Vanguard Radio Oct 26 2016

Thanks Terri.

The battle rages on in northern Iraq as Iraqi troops and Kurdish fighters continue their push to root out ISIS terrorists who once held sway in Mosul.

That and just what is the nature of Canada's involvement in the assault on Mosul is one of stories in this week's episode of Vanguard Radio.

But first, an update on the latest issue of the Vanguard Magazine

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That's right the digital format of the Oct-Nov 2016 issue of the Vanguard Magazine is out.

Our print issue will surely follow in the next few days.

This time around, Vanguard takes dives into the topic of underwater drones or Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.

The Navy is looking to procure AUVs for marine mine hunting operations.

Rick Gerbrecht of Atlas Elektronik Canada explains why underwater drones are perfect for such a task and also provides us a glimpse of the future of "drone swarms."

While armed airbourne drones have been called the terror of the skies, unmanned aerial vehicles could be their life-saving counter-parts.

In the latest issue of Vanguard Magazine, Ken Chadder and Kevin Young of Hexagon Safety and Infrastructure, talk about the critical role that drones will play in the planning of real-time emergency response.

For this issue, our Game Changers are: Heather Pilot, president of business consulting firm Pilot Hill and lead organizer of the Best Defence Conference;

Bodo Gospodnetic, president of Dominis Engineering Ltd., a pioneer in the design, machining and measurement of marine propellers, water jet impellers, and hydro turbine runners;

and George Palikaras, founder and CEO of Metamaterial Technologies.

Be sure to check out the latest Vanguard Magazine you'll find the link to it at the bottom or our web site.

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On Oct 17, Iraqi government troops and Kurdish Peshmerga forces moved in on Mosul to dislodge ISIS terrorists that have been holding the northern Iraqi city since last year.

The Iraqi troops and the Kurds are being backed by a US-led coalition which also includes Canadian forces.

You'll find some of our earlier accounts of the battle in the stories Major Move Mosul and ISIS sleeper cells launch counterattack.

But what many Canadian would like to know is the nature of involvement of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel in the operation.

Are our soldiers involved in armed combat or not?

Last Week, photos surfaced on social media which gave the impression that they are in the front lines.

Pictures appearing on Twitter showed men in Canadian uniforms apparently setting up heavy weapons or manning armoured vehicles.

Accompanying reports said they were helping Kurdish fighters in an area east of Mosul.

In our recent story Are Canadian in the front lines in Mosul, the reaction of Defence Chief Harjit Sajjan has been cryptic.

While he did not question the photos, he also did not clearly say if Canadian troops were involved in combat.

Under Operation Impact, the Canadian Armed Forces provide training and assistance to the Iraqi security forces.

We support the Coalition with highly skilled personnel, and provide support to Coalition air and intelligence efforts.

Canada is at the forefront of international efforts to defeat Daesh and to address the significant security, humanitarian, and political challenges it poses.

But right from the start, the role of Canadian troops was stated by the Liberal government to be non-combative.

Has this role somehow changed to active battle involvement?

We think Canadians deserve to know.

The government needs to be more transparent

Canadians shouldn't be kept in the dark about this and left to find out what's happening really happening through Twitter.

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That's it for this episode of Vanguard Radio.

We hope you enjoyed our recap of some of the developments we have been following this week.

Vanguard will continue to monitor the unfolding events in Mosul as well as the latest reports from the defence industry.

This is your host, Nestor Arellano

Saying see you again next week on the Vanguard Radio