Go Bold with Joetey Attariwala

This episode is focused on the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) modernization effort to enhance its fleet of CF-18 Hornet fighter aircraft.

The $1.3 billion (CAD) project to upgrade the CF-18 Hornet fleet is meant to ensure Canada's fighter fleet remains capable of responding to threats until new jets acquired under the Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP) reaches Operational Capability. You'll hear my guest and I refer to FFCP in our discussion -- that platform will be the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The upgrade effort is known as the Hornet Extension Project, or HEP for short. It is required to keep the CF-18 fleet interoperable and compliant with aviation regulations, and to maintain operational parity with current threats.

The Hornet Extension Project will see upgrades to all CF-18’s in the fleet, and that includes jets that were acquired from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) under the Interim Fighter Capability Project (IFCP).

The Hornet Extension Project will have two Phases.

HEP 1 focuses primarily on interoperability and regulatory upgrades for all CF-18’s.

HEP 2 is a further enhancement that will see 36 jets configured as the most capable fighters in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

HEP 2 upgrades include a new radar, advanced weapons capability, enhanced survivability, and mission support and security requirements which are primarily required to support new weapons for the CF-18.

This upgrade effort is being conducted in conjunction with the United States Marine Corps, who are also upgrading their legacy Hornet fleet.

Joining me to talk about all of this is Royal Canadian Air Force Brigadier-General Todd Balfe, who manages the Hornet Extension Project. The General puts context into the modernization, so we thank him for his time, and for his kindness.

Go Bold!

Our guest today is someone that has gone through a life changing event which we have learned has given him a beautiful perspective on life.

Joining me for this episode is retired U.S. Navy Commander Kevin Chlan, a F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter pilot whose call sign is SHAKA. 

Commander Chlan is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and he's also a graduate of the Navy's prestigious Fighter Weapons School, which is better known as Top Gun. SHAKA then served as a Navy Weapons School Instructor pilot, and he served as the Commanding Officer of VFA-31 Tomcatters, a Super Hornet strike fighter squadron.

On 11 October 2007, as part of his duties as an instructor pilot at Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic, SHAKA was flying a legacy (or classic) F/A-18A Hornet from VFA-87 Golden Warriors, where he was acting as Red Air which were presenting training scenarios for blue force fighters, all of which were based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

As fate would have it, SHAKA had to eject from his F/A-18A that day while bullseye low. 

What does that mean? How did he survive? And how was he rescued? 

Our chat covers all those points and more from SHAKA's first hand account.

The tag-line for this podcast is "Talking to Real Life Heroes" -- I believe my guests are exactly that, and I believe the people that came to SHAKA's rescue are heroes too. It's because of their professionalism that a life was saved that day, so we here at Go Bold want to thank them for their service.

In this episode you'll hear the following words from SHAKA, and they are worth repeating here: "Live life with a sense of gratitude."

We couldn't agree more, and we hope that you will find some inspiration from SHAKA's story.

We are thankful to Commander Chlan for taking the time to share the harrowing experience of ejecting from the fighter jet he was piloting, the story of his rescue, his recovery, and his outlook on life.

Go Bold!

Our podcast speaks with senior leaders from allied forces about exercises, technology and most importantly, the people that serve our nations.

Our episode today continues these themes and is focused on Exercise Kakadu, the Royal Australian Navy's largest naval exercise, and one of the largest naval exercises in the Southern hemisphere.

Held last September, the exercise theme of "partnership, leadership and friendship" was woven through a full program of activities in the seas and skies off Northern Australia.

Kakadu 2022 was one of the biggest iterations yet, having grown in scale and complexity over the past 30 years.

The exercise involved 15 warships, including a submarine, and 34 aircraft from 22 different nations, along with more than 3,000 participants.

The capabilities exercised ranged from humanitarian aid and disaster relief, seamanship, maritime law enforcement operations, to high-end maritime warfighting, including anti-air and anti-submarine warfare in a combined environment.

Participating forces steamed more than 24,500 nautical miles, and expended more than 13,000 rounds of ammunition in high-end training scenarios.

Speaking about Exercise Kakadu is our guest, Captain (Navy) Pete Bartlett, who was serving as the Director of the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet Force Generation Directorate, and was the Director of Exercise Kakadu 2022.

Captain Bartlett was kind to share his insight after the exercise concluded, so we hope you enjoy our discussion.

The next iteration of Exercise Kakadu is scheduled for 2024.

We wish to thank Captain Bartlett for his kindness and for the time he shared with us.

Go Bold!

In this episode we speak with retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Chad McCoy, a special operator who served as a PJ, that's Para-Jumper or Pararescue, with the 66th and 33rd Rescue Squadrons of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

Chad then went on to serve as the Senior Chief with the 24th Special Tactics Squadron of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

Throughout his military career, Chad was part of the cadre of specialists that serve as the rescue response for U.S. military services. Their motto is: That Others May Live.

We discuss the extensive training and advanced skills required to be a PJ in the Special Ops community, and how that training has evolved over the years, and how today's operators need to be multifaceted and adaptable for multi-domain operations.

Special Operations is often sensationalized in Hollywood movies, so Chad sheds light on the mystique of Special Operations as he shares his journey on what it means to be a Tier 1 operator working with U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, Army Special Forces, and conducting clandestine operations. Chad's first-hand insight was gained through 17 combat deployments in various theaters of operation around the world.

Chad went on to work at the Doolittle Institute, an Innovation Institute which supports the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate. It is here where Chad saw issues which small businesses face when dealing with the Department of Defense, and where he reinforced his view on the need to iterate quickly for the needs of the warfighter.

Today Chad McCoy is the co-founder of Firestorm Labs, an innovative company focused on the rapid production of modular, low-cost, mission adaptable platforms which are geared for the highly dynamic nature of modern warfare.

Chad is the real deal, and throughout our conversation you'll hear him speak with humility, a quality which I respect and I feel makes for an engaging discussion.

We thank Chad McCoy for his time and his insight into the world of Pararescue and Special Operations, and for sharing the focus at Firestorm Labs.

Go Bold!

In our last episode we introduced you to Maj. Ridge Flick, callsign KELSO, a United States Air Force (USAF) fighter pilot who flies the A-10 Warthog which is the primary attack aircraft for the U.S. Air Force.

We spoke with Maj. Flick when he was a Weapons Instructor Pilot at the highly respected U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. That position means that Maj. Flick is at the forefront of the operational tactics that makes the Warthog virtually unmatched in the air-to-surface role.

In this episode, we continue our chat with Maj. Flick, as he shares his experiences of flying the A-10 in combat in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. You'll hear what's its like to do long range transits over the ocean, ways in which the A-10 was employed, squadron life, and some of the weapons that make it the preeminent Close-Air Support (CAS) aircraft in the USAF.

We also discuss some of the things that could enhance the capability of the mighty A-10 Warthog even further.

The A-10 Warthog is a truly iconic aircraft, and you'll hear all about it from KELSO's first hand perspective.

We wish to thank Maj. Flick for the time he spent with us, and we honor him and all A-10 pilots past and present with a hail to their battle-cry: ATTACK, and we echo it with ours: GO BOLD!

In Episodes 9 & 10 we had the honor to speak with retired United States Air Force Colonel Scott "SOUP" Campbell, a Wing Commander and fighter pilot who graciously shared his experiences and perspective on flying the incredible A-10 Warthog.

At the end of that 2-part chat, we agreed to do another episode where we'd discuss in detail the newest variant of the Warthog, and that is the A-10C.

In planning that follow on episode, Colonel Campbell recommended that I speak with an active duty pilot that he once commanded, because as SOUP said, he's one of the most talented A-10 pilot's that he knows.

That person is U.S. Air Force Major Ridge "KELSO" Flick, who is our guest for this episode of Go Bold.

Maj. Flick graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, after which he did pilot training to become a fighter pilot.

Today Maj. Flick is an A-10C Warthog pilot who has flown combat missions over Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. 

He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and at the time of our chat he was a Weapons Instructor Pilot at the Air Force's Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

For those who don't know, being a Weapons School Instructor Pilot is the equivalent of being a University Professor who teaches PhD students -- collectively these folks are pilots who are among the elite in the United States Air Force.

The U.S. Air Force Weapons School trains tactical experts and leaders to control and exploit air, space and cyber on behalf of the joint force. The weapons school mantra is: "humble, approachable and credible". These folks form a band of trusted advisors and problem-solvers that lead the Department of the Air Force and enables it to integrate its combat power seamlessly alongside those of other military services. 

Maj. Flick embodies the tenets of the Weapons School mantra, and he graciously shares his time with us to describe his experiences of training, leadership, and in flying the mighty A-10C Warthog.

The A-10C configuration incorporates modern avionics which enable the use of precision weaponry.

As Maj. Flick says, the A-10C is a "1st Gen fighter with Gen 4++ avionics".

Maj. Flick describes how the A-10C systems - like the moving map, helmet mounted sight, and targeting pod - provide enhanced situational awareness and functionality which makes the A-10C incredibly effective as a Close Air Support and attack aircraft.

You'll hear first-hand perspective on flying the A-10 and what its like to shoot its amazing GAU-8 30mm cannon. You'll also hear about the A-10 syllabus at the Weapons School.

It's a great conversation from one of the best in the business, so we thank Maj. Flick for his time and insight.

Be sure to listen to our next episode where Maj. Flick shares some of his experiences of flying the A-10C in combat!

The A-10 community says ATTACK, and we echo that with GO BOLD!

Our guest is Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Kenney of the Canadian Army. LtCol Kenney is an Infantry officer by trade, and he has served in combat theatres in the Middle East. 

Today LtCol Kenney is the Commanding Officer of the Canadian Army's Advanced Warfare Centre (CAAWC), which is the functional center of excellence for the Canadian Army's myriad of environmental domains including Arctic, jungle, and other complex terrains.

The Advanced Warfare Center is also the functional center of excellence for technical domains like Patrol Pathfinders, Airborne, helicopter insertion and aerial delivery.

The Colonel shares his motivation to serve, and he kindly shares his personal reflections on the NATO and Allied forces campaign in Afghanistan; as well as his thoughts on the current war in Ukraine.

We then do a deep dive into the Advanced Warfare Centre that LtCol Kenney leads. We discuss the breadth, reach and scope of the Unit, and the various tasks they are charged with, including training specialists for various domains like the Arctic.

We learn that the Advanced Warfare Centre is the only Canadian Army Training Establishment with an operational mandate where it is responsible to have a two member liaison team on two hour notice to move, and a 12 member parachute team on 12 hour notice to move to force generate for Contingency Plan SOTERIA. SOTERIA is a joint contingency operation aimed at preserving life following a major air or sea accident in the Arctic. The plan involves parachuting into an incident site with survival equipment, supporting the efforts of the lead Search and Rescue Technicians, and providing shelter and sustenance to survivors. This capability was recently exercised by the Advanced Warfare Center, so LtCol Kenney shares his assessment of that evolution.

LtCol Kenney is passionate about what he does, and he is rightly proud of the diverse Unit that he commands. We thank LtCol Kenney for his time and insight, and we hope you enjoy this episode of Go Bold.

The past couple of weeks have had some interesting events happen over the skies of North America.

Most of us are aware that the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD as it is commonly known, has for the first time since its creation shot down objects that were in North American airspace.

For those that don't know, NORAD is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. 

According to NORAD, Aerospace warning includes the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.

Perhaps there will be an addition to that statement because the first object shot down on February 4th was a suspected high-altitude surveillance balloon which was deployed by China, who for their part called it a "civilian airship" that had deviated "far from its planned course" due to "limited self-steering capability."

Most of us saw footage of the large balloon, which supported an under-slung apparatus including solar panels, and what intelligence officials believe are various instruments and sensors.

Floating at an altitude of approximately 60,000 feet, the balloon was first detected over Alaska after which it traveled down through Canada and across the United States.

On the direction of military officials and the U.S. Government, NORAD directed fighters to shoot down the balloon once it was off the coast of South Carolina. This location was selected as it posed the least threat to people on the ground. 

This event was the first time the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor has made an air-to-air kill, and it did so using the relatively new AIM-9X Sidewinder, a short-range heat-seeking missile.

This event was followed by subsequent detection's and shoot-downs of high-altitude objects over Northern Alaska on February 10; the Yukon territory on February 11; and Lake Huron on February 12. 

These objects were described as cylindrical or octagonal, and were floating at altitudes between 20,000 and 40,000 feet, and they were smaller than the balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

Are these balloons a new occurrence? Are they threats to national security or to commercial aviation? Did they fly through gaps in radar coverage? Is using missiles the best way to shoot them down?

We invited retired Lieutenant-General Yvan Blondin, the former Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to give his expert opinion in answering these questions and others.

General Blondin is eminently qualified to speak to these events as he served as a CF-18 fighter pilot who has conducted NORAD missions, and as a general officer, he served in various command positions at NORAD before serving as the Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

We can't think of anyone better to discuss this with -- it is exactly what we do here at Go Bold -- we have senior leaders share their expert insight on topics that are meaningful to Allied Forces around the world.

As a contextual bonus, we added the actual radio audio between F-22 fighter pilots and controllers during the first NORAD shoot down of the high-altitude balloon off the South Carolina coast on February 4 (this audio is widely available in the public domain).

We want to thank Lieutenant-General Blondin for his time and insight in discussing these milestone events for NORAD.

Go Bold!

In our last episode we spoke with Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) fighter pilot Lieutenant-Colonel David McLeod, who was the Commander of Air Task Force - Romania for Block 54 of NATO Enhanced Air Policing in Romania.

Our episode today is a compendium to that episode because we had the honor to speak with Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Latwaitis, a RCAF fighter pilot who is the Commanding Officer of 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron, the "Alouettes", which is based at Canadian Forces Base Bagotville. The Colonel served as the Commander of Air Task Force (ATF) - Romania for Block 60 of NATO Enhanced Air Policing in Romania, which was conducted in the latter half of 2022 from Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base. Our conversation took place in December 2022 as the ATF wrapped up its operations.

We are publishing these episodes on NATO Enhanced Air Policing back-to-back in order to get an appreciation for the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission, how Canada has conducted deployments for it, and more importantly, to get an appreciation of how global events like the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine has affected deployments for the mission.

You'll hear how the RCAF formed its contingent for Block 60, and how they had the opportunity to work alongside Romanian colleagues and several Allies in conducting interoperability training to enhance NATO’s collective assurance and deterrence on the southeastern flank, all while in the shadow of war in Europe. Exercise highlights during Block 60 included Thracian Viper in Bulgaria.

The Colonel described how members from the Air Task Force for Block 60 worked for the first time with Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) which is headquartered in Ramstein, Germany. AIRCOM oversees the NATO Air Policing mission with 24/7 command and control from two Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs): one in Torrejón, Spain, which covers European NATO airspace South of the Alps; and the other in Uedem, Germany, which covers European NATO airspace North of the Alps.

The RCAF will not be returning to Romania in 2023, so keep an ear out here for more on developments with the RCAF CF-18 Hornet fleet.

We thank LtCol Latwaitis for his kindness, time and insight.

Go Bold!

In this episode we focus on a NATO Enhanced Air-Policing deployment conducted by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) -- specifically Block 54 which took place in Romania from August 2020 until the end of that year.

This particular deployment of combat coded CF-18 Hornets is notable because it coincided with the early days of the COVID pandemic, so that posed challenges in both planning and execution when compared to a standard deployment.

Our guest is RCAF Lieutenant-Colonel David McLeod, who at the time was Commanding Officer of 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron, and the Commander of Air Task Force - Romania for Block 54. Our interview took place just as the deployment wrapped up and while the Colonel was still at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania (January 2021).

We are publishing this episode because it forms a historical account of what the RCAF does -- in this case flying quick reaction alert missions for NATO -- and also because our next episode will focus on a more recent NATO Enhanced Air-Policing deployment (Block 60) which was also conducted by the RCAF, so it will be interesting to hear differences in the deployment and security situation in the region.

NATO Air Policing is a peacetime mission that aims to preserve the security of Alliance airspace. It is a collective task and involves the continuous presence of fighter aircraft and crews, which are ready to react quickly to possible airspace violations.

Enhanced Air Policing is part of NATO’s Assurance Measures introduced in 2014 along NATO’s eastern borders, after Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of the Crimean peninsula. The Alliance implemented these Assurance Measures with the goal to demonstrate the collective resolve of Allies, demonstrate the defensive nature of NATO and deter Russia from aggression or the threat of aggression against NATO Allies. They are flexible and scalable in response to fluctuations in the security situation facing the Alliance.

In this episode you will hear about the logistics of moving a detachment of CF-18 fighter jets to another continent, COVID protocols that helped make the mission a success, an alert intercept, various training opportunities the RCAF did with allied air assets, and surface assets like HMS Dragon and USS Donald Cook which were in the Black Sea. You'll also hear how the RCAF exercised a Canadian Joint Data Link ground station which was used to connect to the NATO network.

We thank LtCol McLeod for his time, and for the pilots out there, remember to: Always bring a copy of your flight plan with you! (You'll have to listen to know why).

Go Bold!