Episode 18: Diversity & Inclusion

In the 18th episode of Battle Rhythm, Stef and our guest co-host this week, Jean-Christophe Boucher, fellow co-director of the CDSN and lead of the Civil – Military Relations theme, discuss NATO in the Middle East, the Munich Security Conference and Macron’s vision for a European nuclear defense strategy. Our Capstone Preview features Emerging Scholar Victoria Tait [24:30], a PhD candidate in the Political Science Department at Carleton University, who presented her paper at the last inter-university Seminar on Armed Forces and Society-Canada.  Our Feature Interview this week is with Year Ahead guest, Shawn Skelly [33:35] Co-founder of Out in National Security and Commissioner, National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, 2017-2020. This week’s Peeve is on hiatus as Steve is in Japan this week. Mentioned: Jean-Christophe Boucher and Kim Richard Nossal’s The Politics of War: Canada’s Afghanistan Mission, 2001–14; David Pugliese’s Ottawa Citizen piece, Canadian Forces nixes post about military "bling” but moves ahead with other initiatives to recruit women.

Episode 15: Looking Ahead

In the 15th episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef discuss the implications of the US airstrike for the Canadian led NATO mission in Iraq, along with new year resolutions and Pokemon infrastructure. Steve speaks with Rachel Schmidt [22:55] about her PhD research on female rebel disengagement and we have an interview with CDSN Military Personnel co-directors, Irina Goldenberg and our very own Stéfanie von Hlatky [29:00] discussing the exciting plans they have coming up in CDSN Military Personnel Theme. Meanwhile, Steve [52:55] is peeved about international relations media coverage.

Episode 13: International Order

In the 13th episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef discuss the NATO leadership summit, along with the highlights and lowlights of the past year including this podcast! Spoiler alert: it’s a highlight. Stef speaks with Thomas Hughes [19:00] about his PhD research on NATO military exercises and we have an interview with Stephanie C. Hofmann [27:35] from this past summer in Lisbon, where they discuss regional security organizations.

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 10: Security Transformations for Africans, By Africans

In the 10th episode of Battle Rhythm Podcast, Steve and Stef reflect on the recent Canadian election and consider what Canada’s defense and security policy might look like under a Liberal minority government. They also discuss recent protests in Iraq, their recent trips to Denver, Hamburg and Belgium and all things Halloween. The feature interview guest is Lindy Heinecken [22:30], who discusses transitions of peacekeepers when they come home, South Africa's Post-Apartheid Military: Lost in Transition and Transformation. Our Emerging Scholar segment has Stef speaking with Elikem Tsamenyi [15:00], about his research on security governance mechanisms within Africa. Steve shares some of his thoughts on the film adaptation of World War Z in Steve's Peeves.

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 3: NATO, Boston for Berlin

In this episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef provide updates on their current research projects and recent travel to Israel (Steve) and Holland (Stef). Discussing the news, Steve and Stef talk about Secretary General of NATO, General Stoltenberg’s recent visit to Canada and Canada’s contributions to NATO. They also discuss the recent accidental disclosure of location of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe. In the emerging scholar segment, Stef speaks with Sara Greco [21:15] about her fascinating PhD dissertation on the salience of soft power mechanisms in power transitions amongst great power rivals, “The erosion of American diplomacy.” This episode’s featured interview is with Sara Bjerg Moller [31:30] who talks NATO in the Trump era. Finally, in Steve’s Peeve’s, Steve argues that presidential tweets matter!