DEFENCE DECONSTRUCTED PODCAST

July 30, 2021

In this new episode of Defence Deconstructed, David Perry discusses how climate change will impact the future of Canadian defence with Erin Sikorsky, LGen (ret’d) Mike Day, and MGen S.R. Kelsey.

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This conversation was made possible thanks to the support of the Department of National Defence MINDS Program.

EPISODE NOTES

Participant Biographies:

• Erin Sikorsky is the Deputy Director of the Center for Climate and Security and the Director of the International Military Council on Climate and Security. She is also an adjunct professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, and serves on the advisory board to the Smith College Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director of the Strategic Futures Group on the National Intelligence Council (NIC), where she co-authored the quadrennial Global Trends report and led the U.S. intelligence community’s environmental and climate security analysis.  She is also the founding chair of the Climate Security Advisory Council, a Congressionally mandated group designed to facilitate coordination between the intelligence community and U.S. government scientific agencies.
• LGen (ret'd) Mike Day CMM, MSC, CD, was born in Windsor Nova Scotia and grew up in Ontario, Quebec, and Birkenhead England prior to joining the Canadian Forces in 1983. Initially trained as an Infantry Officer he joined his Regiment, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and he has commanded at every level and rank, in a variety of units, and deployments around the world. The majority of his field and command time has been as an Operator within Canada’s Counter Terrorist and Special Forces community commanding both Joint Task Force Two ( JTF 2), Canada’s Special Operations Forces Command as well as a variety of other command assignments. He has also served in a variety of Senior Staff appointments including employment as the Canadian Armed Forces senior Military Officer in the Defence Policy Group, and the Chief Strategic Planner for the future of the Canadian Armed Forces.
• MGen Kelsey began his career in 1985 as a soldier with the Canadian Scottish Regiment. Commissioning into the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) in 1988 and later joining Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in 2000, he has served in West Germany, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2015 he assumed command of the Canadian Force Base Kingston before deploying to Iraq as Chief of Staff Combined Joint Force Land Component Command HQ. Between 2016 and 2020 he worked as Army Director General Land Capability Development and Chief of Staff Strategic. MGen Kelsey was appointed Chief of Force Development in 2020 and is currently the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps’ Senior Serving. He is a graduate of the National Security Program, holds a Masters in Conflict Analysis, and has completed the Senior Executives in National and International Security program.

Host Biography:

• Dave Perry: Senior Analyst and Vice President with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.