Our guest today is Colonel (Ret) Jon "Press" Wheeler, a highly qualified fighter pilot and senior leader who flew with the United States Air Force (USAF).

Colonel Wheeler received his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1996, and attended undergraduate pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

Colonel Wheeler flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon for most of his career. He served with fighter squadrons that were stationed in the United States, and in South Korea, and he flew combat missions in the Middle East.

Colonel Wheeler was one of the first cadre of pilots to develop and train to use the F-16 in support of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions. Those "Sandy" missions are typically done with the support of the A-10 Warthog (which we focused on in Episodes 9 and 10).

Colonel Wheeler was one of the elite few who were selected to be part of the initial instructor pilot cadre for the F-35 Lightning II fighter in the USAF.

His most senior assignments were as Vice Commander of the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base in the Republic of Korea; and as Wing Commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, which is a tenant at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and is home to the first F-35 training wing under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), which focuses its efforts on training the next generation of Airmen to prepare them for their future in the Combat Air Forces.

Throughout his career, Colonel Wheeler has had a penchant for training, so our discussion focuses on his experiences and his approach to training new fighter pilots, and his approach to leadership.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

Go Bold!

This episode is part of our Bleeding Edge series, where we discuss new concepts and emerging technologies.

My guest today is Commander Jeremiah Daley, a highly decorated U.S. Navy Officer who is currently serving as the Commanding Officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One (USVDIV-1), which is a unit of Surface Development Squadron One, which is located at Naval Station San Diego.

USVs or Unmanned Surface Vessels, are growing in numbers, and leading the way with this technology is the United States Navy, which is currently testing 2 types of USVs at the Rim of the Pacific exercise, otherwise known as RIMPAC.

The two types of USVs being tested are: the Medium-size Sea Hunter and Seahawk; and the Large-size Nomad and Ranger. This exercise is the first time that all 4 of these vessels operated together.

These unmanned and remotely operated vessels extend the capability of interconnected manned platform sensors to enhance capacity across the multinational force.

Commander Daley speaks about their employment during RIMPAC, which concludes today, 4 August 2022.

We'd like to thank Commander Daley for his time to speak with us -- and we are proud that Go Bold was the first podcast where he participated as a guest. Thank you, Sir!

Go Bold!

We are proud to have as our guest, Brigadier-General Mark Goulden, a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) officer who is the Combined Forces Air Component Commander for this years Rim of the Pacific exercise, which is also known as RIMPAC -- the world's largest international maritime exercise, which began in 1971.

General Goulden is responsible for the air domain across the entire exercise, so his perspective is from the top.

This years exercise began on 29 June, and goes until 4 August. The exercise has twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 170 aircraft, more than 30 unmanned systems and 25,000 personnel which are participating in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

The exercise program included gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, diving and salvage operations. Additionally, the exercise also introduced space and cyber operations for all partner nations.

RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants, and that is critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.

Following this years theme of Capable Adaptive Partners, RIMPAC forces exercised a wide range of capabilities, projecting the inherent flexibility of maritime forces, and helped to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

We greatly appreciate the time that Brigadier-General Goulden spent with us as he explained his perspective of the full spectrum of operations within the air component of the worlds largest maritime exercise.

Go Bold!

We are posting this special episode on 27 July 2022, because today marks the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the mighty F-15 Eagle fighter jet!

The Eagle was designed as an air superiority fighter, but subsequent variants saw the Eagle become an impressive multi-role strike fighter as well.

The Eagle was originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, which in 1997 merged with Boeing.

The first flight of the Eagle took place at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Since then, hundreds of F-15's have been built and have served with allied air forces around the world. The F-15 is in fact among the most successful of modern fighters, with over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat, with the majority of kills by the Israeli Air Force.

50 years on, The Boeing Company continues to build the F-15 for operators around the world.

For this episode, we mark the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the F-15 with a discussion about the newest variant, the F-15EX Eagle II, which is being acquired by the United States Air Force (USAF).

The first two F-15EX aircraft were delivered to the USAF in May 2021. The aircraft features state-of-the-art upgrades with fly-by-wire controls, a large area display in the cockpit, advanced avionics, and the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS). The F-15EX also has and open mission systems design with a high-speed optical bus, which is a digital backbone that will allow for the rapid insertion of new and future capabilities. The aircraft also has the size and capacity to carry hypersonic weapons, which makes it an extremely capable and valuable fighter.

Our guest is Kevin "LeeRoy" Williams, a retired USAF F-15E pilot and a F-15SA instructor pilot. Our discussion focuses on a paper which sought to compare the F-15EX and the F-35, so Leroy was able to lend his professional insight as he shared his thoughts about the new F-15EX.

We would like dedicate this episode to the McDonnell Douglas / Boeing engineers who designed the mighty F-15, and to the pilots who have flown it with allied nations around the world.

Thanks to our great guest, Kevin "LeeRoy" Williams, for his professional insight into the F-15!

Go Bold!

It's 1 July, Canada Day, so we felt it would be timely to speak with Commander Kevin Whiteside, the Commanding Officer of HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331), which is currently pier side in Hawaii at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for the Rim of the Pacific exercise, commonly known as RIMPAC, which this year runs between 29 June and 4 August, 2022.

HMCS Vancouver, along with sister ship, HMCS Winnipeg (FFH 338), are both participating in RIMPAC 2022.

The Commander shares his perspective on HMCS Vancouver's deployment which starts with the exercise, after which the ships continue west to the Asia-Pacific region for Operations PROJECTION and NEON.

As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s interconnected oceans.

The theme of RIMPAC 2022 is “Capable, Adaptive, Partners.” Participating nations and forces will exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as counter-piracy operations, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations.

This year’s exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Hosted by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2022 will be led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, who will serve as Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Christopher Robinson will serve as deputy commander of the CTF, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Toshiyuki Hirata as the vice commander, and Fleet Marine Force will be led by U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Joseph Clearfield. Other key leaders of the multinational force will include Commodore Paul O’Grady of the Royal Australian Navy, who will command the maritime component, and Brig. Gen. Mark Goulden of the Royal Canadian Air Force, who will command the air component.

During RIMPAC, a network of capable, adaptive partners train and operate together in order to strengthen their collective forces and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. RIMPAC 2022 contributes to the increased interoperability, resiliency and agility needed by the Joint and Combined Force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all domains and levels of conflict.

Following the exercise, the Canadian ships will deploy for an additional four months until December 2022, on Operations PROJECTION and NEON, through which Canada contributes to regional peace and stability. The Canadian frigates will conduct numerous port visits and participate in multinational exercises under Operation PROJECTION, as well as contributing to collective efforts to monitor United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea under Operation NEON.

We wish HMCS Vancouver and HMCS Winnipeg fair winds and following seas in their deployment.

Go Bold!

We rejoin for Part 2 with Maj. Parker, the Boss or Snowbird 1, of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Snowbirds of 431 Air Demonstration Squadron.

In this episode we learn how Maj. Parker has been a lifelong fan of the Snowbirds, and how he's flown various positions on the team.

Maj. Parker’s first tour with the Snowbirds was from 2010-2015 where he completed 4 show seasons as Snowbird 5, 3 and 2.

He was subsequently posted to RAF Valley in the United Kingdom as an exchange pilot with the Royal Air Force on the Hawk T2 (you can hear about that in Part 1 of our chat).

In 2018, Maj Parker was posted to 419 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron in 4 Wing, Cold Lake on the CT-155 Hawk.

Maj. Parker joined the Snowbirds again in 2021 as Snowbird 7 (outer left wing), and then transitioned into the Team Lead position (the Boss) for the 2022 air show season. He brings 5,000 hours of military jet flying experience to the team.

Maj. Parker shares his perspective on what it's like to fly the CT-114 Tutor with the Snowbirds, his approach to developing the routine for the 2022 air show season, and how they train and deploy on performances. The Major also speaks about the future of the Tutor jet trainer.

We hope all who listen have an opportunity to see the Snowbirds perform -- they put on a magnificent display.

Thanks to Maj. Parker for spending some time with us.

Go Bold!

It's Air Show season!

In episode 13 we spoke with the demo pilot for the 2022 CF-18 demonstration team, and in this episode we speak with the Boss, or Snowbird 1, of the world famous Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Snowbirds!

We learn about Maj. Parker's career as he pursued his dream of being a fighter pilot. You'll hear about his early days in training, becoming a pipeline Hawk instructor pilot, and his experiences of operationally flying the front line CF-18 Hornet fighter jet.

Maj. Parker also did an exchange tour with the Royal Air Force (RAF), where he flew the Hawk T.Mk 2 (Hawk T2) in the flying training role which prepares RAF pilots to fly the Eurofighter Typhoon or the F-35 Lightning II. Maj. Parker speaks to the differences between the Hawk T2, and the Hawk that he few in Canada.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this conversation where we speak about the Snowbirds, and what Maj. Parker has planned for the 2022 air show season.

Go Bold!

Our guest is Major-General Michel-Henri St-Louis, who at the time of our chat on 10 June 2022 was acting Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff, a position which he has held since 19 April 2021.

In this interview, the General speaks about his career in the Canadian Army, its organizational structure, and how the Army has changed over the 30+ years of his career. We discuss how training has evolved, and how the Canadian Army is postured in light of current world events. We also discuss capability gaps that the Canadian Army is looking to address; and his thoughts on the future of land warfare.

Throughout our discussion, the General is thoughtful and he shares candidly about his approach to leadership and how that has evolved as he leads the Canadian Army.

A bit about the General's history:

Major-General St-Louis is an infantry officer from the Royal 22e Régiment.

He has deployed on 6 different missions, to such places as Srebrenica (Bosnia), Rastevic (Croatia), Zgon (Bosnia), Kabul and Kandahar (Afghanistan) and the Middle East.

Prior to leading the Canadian Army, the General was Commander of the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre (CADTC); and prior to that he commanded Joint Task Force IMPACT -- a deployed joint force that provides, from Kuwait, the national command and control node to the Canadian Armed Forces capacity building efforts in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan.

Before assuming command of JTF-IMPACT, MGen St-Louis was the Deputy Commanding General for Operations of America’s First Corps (US Army) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington State.

He has attended the US CAPSTONE Leadership Program, followed seminars at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NDU) and the US Army War College. He graduated from the National War College (Washington, D.C.), the Canadian Forces College, the Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean, the Royal Military College in Kingston, and the Canadian Army Command and Staff College.

His three master degrees have focused on war, defence and strategy. He served at the operational level in the 1st Canadian Air Division. Served three times at the strategic level with the Director General of Strategic Planning, for the Canadian Armed Forces, within the Canadian Army Staff and with the Strategic Joint Staff.

We want to thank Major-General St-Louis for his time, his professionalism and his candor.

Go Bold!

Every year, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) selects a special group of people to make up the CF-18 Demonstration Team. The CF-18 Demonstration Team is a truly national team; its members all come from RCAF units across the country, and all are selected for their superior performance, dedication to excellence, and the desire to represent Canada’s operational air force.

RCAF Capt. Jesse Haggart-Smith is currently a Unit Flight Safety Officer and two-ship lead with 401 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 4 Wing, Cold Lake, Alberta, and he has been selected as the 2022 CF-18 Demo Team pilot.

In this episode you'll hear about his career and what he's planning for the 2022 airshow season.

Go Bold!

In this episode we speak with United States Marine Corps (USMC) Major Ronald "JR" Valasek, who is a proud tanker.

We discuss his journey in becoming a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, first as an enlisted member, and then as an officer in the tank community.

The Marine Corps has a rich history of operating tanks which dates back to the early 1920s. Most recently, the Corps had three tank battalions which were comprised of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, which was developed by General Dynamics.

USMC M1A1 tanks have been deployed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have proved invaluable in supporting ground forces.

Major Valasek describes the utility of the tank, and how the Marine Corps operated them in combat in line with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) philosophy in which Marines support other Marines on the ground. You'll hear how this is somewhat different from the way the U.S. Army fields their main battle tanks.

As useful as a main battle tank is, the Marine Corps modernization plan calls for a lighter and more nimble force to orient the service to face complex threats in the maritime environment, and that has resulted in the service divesting itself of all its main battle tanks.

U.S. Marine Corps tanks are now gone, but the proud tanker spirit lives on, so we hope you enjoy this episode which is meant to honor all USMC tankers past and present.

Thanks to Major Valasek for this time and kindness in sharing his journey and that of U.S. Marine Corps tanks!

Semper Fi and Go Bold!