The Northern Sentinels Podcast

Billie and I have not know each other long, but our lives have crossed at several points. Billie grew up in a military family where both parents served. Unclear if it was nurture or nature, but Billie wanted to be a pilot from a young age and ended up as the first newbie pilot to fly the CF-18 Hornet in the mid-80s. Billie’s career was split between fighter pilot duties in Canada and being a test pilot in the U.S. His career culmination point was leading a Canadian fighter squadron into combat in 1999 during the NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo. At the completion of that operation, Billie retired from the Canadian military and found himself in the test pilot world with most of this next chapter being spent on the F35 program.

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Dropping a bomb might seem a simple task, but there countless things to coordinate to enable that pilot to hit the right target. Billie Flynn walks through the different parts to a bombing mission on this NSP Short.

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Everyone has failures in life. My sense is the only time someone truly fails is when they decide to quit. On this NSP Short, Billie Flynn shares how his early failures as a pilot and student set the foundation for future success. Oh, and his mom might have provided a gentle nudge at the right moment.

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NSP Podcast Music Credit (episodes 1 - 18): RomanSenykMusic, Action TrailerNSP Podcast Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023NSP Shorts Music Credit: nomaBeats, You Are The Best!NSP Shorts Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023

On this episode, I’m joined by journalist, writer, and New York Times best selling author, Dan Gardner. He grew up in the small town of Swastika near Kirkland Lake in Northern Ontario. Yes, you heard me correctly, Swastika, Ontario. As you would expect, he spent his time hunting and fishing, and helping to raise orphan wild animals. Again, you heard me right. Despite this connection to the outdoors, his passion was history. After an undergraduate and masters in history, with a detour through law school, he landed as a journalist at the Ottawa Citizen. He was fortunate to work for an editor who sent him around the world. He eventually started writing books with a focus on psychology and decision-making. Dan is a prolific commentator on politics, policy, and geo-strategic issues. This discussion took place soon after the Canadian federal election and we had a great discussion on various hot button issues.

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Is the tombstone mentality killing Canada’s defence and security? On this NSP Short, Dan Gardner explains this phenomenon and how it’s impacted Canadians’ ability to properly assess risk.

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Why has Canada failed to do big things over the last few decades? We have the people, skills, and the money, so what’s wrong? Listen to Dan Gardner describe how big things get done on this NSP Short.

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On this episode, I’m joined by one of Canada’s foremost experts in northern security, Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer. Whitney grew up in Kitchener, Ontario and hails from a hard working, tight knit family. By the time he finished high school, he knew he wanted to be a historian. He did is undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo and went west for his Masters and PhD at the University of Calgary. However, it was a co-op placement with the Department of National Defence, where he got the opportunity to research the history of indigenous service and get exposure to the Canadian Rangers, that turned his gaze northwards. He was hooked and his academic career has been focused on Canada’s north ever since. Whitney has (co-) written or (co-) edited more than sixty books and more than one hundred academic articles and chapters. He is an energetic and passionate person and you can imagine how much fun it must be to take one of his classes at Trent University.

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People confuse being unsafe with being uncomfortable. On this NSP Short, Whitney Lackenbauer explains the difference and argues the merits of intellectual discomfort.

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Political parties like to make promises about building more infrastructure in the north. You hear in every election cycle. Dr Whitney Lackenbauer explains the challenges of fulfilling these promises on this NSP Short.

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NSP Podcast Music Credit (episodes 1 - 18): RomanSenykMusic, Action TrailerNSP Podcast Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023NSP Shorts Music Credit: nomaBeats, You Are The Best!NSP Shorts Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023

Image credit - Sonya Gilks

On this episode, I’m joined by Fredericton’s top cop, Chief Gary Forward. Gary was born into a military family and moved around in his youth before the Forward’s settled in Fredericton. He spent his childhood playing sports and knew his career path from an early age. After high school he attended the Atlantic Police Academy before joining the Fredericton Police Force. He enjoyed policing from the start, but it took time for him to find his professional footing and understand his place as a leader. He left the force in 2016 when he didn’t see the organization heading in a direction he could support. This gave him a chance to do other things in law enforcement before coming back as the Chief of Police. Gary is a student of communicating with people and how to build organizations with purpose and shared vision.

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NSP on InstagramNSP Podcast Music Credit (episodes 19 - onwards): PaulYudin, Upbeat Uplifting Corporate

NSP Podcast Music Credit (episodes 1 - 18): RomanSenykMusic, Action TrailerNSP Podcast Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023NSP Shorts Music Credit: nomaBeats, You Are The Best!NSP Shorts Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023