On Remembrance Day 2021 we were honoured to welcome Lieutenant Colonel Brendan Insley as our guest speaker.
LCol Brendan Insley grew up in Rockwood, ON, and attended high school in Guelph, ON. He joined Army Cadets at age 13 and has been in uniform ever since. LCol Insley enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve in March of 2000 and graduated from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in 2004. From 2000 to 2005, he was employed in typical duties and career courses as a junior officer in the field artillery at the 11th Field Regiment in Guelph, ON. He completed a component transfer to the Regular Force in 2007 and was posted to the 2nd Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery from 2007 to 2009 at CFB Petawawa. He was subsequently posted as an instructor to the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School, commanded 127 Battery at the 4th Artillery Regiment in Gagetown, NB, and instructed at the US Command & General Staff College in Leavenworth, KS.
Operationally, LCol Insley was deployed as an Armed Forces Liaison Officer during Operation Boreas in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the European Union Force (EUFOR). In 2006 he deployed to Afghanistan as the Training Infrastructure Officer in the American Combined Security Transition Command. In 2008 he deployed again to Afghanistan, this time as an Operational Mentor Liaison team leader. In 2015 he deployed to Kuwait as a lethal targeting officer in the CJTF-Operation Inherent Resolve headquarters.
LCol Insley is a graduate of both the Field Artillery Instructor-in-Gunnery Course and the Combat Team Commanders Course (CTCC). In 2016 he completed a yearlong Spanish course to prepare him for the Command & General Staff Course at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in Ft Benning, GA. He was subsequently selected to attend the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) in Leavenworth, KS. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Master in Military Art and Science (MMAS), and a Master of Arts in Military Operations (MAMO). LCol Insley was awarded a Task Force Commendation in 2005 for his efforts to unite the entity armed forces of Bosnia & Herzegovina. His decorations include a Canadian Expeditionary Force Commander Commendation, a Chief of Defence Staff Commendation, and most recently the United States Army Meritorious Service Medal (MSM).
LCol Insley was posted to his current position as the Deputy Director for Strategic Effects & Targeting at the Strategic Joint Staff in Ottawa in June 2020.
LCol Insley is a graduate of both the Field Artillery Instructor-in-Gunnery Course and the Combat Team Commanders Course (CTCC). In 2016 he completed a yearlong Spanish course to prepare him for the Command & General Staff Course at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in Ft Benning, GA. He was subsequently selected to attend the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) in Leavenworth, KS. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Master in Military Art and Science (MMAS), and a Master of Arts in Military Operations (MAMO). LCol Insley was awarded a Task Force Commendation in 2005 for his efforts to unite the entity armed forces of Bosnia & Herzegovina. His decorations include a Canadian Expeditionary Force Commander Commendation, a Chief of Defence Staff Commendation, and most recently the United States Army Meritorious Service Medal (MSM).
LCol Insley was posted to his current position as the Deputy Director for Strategic Effects & Targeting at the Strategic Joint Staff in Ottawa in June 2020.
We are grateful to LCol Insley for taking the time to speak to us today, and for his continued dedicated service to our country.
