In the 21st episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef discuss CDS Vance’s letter including Operations LASER, IMPACT and UNIFIER, along with a hold on recruiting for the CAF and what the US Military should be doing in the ‘War on COVID’. Our Feature Interview this week is with Brigadier-General Greg Smith, [30:50] in Mons, Belgium. Mentioned: Aisha Ahmad’s Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure; Devil's Brigade; Hyena Road; Strategic Strikes Back; World War Z
Brigadier-General Greg Smith in Mons, Belgium.
Brigadier-General Greg Smith was born in Oshawa, Ontario and graduated from the Collège militaire royal de St-Jean (CMR) in 1993. He has served in each of the battalions of the Royal Canadian Regiment (The RCR) including commanding a mechanized rifle platoon and Mortar Platoon in 1 RCR, a mechanized company second-in-command in 2 RCR and the Parachute Company Commander in 3 RCR. He was Commanding Officer of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, Commandant of the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, and Director of the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps. Brigadier-General Smith's staff appointments include serving at the Infantry School, the Army Headquarters on three separate occasions as the ADC CLS, the G33 Current Operations and the G3, in the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, and as Chief of Staff of the Defence Renewal Team (DRT). Brigadier-General Smith's operational deployments include Operation HARMONY in Croatia in 1994-95 as a platoon commander, Operation ATHENA in Kabul in 2003-04 as Battalion Group Operations Officer (S3), in Kandahar in 2009-10 as a Task Force Commander and in Kabul on Operation ATTENTION in 2012 as the Deputy Commander. He is a graduate of the Transitional Command and Staff Course at the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, the Joint Command and Staff Program at the Canadian Forces College (CFC) Toronto and also the National Security Programme at CFC Toronto. Brigadier-General Smith possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Military and Strategic Studies (Honours) from CMR and three Masters of Arts in War Studies, Defence Studies and Public Administration through the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) and the University of New Brunswick.
Steve speaks with Rachel Schmidt about her PhD research on female rebel disengagement.
Rachel Schmidt is a PhD candidate in International Conflict Management and Resolution at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. She is currently completing her fieldwork in Colombia, which involves interviewing ex-combatants from various non-state armed groups. Her research focuses on why combatants defect from insurgent groups, with comparative analysis of men and women’s pathways out of violence, as well as comparisons of defectors with ex-combatants who demobilize collectively through peace processes. Rachel also works as a senior editor for OpenGlobalRights, a leading online human rights forum. She holds an MA from NPSIA and a BA from the University of British Columbia.
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.
Thomas Hughes talks about his PhD research on NATO military exercises.
Thomas Hughes: Having graduated with a BA(Hons) in History from Durham University, UK, in 2009, Thomas spent almost five years working in financial services before commencing an MA degree in International Studies (with a focus on International Security) in Denver, Colorado. Graduating from the two-year programme at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies in 2016, he is now working on a PhD in the Political Studies programme at Queen's University.
An interview with Stephanie Hofmann from this past summer in Lisbon, where she discusses regional security organizations with Steve.
Stephanie C. Hofmann is Professor in the Department of International Relations and Political Science at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. She received her PhD from Cornell University and her M.A.s from Cornell University and Bath University. She held visiting research positions at the European University Institute, the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Columbia University and the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung. As a visiting professor, she has taught academic and policy-oriented audiences in places such as Jerusalem, Rome, Tbilisi and Yerevan. And she conducted consultancy work for national governments and international organizations in places such as Burundi and Geneva. Her research centers on international/regional organizations, European and international security, networks, and global order. Her first book European Security in NATO’s Shadow. Party Ideologies and Institution Building appeared with Cambridge University Press (2013). Other research has appeared or is forthcoming in European Journal of International Relations, Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of Strategic Studies, Journal of Peace Research and Perspectives on Politics.
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.
Harleen Atwal talks about the NATO Field School and Simulation Program.
Harleen Atwal is an MA student at Simon Fraser University. She received the Alumni Association Outstanding Student Leadership Award for her service to Simon Fraser University. Atwal’s service involved volunteer work she performed for the 2018 NATO Field School and Simulation Program , of which she is now manager.
Episode 9: The View From Europe
In this episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve and Stef talk about Turkey’s recent incursion against Kurdish forces in Northern Syria. They explore how the Trump administration’s foreign policy led to this moment and elaborate on the implications for NATO. In light of the impending Canadian election, Steve and Stef discuss the foreign policy positions of the main parties. In the Network Highlights segment, Steve speaks with Harleen Atwal [21:00] about the NATO Field School and Simulation Program. The feature interview is with Alice Pannier [25:45] who shares her expertise in European security politics. Finally, in Steve’s Peeves, some thoughts from Steve on the NBA pandering to China.
Sara Moller talks NATO in the Trump era.
Sara Bjerg Moller is an Assistant Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Her research interests include military interventions, alliances, and grand strategy. She uses a variety of methods to investigate the group dynamics and interplay of conflict and cooperation in wartime.
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!
