On Defence and Security

Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP)
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On Defence and Security – is a podcast series that examines defence and military affairs both in Canada and internationally. Bridging the gap between academic research and policy is crucial, especially in areas as complex and important as military and defense affairs. By providing a platform for informed discussions, Conversations on Defence and Security can help policymakers make more well-informed decisions and enable the public to better understand these critical issues. It likely serves as a resource for scholars, policymakers, military personnel, and anyone interested in defense and security matters, both in Canada and globally.

  1. Is Artificial Intelligence Going to be a Threat to our Safety?

    APR 27

    Is Artificial Intelligence Going to be a Threat to our Safety?

    Is all this AI talk making us (in)secure? Our host Amarnath Amarasingam sits down with Yannick Veilleux-Lepage (Royal Military College of Canada) and David Wells to discuss the security challenges that Artificial Intelligence poses, and how might it be something we need to worry about. Dr. Yannick Veilleux-Lepage is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the Royal Military College of Canada. His research explores the intersection of technology, ideology, and political violence, with particular focus on terrorist innovation, online propaganda, and the use of emerging technologies by violent extremist organizations. He has published extensively on topics including the adoption of 3D-printed firearms by extremist actors, the role of technological convergence in terrorist threat evolution, and the use of evolutionary theory in understanding terrorist behavior. David Wells is an independent global security expert, who was most recently Head of Research and Analysis at the UN Counter-Terrorism Directorate in New York, managing the team who monitor global security and geopolitical trends for the Security Council. Prior to joining the UN in 2017, David worked in a variety of policy and research roles in Australia and the United Kingdom, and began his career working for UK intelligence agency GCHQ between 2005 and 2013, including two years as a UK counter-terrorism liaison officer to Australia. David was a Research Associate at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in 2016. sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    1h 2m
  2. Does Alberta Really Want to Leave Canada?

    MAR 26

    Does Alberta Really Want to Leave Canada?

    Alberta and separation, it’s not the first time we hear about it, so why does it matter now? Our host Amarnath Amarasingam sits down with Amy Mack (University of Lethbridge) and Robert Currie (Dalhousie University) to discuss today’s topic, as they check the temperature in the room whether Alberta really does want to separate, and what it would mean for Canada? Amy Mack is Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Digital Extremism and Assistant Professor in New Media at the University of Lethbridge. Robert Currie is a specialist in the area of international and transnational criminal law, and he teaches a seminar course in this subject. His 2010 book, International and Transnational Criminal Law, was shortlisted for the Walter Owen Book Prize for Outstanding Legal Literature in 2011 and the fourth edition will be published in 2026. He has authored and co-authored numerous articles and comments in this field and his work is regularly cited by Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Robert's article: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/02/alberta-separation-illegal/ Project mentioned: https://www.commongroundpolitics.ca/focus-groups sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    57 min
  3. To Five Percent or Close to it? On the Path to Higher Defence Spending

    FEB 25

    To Five Percent or Close to it? On the Path to Higher Defence Spending

    CIDP Director and host of today's episode Michael Murphy is joined by Anessa Kimball, Professor of political science in international relations at Université Laval. They sit down to discuss Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy through its new budgetary pledge of 5% total defence spending, the challenges it faces, and if it's even possible to achieve. Anessa L. Kimball (prof/they/iel) is a professor of political science in international relations at Université Laval, Québec, Canada, where they have been on faculty for nearly two decades. Since 2019, Kimball has directed the Canadian Defence and Security Network, a federally funded partnership research network. Their research combines rational institutional design and collective action approaches with different statistical methods and machine-coded (interview and international agreement) content analysis to examine how states resolve strategic problems (distribution, commitment, uncertainty) through the design of informal defence and security arrangements alongside NATO and issues of defence burden sharing, procurement, and international cooperation. sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    31 min
  4. Joint Operations, Defence of the Homeland & Defence Modernization

    JAN 26

    Joint Operations, Defence of the Homeland & Defence Modernization

    US Army War College Visiting Defence Fellow and host of today's episode LTC Nicholas Currie is joined by today's guest MGen Chris McKenna (Commander of 1 Canadian Air Division). They will discuss joint operations in Canada and abroad, defending the homeland, and defence modernization. Major-General (MGen) McKenna joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994, initially as an Army Reservist, and then attended the Royal Military College of Canada receiving his degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering in 1999. He also holds a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada (2013). MGen McKenna earned his RCAF Pilot wings in 2002 and served as a Rotary Wing Tactical Aviation and Special Operations Aviation pilot in the RCAF. He has commanded at the Flight, Squadron, Wing, and Task Force level and has served in a variety of command and staff positions including postings in CANSOFCOM units, RCAF HQ and in the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) HQ. sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    43 min
  5. Publishing Ep. 4 - Canadian Foreign Policy Journal

    JAN 12

    Publishing Ep. 4 - Canadian Foreign Policy Journal

    Host Michael P.A. Murphy is joined by our guest Philippe Lagassé, Associate Professor, Barton Chair in International Affairs, Carleton University. Phillipe is co-editor of the CFPJ. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal ( CFPJ ) is a fully peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal published three times a year by the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada. Established in 1992, CFPJ is now one of Canada’s leading journal of international affairs. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rcfp20 sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    11 min
  6. Publishing Ep. 3 - Armed Forces & Society Journal

    12/09/2025

    Publishing Ep. 3 - Armed Forces & Society Journal

    Host Michael P.A. Murphy is joined by our guest Ori Swed, Associate Professor, Texas Tech University. Ori is Editor-in-Chief of the Armed Forces & Society Journal. Armed Forces & Society: an interdisciplinary journal publishes articles quarterly on civil-military relations, veterans, force effectiveness and diversity, military culture, officer education and training, military institutions, ethics, unit cohesion, military families, peacemaking, privatization, public opinion, and conflict management. The journal is international in scope with a focus on interdisciplinary and policy discourse. The editors and contributors include political scientists, sociologists, psychologists, legal scholars, historians, and economists, as well as specialists in military organization and strategy, and peacekeeping. Armed Forces & Society Journal: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/AFS sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    26 min
  7. When is it Genocide? Thinking about the Crime of Crimes

    11/26/2025

    When is it Genocide? Thinking about the Crime of Crimes

    CIDP Associate Director and host of today's episode Amarnath Amarasingam is discussing Genocide, the crime of crimes, with guest Mark Kersten, assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. Mark Kersten is an Assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, and a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation in Berlin, Germany. He has a law degree from McGill University (2022) and a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics (2014). Mark is the author of numerous academic articles and the book, Justice in Conflict. He runs a blog by the same name. From 2023-2024, Mark worked as a legal researcher for the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, focusing on the application of international criminal law and human rights law, the primary areas of his expertise and research. sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    1h 10m
  8. Publishing Ep. 2 - International Journal

    11/11/2025

    Publishing Ep. 2 - International Journal

    Host Michael P.A. Murphy is joined by our guests Asa McKercher, Steven K. Hudson Research Chair at St Francis Xavier University, and Leah Sarson, Director, Centre for the Study of Security and Development, Dalhousie University. Both Asa and Leah are editors at International Journal. Founded in 1946, International Journal (IJ) is Canada’s pre-eminent journal of global policy analysis. Published in conjunction with the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History (CCIH), it combines brief, policy-relevant articles with longer, peer-reviewed, scholarly assessments of interest to foreign policy makers, analysts and academics in Canada and around the world.  International Journal: https://thecic.org/research-publications/ij/ sign up for our newsletter : https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/mailing-list Visit us at https://www.queensu.ca/cidp

    17 min
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About

On Defence and Security – is a podcast series that examines defence and military affairs both in Canada and internationally. Bridging the gap between academic research and policy is crucial, especially in areas as complex and important as military and defense affairs. By providing a platform for informed discussions, Conversations on Defence and Security can help policymakers make more well-informed decisions and enable the public to better understand these critical issues. It likely serves as a resource for scholars, policymakers, military personnel, and anyone interested in defense and security matters, both in Canada and globally.

Information

  • Creator
    Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP)
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    On Defence and Security

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