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Kingston Conference Recap

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Over Friday and Saturday 18/19 June a group of some 40 people (military history and security studies scholars from Laurier, RMC, and Queens, Naval Reserve officers and members of the public) gathered at HMCS Cataraqui in Kingston for the Laurier Military Centre's first conference in eastern Ontario.  The event was a very successful first effort in what has become a growing series of regional conferences highlighting military history, current strategic issues and the role of Reservists in Canada's foreign and defence operations.  This event was much in keeping with those themes.  On Friday evening Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer gave a vigorous and thought provoking presentation of the history and current trends of Canadian Arctic Security.  On the Saturday morning Dr. Roger Sarty gave an equally insightful examination of Canadian anti-submarine operations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during the Second World War; in this centenary of the Canadian Navy he paid particular attention to the efforts of the RCN.  The day was capped off by a panel of four recent veterans speaking on their diverse experiences in Afghanistan ranging from an NCO's perspective on Canada's interaction with the Afghan population to aviation operations to the work of two Naval Officers in very non-traditional roles.  Both the CO of HMCS Cataraqui, LCdr Susan Long-Poucher, and the Centre's Director, Prof Terry Copp, were pleased at the quality of the presentations and the engaging discussions and look forward to running another session in 2011.

by Randy Wakelam