Michael Smith

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT MICHAEL SMITH

A lawyer and retired legal officer, Michael has a keen interest in, and appreciation of, the impact of technology in the modern defence and security domains. Michael spent over 12 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a member of the Office of the Judge Advocate General, advising commanders in multiple roles, including Military Justice Policy, Information and Intelligence Operations, as well as a secondment to the Privy Council Office – Legal Services Sector. Michael deployed on the first rotation of Operation IMPACT in 2014 as part of Canada’s contribution to the fight against ISIS. It was during his time advising on Royal Canadian Air Force targeting operations in the Combined Air Operations Centre that Michael was able to see first-hand the possibilities, and limits, of technology in the modern battlespace. Michael is a graduate of Upper Canada College, Western University, Michigan State University College of Law, the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, and the NATO School. He completed a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 2019 with a concentration in National Security and International Humanitarian Law, focusing on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems. He is a returning lecturer on the Law of Targeting in Counterterrorism Operations at Carleton University.