I am thrilled to welcome back to the podcast, Lieutenant-Colonel Marc Kieley of the Canadian Army. 

We previously featured Colonel Keiley in Episode 65 where he was kind to share his memories and reflections on combat deployments in Afghanistan.

For this episode, Colonel Kieley is speaking in his position as the Army's G35, and that means he is the Section Head for Operational Plans for the Canadian Army.

In our wide-ranging discussion, we discuss the structure of the Army, its capabilities, signature training exercises, and we delve into the vehicles and weapon systems that the Army utilizes, and what it might need moving forward.

Our chat focuses heavily on the Army's plans for its growing presence in Latvia, which is its biggest commitment and therefore the most important driver of operational plans for the Army.

The mission in Latvia is in support of NATO's efforts to strengthen the Eastern flank of the Alliance in the wake of Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

We discuss the Canadian Armed Forces current posture in Latvia, and what is planned for its growth from a Canadian-led multinational Battlegroup to a Canadian-led multinational Brigade.

The Colonel also shares how the evolution of this mission is leading the Army to shift its major training event from Canada to Europe.

Our conversation provides some of the best insight into the Army of today and the immediate future so I can assure you that you will not find more detailed information, along with context, than you will here!

This is Part 1 of our 2 episode chat, so please look for our next episode where we continue our chat with Lieutenant-Colonel Kieley to discuss Operational Planning for the Canadian Army, including vehicles, weapon systems and Urgent Operational Requirements for the Army.

Our thanks to Lieutenant-Colonel Kieley for his time and insight on the Canadian Army.

Go Bold!