Episode 12: Forever Wars: Resilience and Readiness

In the 12th episode of the Battle Rhythm Podcast, Steve and Stef discuss WIIS-France and the Arctic and of course Trump. For our feature interview, we head back to the summer when Steve interviewed Chiara Ruffa [25:30] at the ERGOMAS conference in Lisbon discussing her book, Military Cultures in Peace and Stability Operations. This week’s Emerging Scholar interview is with Rebecca Jensen [19:00] who discusses her research on operational adaption as a dissertation fellow at Marine Corps University. In Steve’s Peeves [48:10], Steve shares some of his thoughts on silencing student criticism of China on campus.

Episode 8: Navigating Boundaries

In this episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve tells of his adventures in Petawawa as part of a military exercise:Exercise Collaborative Spirit Blogpost. Steve and Stef then comment on the Trudeau brownface/blackface scandal dominating Canadian headlines. They also discuss the United Nations General Assembly as well as the Ukraine scandal and impeachment proceedings rocking the Trump administration. In light of the recent Climate Marches across Canada, Steve and Stef highlight the defence and security implications of accelerating climate change. In the Emerging Scholar segment, Stef chats with Timothy Choi [17:30] who discusses his fascinating research on Maritime Strategy. The feature interview is with Philippe Lagassé [23:50] who talks about defence procurement in Canada and shares his peeves.

Episode 6: The Interdisciplinarity of Insurgency / Return of the Students

In this episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef start by discussing the highlights of their summer and the start of the semester. They move on to a discussion of the recent G7 meeting in Biarritz. In particular, they explore Trump’s approach to such meetings and Macron’s efforts at diplomacy with Iran. In a bonus segment, fitness expert FitCafé - Véronique Malo Fitness offers some tips on adopting good habits at the start of the semester. The Emerging Scholar interview is with Tanya Irwin [18:00] who talks about her fascinating research on rebel group taxation. In the feature interview, Steve speaks with Nada Bakos [27:00] about her new book, “The Targeter”, which chronicles her experiences at the CIA. Finally, in Steve's Peeves, some commentary from Steve on former Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis’s new book tour.

Episode 4: Women Influencing Foreign Policy

In this episode of Battle Rhythm, Stef reveals she has been named Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel (HLCol) of the Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment. Discussing the news, Steve and Stef ponder the significance of Canada not being invited to join the British fleet amidst tensions with Iran. They go on to discuss Canada's efforts to replace the F18 as well as Turkey’s procurement of Russian air defence systems and its implications for NATO. They also analyse and offer their thoughts on the Heyder Beattie Sexual Misconduct Settlement. This episode features listener questions with responses from Steve and Stef. The Emerging Scholar segment is with Meagan Shoemaker [21:45] who discusses her research on how women’s deployment decisions and motivations are gendered. In the feature interview, Stef speaks with Sylvia Bashevkin [27:45] about her award-winning book Women as Foreign Policy Leaders. Finally, in Steve's Peeves, Steve discusses the problem of sexual misconduct in the US armed forces and the role of Congress on addressing it.