Canada is part of what is called the ‘5 eyes’ intelligence sharing club (Australia, New Zealand, UK and US are other four members). How important is this? How is Canada viewed in this arrangement?
Borealis talks with NSA veteran linguist Mark Ericson on these matters.
If the ins and outs of terrorism, extremism, national security and public safety are of interest to you, subscribe to receive free content by former Canadian intelligence analyst and author Phil Gurski on these issues.
Canadian Intelligence Eh
In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counter-terrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts, 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
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About my guest Mark Ericson
Mark Ericson was a Japanese language analyst and foreign affairs officer with the National Security Agency who retired in 2017 after 37 years with NSA. Raised by missionary parents in Japan, he obtained his PhD in Japanese history from the University of Hawaii and taught at the university level before taking a position with NSA in 1980. Early in his career there, he became the first NSA language analyst to be seconded to the Canadian Communications Security Establishment (CSE).
At the other end of his career, in the two years before he retired, he was seconded to the U.S. Cyber Command to help develop that command’s foreign partnership program. He currently resides in northeast Florida where he teaches Asian history and Japanese culture online for the University of Maryland Global Campus and spends his spare time scouring the local beaches for shark teeth.
About the host Phil Gurski
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.
When Religion Kills: How Extremists Justify Violence Through Faith
Christian fundamentalists. Hindu nationalists. Islamic jihadists. Buddhist militants. Jewish extremists. Members of these and other religious groups have committed horrific acts of terrorist violence in recent decades. Phil Gurski explores violent extremism across a broad range of the world’s major religions.
Listen to more episodes:
We need to take the rise in anti-Semitism more seriously
Episode 339 – Concrete steps to counter hate are a good thing Anti-Semitic acts are not new,…
Are pirates a threat to national security?
Episode 338 – Pirates can help terrorist groups – we need to pay more attention to this…
Is nihilism much ado about nothing?
Episode 337 – what do we gain from adding more and more to the list of terrorism…
Has Canada sacrificed national security on the altar of increased immigration?
Episode 336 – How do we manage needed immigration with needed security? As a country of immigrants…
