Fall 2003 (Volume I, Issue I)

Promoting new understanding and improvement of Canadian foreign and defence policy.

In this issue:

• Welcome from the President
• Ross Laird Ellis Lecture Series
• Military Journalism Course
• Graduate Student Paper Competition
• Student Run Conference Competition
• Launch of CMSS / CDFAI E-Journal
• Ross Munro Media Award
• CDFAI Donors
• About Our Organization
• Subscribe

Welcome from the President

It is my privilege to invite you to read the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute’s (CDFAI) inaugural newsletter intended to keep you informed regarding upcoming events and CDFAI activities.

I sincerely hope that you will share my enthusiasm for the progress we have made since CDFAI was incorporated in 2001 to address the need for a well-funded, dynamic institute focused on defence and foreign affairs research and education. Considering the rapid changes occurring in today’s world, and the challenges that Canada faces with the evolving new world order, it is vital that new research and education, pertaining to foreign policy and defence and security issues, is undertaken.

CDFAI owes a debt of thanks to its founders, partners, donors and volunteers who have invested time and financial resources toward building a vibrant and vital institute. Please take the time to review the acknowledgement page in this first quarterly newsletter. We would appreciate your suggestions for improvement and additions to our next newsletter. Please contact me with your comments at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Robert S. Millar

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Ross Laird Ellis Lecture Series

In the fall of 2003 the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute will co-sponsor the Ross Laird Ellis Lecture in conjunction with the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies. The lecture series is named after Ross Laird Ellis, a militiaman who rose through the ranks to become the Commanding Officer of the Calgary Highlanders in the course of the Battle of the Scheldt Estuary in World War II. Major General Cameron Ross (Ret’d), former Director General International Security Policy in National Defence Headquarters, is the guest speaker. 

Open to the general public and University of Calgary faculty and students, the purpose of the Ross Laird Ellis Lecture is to provide Canadians with access to relevant and reliable information on Canadian defence and foreign policy. 

2003 Ross Laird Ellis Lecture

Guest Speaker:  Major General (Ret’d) Cameron Ross CMM, CD
Date: October 23rd, 2003
Time: 5:00 p.m.

Location: University of Calgary, University Club 
4th Floor, MacEwan Student Centre
2500 University Drive NW

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Military Journalism Course

The Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs institute (CDFAI), in partnership with the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies (CMSS) at the University of Calgary (UofC), hosted their second annual Military Journalism Course running from May 4th-13th, 2003.

CDFAI sponsors a scholarship for ten students to attend an eight-day course on military journalism and the Canadian Armed Forces. The goal is to enhance the military education of Canadian journalists who will report on Canadian military issues domestically and abroad.

The course includes a combination of media-military theory in a classroom setting, coupled with field visits to Armed Forces regular and reserve units. Journalism students from across Canada are eligible to apply.

• air transportation to and from Calgary
• accommodation
• meals
• travel within Alberta

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Graduate Student Paper Competition

Congratulations to the 2003 Winners!

Directed Topic:
There were no 1st or 3rd placings in this category

2nd Place
Chris Bullock, University of Calgary
"Canadian Ballistic Missile Defence From the Sea Interoperability and Sea-Based BMD"

Undirected Topic:

1st Place
 Erin Weir, University of Calgary
"German Submarine Blockade, Overseas Imports, And British Military Production in World War II"

2nd Place
Brent Ellis, Carleton University
"Countering Complexity: An Analytical Framework to Guide Counter-Terrorism Policy-Making"

3rd Place
Steve Grunau, Carleton University
"The Limits of Human Security: Canada in East Timor"

In 2004 three prizes will be awarded to graduate students for essays written on themes chosen by the student, as long as the subject is on Canadian defence, Canadian foreign policy, Canada’s military or Canadian security. $5,000 will be awarded for first prize, $3,000 for second prize and $2,000 for third prize.

Restrictions are as follows:

Only one (1) paper will be submitted in paper or electronic format from each Institute. All papers submitted for the competition must be vetted by each Institute, Department or Centre with only one forwarded on to CDFAI. If two papers are sent in from the same Institute, Department or Centre both papers will be disqualified.

Each paper is to be a maximum of 5000 words.

Universities with Security and Defence Forum programs or universities with centres, programs, or institutes with an interest in international relations, security studies, history or political science or defence studies will be invited to submit one essay. This essay must be original, written by students in masters programs enrolled at the Centre.

Please indicate your interest in competing for this award by returning to our attention an electronic version of the selected paper in Word or PDF file format by March 1, 2004. All submissions must be sent to the attention of:

CDFAI
Alexis Apps
Executive Assistant
P.O. Box 2204, Stn. M.
Calgary, Alberta  T2P 2M4
Phone: 403-231-7624
Fax: 403-231-7647
E-mail: [email protected] 

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Student Run Conference Competition

In November 2003 CDFAI will contribute three (3) grants each of $5,000 that will be awarded to a student run conference for the 2004 school year with a focus on Canada’s foreign or defence policy. Universities with Security and Defence Forum programs or universities with centres, programs, or institutes with an interest in international relations, security studies, history, and political science or defence studies are invited to apply.

Please indicate your interest in competing for this grant by contacting CDFAI for an application form before September 30, 2003.

Congratulations to the 2003 Grant Recipients

Centre for Military and Strategic Studies
University of Calgary

SMSS 5th Annual Conference
Centre for Defence and Security Studies

University of Manitoba
Political Studies Students

Centre for International and Security Studies
York University
Theory in Practice: Critical Reflections on Global Policy

Restrictions are as follows:

• The grant is conditional on the money being used solely for the purpose of subsidizing the publication and distribution of the proceedings for a student organized and run conference.
• There is no restriction on conference topics other than it has to deal with a subject related to defence or foreign affairs from the past, present or in the future.
• There are no restrictions on presenters. They may be students or others.
• CDFAI’s promotional information is included in the conference publicity.
• The conference organizers are asked to display CDFAI’s logo and promotional materials during the conference.
• The proceedings are to be distributed including two (2) copies for CDFAI.
• Send CDFAI feedback on the conference, including number of attendees, number of printed copies of the proceedings and to whom they were sent, lessons learned in running the conference and general plans for future conferences. 

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Launch of CMSS/CDFAI E-Journal  

The electronic journal was originally created by the Centre for Military & Strategic Studies (CMSS) for the purpose of disseminating information and publishing papers to a circulation list of 3000+ contacts. CDFAI took over this program in May 2003 with the intention of co-branding the journal with CMSS and publishing the journal more frequently at a minimum rate of three times a year. The next issue will be circulated in October.

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Ross Munro Media Award

The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) invites nominations for the Ross Munro Media Award awarded annually by the CDA in collaboration with the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI) to a Canadian journalist who has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding by the general public of Canada's defence and security issues. For this purpose "media" shall include print, radio, television, film, and computer.

Any Canadian may nominate a journalist for the Award. Nominations must be in writing, and be accompanied by a summary of reasons for the nomination, copy of the article, series or electronic coverage and a short biography of the nominee. Submissions may be made in either of Canada’s official languages. Further information, including selection criteria may be seen at www.cda-cdai.ca.

The second Ross Munro Media Award will be presented at the gala Vimy Award dinner in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, QC on Friday, 21 November 2003.  

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CDFAI Donors

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About Our Organization

CDFAI provides Canadians with factual and comprehensive policy analysis to promote their understanding of Canada’s foreign policy and the state of our military preparedness and national security by developing and sponsoring authoritative research and education programs.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Calgary, CDFAI is a non-profit, charitable research and education institute. 

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Subscribe

If you would like to be included on our regular mailing regarding conferences, lectures and newsletters, please send your particulars to [email protected] or sign up for our mailing list at www.cdfai.org. All email addresses gathered by CDFAI are kept confidential as we do not release or sell any information collected from the public to any third party without explicit permission to do so. 

CDFAI also adheres to a strict no-SPAM policy and as such, does not forward emails containing information provided by third parties and/or organizations and businesses with which it has no official interest, relevancy and/or affiliation.

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