Pentagon North

Every August, the Canadian Forces College welcomes a new cohort to its National Security Programme. The thirty-odd students typically include fifteen Canadian Armed Forces officers, six public service executives from federal departments with responsibility for security, and eight international officers. Classes are co-taught by academic faculty, mostly civilian but some retired military, and professional mentors, who are recently retired senior officers and public service leaders.

For ten months, members of the cohort learn together, participate in exercises and simulations, and travel to Ottawa and (when the budget allows) around the world to hear directly from the political and public service elite. When the year ends, participants join an alumni association made up of an ever-growing collection of senior leaders in security and defence, both inside and outside of government. Many graduates attend an annual reunion in Ottawa where they network, reconnect, and...