Dr. David Perry

Dr. David Perry is the President of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, host of the institute’s Defence Deconstructed Podcast and a co-director of the Triple Helix MINDs Collaborate Network. He is the author of multiple publications related to defence budgeting, transformation and procurement and a columnist for the Canadian Naval Review. He received his PhD in political science from Carleton University where his dissertation examined the link between defence budgeting and defence procurement. He is an adjunct professor at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary and a research fellow of the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University.  He was previously the Senior Security and Defence Analyst of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and Deputy Director of Dalhousie University’s Centre for Foreign Policy Studies.  Embassy Magazine and The Hill Times has named him one of the "Top 100 Influencing Canadian Foreign Policy.”

Alex Wilner

Dr. Alex Wilner is an Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) and the Director of the Infrastructure Protection and International Security (IPIS) graduate program at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

He is a leading scholar of contemporary deterrence theory. His research explores the nexus between coercion and emerging security considerations, domains, technologies, and environments. He is the author of over three dozen articles published in top-ranked journals including International Security, Journal of Strategic Studies, Security Studies, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, and International Journal.  His books include Deterrence by Denial: Theory and Practice (eds., Cambria Press, 2021), Deterring Rational Fanatics (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015), and Deterring Terrorism: Theory and Practice (eds., Stanford University Press, 2012).

His broader scholarship has been awarded over $1.2M (CAD) in research funding: he was awarded a Government of Canada SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2016-2017), a prestigious SSHRC Insight Grant (2020-2025), and a Government of Ontario Early Researcher Award (2021-2026) to study state and non-state cyber deterrence; two major IDEaS grants (2018-2021) and several MINDS grant (2019, 2020) from the Department of National Defence to explore Artificial Intelligence and deterrence; several research grants from the Canadian Network on Terrorism, Security, and Society (TSAS); a major Mitacs grant (2020-2022) to explore emerging technology and Canadian defence policy and strategy; and a SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant (2022-2023) in association with Global Affairs Canada to assess the use and utility of strategic foresight in foreign policy.

Prof Wilner teaches classes on terrorism and violent radicalization, intelligence in international affairs, strategic foresight in international affairs, and a capstone course on Canadian security policy. Besides his academic teaching, since 2017 he has trained over 1200 Canadian public servants in strategic foresight, having provided over 45 multi-day training workshops to several government departments, including (among others) the Department of National Defence, Canadian Armed Forces, Global Affairs Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Agriculture and Agri-food Canada.

Alexander Salt

Dr. Alexander Salt has a PhD from the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies and an MA in Political Studies from the University of Manitoba. His dissertation explores to what extent has the battlefield experience of the U.S. military influenced post-war organizational innovation. His research has been awarded the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Award, as well as a General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. Memorial Dissertation Fellowship. He has published research relating to international security and defence policy with Strategic Studies Quarterly, Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, and The Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society. Previously, he was a Visiting Political Science Instructor with Macalester College and has also held positions with the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, as well as the Consulate General of Canada in Dallas, Texas, and the Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis, Minnesota.