Catching Up With...

 

Where are you now and what are you up to?
I’m currently a Lieutenant-Colonel and the Director Army Intelligence/Army G2 for the Canadian Army. My role is to act as the senior advisor to the Commander Canadian Army on all matters that deal with Intelligence. My role is to ensure that the Army has the requisite Intelligence tools to guarantee mission success. These tools include:  properly trained Intelligence soldiers; specialized Intelligence collection, analysis, and communication equipment; access to our global Intelligence partners; and a profound understanding of the environment in which we are operating. 

In short, the role of an Intelligence Officer is to identify, understand, and explain to the Commander and their staff, all factors that deal with the enemy (or potential threat), weather, and terrain, and how these factors could affect the success of their mission. I will also provide recommendations to try and mitigate these threats and enhance the safety and security of our own forces.

I joined the Canadian Armed Forces right out of BCS by attending the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean and eventually graduating from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston. Notable highlights of my military career include being deployed in the Central African Republic on a United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in 1999. By 2003 I was deployed to the Middle East to support operations in Afghanistan. South West Asia came calling again and I deployed for seven months in 2007 as part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar City, Afghanistan. After a brief respite, I deployed for eleven months to the Kandahar District Centre in Bazaar E Panjwayi, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, from 2010-2011. During my time in the military, I’ve managed to pick up a Master’s of Business Administration (Queen’s), Master of Defence Studies (RMC), and a Master’s of Information Management (Dalhousie). Needless to say, I have acquired a love of learning and I credit much of that to BCS. I’ve had the privilege to travel across the country, serving in various locations, and the military has brought me to almost fifty countries across the globe.  

What led you to study at BCS?
I’m a fourth-generation BCS graduate. While growing up, BCS was always present as we spent many a Thanksgiving weekend on the BCS campus enjoying the incredible beauty of the Eastern Townships and the spirit of BCS. When my parents asked, it was an emphatic yes as the opportunity and sense of adventure was enthralling. I wasn’t disappointed.

How did your time at BCS prepare you for what you are pursuing now?
BCS was pivotal in my development! Going away to boarding school at 13 certainly taught me self-sufficiency. The outstanding teachers gave me a lifelong love of learning. Bilingualism advanced my current career as it made me a better leader and able communicator. Crease taught me the importance of staying in shape and taught me to fight through discomfort for team objectives.

What are your fondest memories from your time at BCS?
Honestly, too many to list. I always loved the excitement and solemnity that surrounded the annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Christmas. While practicing for cadet inspections was 'challenging,' the actual inspection was always filled with such joy and a sense of accomplishment that it was inspiring. Without a doubt, my favourite crease was rugby and I always loved playing a hard-hitting game on Saturday mornings, taking a long hot shower at Smith House, and then the slow pensive walk up to the Dining Hall for lunch, Walkman in hand, replaying the game in my head. How could you not love BCS on a beautiful spring day!  

What’s something you wish you could tell your BCS self? /What advice do you have for our current BCS students?
Enjoy the ride! They always say that youth is wasted on the young and the time you spend at BCS is a fleeting and formative period. I made great friends at BCS, many of whom I remain close with to this day. The world outside Moulton Hill is big and can be scary, but the support network you’ve built up at BCS is a lasting one to be cherished. WHO you know may get your foot in the door, but WHAT you know will keep it there. Stay well-read, stay well informed, educate yourself, remain questioning, and travel as much as possible to see what the world has to offer. 

Photos

1. (Main Photo) Monty with his uncle Derek Price, BCS'51, at the Royal Military College of Canada Memorial Arch.

2;3. Bangui, Central African Republic; UN Peacekeeping Operation OP Prudence 1999

 

 4. Foot Patrol near Panjwayi District Centre, Afghanistan 2011

5. Foot Patrol in Talukan, Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan 2011

6. Canadian Forces College (CFC) Rugby Team - Chambrays Joint Command and Staff Program 2016

 7. Family wedding 2019

8. Hong Kong Memorial Remembrance Day 2020