CDSN Podcast Network

In the twenty-second episode of Battle Rhythm, Season 3, with co-host Anessa Kimball, Professor at Université Laval. Steve & Anessa discuss upcoming NATO Parliamentary meetings in Montreal, communications espionage in European waters and Canadian implications for Trump’s cabinet picks. Today's feature interview is with Cmdre Matthew Coates.

A native of Halifax Nova Scotia, Cmdre Coates is a Naval Warfare Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada Kingston, with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1998, and from Salve Regina University in 2010 with a Masters in Management.

Cmdre Coates has held numerous staff and sea-going appointments, deploying multiple times on operations around the globe. Memorable highlights include a 2011 deployment as Executive Officer in HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN in support of NATO operations off the coast of Libya, and his appointment in 2013 as the Commanding Officer of HMCS IROQUOIS, a Tribal Class Destroyer. After his time in IROQUOIS he assumed command of Sea Training Atlantic where he was responsible for at-sea ship readiness and certification training.

He is a two-time graduate of the United States Naval War College in Newport Rhode Island where he attended the Naval Staff College (class of 2010) and Naval Command College (class of 2017).

In July 2017, he assumed the post of Director Naval Strategy, providing Force Development guidance in support of the future Navy. During this time Cmdre Coates was selected to participate in the RIMPAC 2018 Executive Steering Committee, responsible for planning major aspects of the multi-national exercise. He then deployed with the Chilean Navy as Deputy to the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander for the exercise.

In July 2019, he assumed the post of Director Human Rights and Diversity within Chief Military Personnel, working to ensure the Canadian Armed Forces, along with the Defence Team, are an inclusive, equitable and diverse organization.

After two rewarding and educational years in CMP, he returned to Navy lines, moving to Victoria BC to take up the appointment as Commander, Naval Personnel and Training Group.

Evolving the Naval Training System to be best positioned to meet the needs of the RCN’s future fleet, Cmdre Coates completed three busy years prior to his appointment as Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, during a ceremony 1 July 2024 in Toulon, France.

When not at work, Matthew and his wife Meghan, enjoy time camping with their two boys, and cheering them on at the ball park and hockey arena.

SecurityScape is created by The graduate student organization that represents the interests of the students of the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies, and acts to foster a sense of community in the program.

In our twenty-first episode of Battle Rhythm season 3, Steve Saideman and Dr. Wendy H. Wong (Professor of Political Science and Principal’s Research Chair at the University of British Columbia) trade baking schedules and recipes before diving into US election campaign strategies, Canada’s 2% defence spending prospects, plus the US and China relationship.

Today’s feature interview is with co-author Stephane Leman-Langlois of “The Great Right North: Inside Far-Right Activism in Canada” written by Stéphane Leman-Langlois, Aurélie Campana and Samuel Tanner.

Stéphane Leman-Langlois is professor of criminology at Laval University, Québec. He holds the Canada Research Chair on Surveillance and the Social Construction of Risk. He is director of the Terrorism and Counterterrorism Research Group and of the Centre on International Security at Laval University. He is also co-director of the Observatoire sur la radicalisation et l’extrémisme violent (OSR).

As a co-investigator of the Big Data Surveillance project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Stéphane Leman-Langlois is co-leading (with Valerie Steeves) research Stream Three: Governance. This stream will examine the use of big data for policing and other forms of social control.

Welcome to a new episode of the Field Report's Spotlight Series, brought to you by the students of the 2024 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.

How have NATO, security, and defence topics impacted electoral campaigns and voters' decisions? In today's episode, Chloe Duguay, Matt Howell, Adam Ivanovic, and Santiago Palacios are joined by Dr Toms Rostoks and Dr Steve Saideman to discuss how security and defence issues can, and have, impacted electoral campaigns. First, Dr Rostoks gives an overview of the incorporation of security and defence issues in Latvian politics, from NATO membership when Latvia regained its independence from the Soviet Union, up to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Then, the team goes to Dr Saideman to discuss what's on all our minds, the upcoming US election.

This episode was created during the 2024 NATO Field School by:

Chloe Duguay, an international relations honours student at Mount Allison University. She is currently completing research on NATO's role in upholding climate security and is an executive member of the Young Diplomats of Canada.

Adam Ivanovic, an International Studies student at Simon Fraser University.

Matt Howell, a political science honours student at the Royal Military College.

Santiago Palacios, a political studies honours student at Queens University, focussing on NATO, international affairs, and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Our special guests are:

Dr Toms Rostoks, 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.

Dr Steve Saideman, Director the Canadian Defence and Security Network and co-host of the Battle Rhythm Podcast!

With special thanks to our Spotlight Series producer, Morgan Cowley.

From the archives, an interview with Chief Warrant Officer Lucie Alain.

The Resilience podcast provides resources on responding to trauma, empowering individuals to maximize their productivity and effectiveness in pursuing personal and professional goals.

In episode 20 of Battle Rhythm's third season, Steve travels to Pennsylvania, discussion on campaign spending ensues. Co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mt. Allison University and Steve also discuss New Brunswick's recent election, Canada-India relations, North Korean - Russian military cooperation and the escalation risk of US troops in Israel. Today's feature interview is with Rhonda Gossen, a former diplomat with Global Affairs Canada.

The Year Ahead Event: https://www.cdsn-rcds.com/network-events/save-the-date-cdsn-year-ahead-writing-canadas-foreign-policy

Rhonda Gossen is a former diplomat with Global Affairs Canada, assigned to Philippines,

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Ghana. She is currently a senior consultant with UNDP, working on

early recovery, forced displacement and refugee response, resilience, stabilization, development solutions to internal displacement and strategic planning. She worked as development advisor to the humanitarian coordinator for the Rohingya Crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh and to UNHCR Lebanon on the Syrian refugee crisis. In addition to UNDP, she has undertaken assignments with the World Bank, UNICEF, UNHCR, in Pakistan, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, South Sudan, Southern Africa, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan Afghanistan, and Iran. She is the author of an upcoming book with McGill-Queens University Press.

In this second part of a two-part series on the 2024 NATO Summit, NATO Field School staff Sasha and Amy take you behind the scenes of Day 2 of the NATO Public Forum, held in Washington, DC in July 2024, alongside the NATO Summit. Join Sasha and Amy as they share their live reactions and insights, recorded in real-time between summit discussions. This episode will immerse you in the event, making you feel like you were right there with them!

This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Check out part 1, released on October 1st.

The NATO Field School is proud to be the Canadian institutional partner of the NATO Public Forum. Thank you to the NATO Public Diplomacy Division for their continued support.

Biographies:

Amy Topshee is the NATO Field School Alumni Coordinator and an alumna of the 2022 NATO Field School. She has a BA (Hons) in Political Science with International Relations from the University of British Columbia and recently completed a 6-month internship in the BC Legislature.

Sasha Kardos-Machado is the NATO Field School Communications and Outreach Coordinator and an alumna of the 2024 NATO Field School. She is in her final year at Bishop's University, pursuing an BA (Hons) in International Studies with a minor in Political Studies.

In episode 19 of Battle Rhythm's third season, Steve has an agreeable discussion with David Pugliese on Canadaland’s Backbench podcast. Co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mt. Allison University and Steve discuss conventional war readiness, along with analysis of the Military’s domestic propaganda story and potential implications. Today's Feature interview is with Byron Tau. Byron Tau is an investigative and enterprise journalist who specializes in law, courts, and national security. He reports for and teaches at the Allbritton Journalism Institute, a journalism nonprofit launched in 2023 that trains and mentors early-career reporters. He previously worked at The Wall Street Journal and Politico. A native of Holliston, Massachusetts, Tau has degrees from McGill University in Montreal and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Links:

https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/100-trump-says-canada-doesnt-pull-its-weight-in-nato-hes-right/

https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/04/who-gets-to-police-defence-and-security.html

For the 10th episode of The Field Report, NATO Field School staff Sasha and Amy take you behind the scenes of the 2024 NATO Summit, held in Washington, D.C., where NATO celebrated its 75th anniversary. Join Sasha and Amy as they share their live reactions and insights, recorded in real-time between summit discussions. This episode will immerse you in the event, making you feel like you were right there with them!

The NATO Field School is proud to be the Canadian institutional partner of the NATO Public Forum. Thank you to the NATO Public Diplomacy Division for their continued support.

Biographies:

Amy Topshee is the NATO Field School Alumni Coordinator and an alumna of the 2022 NATO Field School. She has a BA (Hons) in Political Science with International Relations from the University of British Columbia and recently completed a 6-month internship in the BC Legislature.

Sasha Kardos-Machado is the NATO Field School Communications and Outreach Coordinator and an alumna of the 2024 NATO Field School. She is in her final year at Bishop's University, pursuing an BA (Hons) in International Studies with a minor in Political Studies.

In episode 18 of Battle Rhythm's third season, Steve testifies at the Parliamentary Defence Committee, discussion ensues. Co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mt. Allison University and Steve also discuss the submarine procurement announcement, security clearances for provincial and territorial leaders and newly released intelligence priorities from the federal agencies. Today’s feature interview is with David Whetham, Professor of Ethics and the Military Profession in the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London.

David Whetham is the Director of the King’s Centre for Military Ethics and delivers or coordinates the military ethics component of courses for between two and three thousand British and international officers a year at the UK’s Joint Services Command and Staff College. Before joining King’s as a permanent member of staff in 2003, David worked as a BBC researcher and with the OSCE in Kosovo, supporting the 2001 and 2002 elections.

David supports military ethics education in many different countries and has held Visiting Fellowships at the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, US Naval Academy Annapolis, the Centre for Defence Leadership and Ethics at the Australian Defence College in Canberra and at the University of Glasgow. He was a Mid-Career Fellow at the British Academy in 2017-18 and is currently a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the University of New South Wales. He was appointed as the Jeffrey Grey Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Australian Defence College in 2023. David is a founding member of the European Chapter of the International Society for Military Ethics (Euro ISME) which holds an annual conference for military practitioners, academics and defence policy-makers.In 2020, David was appointed as an Assistant Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force to contribute to the Afghanistan Inquiry into allegations of war crimes committed by Special Forces personnel. His contribution was published as an annex to the Brereton Report in November 2020, with all of the recommendations being accepted by the Chief of the General Staff and Prime Minister. He currently sits on the UK Defence Medical Services Ethics Committee, the UK MoD AI Ethics Panel, the 77X Ethics Advisory Panel, and the Australian Defence Force's International Standing Panel of Experts in Ethics.

David is married with two children, and sits as a Magistrate on the Wiltshire Bench. In his spare time, he plays trombone with the 41º Big Band and enjoys epée fencing.