Podcast

CDR Radio Episode 32 - Anita Anand

CDR recently sat down with Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, for an exclusive interview on the CDR Radio Podcast. Canada’s continuing response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on our military readiness, the need for the CAF to replace military equipment donated to Ukraine with new procurements, and the CAF’s challenges in recruiting and retaining troops, were some of the many topics raised in our year-end interview. 

This episode is sponsored by CAE. CAE represents 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flight, mission, and personalized training programs powered by innovation and technology. CAE digitalizes the physical world, deploying simulation training and critical operations support solutions. As the only principal Canadian-owned defence contractor, CAE currently trains all military pilots for the Canadian Armed Forces. And in 2020, became the first Canadian aviation company to be carbon neutral. Visit CAE’s website www.cae.com/defense-security

CDR Radio Episode 31 - Jacques Comtois

For over 35 years, Calgary’s Arcfield Canada has been providing the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with in-service and integrated logistics support. It has also been supporting the RCAF’s CF-18 fleet since 2010. Yet, as of October 2022, Arcfield is just one year old. The reason: Arcfield Canada is the rebranded name of Peraton’s systems engineering, integration and support services business, which the company sold in 2021. Since then, Arcfield Canada has been very busy. In April 2022, the company was awarded a $50 million two-year contract extension by the Department of National Defence (DND) for the CF-18 Avionics Optimized Weapon System Support program. This extension came after Arcfield received a two-year task order valued at $28 million. Jacques Comtois, Arcfield Canada’s Director of Canadian Operations, discussed these and other topics on the CDR Radio Podcast. 

CDR Radio Episode 30 - Erin O'Toole

CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, recently spoke to Erin O’Toole, former Conservative Party leader, on the CDR Radio podcast. O’Toole served in the CAF for 12 years, rising to the rank of Captain in the RCAF. In a wide-ranging, candid, and engaging discussion, they covered hot topics such as the war in Ukraine, Russian cyber attacks, and NORAD modernization and much more.

CDR Radio Episode 29 - Melanie Nadeau

COVE’s CEO, Melanie Nadeau, recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, on the CDR Radio podcast. They spoke about some of the exciting projects underway at COVE, and the career opportunities that COVE is providing for retiring Canadian Armed Forces members.

CDR Radio Episode 28 - Al Dillon & Marc Watters

Cybersecurity experts Al Dillon and Marc Watters recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, on the CDR Radio podcast. What state is Canada’s cyber security actually in? What actual threats is this country and our NATO allies facing from Russia and other hostile players? What is done to confront those threats, and what still needs to be done? These two cyber experts provided CDR with an insiders’ look at the cyber security challenges facing Canada.

CDR Radio Episode 27 - Rear-Admiral Brian Santarpia

As part of CDR’s on-going series of interviews with military commanders, we asked Senior Staff Writer, Joetey Attariwala, to sit down with Rear-Admiral Brian Santarpia, Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and JTF-Atlantic. 

This episode of CDR Radio is sponsored by Davie Shipbuilding, proudly delivering world-class specialized ships to the Canadian Navy and Coast Guard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Visit their website: www.davie.ca

CDR Radio Episode 26 - KF Aerospace

KF Aerospace’s Chief Operating Officer, Gregg Evjen, and its Vice President of Defence Programs, Ralph Wegner, recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, on the CDR Radio podcast. They spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on the company, its role in Boeing’s bid for the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft procurement, what KF Aerospace has learned from managing the CFTS program, and what the SkyAlyne partnership has to offer the FAcT program.

Learn more by visiting: https://www.kfaero.ca/

CDR Radio Episode 25 - Christyn Cianfarani

CADSI President and CEO, Christyn Cianfarani, recently joined CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, to preview CANSEC 2022 on the CDR Radio podcast. Their discussion covered CANSEC 2022's extensive COVID-19 protective measures, the impact of increased federal defence spending, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the future of CADSI and Canada’s defence & security industry. 

For more information about CANSEC visit: https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/CANSEC/

CDR Radio Episode 24 - Kevin Mooney

For CDR’s ongoing series of podcasts, we asked Senior Staff Writer, Joetey Attariwala, to interview Mr. Kevin Mooney, President of Irving Shipbuilding. Their discussion covered a wide range of topics including the recently delivered AOPS, new capabilities for CSC, building schedules & more. 

CDR Radio Episode 23 - Anita Anand

CDR recently sent Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, to interview Canada’s newly appointed Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, for the CDR Radio Podcast. Reforming the CAF’s culture in the wake of sexual misconduct scandals, responding to Russian aggression against Ukraine, managing major procurements like FFCP and CSC, and exploring potential successors to Canada’s Victoria-class submarines, were some of the many topics covered in this in-depth interview. 

This episode was recorded on January 14, 2022. 

CDR Radio Episode 22 - Major-General Michel-Henri St-Louis, Acting Commander of the Canadian Army

For CDR’s annual report on Canada’s Army we interviewed the acting Commander of the Canadian Army, MGen Michel-Henri St-Louis. A portion of this conversation can be heard here on the CDR Radio Podcast with the full interview available in the upcoming issue of CDR.

CDR Radio Episode 21 - SkyAlyne

CDR’s Aviation Editor, Joetey Attariwala, recently interviewed executives from SkyAlyne, a joint venture organization formed by two Canadian aerospace companies — CAE and KF Aerospace. Together, through SkyAlyne, these two Canadian companies hope to continue their important work by winning the contract for Canada’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. 

Abir Kazan is the capture manager for SkyAlyne. She serves as the company’s primary point of contact with the Government of Canada, and she guides a team of experts through the process of creating a solution for FAcT that will best prepare future members of the RCAF for the challenges of the 21^st century. Kazan has more than 20 years of experience in navigating complex defence proposals and contracts for CAE.

Bill Ryan is the Deputy General Manager for SkyAlyne. He spent more than 28 years as a member of the RCAF, notably as a CF-18 fighter pilot where he served in the first Gulf War in Iraq, and later as a member of the Snowbirds. Ryan was previously KF Aerospace’s Site Manager for the RCAF training program at Portage la Prairie.

Learn more by visiting: https://skyalyne.ca/