Go Bold #31: Major-General (Ret) Charles "Duff" Sullivan (Part 2) - 9/11; Afghanistan; and Service to Country

This episode is Part 2 of our chat with retired Major-General Charles "Duff" Sullivan, who served with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). In this episode we pick-up by discussing the General's role as the Director of Operations for the Canadian North American Air Defense Command Region during 9/11, and the planning that went into the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.The General provides us with detailed information about NORAD security for the Summit, and a briefing that he shared with the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada about the command authority to respond to incursions of the Summit's exclusion zone, and how engagement of an airborne threat would be handled. We learn that the concept of operations that the RCAF developed was briefed to the U.S. Military, who adopted a variation of it for their own security requirements post 9/11.We also discuss the General's first foray into Afghanistan; and his subsequent deployment to the country as NATO's Air Component Commander for all air assets in theatre for NATO's 42-nation coalition.While in Afghanistan the General served as the Deputy Chief of Joint Operations, where he and his colleagues stood up a Dynamic Targeting Operations Center in theatre.With those experiences in mind, the General shared his insight into what he feels are essential enablers for modern warfare in the context of counter insurgency operations.We conclude our discussion with thoughts about NATO's departure from Afghanistan, and his personal reflections on the Afghan people and their future.Throughout our 2-part discussion, the General speaks with genuine candor.As we did in Part 1, we wish to reflect on Remembrance Day and Veterans Day, and we acknowledge all those who have served in uniform, and particularly those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.We will not forget.We thank Major-General (Ret) Sullivan for his service, and for sharing his time and experiences with us. We hope that you find our discussion informative and insightful.Go Bold!