School of War
This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history. Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras.The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader.
Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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Ep 119: Yaroslav Trofimov on the War in Ukraine
Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign-affairs correspondent at The Wall Street Journal and author of Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence, joins the show to talk about the early days of Russia?s war in Ukraine, how the battlefield has evolved, and where the war may be headed.
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Times
? 01:48 Introduction
? 02:06 Growing up Ukranian
? 05:03 The collapse of Kabul
? 07:40 Leadership counts
? 10:14 Zelensky
? 16:20 How did Putin get Ukraine so wrong?
? 19:49 Touch and go
? 22:45 Draft confusion
? 26:09 Battlefield evolution
? 30:42 Countermeasures
? 34:33 Washington?s tepid support
? 38:11 Possible futures
? 40:26 Trump
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Buy the book here - Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence
2024-04-16Länk till avsnitt
Ep 118: Michael Doran on Is Hamas Winning?
Michael Doran, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute and co-host of the podcast Counterbalance, joins the show to talk about the Israel-Hamas war and the broader regional competition with Iran.
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Times
? 02:04 Introduction
? 04:01 Is Hamas winning?
? 10:29 Fighting the clocks
? 13:10 Defeat from the jaws of victory
? 18:24 An Iranian-American conflict
? 22:44 Managing decline
? 26:40 Lessons not learned
? 33:00 The Iranian nuclear umbrella
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2024-04-09Länk till avsnitt
Ep 117: Shlomo Brody on the Ethics of War
Rabbi Shlomo Brody, executive director of Ematai and author of Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, joins the show to talk about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the Jewish tradition of military ethics.
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Times
? 01:28 Introduction
? 04:04 Just war
? 07:27 The Bible as a framework
? 13:34 International service
? 18:33 Reprisals
? 21:37 Purity of arms
? 27:09 Collateral damage
? 33:41 International law
? 35:48 Proportionality
? 39:40 A dangerous ideology
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2024-04-02Länk till avsnitt
Ep 116: David Stahel on Guderian and Hitler?s Panzer Generals
David Stahel, associate professor of history at the University of New South Wales and author of Hitler's Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and Schmidt Unguarded, joins the show to talk about Heinz Guderian, the myth and the man.
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Times
? 01:38 Introduction
? 02:57 Diving into the letters
? 08:43 Debunking
? 15:30 A sinister figure
? 19:39 Achtung - Panzer!
? 27:37 Guderian the Nazi
? 33:42 Poland and France
? 45:49 Russia
? 50:50 Barbarossa bound to fail?
? 54:48 Guderian the chameleon
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Buy the book here - Hitler's Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and Schmidt Unguarded
2024-03-26Länk till avsnitt
Ep 115: Stephen Robinson on the Case against John Boyd
Stephen Robinson, author of The Blind Strategist: John Boyd and the American Art of War, joins the show to talk about Boyd, the man who developed the concept of ?maneuver warfare,? and what Boyd may have gotten wrong.
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Times
? 01:21 Introduction
? 02:24 ?A genuine polymath?
? 04:20 The OODA Loop
? 07:39 J.F.C. Fuller and B.H. Liddell Hart
? 13:28 The conventional blitzkrieg
? 19:26 Maneuver warfare
? 25:01 Cannae
? 29:07 Tactical success to operational failure
? 34:07 Post-Vietnam U.S. military woes
? 37:24 Active defense
? 43:31 Skeptical of technology
? 48:07 The Defense Reform Movement
? 53:50 Iraqi Freedom
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Buy the book here - The Blind Strategist: John Boyd and the American Art of War
2024-03-19Länk till avsnitt
Ep 114: Eric Edelman on the Foundations of Nuclear Strategy (New Makers of Modern Strategy #11)
Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, joins the show to talk about how nuclear strategic thinking began and how those debates resonate today.
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Times
? 01:47 Introduction
? 02:45 Oppenheimer?s Borden in reality
? 07:00 Brodie and The Absolute Power
? 11:12 Deterrence before Hiroshima
? 13:15 Blackett and Fear, War, and the Bomb
? 19:40 Counter-value vs counter-force
? 37:33 Russian nuclear strategy
? 42:44 Extended deterrence
? 52:37 Pain tolerance
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2024-03-12Länk till avsnitt
Ep 113: Rebeccah Heinrichs on Today?s Crisis of American Deterrence
Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative, joins the show to talk about the state of U.S. deterrence of Russia, Iran, and China?and what Washington could be doing better.
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Times
? 01:42 Introduction
? 02:18 Conventional and strategic deterrence
? 04:06 A failure of strategic deterrence
? 09:38 Integrated deterrence
? 13:33 Putin is committed to the bit
? 15:36 If Russia wins, what?s it to the US?
? 19:16 Options if Russia uses nuclear weapons
? 24:06 The pendulum keeps swinging
? 28:20 Washington?s confusion regarding Iran and Israel
? 31:56 Red Sea adrift
? 36:00 China and the rest
? 40:01 Pacific flashpoints
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2024-03-05Länk till avsnitt
Ep 112: Paul Scharre on AI 101
Paul Scharre, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at CNAS and author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, joins the show to talk about how AI will change the battlefield.
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Times
? 01:38 Introduction
? 01:54 Becoming a Ranger
? 03:48 A defining moment
? 07:25 A historical parallel for AI
? 11:16 Hardware
? 14:10 ?Taiwan is the Saudi Arabia of chips?
? 16:20 Military applications
? 19:37 Battle damage assessment and AI tracking
? 22:50 Autonomous weapons
? 27:50 Legal, ethical, and control issues
? 30:08 Battlefield applications
? 32:43 Operational ability
? 36:51 WMDs
? 40:09 Countermeasures
? 43:53 Transportable?
? 46:40 AI and nuclear weapons
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Buy the book here - Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
2024-02-27Länk till avsnitt
Ep 111: Prit Buttar on the Siege of Leningrad and War in the East
Prit Buttar, historian and author of To Besiege a City: Leningrad 1941?42, joins the show to talk about the siege of Leningrad and about the nature of war on the Eastern Front.
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Times
? 01:56 Introduction
? 02:10 A familiar story
? 06:09 Themes of the Eastern Front
? 13:19 From Tsar to Stalin to Putin
? 11:10 Barbarosa
? 19:45 An immense scale
? 27:29 Doctrinal failure
? 33:17 Inside the Russian mindset
? 37:21 The myth of the ?Clean Wehrmacht?
? 40:20 The siege
? 49:15 Who stays?
? 51:18 How did the Germans fail?
? 01:03:25 Staying vigilant
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Buy the book here - To Besiege a City: Leningrad 1941?42
2024-02-20Länk till avsnitt
Ep 110: Thomas Mahnken on Net Assessment
Thomas Mahnken, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, joins the show to talk about net assessment and the future of war.
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? 01:39 Introduction
? 02:02 An interesting journey
? 03:33 The Office of Net Assessment
? 09:49 A tool, not a solution
? 13:19 Both quantity and quality matter
? 15:05 Soviet thinking
? 19:20 Leveraging insight
? 23:11 Potential outcomes
? 28:35 ?The Houthis have friends.?
? 33:19 Danger and opportunity
? 37:20 The terms of success change
? 43:14 Solving the problem of the moment
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2024-02-13Länk till avsnitt
Ep 109: John Noonan on Nuclear Weapons and Policy
John Noonan, senior advisor at POLARIS National Security, joins the show to talk about all things nuclear; the life of a missileer, the current U.S. arsenal and its production problems, the strategy of deterrence, and how Congressional oversight helps/hinders good government.
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Times
? 01:34 Introduction
? 02:04 VMI and the Air Force
? 05:13 Missileers
? 11:25 Targets of significance
? 16:33 Atrophy
? 22:18 Production problems
? 27:46 Congressional oversight
? 34:30 An unfocused military
? 44:17 Not getting it done
? 47:05 ?Raw and abject stupidity?
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2024-02-06Länk till avsnitt
Ep 108: Donald L. Miller on Masters of the Air
Donald L. Miller, historian and author of Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, the book behind Apple TV+?s Masters of the Air, joins the show to talk about the air war over Europe during WWII.
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? 01 :41 Introduction
? 02:12 Growing up ?surrounded by the war?
? 15:35 Both sides are losing
? 25:23 Highest percentage of casualties
? 34:36 Mass vs mass
? 37:20 A new battlefield
? 42:49 ?Almost nothing held up.?
? 44:46 Robert Rosenthal
? 48:57 Working with Tom Hanks
? 53:51 Recreating air combat
? 56:02 Gil Cohen, Greyhound, and Das Boot
? 59:44 Narrative choices
? 01:06:36 The stress of command
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Buy the book here - Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
2024-01-30Länk till avsnitt
Ep 107: John Orloff on Masters of the Air
John Orloff, creator, writer and co-executive producer of Apple TV+?s Masters of the Air, joins Aaron to talk about the new show highlighting the WWII experiences of the men of the 100th Bomb Group, a part of the 8th Air Force?s strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Masters of the Air streams January 26th only on Apple TV+.
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02:25 Introduction
03:00 Getting started
05:45 Band of Brothers
12:56 Finding the story
19:44 Masters of the Air
24:37 Core characters
30:12 Group level
32:11 Influences
37:38 Production challenges
40:25 Procedure as drama
43:50 Unique trauma
48:20 Casting
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2024-01-23Länk till avsnitt
Ep 106: John McManus on the U.S. Army?s Pacific War
John McManus, author of To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945 and host of the We Have Ways of Making You Talk in the USA podcast, joins the show to talk about why the U.S. Army?s war in the Pacific during WWII merit deeper study and recognition.
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Times
? 02:12 Introduction
? 03:57 Lessons to be learned
? 05:32 The Army from Pearl to Tokyo
? 08:50 Winds of change
? 14:07 Europe first
? 21:16 Taiwan or the Philippines?
? 27:55 Battleground Manila
? 30:48 Bleeding the Americans
? 34:56 Failures in China
? 40:33 Chiang Kai-shek
? 45:07 Okinawa
? 48:06 Operation Downfall
? 52:24 Revisionist and reductionist history
? 55:19 Required reading
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2024-01-16Länk till avsnitt
Ep 105: Dmitry Filipoff on Modern Naval Tactics
Dmitry Filipoff, head of online content at the Center for International Maritime Security, joins the show to talk about modern naval tactics and the readiness of the U.S. Navy for a surface engagement with the PLA Navy.
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Times
? 01:26 Introduction
? 02:48 Evolution in naval warfare
? 05:46 Historical comps
? 08:01 Lessons from the Red Sea
? 09:37 Anti-ship missiles
? 12:16 DMO - Distributed Maritime Operations
? 15:00 What is the surface Navy?s purpose?
? 20:00 Massing fires
? 22:33 Defeating missile defenses
? 29:25 Scarcity and the network
? 34:12 Can the dynamic change?
? 37:13 Aircraft carriers
? 40:14 Is the U.S. Navy ready?
? 44:36 Exercises
? 47:51 Institutional knowledge
? 49:38 Is the PLAN ready?
A FLEET ADRIFT: THE MOUNTING RISKS OF THE U.S. NAVY?S FORCE DEVELOPMENT
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2024-01-09Länk till avsnitt
Ep 104: Peter Feaver on ?Wokeness,? Politics, and the Military
Peter Feaver, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University and author of Thanks For Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military, joins the show to talk about the state of civil-military relations in America, and to call for a truce on the issue of ?wokism.?
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Times
? 01:46 Introduction
? 2:40 Precedents
? 4:18 Citizen soldier to today
? 11:40 Expanding fissures
? 18:46 Downsides to a high approval rating
? 25:04 Isolationism and ?wokeness?
? 33:56 Sloppy discourse
? 38:16 An echo of the ?90s
? 41:11 Progress
? 48:28 Race/Sexuality/Gender
? 55:03 A bit of Sparta in Athens
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2024-01-02Länk till avsnitt
Ep 103: Sean Mirski on American Hegemony
Sean Mirski, author of We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus, joins the show to talk about how the United States came to its global position and China?s attempts to match it.
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Times
? 01:40 Introduction
? 2:22 An accidental project
? 6:41 The view from Washington
? 13:18 American paranoia
? 16:43 Post Civil War Mexico
? 22:04 Smedley Butler
? 24:46 The problem of order
? 31:12 After WWI
? 33:04 Strategic vulnerabilities
? 38:32 Regional hegemony
? 44:51 A desire to dominate
? 48:36 A lesson and a warning
Here is a link to the article discussed today
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2023-12-19Länk till avsnitt
Ep 102: Paul Edgar on the Warfare of the Ancient Near East
Paul Edgar, Executive Director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin, a veteran of the U.S. Army, and a scholar of ancient Near Eastern warfare, joins the show to talk about war and peace in the old days?the very old days.
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Times
? 02:58 Introduction
? 10:07 Olmsted
? 16:00 The Bronze Age
? 22:07 Verifying history
? 27:12 Idrimi
? 35:03 How did they fight?
? 39:46 Tactics of the time
? 42:34 Continuities in geopolitics
Here is a link to the article discussed today
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2023-12-12Länk till avsnitt
Ep 101: Iskander Rehman on Wars of Protraction
Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at SAIS?s Kissinger Center and author of Planning for Protraction: A Historically Informed Approach to Great-power War and Sino-US Competition, joins the show to talk about how future wars might be more a test of national endurance than expected.
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Times
? 01:56 Introduction
? 04:01 Sharp and short wars
? 09:07 After the first salvo
? 12:33 Geography as a predictor
? 15:21 Will nuclear deterrence work?
? 21:16 ?An informationized local war?
? 25:13 What matters in protracted wars
? 28:59 Innovation and adaptation
? 33:51 The role of national leadership in protracted conflict
? 38:49 Sino-U.S. competition
? 44:50 Absorbing massive casualties
? 48:06 Polybius
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2023-12-05Länk till avsnitt
Ep 100: Alexander Mikaberidze on Ridley Scott?s Napoleon
Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History and Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University and author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History, joins the show to talk about director Ridley Scott?s Napoleon.
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Times
? 02:54 Introduction
? 04:52 First reactions
? 08:18 Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon
? 15:12 Propaganda of the time
? 17:14 No invention needed
? 21:22 Wellington and Talleyrand
? 23:24 Napoleon: Master Tactician
? 27:35 Waterloo
? 33:45 Josephine and Elba
? 35:44 More Napoleon content
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2023-11-28Länk till avsnitt
Ep 99: Nicholas Morton on the Mongol Invasions
Nicholas Morton, associate professor of history at Nottingham Trent University and author of The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East, joins the show to talk about the Mongol invasions.
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Times
? 01:40 Introduction
? 02:15 Central Asia before the Mongols
? 04:15 Mongol methods
? 09:15 Sailing the Eurasian Steppe
? 13:54 Temujin
? 18:38 A dearth of sources
? 21:50 Khwarazmian Empire
? 26:40 The Mongol secret
? 32:03 Selective savagery
? 36:30 The Near East
? 40:15 Mamluks
? 42:03 Mongol rule
? 45:17 Lasting effects
2023-11-21Länk till avsnitt
Ep 98: Matthew Waxman on the Israel, Hamas, and the Law of Armed Conflict
Matthew Waxman, Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, joins the show to talk about what?s lawful on the battlefield, what?s not, and how the laws of war apply to Israel and Hamas.
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Times
? 01:49 Introduction
? 02:25 What is the law of war?
? 05:05 How does it all work?
? 08:15 What does it matter?
? 11:06 A rule of law society
? 12:16 10/7
? 15:14 Military necessity vs humanitarian interest
? 19:54 Bright line rules
? 25:23 Reasonableness
? 28:07 Sieges
? 32:30 Weaponizing the law
? 36:34 Perverse incentives
? 39:09 How does the law evolve?
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2023-11-14Länk till avsnitt
Ep 97: Edward Luttwak on the IDF and the War in Israel
Edward Luttwak, strategist and co-author of The Art of Military Innovation: Lessons from the Israel Defense Forces, joins the show to talk about the research and development methods of the IDF and events on the ground in Israel.
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Times
? 01:51 Introduction
? 03:05 R&D the IDF way
? 21:30 Evaluating Israel?s strategy
? 25:30 Stopping the clock
? 29:51 Downside of discipline
? 34:07 Macro-innovation
? 39:26 Iran
? 43:21 Qatar
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2023-11-07Länk till avsnitt
Ep 96: Vincent O?Hara and Trent Hone on Naval Combat at Night
Vincent O?Hara and Trent Hone, naval historians and co-editors of Fighting in the Dark: Naval Combat at Night, 1904-1944, join the show to talk about how naval warfare was transformed by technology that made possible night combat at sea.
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Times
? 02:01 Introduction
? 03:35 Night combat pre-19th century
? 06:02 Why do we fight at night?
? 09:30 Getting close in
? 13:47 Different approaches
? 19:28 German naval thinking pre-WWI
? 22:05 Jutland and after
? 27:09 Theory vs. experience
? 32:04 Japanese success at night
? 37:59 The Italian navy
? 40:52 Long range torpedoes
? 45:27 Changes in command expectations
? 49:44 Dealing with technological changes today
? 52:36 Is the U.S. Navy the ?best??
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2023-10-31Länk till avsnitt
Ep 95: Richard Goldberg on the War in Israel & American Strategy
Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and co-host of Jewish Insider?s Limited Liability podcast, joins the show to talk about the war in Israel, Iran?s objectives, and America?s.
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Times
? 01:41 Introduction
? 02:22 Sit Rep 10/23
? 12:05 Confused messaging from Washington
? 20:21 Too clever by half
? 24:54 Owner operated proxies?
? 32:40 What does Iran want
? 35:51 Volatile Israeli politics
? 40:52 Dancing to the enemy tune
? 42:51 The cost of being America?s ally
? 44:25 Deterrence
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2023-10-24Länk till avsnitt
Ep 94: Jonathan Schanzer on the War in Israel & Hamas
Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the state of the war in Israel, the history of Hamas and its campaign to eradicate the Jewish state, and Israel?s plans to end the cycle forever.
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Times
? 01:41 Introduction
? 02:24 The situation today
? 04:55 Gaza?s terrain
? 09:27 Focusing on the north
? 12:51 Gaza in Arab politics
? 18:41 Iranian support
? 25:41 Walls can work both ways
? 29:00 Israeli objectives
? 35:56 Strategic goals and military means
? 41:38 Dancing to an Iranian tune
? 46:01 Working against the clock
? 49:06 Staying informed
To read the WSJ article discussed today click here
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2023-10-17Länk till avsnitt
Ep 93: Michael Doran on the War in Israel & Ghosts of 1973
Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, joins the show to talk about Iran-backed Hamas? savage attack on Israel, how we can expect Israel to act in Gaza, prospects for escalation, and the echoes of 1973.
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Times
? 02:33 Introduction
? 03:16 10/7
? 08:51 Potential Israeli objectives in Gaza
? 20:18 A regional war?
? 27:20 Iranian objectives
? 34:28 Intelligence failures, operational catastrophes
? 42:11 Redeployments
? 44:45 Parallels with the Yom Kippur War
? 51:07 America and Israel today
To read the article discussed today click here
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2023-10-10Länk till avsnitt
Ep 92: Cliff May on Defending Democracies
Cliff May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the neo-imperialism of America?s adversaries and what defending democracy requires.
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Times
? 02:22 Introduction
? 02:39 Taking on Jon Stewart
? 06:50 Starting in the Soviet Union
? 12:26 Policy activism
? 20:11 Foundation for Defense of Democracies
? 26:31 Ending tyranny
? 34:53 The people have to want it
? 41:05 Are we misleading ourselves?
? 43:23 Cracks in the Axis of Tyrannies
? 47:26 Chinese imperialism
? 52:35 Understanding ourselves abroad
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2023-10-03Länk till avsnitt
Ep 91: Paul Rahe on Sparta?s Grand Strategy
Paul Rahe, Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale College, and author of Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 418-413 BC, joins the show to talk about proxy wars, the strategy of Sparta, and the role of regimes in the shaping of foreign policy.
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Times
? 01:37 Introduction
? 06:43 Donald Kagan
? 08:32 The Spartan point of view
? 11:59 Why change the perspective?
? 17:30 Sparta?s goals
? 24:59 Why does Sparta matter?
? 31:56 ?Putin?s completely irrational?
? 33:56 Is Realism dangerous?
? 39:17 Why do the Athenians go to Sicily?
? 44:35 Alcibiades
? 47:06 Could the Athenians have won?
? 49:11 The significance of victory
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2023-09-26Länk till avsnitt
Ep 90: Andrew Krepinevich on Military Revolutions
Andrew Krepinevich, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers, joins the show to talk about how to interpret and think about military revolutions of the past and how that can help us forecast the shape of war in the future.
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Times
? 01:35 Introduction
? 02:50 Andy Marshall
? 07:45 A diagnostic outlook
? 10:11 The military technical revolution
? 19:14 How do military revolutions work?
? 24:49 Playing catch-up
? 27:35 The MRAP question
? 33:34 The pace of change
? 42:17 Mass and main force
? 46:12 What are we not doing that we need to be?
Here is a link to the article referenced in the episode - Hudson Institute - Archipelagic Defense 2.0
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2023-09-19Länk till avsnitt
Ep 89: Mick Ryan on Ukraine, Taiwan, and Future War
Mick Ryan, Major General (retired) in the Australian Army and author of White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, joins the show to talk about the war today in Ukraine, the potential war in Taiwan, and the changing character of war itself.
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Times
? 02:22 Introduction
? 05:49 China on Australia?s radar
? 11:56 Ukrainian progress
? 17:26 Timeframe
? 24:00 ?We?re helping them tread water. We?re not helping them swim.?
? 27:37 What is China learning from Ukraine?
? 35:20 Can China pull off its own Operation Neptune?
? 41:12 Looking to the past
? 44:35 White Sun War
? 51:23 Everything new is old
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2023-09-12Länk till avsnitt
Ep 88: John H. Maurer on Alfred Thayer Mahan (New Makers of Modern Strategy #10)
John H. Maurer, the Alfred Thayer Mahan Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy at the Naval War College and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about Mahan and his relevance today.
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Times
? 01:30 Introduction
? 02:06 Mahan struck from the syllabus
? 06:30 Early writings
? 09:19 Looking out at the world
? 12:17 Six elements of seapower
? 15:01 Arming for peace
? 20:35 Corbett
? 22:54 The 18th century
? 29:49 A political scientist
? 35:10 Where might one go wrong?
? 39:03 Free security
? 42:26 Who should we be reading?
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2023-09-05Länk till avsnitt
Ep 87: Wayne Lee on Native American Warfare
Wayne Lee, Bruce W. Carney Distinguished Professor of History at UNC and author of The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800, joins the show to talk about war in the ?Eastern Woodlands?, both before and after European contact.
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Times
? 01:48 Introduction
? 02:50 Coincidences
? 07:19 ?Woods and rivers, deer and rabbits, corn and beans?
? 12:51 Unused land
? 19:29 Sacred spaces
? 21:56 Strategic objectives
? 28:35 Why not occupy?
? 32:50 Logistics
? 41:57 The role of the prisoner
? 49:10 Something like the truth
? 54:34 Offense and defense
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2023-08-29Länk till avsnitt
Ep 86: David Betz on Ukraine?s Counteroffensive and Russia?s Defense
David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King?s College London, joins the show to talk about what the status of the Ukrainian counteroffensive has to teach us about the enduring relevance of fortifications and the defense as a form of war.
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Times
? 02:02 Introduction
? 02:16 Modern War
? 03:36 Counteroffensive progress
? 06:08 Tracking events
? 11:08 Russia?s defensive scheme
? 23:07 Fortified strategic complex
? 32:9 Maginot reconsidered
? 40:47 The pendulum
? 48:07 What if?
To read the article discussed on this episode click the link -
Russian fortifications present an old problem for Ukraine - JULY 20, 2023 DAVID J BETZ
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2023-08-22Länk till avsnitt
Ep 85: Antulio J. Echevarria on Jomini (New Makers of Modern Strategy #9)
Antulio J. Echevarria, General Douglas MacArthur Chair of Research at the U.S. Army War College and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the most influential military thinkers of the modern age, Antoine-Henri Jomini.
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Times
? 01:55 Introduction
? 02:22 Who was Jomini?
? 06:13 A charlatan?
? 08:57 Summary of the Art of War
? 11:50 Clausewitz vs Jomini
? 14:26 The center of gravity
? 16:03 Lines of operation
? 21:21 Regard for the enemy
? 24:44 Interpreting Napoleon
? 28:09 Mahan and Jomini
? 30:47 Air power
? 31:55 Clausewitz revival
? 34:02 Jomini today
2023-08-15Länk till avsnitt
Ep 84: Mike Gallagher on the Korean War and Confronting China Today
Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district and Chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, joins the show to talk about why the Korean War should be front-of-mind for American policymakers and strategists.
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? 02:06 Introduction
? 04:05 Wolf-warrior diplomacy
? 10:42 A new Cold War
? 13:05 T.R. Fehrenbach
? 22:25 ?This stuff matters?
? 25:25 Task Force Smith
? 29:44 Route clearances
? 31:23 Inchon
? 35:06 Truman?s failures
? 38:19 Eisenhower brings balance
? 42:24 China has gotten stronger
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And here is a link to checkout the article Aaron and Mike wrote for Foreign Affairs Why America Forgets and China Remembers the Korean War
2023-08-08Länk till avsnitt
Ep 84: B. Rivera and M. McGrath on John Boyd
Mark McGrath and Brian Rivera, hosts of the No Way Out podcast, join the show to talk about strategist John Boyd.
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Times
? 02:09 Introduction
? 02:59 Who was John Boyd?
? 06:03 ?40 Second? Boyd
? 08:05 Air to air combat
? 09:45 OODA Loop
? 14:20 Getting inside the enemy?s loop
? 18:44 Fast transients
? 21:41 Patterns of Conflict
? 26:27 Military reformer
? 29:46 Blitzkrieg and Entebbe
? 37:43 Detractors
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For more on John Boyd and from Mark and Brian check out the ??No Way Out Podcast
2023-08-01Länk till avsnitt
Ep 83: Aaron O?Connell on 'Geopolitics 101'
Aaron O?Connell, Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin, joins the show to talk about the ?founding fathers? of 20th century geopolitical thought: Mahan, Mackinder, and Spykman.
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Times
? 01:46 Introduction
? 02:20 From Marine to scholar to the NSC
? 06:24 Alfred T. Mahan
? 12:27 Choke points, decisive battle, and battleships
? 15:45 Security through imperialism
? 18:08 Chinese Mahanians
? 20:33 China?s crowded neighborhood
? 21:27 Halford Mackinder
? 28:56 Heartland rising
? 31:36 Inner and outer crescent
? 33:01 Nicholas Spykman
? 37:55 The nature of power
? 39:03 Containment
? 42:11 The American role
? 46:22 The path of partnerships
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2023-07-25Länk till avsnitt
Ep 82: Charles Edel on John Quincy Adams (New Makers of Modern Strategy #8)
Charles Edel, senior adviser and Australia Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the founding architects of American foreign policy, John Quincy Adams.
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Times
? 01:33 Introduction
? 02:20 Democratic strategy
? 04:43 Adams
? 08:03 Early threats to the Republic
? 13:20 A potential challenger to Europe
? 18:10 Unity and strength
? 25:08 ?In search of monsters to destroy?
? 30:07 British parallels
? 34:11 Slavery
? 38:36 Public service
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2023-07-18Länk till avsnitt
Ep 81: Max Hastings on the Cuban Missile Crisis
Max Hastings, journalist, military historian, and author most recently of Abyss: The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, joins the show to talk about the world?s brush with World War III.
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? 01:41 Introduction
? 01:59 From journalism to history
? 07:06 Recollections
? 09:40 Castro and the Bay of Pigs
? 19:46 Overflights
? 26:46 Quarantine and blockade
? 33:45 Russian floundering
? 35:52 Dealmaking
? 40:07 Uncomfortable proximity
? 42:36 Spheres of influence
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2023-07-11Länk till avsnitt
Ep 80: Holger Afflerbach on How Germany Lost WWI
Holger Afflerbach, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Leeds and author of On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War, joins the show to talk about the origins of the First World War, how much Germany is to blame, and why the July Crisis of 1914 is relevant in 2023.
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Times
? 01:59 Introduction
? 02:46 Fritz Fischer
? 10:34 1914 and today
? 15:24 The Kaiser
? 21:54 Bethmann Hollweg
? 27:46 Military necessity
? 37:25 How did Germany lose?
? 44:10 Murderers or sleepwalkers?
For context, and a better sense of the events unfolding in 1914, checkout the National World War One Museum Interactive Timeline and Summer 1914 Day By Day.
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2023-07-04Länk till avsnitt
Ep 79: Mark Galeotti on Russia?s Military
Mark Galeotti, director of Mayak Intelligence, host of the In Moscows?s Shadow podcast, and author of Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, joins the show to talk about the post-Cold War Russian Armed Forces.
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Times
? 02:13 Introduction
? 04:26 The peak
? 10:04 In decline
? 13:04 A day in the life of a ?90s Russian soldier
? 16:23 The First Chechen War
? 21:17 Putin and Chechnya
? 24:42 Russia?s claims
? 35:10 Modernization
? 40:49 Historical karma in Ukraine
? 46:10 Big picture
? 48:20 Ukraine?s counter-offensive
? 51:49 Wagner and Prigozhin
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2023-06-27Länk till avsnitt
Ep 78: Hew Strachan on Clausewitz (New Makers of Modern Strategy #7)
Hew Strachan, Bishop Wardlaw Professor at the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about Carl von Clausewitz.
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Times
? 02:10 Introduction
? 04:31 Serious-minded
? 09:43 On War
? 11:54 Deconstruct to construct
? 15:19 Distinctions in war
? 24:07 The American embrace of Clausewitz
? 28:00 Context is everything
? 32:14 Politics by other means
? 36:24 Clausewitz the Marxist
? 40:05 Absolute and Total
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2023-06-20Länk till avsnitt
Ep 77: Iskander Rehman on Sully, Richelieu, and Mazarin (New Makers of Modern Strategy #6)
Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Kissinger Center at Johns Hopkins SAIS and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about French grand strategy during the 16th and 17th century rivalry between the Bourbons and Habsburg Spain.
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Times
? 02:41 Introduction
? 04:35 A nagging curiosity
? 06:59 Sully at the start
? 13:27 The genesis of a struggle
? 21:19 French internal cohesion
? 26:51 Naval power
? 29:28 Religious factions and Richelieu
? 32:14 The 30 Years War and France
? 36:22 The fruits of disorder
? 41:44 Defender of the faith
? 44:41 Mazarin
? 49:48 Hegemonic France
? 53:56 Rapid-fire lessons
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2023-06-13Länk till avsnitt
Ep 76: Levi Roach on the Normans
Levi Roach, Associate Professor of Medieval History at the University of Exeter and author of Empires of the Normans: Conquerors of Europe, joins the show to talk about the rise, violent spread, and ultimate normalization of the group of Viking raiders know as the Normans.
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Times
? 01:25 Introduction
? 01:53 Who were the Normans?
? 06:40 Transformations
? 11:41 Parallel outbursts
? 14:35 ?If a Frank is your neighbor, he?s not your friend?
? 16:01 Towards 1066
? 22:20 Dukes and kings
? 26:34 Hastings
? 31:42 William?s victory
? 36:13 Rule by castle
? 39:26 Siege and counter-siege
? 41:27 Normans in the Mediterranean
? 47:24 ?Noteworthy, not unique?
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2023-06-06Länk till avsnitt
Ep 75: Toshi Yoshihara on Sun Tzu (New Makers of Modern Strategy #5)
Toshi Yoshihara, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, author of Mao?s Army Goes to Sea, and contributor to the New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about Sun Tzu and Mao?s strategic thought.
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Times
? 02:14 Introduction
? 02:33 Who was Sun Tzu?
? 05:38 Spring and Autumn
? 08:27 Legitimizing the text
? 11:18 Rational analysis
? 13:51 Clausewitz versus Sun Tzu
? 20:28 A dangerous optimism
? 24:40 Shih
? 29:59 Mao in ?49 and ?50
? 34:11 Chinese intervention in Korea
? 38:36 The origins of Chinese sea power
? 43:11 Amphibious operations
? 47:33 D-Day without any advantages
Andrew Rhodes Map D-Day Invasion compared to potential Taiwan Invasion
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2023-05-30Länk till avsnitt
Ep 74: Mark Moyar on Vietnam (New Makers of Modern Strategy #4)
Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College, author of Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968 and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to reconsider the history of the Vietnam War.
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Times
? 01:53 Introduction
? 04:30 Beginnings
? 08:43 Early success
? 12:23 Fallout from the coup
? 14:00 LBJ takes over
? 19:06 Domino theory
? 22:20 China and Vietnam
? 25:40 Buying time
? 28:23 Johnson and McNamara
? 34:22 Maintaining the shield
? 35:53 Westmoreland and attrition
? 41:42 South Vietnam
? 45:33 Parallels
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2023-05-23Länk till avsnitt
Ep 73: Carter Malkasian on Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency (New Makers of Modern Strategy #3)
Carter Malkasian, chair of the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about counterterrorism and counterinsurgency since 9/11.
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Times
? 01:39 Introduction
? 02:01 From academia to Garmsir
? 03:48 Center for Naval Analysis
? 05:45 Two faces of the same coin
? 08:51 Counterterrorism vs counterinsurgency
? 13:00 McChrystal and Petraeus
? 16:29 Types of insurgency
? 20:34 The Sunni Awakening and the Surge
? 24:32 Two different wars
? 30:51 Gilding the lily
? 37:46 The Obama Administration
? 41:42 ISIS
? 44:45 Withdrawal deadline
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2023-05-16Länk till avsnitt
Ep 72: Matthew Kroenig on Machiavelli (New Makers of Modern Strategy #2)
Matthew Kroenig, professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and contributor to the New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the most influential strategic thinkers of all time, Niccolo Machiavelli.
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Times
? 02:21 Introduction
? 03:52 Teaching Machiavelli
? 05:38 Machiavelli?s relevance
? 07:49 Who was Niccolo?
? 10:00 A lasting effect
? 12:16 The Art of War
? 15:52 A bad reputation
? 19:58 A return to republic
? 22:25 The Prince
? 25:45 An early realist
? 30:35 Classical influences
? 35:12 Bullish on democracy
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2023-05-09Länk till avsnitt
Ep 71: John Gaddis on Strategy (New Makers of Modern Strategy #1)
John Gaddis, Robert A. Lovett Professor of Military & Naval History at Yale University and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about the foundations of strategic thought.
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? 02:01 Introduction
? 02:42 Makers of Modern Strategy
? 05:21 Democracy and strategy
? 07:42 Do authoritarians do strategy better?
? 10:32 A guide for future action
? 14:19 Grammar and logic
? 17:42 Ecological sensitivity
? 21:00 Maintain credibility
? 23:25 NSC-68
? 28:04 Reactions
? 32:18 Self-correction
? 37:12 Tolerating contradictions
? 41:29 Robert Kagan
? 42:43 Intellectual humility
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2023-05-02Länk till avsnitt