Hosts
Hannah Christensen is the Program Coordinator of the NATO Field School.
Hailey Lothamer is an alumna of the 2022 NATO Field School. She graduated from the University of Alberta with BA Honours in Political Science.
Lauren Mannix is an alumna of the 2022 NATO Field School. She graduated from the University of Victoria with a BSc in Anthropology and Professional Communication.
Solomon Rodgers is our Lead Podcast Producer and an alumnus of the 2022 NATO Field School. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA in International Relations and Political Science.
Episode 7
NATO@75: Discussing eFP Latvia
As NATO reaches its 75th anniversary, the NATO Field School is taking the opportunity to reflect on one of Canada's largest recent involvements in NATO, leading the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Latvia.
In today's episode, hosts Chris Babcock and Hannah Christensen sit down with Brigadier-General Rutland, the Chief of Staff, Operations, for the Canadian Army, and the first Commanding Officer of the Enhanced Forward Presence in 2017, to discuss the eFP's scaling up from battlegroup to brigade, the unique nature of eFP Latvia is the most multi-national of all the eFPs, and what opportunities and challenges this commitment presents for the Canadian Armed Forces.
This episode of the Field Report was presented by:
Chris Babcock, a Masters student at Carleton University, and
Hannah Christensen, Program Manager of the NATO Field School. With special thanks to our Field Report Production team for their support.
Our special guest today BGen Rutland, Chief of Staff, Operations, CAF. BGen Rutland joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1995 as a primary reservist. In 2017, while commander of First Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, he deployed as the first Commanding Officer of the Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group. For this deployment, he was named an Officer of the Order of Viesturs, in recognition of his contributions to the promotion of security and defence in Latvia.
Episode 5
Spotlight on Women, Peace and Security Part 1
Welcome to a new episode of the Field Report's Spotlight Series, brought to you by the students of the 2023 NATO Field School. The Spotlight Series will shine a light on key issues and threats in the landscape of security and defence through expert analysis and in-depth discussions.
In today's episode, Theodosios Terry Nikolaidis and Lauren Parry are joined by Dr Stéfanie von Hlatky and OCdt Zoe Hollander to discuss Women, Peace, and Security, and how NATO can be a more gender-equitable organization. This episode is part 1 of 2, so stay tuned for further discussion with Dr Florence Gaub, Research Director at the NATO Defense College, to continue this conversation!
This episode was created during the 2023 NATO Field School by:
Ashlee Ahn, a Political Science student at the University of British Columbia
Abigail Lauder, a History and Political Science student at the University of Alberta.
Theodosios Terry Nikolaidis, a Global Political Studies student at York University.
Lauren Parry, a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University, where she studied Political Science and Legal Studies.
Our special guests are:
Dr Stéfanie von Hlatky, the Canada Research Chair in Gender, Security and the Armed Forces and Associate Professor of Political Science at Queen's University.
OCdt Zoe Hollander, an Officer Cadet at the Royal Military College of Canada, and an alumna of the 2023 NATO Field School. Once she graduates, Zoe will be trained for her trade in public affairs. Zoe would like to emphasize that she is only speaking based on her experiences and does not aim to represent Canada or the Canadian Armed Forces.
With special thanks to our Spotlight Series producer, Morgan Cowley
Episode 6
Spotlight on Women, Peace and Security Part 2
Welcome to a new episode of the Field Report's Spotlight Series, brought to you by the students of the 2023 NATO Field School.
In today's episode, hosts Theodosios Terry Nikolaidis and Lauren Parry continue their discussion of Women, Peace, and Security in NATO with Dr Florence Gaub, Research Director at the NATO Defense College. For more discussion on this topic, check out Part 1, with interviews with Dr Stéfanie von Hlatky and OCdt Zoe Hollander.
This episode of the Field Report was created during the 2023 NATO Field School by:
Ashlee Ahn, a Political Science student at the University of British Columbia,
Abigail Lauder, a History and Political Science student at the University of Alberta,
Theodosios Terry Nikolaidis, a Global Political Studies student at York University, and Lauren Parry, a recent Political Science and Legal Studies graduate from Simon Fraser University. With special thanks to our Spotlight Series producer, Morgan Cowley.
Our special guest today is Dr Florence Gaub, the Director of the Research Division at the NATO Defense College. Her previous roles include foresight advisor at the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, special advisor to the EU's Commissioner on Strategic Foresight, and Deputy Director at the EU Institute for Security Studies. Dr Gaub also serves on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Complex Risks and is Vice-President of the European Forum Alpbach.
Episode 4
Spotlight On Canadian Military Spending And Culture
Welcome to the first episode of the Field Report's Spotlight Series, brought to you by the students of the 2023 NATO Field School. The Spotlight Series will shine a light on key issues and threats in the landscape of security and defence through expert analysis and in-depth discussions.
In today's episode, Zander van Asperen is joined by Azaly Addam, Pyper Lane, Alexa Maierle, and Mackenzie Nauss discuss what impacts Canada not reaching NATO's 2% of GDP spending goal has on the CAF and how the culture within in the CAF informs Canada's role, reputation, and image within NATO.
This episode was created during the 2023 NATO Field School by:
Azaly Addam, a Political Science and International Relations student at the University of British Columbia, and a Non-Commissioned Member, Sailor, 1st Class, in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve.
Pyper Lane, a Political Science and Philosophy student at Saint Mary's University
Alexa Maierle, a Political Science and History student at Simon Fraser University
Mackenzie Nauss, an Officer Cadet, studying Political Science at the Royal Military College.
Zander van Asperen, a Political Studies student at Queens University.
Episode 3
Reporting from Vilnius: the 2023 NATO Summit
In this instalment of The Field Report, we discuss the Vilnius Summit, where the NATO Field School was the Canadian institutional partner at the NATO Public Forum, an event taking place on the sidelines of the NATO Summit. Dr Alexander Moens, our NATO Field School Director, and Dr Toms Rostoks, Director of the Centre for Security and Strategic Research at the Latvian National Defence Academy, both of whom were on the ground in Vilnius during the summit, will join our hosts for this episode, Hannah Christensen and Ethan Clow, to discuss their key takeaways from the event and the Summit as a whole, including Swedish accession to NATO, support for Ukraine, and the challenges of China, and much more!
Thank you again to the NATO Public Diplomacy Division for their continued support of our program. We were honoured to be recognized as the Canadian institutional partner of the 2023 NATO Public Forum.
Dr Alexander Moens is the Director of the NATO Field School and Simulation Program.
Dr Toms Rostoks is an Associate Professor at the University of Latvia and the Director of the Centre for Security and Strategic Research at the Latvian National Defence Academy.
Hannah Christensen is the Program Coordinator of the NATO Field School.
Ethan Clow is a Masters student at McGill University and an alumnus of the 2023 NATO Field School.
Episode 2
Reporting from Madrid: the 2022 NATO Summit
In this installment of The Field Report, we take you to Madrid, Spain, the host city of the 2022 NATO Summit. Leading up to and during the summit, 2022 Field School alumna, Miriam Hadjeres Montero, worked for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in support of the event. Miriam is joined by fellow 2022 NATO Field School alumna and 2023 NATO Field School Intern, Amy Topshee, to discuss the significance of NATO Summits, delve into standout moments from Madrid, and gain valuable insights from Miriam's firsthand experience as a young professional working alongside this historic event.
This is Part 1 of a compelling two-part discussion on the world of NATO Summits. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll hear from Field School Director Dr. Moens, who was on the ground in Vilnius for the 2023 NATO Summit!
Amy Topshee is an alumna of the 2022 NATO Field School and 2023 NATO Field School Intern. She recently graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA Honours in Political Science and International Relations. This January she will begin an internship in the BC Legislature.
Miriam Hadjeres Montero is an alumna of the 2022 NATO Field School and a recent graduate of the International Masters in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies program. During 2022, Miriam worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain in support of Madrid Summit. Miriam will be graduating next October with a Professional Master's in Intelligence and Geopolitical Analysis.
Epsiode 1
Reporting from Calgary: News Media and National Defence
Welcome to the first episode of the Field Report, brought to you by the students and staff of the NATO Field School at Simon Fraser University. In each episode, you'll hear from our team, as well as security and defence experts and practitioners on what we've been about to learn about security and defence while in the field.
Summary
In this first episode of the Field Report, we travel to Calgary, Alberta, where several alumni took part in a CDSN workshop focussed on the relationship between news media and national defence. We will discuss their takeaways from this workshop as well as speak with Dr Jean-Christophe Boucher, CDSN Co-Director and the lead organizer of the workshop itself!
Dr. Jean-Christophe Boucher is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Policy and at the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary as well as a Co-Director with the Civilian-Military Relations theme of the CDSN. 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 foreign policy, international security, and data analytics.
