E3161 Victoria Edwards (RMC 2003) interviewed 16004 Major Trevor McLeod (RMC 1987) who is serving as a member of the ANA Legal School Training Advisor Team at the Afghan National Army Legal School (ANA Legal School), which was established on 3 February 2010 on the grounds of its temporary home at the Kabul Military Training Centre. The NTM-A motto, “Shohna ba Shohna / Shoulder to Shoulder”.
e-veritas: Which Military College(s) did you attend?
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: I graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from RMC Kingston in 1987
e-veritas: What were your main extracurricular activities while at the college?
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: I played trumpet in the RMC Band. I was a member of the Varsity Wrestling team. I served as the physical trainer to the Varsity Volleyball team.
e-veritas: What is your worst/best memory, if any, from RMC?
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: My worst memory, from RMC is having to write supplemental exams in first, second and third years. My best memory is NOT having to write supplemental exams in fourth year!
e-veritas: What have you been doing since you graduated?
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: After graduation I went to Phase 4 Pilot training at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Unfortunately, I was not successful at learning to fly the Tutor Jet (the advanced flight training aircraft at the time). I reclassified to the Air Weapons Control career field and worked as an AWC from 1989 – 1999. (In 1999 the Air Weapon Control and the Air Traffic Control career fields amalgamated and are now known as Aerospace Controllers (AEC)). I was in law school from 1999 – 2002, articling and doing Bar Ads in 2002 – 2003. I was called to the Bar of Ontario and officially joined the JAG Branch in September 2003.
e-veritas: What was your operational category prior to law school/joining JAG?
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: As an AWC I served from 1989 – 1992 with the Canadian NORAD Sector, in North Bay, Ontario, as a Weapons Director and as a Surveillance Controller. I also qualified as a NORAD Airborne Battle Staff Weapons Resource Officer for NORAD AWACS aircraft.
As an AWC I served from 1992 – 1996 with the Canadian Contingent, NATO Airborne Early Warning Component (CC-NAEWC) in Geilenkirchen, Germany. I was a Weapons Controller on squadron for two years before changing over to the Training Squadron where I did training development for the Weapons Controller and Fighter Allocator positions. The Component’s primary mission during my posting was the surveillance and enforcement of the No Fly Zone over Bosnia.
As an AWC I returned to North Bay as a staff officer from 1996 – 1999. I was the Joint Operations Flight Commander and I also qualified as an Operations Room Tactical Director.
e-veritas: What university studies have you undergone since you graduated (undergrad) from Mil Col? Where did you article?
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: I attended law school at the University of Ottawa under sponsorship of the Military Legal Training Plan (MLTP) – 1999 – 2002. I completed my Bar Admissions Course for the province of Ontario and did my period under articles with the law firm of Tierney Stauffer LLP in Ottawa 2002 – 2003. I was called to the Bar of Ontario in September of 2003 at which time I officially changed military career fields from AWC to Legal. I completed an MBA by distance learning through Heriot-Watt University (Scotland). I began the degree while in Germany and completed it back in Canada in 1999.
e-veritas: Your career at JAG is very varied compared to a traditional practice in administrative or personnel law.
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: Since joining the Office of the JAG I have served in many different capacities, all in Ottawa:
– 2003 – 2005: Directorate of Law / Human Resources
– 2005 – 2006: Office of the Special Assistant to the JAG – SA2 JAG
– 2006 – 2008: Directorate of Law / Administrative Law
– 2008: Office of the Special Assistant to the JAG – SA JAG
– 2008 – 2011: Deputy Judge Advocate Ottawa Region
I have been told that upon my return from deployment in Afghanistan I will be posted to the Directorate of Law / Military Justice Operations.
e-veritas: You have also done operational deployments as a JAG officer?
16004 Maj Trevor McLeod: Yes. I was the Deputy Military Legal Advisor at the UN headquarters in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (January – July 2007), as part of the CF’s mission there known as Op CROCODILE. At the time the UN peacekeeping mission was called MONUC.
I am currently deployed on Op ATTENTION in Kabul, Afghanistan (December 2011 – June 2012), as the Deputy Training Advisor to the Afghanistan National Army Legal School.
