanos: Canadians are clamouring for a stronger military: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-data-dive-with-nik-nanos-canadians-are-clamouring-for-a-stronger/

    56 min
  8. Resilience Plus Season 5, Episode 5: Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Cavel Shebib

    FEB 11

    Resilience Plus Season 5, Episode 5: Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Cavel Shebib

    The team at Resilience Plus encourages everyone to try to take time for the things you love and invest in your resilience bank in a conversation with RMC St. Jean’s CWO, Cavel Shebib. This podcast episode was recorded in January 2025, we are reposting for our broader CDSN audience. Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Cavel Shebib enrolled in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1991 as a naval weapons technician in Sydney, N.S. and he feels he has been very lucky to have had the amazing career that he has had thus far. Since 2014 alone, he completed the year-long French course, then sailed for a year each in His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Fredericton and Ville de Québec as the Combat Systems Engineering Chief Petty Officer, followed by an appointment as the Atlantic Fleet Combat Systems Engineering Chief. After being in that position for a year, he was promoted to the rank of Chief Petty Officer 1st Class and assumed the role of honors and recognition chief for Maritime Forces Atlantic for a year. In 2018, he was appointed as Coxswain in HMCS St. John’s, following that, in August 2020 he was posted to the Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Profession of Arms Institute in Saint-Jean, Que., as the Intermediate Leadership Program and then the Senior Leadership Program Director. Following his two years in Quebec, he was appointed as the Atlantic Fleet Chief in July 2022 and in June of 2024, will be appointed as RMC Saint Jean’s CWO. During his career, he has had several deployments all over Europe and the Middle East, including several Standing NATO Maritime Group One deployments, Operation APOLLO in 2001 and Op REASSURANCE in 2015. He was also involved in Op PERSISTENCE, which was the Canadian Armed Forces’ recovery operation after the Swiss Air crash near Peggy’s Cove, N.S., in 1998. His most memorable deployment was in 2010 when he spent eight months patrolling in the Western Panjwai District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan as a Tactical CIMIC operator and platoon 2 I/C, ending his tour as a CIMIC Platoon Commander. CPO1 Shebib has completed the Defense and Security Certificate Program through Algonquin College and is an avid reader. He is a huge proponent of the positive impacts of exercise and spending time in the outdoors on our mental health and is an avid hiker. CPO1 Shebib and his partner have 4 children between them. Resilience Plus Podcast: Building Resilience, Driving Success, Promoting Excellence Vision: Building resilience through education, training, and research Mission: Empowering individuals to maximize their productivity and effectiveness, through the effective pursuit of personal and professional goals. We provide individuals with necessary resilience skills and tools that can be immediately applied. Values: We deliver evidence-based resilience education, training, and research guided by our commitment to Excellence and Leadership. Social Media: Resilience Plus on Facebook Resilience Plus on Instagram

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.1
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

We now have 5 network podcasts: 1. Battle Rhythm is hosted by Stephen Saideman, Anessa Kimball, Artur Wilczynski, Wendy Wong, Thomas Hughes and Linna Tam-Seto, and released every second Wednesday, features timely discussion on the defence and security issues of the day, as well as feature conversations with experts. 2. Conseils de sécurité hosted by Sarah-Myriam Martin-Brûlé and Laurent Borzillo, comes out the corresponding Wednesdays that Battle Rhythm doesn't and is completely en français. 3. SecurityScape is a monthly podcast produced by graduate students from the Centre of Military, Security, and Strategic Studies. Each episode highlights scholars and students and the important research they are conducting relating to security. 4. The NATO Field Report will bring you field reports via a ‘special’ (occasional) podcast featuring the NATO Field School staff, students, and guest speakers. Each episode will be moderated by NFS staff and students and themed to a particular topic, discussing key takeaways and unique perspectives while discussing this topic with experts and decision-makers in the field. https://www.sfu.ca/politics/natofieldschool.html 5. Resilience Plus is a unique, evidence-based, bilingual program at RMC and RMC Saint-Jean hosted by Meaghan M. Wilkin & Lobna Cherif

Information

  • Creator
    Canadian Defence and Security Network - Réseau Canadien Sur La Défense et la Sécurité
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    266
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    CDSN Podcast Network

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