Go Bold with Joetey Attariwala

I am happy to welcome Royal Canadian Navy Captain Colin Matthews, who I chat with while he was in Command of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150).

Captain Matthews was speaking to me from the CTF-150 headquarters at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, which is also the headquarters for the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a multinational naval partnership of 46 nations that focuses on counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, maritime security, and regional cooperation. 

The Combined Maritime Forces is the world’s largest international naval partnership, and it's goal is to promote stability, security, and prosperity in international waters, including some of the world's most important shipping lanes. 

CTF-150 is one of five task forces under the Combined Maritime Forces, and its core staff consists of Australians, Bahrainis, Canadians, and New Zealanders.

In this episode you will hear about Canada's leadership of CTF-150, which began in January 2024.

Highlights during the nearly seven month tenure of Canada's leadership included seven successful drug interdiction's at sea, with more than 11,600 kg of illegal narcotics seized.

Notably, you will hear how CTF-150 used space-based intelligence from Canada's RADARSAT-2 satellite, a capability that will be an ongoing asset to the Combined Maritime Forces as appropriate.

The tenure of Canada's command of CTF-150 has been concurrent with the kinetic actions that are happening in the Red Sea, so I asked Captain Matthews how that combat action impacted CTF-150.

Other notable events you will hear about during Canada's command of CTF-150 was the interdiction of a ship transporting advanced conventional weapons.

You'll also hear how India participated for the first time, and how they conducted their largest ever drug interdiction to date.

This is a fascinating chat with a senior military leader, so I hope you enjoy this episode with Captain Colin Matthews, the Commander of CTF-150 (until July 22, 2024).

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We are proud to welcome back to the Go Bold podcast Colonel Chris Horner, a senior officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

We first featured Colonel Horner in Episode 69, where he shared his memories of serving in the Afghanistan theatre, and that was to honour the 10 year mark of Canada's withdrawal from that country. If you haven't heard it, you're missing out on a great chat, so I strongly recommend you tune in to Episode 69 for that discussion.

Our focus for this episode is the Canadian Joint Warfare Centre (CJWC) where Colonel Horner is the Commanding Officer.

The Canadian Joint Warfare Centre is a centre of excellence that assists the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in finding ways to operate as a Joint Force to face the ever-evolving operational environment by implementing best practices, novel concepts and accelerating the adoption of available and emerging tools and technologies.

Part of the reason of doing this is because the Canadian Armed Forces, and allied militaries for that matter, need to be able to quickly and efficiently absorb data, like that from Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets, among others, and be able to process, exploit and disseminate it to the Joint Force.

If some of that sounds familiar, then you have likely heard our last 2 episodes (Episodes 77 and 78), where we had the great pleasure to speak with Brigadier-General Andy Clark, the Commanding General of NATO's ISR Force.

Those two episodes are some of the most informative you will hear about the capabilities of NATO's ISR Force, and they are a wonderful precursor to this episode about the Canadian Joint Warfare Centre, which works around a core of Command, Control and Intelligence.

Colonel Horner does a fantastic job to explain the multi-domain challenges faced by the Joint Force and how the Canadian Joint Warfare Centre has a number of initiatives which are focused on the goal of continually preparing the Canadian Armed Forces to be better able to achieve operational effects across the full spectrum of conflict.

You'll hear about Canadian Joint Warfare Center experimentation activities which includes collaboration with NATO and Allies. Examples include wargaming in the Space domain; and wargaming and modeling and simulation on the future of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

All said, the efforts of the Canadian Joint Warfare Centre are about evolving doctrine and enabling the Joint Force to make decisions faster than adversaries.

This is an incredibly fascinating discussion, so I want to thank Colonel Horner for his time and insight on CJWC's march towards decision superiority.

We also congratulate Colonel Horner on his recent promotion to Brigadier-General!

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In our last episode we introduced you to Brigadier-General Andy Clark, the Commanding General of the NATO ISR Force, which is headquartered in Sigonella, Sicily.

We spoke about the formation and makeup of the NATO ISR Force, which as one would understand with an active war in Europe, is experiencing tasking demand that is greater today than ever before.

In this episode we continue our exclusive chat with General Clark as we speak about the NATO ISR Force and its RQ-4D Phoenix high-altitude long endurance uninhabited aerial vehicle, and its Synthetic Aperture Radar and Moving Target Indicator technology.

We talk about how the autonomous aircraft is operated and how it is tasked. We also discuss synergy with similar aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and the United States Navy.

We also talk about training, and the future of the NATO ISR Force, and we get some insight on what the General is thinking for the future of the capability that he is focused on.

The two episodes with General Clark are arguably some of the most detailed and insightful perspectives you will find on the NATO ISR Force, so we hope you enjoy these conversations and we hope you will come away with a true appreciation for the organization, its capabilities, and a sense of what the future may hold.

I want to thank Brigadier-General Clark for his time, kindness and insight.

Go Bold!

In keeping with our focus to bring you senior military leaders from Allied Forces, we are very proud to welcome to this episode, Brigadier-General Andy Clark, a United States Air Force General who is currently serving as the Commanding General of the NATO ISR Force (NISRF).

(ISR = Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance).

Having General Clark as a guest is a true honor as I've found him to be a wonderfully personable leader who is forthright and passionate in his remit.

My exclusive chat with General Clark spanned two wide ranging conversations, so in this episode you'll hear a bit about his operational history, but the majority of our chat focuses on NATO's ISR Force, which some may remember by its previous name of the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force.

The NATO ISR Force currently has 25 member nations active in the organization, and it operates a fleet of five RQ-4D Phoenix high-altitude long endurance uninhabited aerial system aircraft. These aircraft are fitted with a Synthetic Aperture Radar, and Moving Target Indicator technology. The ISR information that these platforms collect, along with other contributions, are processed and made available to all 32 member nations of the NATO Alliance.

I'm particularly honored to have the privilege to speak with General Clark as 2024 marks the 75 Anniversary for NATO, which arguably has a renewed focus on defence of the Alliance in light of Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Since that time, NATO’s ISR Force has become increasingly important in generating ISR data for the Alliance.

You'll hear all about that and much more in this episode and in the next as there are many aspects about NATO's ISR Force that we discussed.

These episodes are incredibly informative so I want to thank Brigadier-General Clark for his time, kindness and insight.

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It is the eve of the 2024 iteration of RIMPAC -- the Rim of the Pacific exercise -- which is hosted by the United States Navy.

RIMPAC is the biggest naval exercise in the world and it is held primarily in the waters around Hawaii. 

RIMPAC 2024 will see 29 nations, 40 ships and numerous aircraft participate. One of those ships is His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Max Bernays, the newest ship in Canada's Pacific Fleet.

HMCS Max Bernays is a Harry DeWolf class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV). These ships operate primarily in a constabulary role and have the ability to carry out a number of missions.

At approximately 6,500 tons, Canada's AOPVs have a lot of capability with their special spaces, large quarterback, large flight deck, and the ability to operate in first year sea ice. 

Being a new class of ship means that they are not without issues however, so we will discuss some of them in this episode.

What's not commonly known however are some of the operating limitations that exist due to the lengthy process to certify capabilities for the class.

Joining me to speak about the Royal Canadian Navy's participation in RIMPAC 2024 is Commodore David Mazur, the Commander of Canada's Pacific Fleet.

It is ships under his command that are participating in RIMPAC, They are: HMCS Max Bernays, HMCS Vancouver, and the Combat Support Ship MV Asterix.  

Our focus of this episode is to discuss the rationale for the Navy to deploy HMCS Max Bernays to RIMPAC 2024 -- it will be the first of Canada's new AOPVs to take part in the exercise -- and to discuss the process to configure the ship to best contribute to the exercise. 

You'll learn that there is a lot of forethought to this decision, and much effort to unlock capability in the ship. In doing so, the Canadian Pacific Fleet is unlocking capability for the entire Harry DeWolf class.

Our chat took place on 18 June 2024, the day that HMCS Max Bernays set sail for Hawaii. This episode is a fascinating discussion with candid perspective, so I'm confident you will come away from this episode with a better understanding of Canada's Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels, and an appreciation for a senior military leader who I have great respect for.

My thanks to Commodore David Mazur for his time, insight and candor.

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This episode is a continuation of Episode 74, where were chatting with Lieutenant-Colonel Marc Kieley, G35, Section Head of Operational Plans for the Canadian Army. 

Our last episode provided amazing insight on Canada's growing mission in Latvia, which is in support of NATO efforts to strengthen the Eastern flank of the Alliance in the wake of Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. 

As one would expect, the mission centers on land forces, and Colonel Kieley did a wonderful job to help define the mission and how it is growing.

We spoke about the evolution of the Army's major training exercise, and reasons for pivoting that to Europe.

We pick up from our last episode with Lieutenant-Colonel Keiley speaking about Urgent Operational Requirements for the Army, which includes anti-armour weapon systems, ground-based air defence systems, counter-UAS systems, and so much more!

We also discuss the Army's combat vehicle fleet, which includes the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) 6.0, the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV), and Leopard tanks. In addition, we discuss the logistics fleet including mention of the Logistics Vehicle Modernization project and the resurrection of the Army's Armoured Heavy Support Vehicle Systems (AHSVS) fleet.

We also discuss how the Canadian Army is evolving with a view to embrace new capabilities and new concept of operations.

These two episodes (74 and 75) are some of the most detailed and forthright perspectives one will hear about the Canadian Army, and is a clear example of the wonderful, professional leader that LtCol Kieley is.

I am confident listeners will come come away from these two episodes with a much better understanding of the Canadian Army, and its focus for the immediate future.

I want to thank LtCol Kieley for his time and insight.

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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.

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The Canadian Coast Guard operates a fleet of vessels ranging from large ice breakers to small rescue boats. Arguably the most unique in the fleet are the hovercraft that the service operates.

There are four hovercraft in service with the Canadian Coast Guard. Two are based in Eastern Canada, and two are based in British Columbia.

Hovercraft are incredibly versatile platforms. In the military, the best known examples are the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), which are operated by the United States Navy. These hovercraft are used by well deck-equipped amphibious landing ships, Expeditionary Sea Base, and Expeditionary Transfer Docks to transport large vehicles and cargo to shore. 

The US Navy LCACs are being replaced by the Ship to Shore Connector, which is also known at the LCAC 100 class. These newer generation craft will offer a number of improvements including more powerful and efficient engines, and increased capacity to cope with the growing weight of equipment used by the United States Marine Corps, Navy and Army.

In Canada, I had the privilege to go aboard the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft Moytel when it was in Victoria, British Columbia, and I had the pleasure to speak with Paul Tobin, the Officer in Command.

In this episode you will hear about the capabilities of the hovercraft Moytel, and future plans for the capability -- those plans are part of the Canadian Coast Guards fleet renewal plan, which in part calls for the acquisition of four new Air Cushion Vehicles (ACV), which are otherwise known as hovercraft. The new Canadian Coast Guard ACVs will be designed with fully modernized systems, and a propulsion system integrating green technologies to reduce carbon emissions.

The procurement of the four ACVs falls under the Small Vessels construction pillar of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy, and it is expected that all four ACVs will be delivered to the Canadian Coast Guard starting in 2030.

I want to thank Paul Tobin of the Canadian Coast Guard for his time and kindness, and I want to thank him and his crew for the great tour of the hovercraft Moytel.

You can see the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft Moytel on our YouTube channel -- search for "Go Bold with Joetey Attariwala" and please like and subscribe so you don't miss any of our great videos!

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Many of us who follow aerospace and defence pay a lot of attention to the war in Ukraine, and particularly new tactics and capabilities.

Our episode today is an effort to discuss the transformation that the Ukrainian Air Force is making from former Soviet Union or Russian aircraft to western fighter aircraft.

Ukraine has been defending themselves against Russian forces since they invaded Crimea in 2014, and then re-attacked in early 2022.

At the start of the war Ukraine had around 125 warplanes. Reports indicate that have lost around 80 jets, but numbers of aircraft have been bolstered by the donation of similar types of aircraft from some of the former Soviet states. 

There is no doubt that Ukrainian pilots have performed heroically against overwhelming odds. With that said, the Ukrainian Air Force has faced significant challenges with aging fleets of aircraft and sustainment issues which make their fleets increasingly difficult to field.

Ukraine has therefore spent many months lobbying for western combat aircraft, especially F-16's, which they believe will help them better defend their country.

A number of countries like Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands and Norway, have pledged F-16s to Ukraine; and Ukrainian Air Force pilots have been training in a number of countries to get proficient on flying the western jet, with Denmark being one of those countries.

For this episode, I thought it would be informative to get a sense of what Ukrainian pilots are experiencing as they transition to a new platform like the F-16.

To do this I am pleased to introduce a wonderful friend to me and to this podcast, fighter pilot Nick Graham, who flew the Tornado F3 and the Eurofighter Typhoon in the Royal Air Force (RAF), and also the F-16 when on exchange in Denmark.

I've asked Nick to participate in this chat because his experience of learning to fly the F-16 in Denmark provides excellent insight on what Ukrainian pilots are experiencing as they shift from MiG and Sukhoi aircraft to the F-16.

I am very thankful to Nick for taking the time to share his professional fighter pilot experience, and his insight and perspectives on this topic.

We wish Ukraine success in their fight to defend their country!

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2024 marks the 110th Anniversary of the Canadian Submarine Force, so I thought its appropriate to honor this milestone by talking about Canadian submarines and their amazing capabilities with my guest, Royal Canadian Navy Captain Alex Kooiman, the Commander of the Canadian Submarine Force.

Submarines are high-value strategic platforms. They are incredibly complex, and they utilize stealth and deceptive tactics to carry out their roles -- these include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, mine warfare, land attack, multi-spectrum intelligence operations, special forces support, and so much more. 

Getting to the point to employ these capabilities takes many years of training and specialization, which you will learn in this episode.

Canada operated the Oberon-class submarines from the 1960s to the 1990s, after which the service brought into service 4 Victoria-class diesel-electric submarines, which are former Upholder class subs from the Royal Navy. These submarines have been challenging to support, but they provide incredible capability to the Navy when deployed.

You can see inside Canada's Victoria-class submarines on our Go Bold YouTube channel, where we were privileged to visit with the crew of HMCS Corner Brook. We have two videos on there where you'll get an appreciation for what its like to be a submariner in the Royal Canadian Navy.

Canada has now begun the process to acquire new conventional submarines through the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, so we will highlight that program in future episodes of Go Bold.

For this episode you will get a sense of the process to become a submariner, and also a commanding officer of a front line attack submarine as Captain Kooiman shares his journey in the Royal Canadian Navy, and his experiences on exchange with allies.

I want to thank Captain Kooiman for his time and kindness, and we look forward to having him back on Go Bold in the near future.

Happy 110th Anniversary to the Canadian Submarine Force!

Go Bold!