Go Bold #38: Stories from the Cockpit: LtCol David McLeod on RCAF Air Task Force - Romania (Block 54)

In this episode we focus on a NATO Enhanced Air-Policing deployment conducted by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) -- specifically Block 54 which took place in Romania from August 2020 until the end of that year.This particular deployment of combat coded CF-18 Hornets is notable because it coincided with the early days of the COVID pandemic, so that posed challenges in both planning and execution when compared to a standard deployment.Our guest is RCAF Lieutenant-Colonel David McLeod, who at the time was Commanding Officer of 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron, and the Commander of Air Task Force - Romania for Block 54. Our interview took place just as the deployment wrapped up and while the Colonel was still at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base in Romania (January 2021).We are publishing this episode because it forms a historical account of what the RCAF does -- in this case flying quick reaction alert missions for NATO -- and also because our next episode will focus on a more recent NATO Enhanced Air-Policing deployment (Block 60) which was also conducted by the RCAF, so it will be interesting to hear differences in the deployment and security situation in the region.NATO Air Policing is a peacetime mission that aims to preserve the security of Alliance airspace. It is a collective task and involves the continuous presence of fighter aircraft and crews, which are ready to react quickly to possible airspace violations.Enhanced Air Policing is part of NATO’s Assurance Measures introduced in 2014 along NATO’s eastern borders, after Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of the Crimean peninsula. The Alliance implemented these Assurance Measures with the goal to demonstrate the collective resolve of Allies, demonstrate the defensive nature of NATO and deter Russia from aggression or the threat of aggression against NATO Allies. They are flexible and scalable in response to fluctuations in the security situation facing the Alliance.In this episode you will hear about the logistics of moving a detachment of CF-18 fighter jets to another continent, COVID protocols that helped make the mission a success, an alert intercept, various training opportunities the RCAF did with allied air assets, and surface assets like HMS Dragon and USS Donald Cook which were in the Black Sea. You'll also hear how the RCAF exercised a Canadian Joint Data Link ground station which was used to connect to the NATO network.We thank LtCol McLeod for his time, and for the pilots out there, remember to: Always bring a copy of your flight plan with you! (You'll have to listen to know why).Go Bold!