Alex Buck

Ex FINAL DRIVE is underway!

Should be a good time, as always.

Just voted.

Advance poll.

Long weekend made it super accessible.

Extremely efficient.

Less than 91 candidates on my ballot.

All in all, a pretty good experience.

GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

It’s not the wargame itself that matters most, it’s the purpose behind it. We use them to develop judgment, build tactical acumen & prepare leaders to make real decisions in real battles.

Had a chance to talk educational wargaming on AOC w/ @guws.bsky.social tonight.

Thanks for facilitating @sebastianbae.bsky.social & team!

Really great to share our experiences more broadly.

My key takeaway on reflection, is that wargames don’t necessarily need to sim every detail to be useful.

Just voted in Ontario’s advance polls.

Ontarians - make sure you get out and vote! Have your voice and opinions heard. Participate in one of the core activities that makes Canada so great!

🇨🇦💪 #OntarioElection #Vote

If you think booing an anthem at a hockey game is disrespectful, but threatening an ally’s sovereignty isn’t - you’re missing the point.

Wrapped up the week with a Combined Arms Rehearsal of the student urban ops plan. Great to see them refine their approach, tightening synchronization, solving mobility challenges, & thinking through sustainment in a complex fight. Solid work all around.

Brought in a guest speaker last night to talk to some of the students about using TDGs in unit PD, LCol Matt Rolls, author of TDGs for the Canadian Army Journal & soon to be CO of 2 RCR. Students were engaged, asked insightful questions & took a lot away from the discussion. Great session!

Conducted a TEWT in Gananoque with AOC students yesterday, refining their understanding of urban operations. Seeing the terrain firsthand reinforces the challenges: limited sight lines, key terrain shaping manoeuvre, the fight for momentum in dense environments, etc.

I had the privilege of serving as an aide to John Matheson, one of the key figures behind the design of the Canadian flag, for a year. It was an incredible experience to engage with living history alongside someone who played such a pivotal role in creating our national symbol.

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the Canadian flag, an enduring symbol of who we are. Proud to have worn it around the world. 🇨🇦 #MapleLeaf

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Canada is a proud, multicultural nation built on inclusivity, respect, & the freedoms protected by our Charter. Our sovereignty is non-negotiable, uniting us in a shared identity & deep national pride. This is who we are. Strong and free.

We can’t do business as usual, so let’s think differently.

I am working on getting an unlocked link to get this out!

Fighting back through defence innovation We owe it to ourselves to have sovereign defence capabilities that meet our needs, and can help contribute to the security of our allies as well.

I cannot sing the praises enough of @charlottedl.bsky.social and her new op-ed in The Hill Times.

www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/0...

Maintaining high-tempo operations requires simple plans, clear commander’s intent & strong command & control. These principles ensure adaptability, cohesion & relentless pressure on the enemy.

Check out this article about it!

army.mil/article/282398

Reminder, not every force must operate in every domain or environment. Multidomain Operations demand the right forces at the right time, synchronizing effects across domains. Not duplicating efforts or forcing all to fight in every space. Integration drives success. #FOMOisReal

Stepping towards a focus that is more on teaching, research, & family was hard. The hardest part was moving on from leading in the field with awesome people & some pretty cool options, but it’s been an opportunity to grow in new ways personally & professionally.

#LoveTheJourney

My daughter asking about what I do at work:

Me: remember when I used to jump out of planes & helicopters, shoot guns, & blow stuff up?

Her: 🤩

Me: now I tell people about that stuff, about books I’ve read, & what I think about those books 😄

Her: 😑

#LifestyleChangesAreOK

We don’t have those as part of our curriculum right now, so no one really. Unfortunately.

Oh yeah! It’s a great one. NTC’s is pretty good too.

Definitely! All the time. They all put out awesome stuff, and tons of lessons learned/trends that are worth examining.

Today’s wargame reinforced a crucial lesson: when the mechanics couldn’t fully simulate the complexity of the terrain, students had to rely on their own analysis & judgment to draw conclusions.

Exactly the kind of critical thinking we aim to develop.

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Ad hoc headquarters weaken cohesion, dilute accountability & waste effort. If you’re deploying to control an operation, you need a trained, cohesive staff, not a patchwork of officers thrown together last minute. High readiness should mean real readiness, not just a label.

You don’t truly understand a problem until you’ve broken it down, tested solutions & seen the consequences. Wargaming sharpens analysis, decision-making & problem-solving. These are skills students will take back to their units to strengthen the entire force. #WargameWednesday

Making the most of the margins is key when you lead a busy life!

While my daughter was at tutoring earlier today, I had a chance to dig into some allied doctrine notes & lessons learned. A good reminder that small pockets of time can add up to solid personal development.

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Had a great discussion today, from a variety of perspectives, about Fire Support Coordination Measures.

I love engaging with the material and the students, bringing reality to doctrine and piecing together all the components that enable battlefield manoeuvre.

Awesome day! 💪

Kicked off AOC residency today with icebreakers to get to know the students & set the tone for the journey ahead. They are a great mix of personalities & experiences. I’m looking forward to seeing how they tackle the challenges ahead!

There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that maneuver warfare is obsolete. Despite the utility of destruction based approaches in some contexts, destruction is best achieved through outthinking, outmaneuvering, disrupting cohesion of the enemy, & exploiting vulnerabilities.

There’s something deeply satisfying about setting up the classroom before a course starts. Checking the tech, laying out name placards, & ensuring everything is dialled.

Setting conditions & creating the right environment for learning is half the battle. Prep is key to success!

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If you are heading back to work tomorrow, and are anything like me, I recommend going out to your commuter car that’s been sitting since leave stated, getting your coffee cup, & cleaning it out.