CDSN Podcast Network

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-hosts Dr. Wendy H. Wong (Professor of Political Science and Principal’s Research Chair at the University of British Columbia) and Steve Saideman. Steve and Wendy discuss Alberta Referendum results; Elon Musk's Starshield and Ukraine; along with how to regulate social media companies through different accountability tools. Today’s feature interview...

Welcome to Episode 3 of Unequal Dialogues, part of the CDSN Podcast Network. In this episode, host Dr. Manaswini Ramkumar is joined by Lucas Schleusener to examine the intricacies and dynamics of civil-military relations. Lucas F. Schleusener is a writer, educator, and national security strategist whose work examines service, institutional trust, democratic legitimacy, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion in na...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Dr. Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University. Steve and Thomas discuss the RAF Fairford incident that led to five UK nationals being arrested and later released; Canadian decisions on developing anti-drone capabilities; and a discussion of retired former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre as he has recently published...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Artur Wilczynski, retired DG of Foreign Intelligence Operations Canada and Senior Fellow at GPSIA, University of Ottawa; Artur and Steve Saideman discuss aging punks and the meaning of EU associate membership for Canada, while Artur provides insights on the benefits of a closer Canada-Norway relationship. In today’s feature interview, Steve ta...

Welcome to a new academic term and a new episode of Battle Rhythm, Steve Saideman and Dr. Linna Tam-Seto (Assistant Professor Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto) discuss updates on civil military relations from the American Political Sciences Association (APSA) Conference in Boston; why Canada is turning its...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Anessa L. Kimball, Ph. D., Professor at Université Laval; Steve Saideman and Anessa discuss the Canada - US trade war and its implications for defence, a review of the 2026 Summer Institute including the briefing from NDHQ, along with a NATO Summit post mortem. For today’s feature interview, Anessa Interviews 4 Student Delegates about their M...

Welcome to the first episode of “Unequal Dialogues,” a podcast on civil-military relations by the Civil-Military Relations Network. Hosted by Dr. Manaswini Ramkumar, this episode features Dr. Stephen Saideman discussing the evolution from the Canadian Defence and Security Network to the Civil-Military Relations Network. We explore the complexities of civil-military relations, the importance of mai...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Artur Wilczynski, retired DG of Foreign Intelligence Operations Canada and Senior Fellow GPSIA, University of Ottawa; Artur and Steve Saideman discuss Canadian spies and security clearances, recruitment gains for the Canadian Armed Forces and what may be motivating more Canadians to join. For today’s feature Interview, Steve speaks with Al Vig...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University. Steve and Thomas discuss UK politics and the upcoming NATO Summit along with submarine procurement and the progress on a Defence, Security and Resilience Bank in Canada (or elsewhere). Today’s feature interview is with CDSN Post-Doctoral Fellow, Dr. Sanjida Amin. Sanjida Amin is t...

Welcome to summer and a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Artur Wilczynski, retired DG of Foreign Intelligence Operations Canada and Senior Fellow GPSIA, University of Ottawa; Artur and Steve Saideman discuss World Cup excitement as President Trump’s kaleidoscope of grift continues, along with deal or no deal between the US and Iran and what that means for Lebanon and Israel along with fre...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with Dr. Steve Saideman and Dr. Linna Tam-Seto (Assistant Professor Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto). Steve and Linna discuss CAF setting its sights on recruiting gamers and the implication on culture change efforts; Pride Winnipeg has banned military personnel fr...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Anessa L. Kimball, Ph. D., Professor at Université Laval; Steve Saideman and Anessa discuss new NATO financial commitments for Ukraine being discussed in Europe while Canada rejects the proposal, Quebec’s new Civil Security Emergency Response Reserve (RIUSC) and NATO resiliency along with drone defence capabilities ramping up on CAF bases. Fo...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-hosts Dr. Wendy H. Wong (Professor of Political Science and Principal’s Research Chair at the University of British Columbia) and Steve Saideman. Steve and Wendy discuss the role of academic voices in public information spaces; along with the Permanent Joint Board on Defence suspension and what it means for US-Canada defence relations. In today’s...

What if localization isn’t just a principle of good practice—but a strategic necessity? In this episode of Bylines & Frontlines, Frieda Garcia Castellanos sits down with Katrina Leclerc, a leading expert on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), to unpack what localization really means—and why it matters now more than ever. Drawing on experience across the United Nati...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Artur Wilczynski, retired DG of Foreign Intelligence Operations Canada and Senior Fellow GPSIA, University of Ottawa; Artur and Steve Saideman discuss what Canada’s military is doing in the Philippines to reinforce our Asia Pacific Strategy, while back at home the CAF is under media scrutiny after senior military leaders get caught trying out...

CDSN Podcast Producer Melissa Jennings steps in for Steve Saideman as she and Dr. Linna Tam-Seto (Assistant Professor Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto) discuss some long-term community security implications for Canadians that have been overlooked in all the defence spending news. This includes the effects...

Welcome to Spring and to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University. Steve and Thomas discuss European reactions to the US demands for assistance and how this may affect the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara as Canada meets its 2% of GDP defence investment and the New York Times reporting that the arctic may be too cold for the Canadian...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Anessa L. Kimball, Ph. D., Professor at Université Laval; Steve Saideman and Anessa discuss perspectives on the Iran war, US Secretary of Defense’s war crimes announcement, and Canada’s role in it as an oil producing middle power. The hosts also discuss PM Carney’s ‘our north, strong and free’ tour to friendly Arctic nations and what the futu...

This episode examines Canada’s emerging leadership in integrating sex-specific data and human systems integration into military equipment design, with implications for both domestic force readiness and international support to Ukraine. Although women now constitute over 16% of the Canadian Armed Forces and nearly 14% of NATO forces, legacy validation standards for ballistic protection, load carria...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Anessa L. Kimball, Ph. D., Professor at Université Laval; Steve Saideman and Anessa discuss recent Canadian public opinion on threat perception and translating this into a defence spending strategy, while Vancouver and other Canadian cities jockey to host a new NATO Bank of Investment for Security and Defence and finally who wants more NATO i...

The team at Resilience Plus encourages everyone to try to take time for the things you love and invest in your resilience bank in a conversation with RMC St. Jean’s CWO, Cavel Shebib. This podcast episode was recorded in January 2025, we are reposting for our broader CDSN audience. Chief Petty Officer 1st Class (CPO1) Cavel Shebib enrolled in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1991 as a naval weapon...

Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm. Co-hosts Linna Tam-Seto (Assistant Professor Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto) and Steve Saideman discuss Trump’s disrespect for Allied contributions to Afghanistan as a strategy, what Canada’s arctic security strategy means for human security in northern communit...

What does it really mean to work in government — and who gets to shape the decisions that affect our lives? In the first episode of our Spotlight series, we sit down with Bibi Hakim, a parliamentary affairs professional and community advocate whose work bridges Parliament Hill, global diplomacy, and grassroots civic engagement. Bibi has supported federal Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, st...

Welcome to 2026 and to a new episode of Battle Rhythm with co-host Artur Wilczynski, retired DG of Foreign Intelligence Operations Canada and Senior Fellow GPSIA, University of Ottawa; Artur and Steve Saideman discuss rollercoasters, PM Carney’s meetings in China, Qatar and Davos and what this means for Canada’s new approach to the world, with Greenland being the first test of Canada and Europe’s...

Welcome to 2026 and to a new episode of Battle Rhythm, with co-host Thomas Hughes, Assistant Professor at Mount Allison University. Steve and Thomas discuss the US Intervention in Venezuela, what it means for international law and order and how to incorporate Realist political theory (with a nod to Thucydides) in analyzing this situation with a look at implications for Greenland, Denmark and Canad...