A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast: Recent Episodes
A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast
Is maneuver warfare truly dead in modern combat? Tom Galvin sits down with Carlisle Scholars Kevin Krupski, Michael Moore, and Erick Buckner to tackle the growing belief that defense and total stalemates now rule the battlefield. Inspired by current events like the conflict in Ukraine, the team explores how armies can overcome tough defenses and get forces moving again.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/restoring-the-offense
The post RESTORING THE OFFENSE IN CONTEMPORARY COMBAT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
As open-source intelligence dominates national security, how do analysts navigate deceptive "AI slop"? Kelly Ihme and Michael Moore join host Tom Spahr to discuss why a focused human mind remains the ultimate tool in the AI era.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/open-source-intelligence
The post OPEN-SOURCE INTELLIGENCE AND ARTIFICIAL ILLUSIONS
(INTELLIGENCE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Hiding military tools too well can weaken deterrence. Aaron Brown, Justin Bierens and Gerald Bowman join host Tom Galvin to discuss why the military must adopt a "share unless proven necessary to hide" approach for space operations.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/declassifying-space
The post DEFAULT TO SHARE: DECLASSIFYING SPACE-BASED CAPABILITIES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Why does WWII still captivate our imagination? Host Darrell Driver and military historian Doug Douds discuss how the conflict shapes modern geopolitics, unpacking pivotal moments, unsung advisors, and intriguing historical counterfactuals.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/wwii-storytelling
The post BRINGING WWII TO LIFE THROUGH STORYTELLING appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
On today’s high-tech battlefield, "safe" rear areas no longer exist. Combat units are bogged down dragging broken gear because the military lacks a middle tier for complex repairs. Octavia Davis & Scott Pinkstaff join host Steve Trynosky to map out the fix.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/reshaping-military-maintenance
The post THE MISSING TIER: RESHAPING MILITARY MAINTENANCE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
What happens when you unleash senior military students to fix bureaucracy? Guests Jared Britz and Josh Eggar join host Bob Bradford to discuss how Army War College students used tabletop exercises & AI tools to stress-test Army reforms and spot friction points.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/unleashing-expertise
The post STRESS TESTING TRANSFORMATION: WAR COLLEGE STUDENTS AT WORK appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Can AI pass military exams? Kevin Boyce & John Nagl join host Tom Spahr to discuss testing ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude & Grok on Army War College comps. All passed, but limits caused AI to degrade under pressure, proving human judgment remains indispensable.
You can read the article Can AI Pass the U.S. Army War College? by Kevin Boyce, John Nagl and Kris Wheaton here https://publications.armywarcollege.edu/News/Display/Article/4472536/can-ai-pass-the-us-army-war-college/
You can find the manuscript Responsibly Pursuing Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) for
the War Fighter by Blair Wilcox and Anthony Pfaff here https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3365&context=parameters
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/ai-comps
The post CAN AI PASS THE U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM? appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
How has China transformed into a dominant naval power, and what strategic choices must the U.S. make to protect its interests in the Pacific? Toshi Yoshihara and James Holmes join
The post NAVAL POWER & POLICY: RED STAR OVER THE PACIFIC appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
How can the military adopt tech at the speed of relevance? Host Tom Galvin talks with Carlisle Scholars John Williams, Jeremy Jackson & Antonio Ilario on bridging the gap between bureaucratic acquisition timelines and rapid tech evolution.
The post AT THE SPEED OF RELEVANCE: REFORMING PROCUREMENT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Is a return to a military draft even viable? William Taylor and Katherine Kuzminski join JP Clark to bridge the gap between myth and reality regarding the all-volunteer force and the political and logistical hurdles of 21st-century mobilization.
The post BEYOND THE SELECTIVE SERVICE MYTHS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
To meet the demands of modern, high-intensity warfare, the U.S. Army Reserve must remake itself –“Army Reserve 4.0”– is the finding of an Army War College integrated research project. Steve
The post ESCAPING THE READINESS TRAP: RESHAPING THE RESERVES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Curt Brooker and Ron Granieri discuss why sleep is an operational requirement. Using wearables to track biometrics can help the military move past a culture of exhaustion toward data-driven readiness. You can't outwork your body.
The post STRESS, SLEEP, AND STRATEGIC STRENGTH appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Clay Chun & Jackie Whitt present the theories of #JohnBoyd, a contemporary airpower theorist who created the #OODA Loop, a learning approach to reducing uncertainty on the battlefield
The post JOHN BOYD AND THE “OODA” LOOP
(GREAT STRATEGISTS)
(RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Whether leadership views the inter-war period as post-war or pre-war determines where the organization goes.
The post IT’S ONLY A PRE-WAR PERIOD IN HINDSIGHT
(RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Successful military organizations are always assessing and adapting; this includes methods of command and control. The joint task forces with constituent air, land, and maritime components currently used by the U.S. military have demonstrated benefits, but are all too often ad hoc structures that take too long to stand up and fight as a cohesive team. Tom Bruscino and Lou Yuengert are in the studio to talk about their recently released manuscript, The Future of the Joint Warfighting Headquarters: An Alternative Approach to the Joint Task Force, which they wrote with fellow authors Eric Bissonette, Kelvin Mote, Matthew Powell, Marc Sanborn and James Watts. Tom and Lou argue that now is the time to create standing, numbered, and regionally aligned joint warfighting headquarters— American Expeditionary Forces (AEFs)—around a command council and a staff organized into Joint centers and cells. They join host Darrell Driver to share the thought process behind the organizational structure and why the U.S. military must become a superior and sustainable joint force sooner than its adversaries.
The post THE FUTURE IS EXPEDITIONARY: JOINT WARFIGHTING HQ
(RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
For many, Afghanistan and the lessons that should have been learned have been overshadowed recently by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And as much as Ukraine deserves the attention of the world, national security professionals have a duty to learn as much as possible from the successes and failures of Afghanistan. To that end, A BETTER PEACE is extremely pleased to welcome Maj Gen Brian Mennes, the Deputy Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He joins Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to discuss his experiences in Afghanistan during his multiple tours in the theater. Tom and the general served together on three separate tours in Afghanistan and their conversation focuses on the wins that they achieved along the way along with the losses and the eventual fall of the Afghan government in August 2021.
The post LESSONS OF AFGHANISTAN: A CONVERSATION WITH MG BRIAN MENNES
(RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
When twins Derek and TJ Baird joined the Army in the '90s, neither of them had any idea what lay ahead. But 26 and 30 years later respectively, one is a colonel and the other a command sergeant major, and it's safe to say the Army has been a great place for them. The Baird brothers join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to tell the story of two very different yet very similar careers serving the nation. Derek and TJ share how they have relied on each other throughout the years for advice and support both as professional soldiers and as brothers. It's a great story of their similar leadership philosophies and styles and decades of service that they plan to continue for decades more.
The post REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP FROM TWO MIRROR IMAGES
(RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Has the promise of cost savings due to outsourcing been realized? Or, has the dependence on the private sector caused overall costs to increase?
The post MILITARY MIGHT AND THE DEFENSE MARKETPLACE
(RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Editor’s Note: This is our 500th episode. Thank you for being part of this journey, we wouldn’t be here without you. Your loyalty and engagement have turned a project into
The post TIADS AND TARGETING THE ADVERSARY’S WILL appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
On Tuesday, 21 April 2026 we published our 500th episode. Reaching 500 episodes is no small feat. Given that the average startup podcast fails after just seven episodes, we are
The post 500 EPISODES OF A BETTER PEACE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Jeff Rogg joins Tom Spahr to discuss the "intelligence revolution." Beyond new gadgets, cell phones & AI are transforming the state-citizen relationship & modern warfare, turning digital footprints into targeting beacons & tools for cognitive warfare.
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-spy-and-the-state-9780197678732?cc=us⟨=en&
The post THE INTELLIGENCE REVOLUTION: INDIVIDUALS AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF INFLUENCE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
CIA officer Sean Wiswesser joins host Tom Spahr to expose the reality of Russian intelligence. Moving past spy myths, they discuss how corruption and "active measures" shape the Kremlin's secret war from Ukraine to Western democracies.
Sean's bookhttps://www.usni.org/press/books/tradecraft-tactics-and-dirty-tricks
The post INSIDE THE KREMLIN’S GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Blair Wilcox & Chase Metcalf join host Tom Spahr to discuss AI in planning. Wargames show AI excels in data and control but cannot master the art of command. Human intuition remains vital to avoid strategically disastrous decisions.
The post HUMAN AGENCY IN THE AGE OF AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Non-state actors now execute strategic strikes mirroring elite state operations. Craig Whiteside joins host Darrell Driver to discuss the rise of non-state special operations, from the Tet Offensive to space-based threats, and why identifying motives is critical.
The post THE RISE OF NON-STATE SPECIAL OPERATIONS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The Army is evolving its intel to outpace modern threats. Andrew Evans joins Tom Spahr to discuss a permanent Strategy and Transformation Office. To beat 11-yr acquisition cycles, he advocates for a cultural shift to get new tech to soldiers faster
The post INTELLIGENCE, INNOVATION, AND INTEGRATION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The Army is shifting from acquiring "widgets" to a holistic "6 plus 1" portfolio structure to deliver tech to the warfighter faster. Amanda Love joins Dan Harris & Bob Bradford to discuss the new era of "failing fast & learning" in acquisition reform.
The post BREAKING THE CADENCE
REFORMING THE ARMY’S ACQUISITION FRAMEWORK appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Samuel Helfont joins host Ron Graneri to discuss his book, The Iraq Wars, that makes interesting connections across three decades of conflict.
The post THE LONG ARC OF THE IRAQ WARS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
How did a divided Germany become a pillar of stability? Host Jadwiga Biskupska sits down with Ron Granieri to discuss his book, Adenauer’s Heirs. They explore how the CDU/CSU anchored Germany to the West, proving modern debates on European unity are rooted in the Cold War.
The post ANCHORING GERMANY TO THE WEST: ADENAUER’S HEIRS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Carol Stauffer, USARPAC G2, joins host Tom Spahr to explore Theater Army intel in the Indo-Pacific. They discuss the shift from "kill chains" to a "kill mesh" & how human relationships maintain deterrence across 35 nations
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/data-deterrence-diplomacy
The post DATA, DETERRENCE AND DIPLOMACY
THEATER ARMY INTELLIGENCE IN THE INDO-PACIFIC appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Nuclear ops are back in the wartime vernacular. Jeremiah Aeschleman joins host Tom Spahr to discuss why military ldrs must move past the "ENDEX mindset" & prepare the joint force for the reality of fighting & winning on a nuclear-armed battlefield.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/nuclear-normalcy
The post BEYOND STRANGELOVE
GETTING TO NUCLEAR NORMALCY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
David Zesinger joins Tom Spahr to discuss the "1492 moment" in space. From the moon's helium-3 resources to the contested nature of the domain, learn why space is the deciding factor in modern warfare.
The post WARFIGHTING AND THE ‘1492 MOMENT’ IN SPACE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
U.S. intelligence needs to adapt to maintain relevance & trust. LTG (Ret.) Bob Ashley joins Tom Spahr to break down how the IC must adapt to closing technological gaps & a changing world order
The post RELEVANCE AND TRUST: THE FUTURE OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Army transformation is ON! Director Johnny Ives explains the shift to AI-centric warfighting & next-gen, cloud-centric C2 for lethality & agility.
The post FROM BUREAUCRACY TO BATTLEFIELD AGILITY: ARMY TRANSFORMATION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
How do "sunk costs" influence wartime decisions? JP Clark interviews Brian Groves on his book, "When Presidents Fight the Last War."
The post BEYOND VIETNAM: SUNK COSTS IN PRESIDENTIAL STRATEGY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The conversation on defending against sUAS continues. Lushenko & Spahr discuss the new Joint Interagency Task Force 401 a whole-of-govt approach focusing on warfighter lethality.
The post BEYOND ADMIRING THE PROBLEM: JIATF 401’S JURISDICTIONAL JUMP appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Michael Neiberg & Peter Pomerantsev discuss propaganda history at CVHF 2024! Hear the parallels between WWII & Ukraine, focusing on Sefton Delmer's counter-Nazi tactics.
The post EXPLOITING THE VOID: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MODERN PROPAGANDA
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Taiwan's "porcupine defense" aims to stop a #Chinese invasion. Jay Hsieh & Pete Roongsang say new policies need faster innovation & US aid synchronization in order to succeed.
The post TAIWAN’S PORCUPINE DEFENSE: THE RACE TO READINESS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Grant Golub explains how Henry Stimson transformed the WWII War Department into a political force, cementing the military's influence on U.S. foreign policy.
The post TRANSFORMING THE WAR DEPARTMENT: HENRY STIMSON appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The final TRADOC cdr, GEN Gary Brito, joins JP Clark to discuss the U.S. Army's "continuous transformation" & the new T2COM.
The post TRANSFORMATION AND TRAINING: GENERAL GARY BRITO appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Stephan Kieninger discusses his new book on former Dep Sec of State Strobe Talbott whose belief that both NATO expansion & engagement with Russia were achievable.
The post THE ETERNAL TASK: SECURING PEACE IN EUROPE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The "elastic mindset" & "effectual logic" focus on using available means to adapt, rather than an end-state approach based on specific threats like Russia & China.
The post MANEUVER WARFARE: INNOVATION AND THE ELASTIC MINDSET appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The Battle of Mogadishu, known by many as “Black Hawk Down,” lasted roughly 18 hours and cost the
The post THE SOMALIA STORY: BEYOND BLACK HAWK DOWN appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
U.S. First Army partners with the Army Reserve and National Guard to help them prepare for their missions. Melissa Sayers, the director of First Army's operational data team, discusses the mission of an operational research systems analyst (ORSA) and the importance of creating a data-centric military. She joins host Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to explain how her team uses a cloud-based platform called Vantage to provide leaders with a "single pane of glass" view of friendly forces, including data on equipment, personnel, and finances. She emphasizes the importance of leadership empowerment and building trust to drive collaboration and cultural change within a large organization.
The post SEAMLESS SYSTEMS: OPERATIONAL DATA IN THE FIRST ARMY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Every August, a fresh new cohort of students arrives on Carlisle Barracks to attend the resident course at the U.S. Army War College. The goal is to educate and develop these senior military and civilian leaders to serve at the strategic level, enhancing national and global security. Maria Gregory shares her hard-won tips for success with host Liz Woodworth. Maria began the 2024-2025 academic year feeling apprehensive but by the end felt transformed (for the best!) Maria hopes the lessons she learned during the "Carlisle Experience" might help others to make the most of the opportunities available during their own studies.
And for all those students that have just arrived be sure to check out our special Back to School series for more incredibly useful information like you'll find here.
The post FROM APPREHENSIVE TO ACCOMPLISHED: A WAR COLLEGE STORY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Sapriya McLendon, a 2024 graduate of the U.S. Army War College, joins host Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to discuss her command of the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade (Theater) (MIB-T). The 513th MIB-T plays a critical role in providing the ground intelligence picture for CENTCOM, a task they've honed over two decades of continuous engagement in the Middle East. Their conversation delves into the unique aspects of the 513th MIB-T, including its data-centric organization and innovative use of data to enhance efficiency in both business operations and warfighting tasks.
The post AI-READY DEFENSE: MILITARY INTELLIGENCE IN CENTCOM appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Frank Sobchak, a retired Special Forces colonel and author of "Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan," joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the complexities of security force assistance (SFA). Their conversation delves into the challenges of measuring success in advisory missions and avoiding deeper U.S. combat commitments. Frank's research, based on five case studies (El Salvador, the Philippines, Colombia, Iraq, and Afghanistan), identifies key variables influencing SFA success. He cites advisor language and cultural awareness, advisor-to-host nation ratio, consistency in advisor pairing, combat advising, and the ability to organize host nation units. He emphasized that while not all factors need to be perfectly aligned, a majority must be in place for a mission to succeed.
The post TRAINING FOR VICTORY: SPECIAL FORCES AND SECURITY FORCE ASSISTANCE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's the time of the year when we feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. This episode features Christiana Crawford, Jody Daigle, and Amanda Raney as they examine the complex relationship between the United States and China. They joined podcast editor Ron Granieri to share their different yet complementary perspectives. Christiana emphasized the military's goal is to build strength to preserve peace, Jody drew parallels to the Peloponnesian War by highlighting fear, honor, and interest as drivers of conflict, and Amanda discussed the inherent tension of competing with China while also collaborating with it in critical fields like medicine. The speakers agreed that this complex relationship, full of both cooperation and competition, must be carefully managed.
The post PARTNER AND COMPETITOR: MANAGING THE U.S.-CHINA RELATIONSHIP appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It’s the time of the year when we feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. This episode features Erik Sarson and Anna Scott as they examine the strength and importance of allies and partners. Erik is an Army Special Forces officer in the West Virginia National Guard, and he shared insights from his experience with the State Partnership Program. Anna is a British Army officer, and she speaks about the "special relationship" between the UK and the U.S., highlighting the significance of soft power and shared values. They join host Ron Granieri to highlight the positive reception from their audiences, noting a general understanding and curiosity about the future of alliances, even when addressing potential disagreements.
The post ALLIES AND INFLUENCE: CONVERSATIONS FROM THE EISENHOWER SERIES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
How do cyber vulnerabilities impact modern warfare and statecraft? Craig Booth argues that the effectiveness of coercion, which relies on both the power to impose costs and the credibility of the threat, is weakened by vulnerabilities in digital and networked weapon systems. He joins host Darrell Driver to discuss how if an adversary believes they can hack, jam, or hijack U.S. capabilities, the ability to project power and influence their behavior diminishes. Booth notes that cyber risk is not merely a technical problem but a strategic vulnerability, and cyber resilience must be treated as a fundamental pillar of modern deterrence before it erodes national leverage.
The post THE EROSION OF COERCION: HOW CYBER RISKS IMPACT POWER PROJECTION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In the second half of their two-part episode, host Tom Spahr and Sean Shields discuss the Hurricane Helene relief efforts in western North Carolina. Shields details his experience leading the 20th Engineer Brigade and the critical importance of collaborating with other organizations like FEMA, the National Guard, and local officials. He notes this was a real-world application of his Army War College studies on defense support to civil authorities. The mission also marked the first use of the Maven system on an unclassified network, which provided a crucial, real-time common operating picture for all involved stakeholders.
The post AMERICANS HELPING AMERICANS: THE CASTLE BRIGADE’S BUSY YEAR
(PART II) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In response to the Western Front-like stalemate seen in the Ukraine war, the U.S. Army is getting innovative. Sean Shields, commander of the 20th Engineer Brigade, joins host Tom Spahr to discuss his unit's "Sand Hills Project," an initiative born from observing the mobility challenges faced by Ukrainian forces. The project’s goal is to figure out how to breach modern, complex obstacle belts and restore maneuver to the battlefield, all while keeping soldiers out of harm's way. To achieve this, the project utilizes cheap, expendable, and scalable robotic ground and air vehicles to overwhelm and reduce enemy defenses. This is part one of a two-part series about the 20th Engineer Brigade.
The post INNOVATING FOR THE FUTURE FIGHT: THE CASTLE BRIGADE’S BUSY YEAR
(PART I) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
From late 2024 to early 2025, numerous unidentified drones were reported over U.S. cities and military bases. While some of these "mystery craft" were later attributed to FAA-authorized research and other purposes, their presence highlighted the potential threat and vulnerability of defense and infrastructure facilities. Paul Lushenko, chief strategist for the U.S. military's Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO), joined host Tom Spahr to discuss these concerns. Lushenko also underscored the ongoing efforts to refine doctrine, training, and policy to effectively address the evolving challenge posed by unmanned aircraft systems.
The post VULNERABLE SKIES: DRONES AND NATIONAL SECURITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In May 2025, the U.S. Army War College hosted its fourth annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. The event featured General Xavier Brunson, commander of United Nations Command, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, as the keynote speaker. In a discussion with host Tom Spahr, General Brunson shared insights into his demanding role and the critical strategic importance of the Korean Peninsula. He underscored the necessity of reviving the "emotion" that motivated international support for South Korea during the Korean War. General Brunson also emphasized the delicate balance between maintaining a "fight tonight" readiness and continuously modernizing forces to counter advancements in North Korean and Chinese military technology.
The post BRUNSON ON KOREA: READINESS & ALLIANCES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Despite the fact that so many of them make it look easy, the daily lives of senior U.S.
The post RESILIENCE AND EFFECTIVENESS:
EXAMINING ENDURANCE IN SENIOR MILITARY LEADERS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In a previous episode, we highlighted the Annual Army War College Strategy Competition. This week, host Tom Galvin speaks with a team from the Carlisle Scholars Program that used the competition as the opportunity to experiment with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for strategy formulation. Josh Aldred, Claudio Blardone, Robby Haugh, and Adam Schultz share their expectations and what actually happened and take-aways. Ultimately, the results underscored AI's potential to improve strategic planning, while also highlighting the continued importance of human oversight and ongoing training.
The post AI IN STRATEGIC PLANNING: THE FUTURE OF STRATEGY? appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
One of the interesting things is there’s no agreement domestically among civilians and military or internationally about what
The post ENHANCING STRATEGIC THINKING THROUGH COMPETITION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time to talk about the Harding Project once again. The project is the Chief of Staff of the Army's (CSA) effort to renew professional publications, strengthen the profession, and ultimately enhance the warfighting capability of the U.S. Army. Jake Larkowich, Deputy Commandant of the U.S. Army War College and associate editor for War Room, stepped into the studio to share a senior leader perspective. He joins Editor-in-Chief, JP Clark, to discuss the importance of putting words to your thoughts. Their conversation focuses on sharing experiences and opinions in writing at the senior leader level, where there is value for both junior officers and NCOs, as well as challenges and benefits to writing for one's contemporaries.
The post COLONELS WRITING FOR COLONELS (RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Whether putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard, writing clarifies and improves ideas while also allowing those thoughts to be shared with others. But the idea of publishing one's thoughts can be intimidating. Why does it seem so hard to get thoughts down on paper? And how do you approach an editor? How do you even get started? Zach Griffiths and Theo Lipsky are in the studio to explain why you absolutely should share your ideas more widely. They join our Editor-in-Chief, JP Clark, to discuss publishing for professional purposes and the Chief of Staff of the Army's (CSA) Harding Project an effort to renew professional publications, strengthen the profession, and ultimately enhance the warfighting capability of the U.S. Army.
The post ON WRITING: MILITARY AUTHORS AND THE HARDING PROJECT (RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The U.S. Army War College (USAWC) recently hosted its 2025 Homeland Defense Symposium, gathering experts to tackle the
The post SECURITY VS. DEFENSE: A VITAL DISTINCTION FOR THE HOMELAND appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Retired U.S. Army General Paul Nakasone recently addressed the resident class at the U.S. Army War College, and he also sat down for an episode of A Better Peace with host Tom Spahr. While reflecting on his time leading the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command, Nakasone provides a fascinating peek into the world of cyber intelligence. He emphasizes the critical importance of integrating signals intelligence with cyber operations to maintain speed, agility, and unity of action. The discussion also highlights the transformative power of AI in the intelligence community and the necessity of strong partnerships between the public and private sectors. Conflicts like those in Ukraine and Gaza underscore the strategic importance of adapting to modern warfare's complexities for today’s leaders.
The post SIGNALS, CYBER AND STRATEGY: RETIRED GENERAL PAUL NAKASONE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Ever wonder what goes into the President's Daily Brief (PDB)? It's not your average morning news. Stephanie Sellers, a former PDB briefer, is currently the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Representative to the U.S. Army War College and the General Walter Bedell Smith Chair of National Intelligence Studies. She joins host Ron Granieri to share her experiences, and describes the job as trying to keep up with “17 different soap operas at once.” This crucial intelligence update is delivered to the president and other senior government leaders, shaping their understanding of critical issues. Sellers, who previously worked on missile systems for the Navy, joined the CIA after 9/11 out of a desire to continue to serve her country and to use and grow her technical and leadership skills in new and exciting assignments. Her journey to becoming a PDB briefer was fueled by a desire for challenge and the opportunity to work at "the nexus of intelligence and policy."
The post INSIDE THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY BRIEF appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Retired Rear Admiral Paul Becker joins host Darrell Driver in the studio to discuss the role of intelligence in U.S. Homeland Security. Intelligence is discovering what an adversary seeks to conceal, a concept relevant to both warfare and homeland defense. Becker emphasizes the unique challenges of applying intelligence domestically, including legal and ethical considerations and the increasing convergence of foreign and domestic threats. The discussion highlights the critical importance of interagency coordination, information sharing, open-source intelligence, and public trust. Becker also touches on the threat from China, particularly the potential for cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure.
The post INTEL IMPERATIVES: SECURING THE HOMELAND appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The successful adoption of new technology in the military depends on the organization's culture, the technology's applicability and ease of incorporation into existing systems and processes, and, perhaps most importantly, the leadership guiding the transformation.
Dan Gregorio and Andy Knight join host Tom Spahr to discuss the I Corps’s adoption of the Maven Smart System to enhance mission command. Gregorio and Knight discuss the practical technical and leadership actions necessary to introduce a major new capability to the headquarters in just six weeks. Maven Smart System provides a unified interface for data sharing and enables commanders to visualize, act, and direct operations in real-time. Overall, the case is a good example of transformation in contact to significantly enhance lethality.
The post TECH ADOPTION AT PACE: CULTURE, INTEGRATION, AND LEADERSHIP appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In 2017, the U.S. Army established Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) to organize, train, equip, and advise foreign security forces. Tom Spahr spoke with two former SFAB commanders, Dustin Blair and Jon Post, to discuss the development of these brigades, their role in great power competition, and their potential use in future large-scale combat operations. Blair and Post emphasized the importance of SFABs in building relationships with partner nations and enhancing interoperability. They also stressed the need for continued investment to ensure the SFABs' long-term success.
The post FROM COMPETITION TO CONFLICT: CHARTING THE COURSE OF THE SFABS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
On 3 February 2025, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) hosted the former commander of U.S. Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, USMC, Retired, to discuss his book "The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century." Joined by Tom Spahr on stage they discussed his experience as a combatant commander and the challenges of leadership in wartime. Their conversation emphasized the importance of history and its influence on senior leader decision-making. The presentation examined the drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Quds Force commander, the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the challenges faced during the evacuation from Kabul.
The post THE MELTING POINT:
GENERAL FRANK MCKENZIE, USMC, RETIRED appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The complex and evolving relationship between the military and the media has spanned various periods in U.S. history. In a discussion with War Room editor-in-chief JP Clark, Thomas Crosbie, author of The Political Army: How the U.S. Military Learned to Manage the Media and Public Opinion, explores how the military has grappled with integrating media considerations into its operations. Crosbie examines how figures like George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, and Matthew Ridgway navigated media relations, highlighting the challenges of balancing transparency and control. Their conversation delves into the impact of the Vietnam War on military-media relations, when attempts to manage the media often backfired.
The post WAR, WORDS, AND THE FOURTH ESTATE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Hold on tight, this episode is a whirlwind of data-infused targeting, intel, and logistics. Joe O'Callaghan joins host Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to discuss the Department of Defense's Maven Smart System. Maven was first developed to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to help speed intelligence analysis, but has since been applied to targeting, logistics, and even disaster relief. Joe, as the former Chief of Fires in the XVIII Airborne Corps, was one of the key architects of the system. He is the perfect guest to describe the digital and procedural nuts and bolts required to make the Maven Smart System work. Their conversation also touches on the trail-blazing development process and the kind of leaders required to drive such innovation.
The post DATA-DRIVEN DEFENSE: THE MAVEN SMART SYSTEM appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time for another episode in our On Writing series. Host Michael Neiberg is joined in the studio by Tim Cook, the chief historian at the Canadian War Museum. Tim emphasizes the importance of making history accessible to the public, which involves finding compelling ways to tell stories and connect with readers. Their discussion covers Cook's latest book, "The Good Allies," which explores the relationship between Canada and the United States during World War II. Cook highlights the challenges of writing a book that is both chronological and thematic, and the importance of situating historical events within their specific time period. He explains that while there is an abundance of literature on World War II, he seeks to find unique angles and approaches to the topic.
The post FIGHTING TOGETHER: THE CANADIAN-AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP IN WORLD WAR II
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), also known as international humanitarian law (IHL), is a set of rules that govern warfare and aim to minimize harm to civilians and non-combatants. Alexandra Meise joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine the development of LOAC, which stems from treaties like the Geneva Conventions, domestic laws of individual states, and the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court. Their conversation delves into war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression. Alexandra emphasizes the importance of LOAC in providing a framework for accountability in the chaos of war, even if enforcement can be challenging. She stresses that despite its limitations, LOAC serves as a reminder that even in conflict, there must be rules to protect human life and dignity.
The post WAR CRIMES AND ACCOUNTABILITY: THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Andrew Hill and Steve Gerras return to the studio with host Tom Spahr to further explore the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in national defense. This episode delves into the critical question of human oversight in lethal force decisions with AI assistance. Join the debate as they dissect the potential consequences of over-reliance on human intuition and the bottlenecks human intervention can create in the process. They emphasize the need for transparency and open dialogue about AI's role in warfare. Steve and Andrew urge listeners to confront their own assumptions and engage in this crucial conversation. It's a great wrap-up to the topic and companion to their compelling three-part article.
The post BEYOND INTUITION: AI’S ROLE IN STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING
(PART 2) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In September 2024, Andrew Hill and Steve Gerras authored a compelling three-part series that explored the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in national defense. They provocatively argued that the conventional wisdom is wrong: human intuition is not indispensable, even though we might all wish it were. Recognizing the significance of this debate, War Room invited the authors to join host Tom Spahr for a deeper dive into their perspective. This episode, the first of a two-part discussion, dissects the complexities of human intuition, examining its inherent limitations and the potential for AI to surpass human capabilities in an increasingly automated battlespace.
The post BEYOND INTUITION: AI’S ROLE IN STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING
(PART 1) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
With the invasion of Poland in 1939, Nazi Germany set the stage for conflict and strife that has
The post ECHOES OF ERASURE: POLAND’S MEMORY AND IDENTITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Cultural property encompasses both tangible artifacts and intangible heritage that shapes societies. Historian Matthias Rogg is back in the studio, this time with Laurie Rush, an archaeologist and anthropologist working as a Department of the Army civilian at Fort Drum, NY. Laurie, who has extensive experience supporting the Army in cultural property protection missions, highlights the importance of preserving cultural heritage during conflicts. Their conversation turns to the need for increased awareness and training within the military on identifying and protecting cultural property. The discussion underscores the strategic significance of cultural property protection in warfare and its impact on post-war reconstruction efforts. This is the second in a two-part series exploring these complex issues.
The post BLOOD FOR STONES? PROTECTING CULTURAL PROPERTY IN WAR
(PART 2) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Cultural property encompasses both tangible artifacts and intangible heritage that shapes societies. Historian Matthias Rogg and international law expert Lando Kirchmair delve into the critical issue of protecting cultural property during armed conflicts. They discuss the multifaceted threats to cultural property, including destruction, seizure, misuse, and humiliation. Their conversation emphasizes the vital role of international law in safeguarding cultural treasures. They also highlight how threats to cultural property often trigger destabilization, bolster violence and are part of information campaigning. Matthias and Lando grapple with the ethical dilemmas inherent in protecting cultural property during wartime, questioning the balance between safeguarding cultural treasures and protecting soldiers' lives. This episode is the first in a two-part series exploring these complex issues.
The post BLOOD FOR STONES? PROTECTING CULTURAL PROPERTY IN WAR
(PART 1) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In November 1944, Japan launched thousands of balloons carrying incendiary bombs across the Pacific, aiming to set fire to American forests and divert resources from the war effort. While the campaign caused minimal damage and few casualties, it highlights the vulnerability of the U.S. homeland to attack. To discuss lessons from this historical event, the current state of homeland defense, and how we might better prepare for the future, George Schwartz and Bert Tussing sat down with host Darrell Driver. Their conversation emphasizes the need for a whole-of-nation approach to preparedness and the importance of collaboration between government, military, and private sectors.
There is a global trend of increased politicization of the military in eroding democracies, some of which are allies of the United States. Risa Brooks joins host Carrie Lee to shed light on the evolving dynamics between political leaders and the military in these countries. Brooks discusses the trend of political leaders using the military for their own electoral and personal gain, explaining how they draw it into domestic politics and, at times, seek to turn the military into a partisan ally. The discussion also underscores the crucial role of professional military education in instilling a deep understanding of democratic principles and norms and ethical boundaries in military service. The episode aims to raise awareness about this critical issue and encourage military professionals around the globe to uphold their commitment to democratic values.
The American intelligence community (IC) is a complex network of 18 different agencies constantly vying for authority and resources. This competition, along with the ongoing effort to balance civilian and military organizations within the IC, is the focus of today's discussion. Dr. Jeff Rogg, a senior research fellow at the Global and National Security Institute, joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to explore the history of the U.S. intelligence system, highlighting its civilian-military dynamics and the critical balance between national security and civil liberties. They delve into the roles of key figures like William Donovan and examine the challenges faced by various Directors of Central Intelligence as they navigate the intricate relationship between military and civilian agencies. This insightful conversation also raises questions about potential reforms needed within the intelligence community, especially considering the growing capabilities of surveillance technology and the need to preserve individual freedoms while ensuring national security.
The recent surge of coups d'etat in Africa holds significant implications for U.S. foreign policy. Dr. Naunihal Singh, author of "Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups," joins host Carrie Lee to discuss his extensive research on this topic. They explore the definition and historical context of coups, examining the intricate dynamics involved. Dr. Singh's insights, particularly on the role of mid-grade military officers, offer a unique perspective on this complex issue, crucial for those interested in civil-military relations and the future of democracy.
The Army is actively seeking innovative programs and ideas to address the recruitment and retention challenges it faces.
The post RETENTION THROUGH INNOVATION: THE BLENDED EDUCATION PROGRAM appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Military service provides unique education and experience opportunities not readily available elsewhere, a key selling point for recruiting an all-volunteer force. But do those experiences that make service members valuable in the military translate to success in political service? This is one of the questions Danielle Lupton explores in her research and book, Reputation for Resolve. She joins host Carrie Lee to discuss the role of reputation in international politics and the impact of veterans in politics, Congress, and even the White House. It's the latest episode in our Civil-Military Relations Center speaker series.
The post REPUTATION AND RELIABILITY: MILITARY VETS IN POLITICS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
On August 8, 2024, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, who served as the Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe from 2014 to 2017, visited Carlisle. Michael Neiberg had the pleasure of sitting down with him for a conversation about his latest book, Future War and the Defence of Europe. Their conversation was held at a public presentation at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
We're excited to share this bonus episode of their conversation with you, thanks to the generosity of the bookstore in sharing the audio recording of the event.
The post AN EVENING WITH FORMER USAREUR COMMANDING GENERAL BEN HODGES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A new academic year brings a new lineup of speakers to the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations
The post MEN OF LEGEND: THE LEGACY OF MONTFORD POINT
(CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Last week, the U.S. Army War College welcomed Sir Hew Strachan, a distinguished British military historian and accomplished author. He graciously took the time to sit down with Michael Neiberg in the studio for another episode of our "On Writing" series. During their conversation, Sir Hew shared his journey to becoming one of the foremost experts on the First World War. They explored the significance of historical perspective in contemporary analysis, delved into his extensive studies of Clausewitz and other strategists, and discussed how appearing on television prompted him to think about war in more distilled terms. This engaging dialogue showcases the insights of two skilled and passionate historians.
The post THE SCHOLAR AND THE STRATEGIST:
SIR HEW STRACHAN
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Tom Spahr is back in the studio with another insightful discussion focused on data management, refinement, and exploitation within the military. He is joined by CW4 Kelsey Gibson, a senior technical advisor with years of experience in data and digital modernization in the special operations community. Together, they examine the challenges of developing data literacy across all leadership levels. They also discuss the importance of effectively sorting and filtering large data sets, as well as building the trust necessary to leverage AI and automation for faster decision-making. This conversation offers valuable insights into a crucial topic—tune in to hear their perspectives and share your thoughts!
The post ASKING DATA THE RIGHT QUESTIONS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
This week, we have one final episode in our "Back to School" series highlighting another special program at the U.S. Army War College. The Advanced Regional Studies (ARS) program offers opportunities for students to meet the senior decision- and policy-makers of our allied and partner nations on their own turf. Daniel Krebs, the director of ARS, is in the studio to explain how a select number of students will travel abroad for study. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss how students gain invaluable knowledge and understanding of the culture and mindset of these nations and their leaders by spending time in their countries and meeting with them face-to-face.
The post SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO BE THERE: ADVANCED REGIONAL STUDIES AT THE WAR COLLEGE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Last week, we noted the next few conversations veer into some of the "inside baseball" of how the Army War College educates strategic leaders. Episodes like this are mainly to inform incoming resident students about options available to them, but other listeners might be interested in getting some insights into the inner workings of senior joint professional military education. Host Tom Spahr sits down with the directors of three such opportunities: Bob Bradford, director of the Enterprise Management Enrichment Specialization (EM), Jerad Harper, director of the Joint Warfighting Program (JWP) and Mike Stinchfield, director of the National Security Simulation Exercise of Competition, Crisis, and Conflict (NSEC). Their conversation examines the unique opportunities each of these enrichment and enhancement programs affords participants as they continue their growth towards becoming better critical thinkers, trusted advisers, and strategic thought leaders in the joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment.
The post MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TAILORED EDUCATION AT THE U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
We know that the next few episodes are a little bit of inside baseball. But one of the things we like to do at War Room is highlight the innovative means and methods by which the U.S. Army War College develops strategic leaders. Episodes like this inform incoming resident students of the options available to them during their academic year as well as give insights to listeners who may never get to see the inner workings of senior joint professional military education (JPME). Host Darrell Driver sits down with the directors of three such opportunities: Doug Douds, director of the Advanced Strategic Art Program (ASAP), Richard Lacquement, director of the National Security Policy Program (NSPP) and Celestino Perez, director of the Carlisle Scholars Program (CSP). Their conversation examines the unique opportunities each of these immersive programs affords participants as they continue their growth towards becoming better critical thinkers, trusted advisers and strategic thought leaders in the joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment.For more information on each of the programs you can contact the directors.Dr. Doug Douds (ASAP) douglas.douds@armywarcollege.eduDr. Richard Lacquement (NSPP) richard.lacquement@armywarcollege.eduDr. Celestino Perez (CSP) celestino.perez@armywarcollege.edu
It's time to talk about the Harding Project once again. The project is the Chief of Staff of the Army's (CSA) effort to renew professional publications, strengthen the profession, and ultimately enhance the warfighting capability of the U.S. Army. Jake Larkowich, Deputy Commandant of the U.S. Army War College and associate editor for War Room, stepped into the studio to share a senior leader perspective. He joins Editor-in-Chief, JP Clark, to discuss the importance of putting words to your thoughts. Their conversation focuses on sharing experiences and opinions in writing at the senior leader level, where there is value for both junior officers and NCOs, as well as challenges and benefits to writing for one's contemporaries.
The post COLONELS WRITING FOR COLONELS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Alliances are difficult beasts to manage. Priorities don't always align; gains for some are sacrifices for others. Resources aren't equally provided or distributed. It is a difficult dance for leaders to balance participation in alliances for the greater good while maintaining the strategic autonomy of their sovereign nation. Marcus Antonini spent his year at the U.S. Army War College as a member of the Advanced Strategic Art Program (ASAP) examining the concept of strategic autonomy, primarily within the context of NATO. Marcus joins host Darrell Driver to discuss the concepts that he studied in ASAP as well as the Russia-Ukraine Integrated Research Project he participated in. Their conversation covers meetings with French counterparts at École Militaire as part of the program as well as his previous experience leading the Bomber Task Force in U.S. European Command.
The post STRATEGIC AUTONOMY: OURS, THEIRS AND THE BALANCE IN BETWEEN appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The Carlisle Scholars Program at the U.S. Army War College is a unique experience for a select seminar of students each academic year. After completing the majority of the academic requirements in an accelerated 10 weeks of course work, the remainder of the year focuses on research, writing, and advising senior leaders. Bernardo Gonzalez-Lazaro Sueiras, Rick Luce and Luigi Valentini are in the studio to explain the results of their study that investigated the issue of interoperability in NATO. They join guest host Tom Galvin to reveal the issues and successes they found after many hours of interviews and examination of NATO member nations and their military leaders.
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It’s that time of the year when we take a two-week pause to recharge, refresh and reset. Our
The post WE ARE ON A BREAK!! appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Talent management is simple. All that is necessary is to match the many people in any particular rank and specialty who are moving at a given time to the right job that matches talent, enables professional growth, meets personal and family needs, and maximizes unit effectiveness and efficiency. Maybe it is not so simple after all. Sarah Kaiser and Jacy Park join host Lou Yuengert to discuss the results of their research on talent management in the Army and larger Department of Defense (DoD). Sarah researched the DoD Career Intermission Program (CIP), of which she is also a participant. Jacy examined the Army's current talent management efforts. They share their findings with Lou and highlight the successes and shortcomings of both efforts with recommendations for improvement. Listen in to their conversation in the next installment of our How Should the Army Run (HSTAR) series.
The post CHASING THE BEST: TALENT MANAGEMENT FOR THE MASSES
(HOW SHOULD THE ARMY RUN?) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It’s time once again to feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. For over 50 years, the Eisenhower Program has reached out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that are often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. military. This episode features Don Mozer and Luis Peral as they examine the current efforts of the U.S. military support to the ongoing drug interdiction mission of the nation. With the benefit of Don's recent tour in NORTHCOM and Luis's decades of law enforcement and prosecutorial experience between them, they share their perspectives with podcast host Ron Granieri. Their conversation aims to understand the nature of a very real threat to national security as well as consider possible strategies to combat that threat in the present and well into the future.
The U.S. Army War College continues to support the Army Chief of Staff's (CSA) focus on warfighting. In this episode, podcast editor Ron Granieri sits with Isaac Henderson, Pamela Lovasz, and Rick Luce—three recent graduates of the resident course Carlisle Scholars Program—to discuss their research examining the challenges and possibilities of implementing a warfighting mindset across the force. Whether it's adapting a concept like shoot, move, and communicate to non-combat career fields, folding Department of the Army civilians into the culture, or the overarching concept of trust in mission command, these three professionals share the insights of their study over the last year.
It’s time once again to feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. For over 50 years, the Eisenhower Program has reached out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that are often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. military. This episode features Ajai Dabas, Wade Smith and Matthew Taylor discussing great power competition. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss their professional experiences, primarily in the Indo-Pacific theater. Their insights highlight not only China's actions and motivations in the region but, more importantly, the crucial importance of alliances as well. All three guests share their thoughts on strong partnerships in INDOPACOM as the primary tool to defeat unchecked Chinese aggression and expansion.
Normally he's the host of our On Writing series, but Michael Neiberg has a new interest he'd like to discuss: artificial intelligence (AI). He's gathering industry and academic experts to gain a better understanding of the technological wonders that are commonly lumped together under the AI moniker. Michael's first guest is Zena Wood, an Associate Professor in Digital Economy and Director of the Defence Data Research Centre at the University of Exeter Business School. Their discussion focuses on the potential uses of AI in academia, education and defense. But first, they examine the basics of artificial intelligence to include the advantages, biases, strengths and weaknesses, as well as the challenges organizations face trying to incorporate AI into their workflow and workforce.
It’s time once again to feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. For over 50 years, the Eisenhower Program has reached out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that are often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. military. This episode features Qiana Harder, Seana Jardin, and Carina Kelley as they discuss their personal and professional experiences as women serving in the United States Army. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the challenges they've experienced during their time in the military, as well as to highlight the successes and opportunities they've encountered. With nearly seventy years of combined experience, these three soldiers point out that while there is still plenty of room for improvement, military service for women has come a long way. They believe there are plentiful opportunities open to the next generation of women for a successful, fulfilling career in the U.S. Army. And these three ladies prove that fighting like a girl is a good thing.
In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, U.S. special operations forces (SOF) rose to the forefront of the American public's consciousness as the right tool for the task in Afghanistan. In the last several decades, there have been many changes to the structure, organization and makeup of SOF. In 2013, Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) created Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH), the theater special operations command (TSOC) for USNORTHCOM. In the studio today is Colonel Matthew Tucker, commander SOCNORTH, to explain just why the nation needs a TSOC on its own continent. Matt joins host Tom Spahr to explain how SOF detects, deters and disrupts threats throughout the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility through cooperation with SOF partners in Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.
The post EXQUISITE PROBLEM SOLVERS: SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND NORTH appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Whether putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard, writing clarifies and improves ideas while also allowing those thoughts to be shared with others. But the idea of publishing one's thoughts can be intimidating. Why does it seem so hard to get thoughts down on paper? And how do you approach an editor? How do you even get started? Zach Griffiths and Theo Lipsky are in the studio to explain why you absolutely should share your ideas more widely. They join our Editor-in-Chief, JP Clark, to discuss publishing for professional purposes and the Chief of Staff of the Army's (CSA) Harding Project an effort to renew professional publications, strengthen the profession, and ultimately enhance the warfighting capability of the U.S. Army.
The post ON WRITING: MILITARY AUTHORS AND THE HARDING PROJECT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
After all these years, many of the intricacies of the European Union remain a bit of a mystery. Even the relatively straightforward aspects of economic, legal, and regulatory union have many nuances of detail. But when it comes to matters of defense, then things get really complicated. What is the role of the EU in relation to both individual states and NATO, to which most but not all EU members also belong? Fortunately, we have an expert guide in Rear Admiral Henning Faltin, the Military Advisor at EU Delegations to the U.S. and to Canada. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to help explain what the EU does (and what it does not do) in Europe and around the world.
The post TRANSATLANTIC TWIST: THE EU AS SECURITY PARTNER appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Despite a stunning victory over Iraq during Operation DESERT STORM, the U.S. Army of the 1990s was beset by doubts about its post-Cold War mission, the challenges of deployment quite different than what it had trained for, and the need to adapt to changing societal norms. David Fitzgerald has written about all of this and more in his recent book Uncertain Warriors: The United States Army between the Cold War and the War on Terror.. He joins guest host Carrie Lee in the studio for the next installment in our special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center.
The post A TIME OF CHANGE: THE U.S. ARMY IN THE 90s appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was named commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT). He was quickly promoted to admiral, and his demonstrated leadership and strategic thought are worthy of in-depth study. Trent Hone has done just that, and his recent book, Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific, is an outstanding read about a fascinating military leader. Trent joins our editor-in-chief, JP Clark, in the studio to discuss the personal traits that made Nimitz effective, the evolution of his headquarters over the course of the war and how he leveraged his personal schedule and routine for success. It's a great discussion and a great read for future flag and general officers or anyone interested in senior leadership.
The post HORSESHOES, RELATIONSHIPS, AND SHARED UNDERSTANDING: CHESTER NIMITZ’S ART OF COMMAND appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode was recorded in October 2023 but due to some technical difficulties we were unable to publish until now. It's still as relevant as the day it was recorded.
It's time for another episode in our On Writing series, and joining host Michael Neiberg in the virtual studio is author and Russia specialist Jade McGlynn. Jade is the author of Russia’s War and Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin’s Russia, and her extensive study of Russian culture offers fantastic insights into Russia and Putin's motives in Ukraine. Their conversation delves into her initial interest in Russia and the academic career that led to a thorough understanding of Russia's actions in Ukraine present day.
The post UNDERSTANDING RUSSIAN CULTURE: JADE McGLYNN
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA), has identified four priorities for the service during his tenure: building cohesive teams, delivering ready combat formations, continuous transformation and strengthening the army profession. Today's episode focuses on the profession, and we're pleased to have Allison Abbe and Ron Granieri in the studio to discuss the Army War College's efforts to support the CSA's priorities. They join Editor-in-Chief J.P. Clark to examine both the traditional elements of the profession as well as the adaptations that must occur in light of the changing character of war and an evolving society.
The post TEACHING THE PROFESSIONALS: SHAPING THE PROFESSION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
One of the benefits of being located so close to Washington, D.C., is that the U.S. Army War College has access to some of the nation's most senior leaders. Most recently, the Honorable Melissa Dalton addressed the Homeland Defense Symposium in Carlisle and took time out of her busy schedule to join podcast editor Ron Granieri for an intriguing conversation. Sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs on March 4, 2022, Secretary Dalton currently performs the duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. She shares how she found her way to the civil service and the challenges her office faces in pursuit of national defense priorities. Her portfolio includes Indo-Pacific Affairs, International Security Affairs, Space Policy, Special Operations Low-Intensity Conflict and Homeland Defense Hemispheric Affairs.
The post A CONVERSATION WITH THE HONORABLE MELISSA DALTON OF DEFENSE POLICY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Depending on who you talk to, artificial intelligence (AI) will either be the ruination of mankind or its savior. As ever, the truth is likely somewhere between those extremes. It certainly will be important. For this reason, the Chief of the Staff of the Army (CSA) has charged Dr. Alexander Miller to find the necessary technology and tools so the Army can best understand and uses its masses of data. Alex is the CSA's Senior Advisor for Science and Technology, and he found the time to sit down with guest host Tom Spahr to discuss how the Army is approaching AI, machine learning, and other related technologies. The ultimate goal is to ensure the United States doesn't lose its advantages in decision-making in the intelligence world and on the battlefield.
The post SOLVING DATA PROBLEMS AT SUPERHUMAN SPEEDS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Understanding the history, or perhaps more importantly, the treatment of history in China, is a critical skill for anyone seeking greater comprehension of the national security arena. Stephen Platt has spent a great deal of his career as a historian and author studying events like the Taiping Civil War and the Opium War in the nineteenth century. During his time researching these topics, he acquired an excellent understanding of culture and history in China, as seen by both the people and the government of China. And now he's in the studio with host Michael Neiberg for another episode in our On Writing series. Their conversation covers Stephen's books Imperial Twilight and Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom and how the perception of both historic events and their participants has changed over time in China.
The post CHINA’S SHIFTING HISTORY: STEPHEN PLATT
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
What a society accepts as normal changes over time. As it does, inevitably the military organizations that protects that society adapt to reflect those changes. Throughout history, the U.S. military has both led and lagged societal changes. Heather Haley is in the studio to discuss how the Department of Defense has handled LGBT issues and the changing attitudes in American society. She joins guest host Carrie Lee for a conversation about the acceptance of lesbian, gay ,and bisexual service members and the ongoing discussion about transgender service members.
The post ADAPTING TO CHANGE: HOW THE DOD HANDLES LGBT ISSUES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
There are plenty of studies of armies at war or in pre-war periods as preparations were made for conflict, but the study of post-war armies, specifically the U.S. Army, is far less complete. Fortunately, we happen to know Brian Linn, a renowned scholar of the U.S. Army as an institution and the author of Real Soldiering: The US Army in the Aftermath of War, 1815–1980, and he's in the studio to discuss his body of research. He joins Editor-in-Chief J.P. Clark for a comprehensive conversation on the Army's behavior after multiple major conflicts in the 19th and 20th centuries. Brian shares his insights about the institution's actions and mindset following successive periods of preparation and execution, always resulting in drawdowns and often leading to the unintended loss and degradation of readiness and warfighting capabilities.
The post HOPE THEN DISAPPOINTMENT
HISTORICAL PATTERNS FOR THE POST-WAR ARMY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The boxes are unpacked, the books are on the shelves, both real and virtual, and the library is open for business in the new Root Hall at the U.S. Army War College. Greta Braungard and Heather Goyette are back in the studio with podcast host Ron Granieri to talk about everything they do to help students and faculty find the information they need. Whether it's the physical stacks or the digital ones, the new Knowledge Commons is the heart of academic research at the War College, and a great deal of thought has gone into making sure that searchability and accessibility are at the center of its functionality. Greta and Heather share the extensive efforts they and the entire team have taken to ensure that the library meets and exceeds the needs of its patrons, now and for years to come.
The post AT THE CENTER OF THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: THE LIBRARY PT 2 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time for another episode in our special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center. This time, the conversation shifts beyond the borders of the United States and looks at the African continent. Comprised of 54 countries and numerous ethnic and linguistic groups, Africa has experienced 220 coup attempts since 1950, indicating a significantly different approach to civil-military relations than those commonly discussed in the Western world. Charles Thomas joins guest host Carrie Lee to examine the unique aspects of the relationship of African militaries to their political leadership. The conversation ranges from the formation of colonial armies to the internal and external threats many African countries have endured in an attempt to explain the modern-day power dynamic on the continent. This is the 7th episode in the series.
The post CIV-MIL RELATIONS ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Whenever Kara Dixon Vuic comes through Carlisle, we are sure to bring her into the War Room for a conversation that never disappoints. She joins host Ron Granieri for a wide-ranging discussion about sex, gender, the military and society. They touch on everything from the different experiences of American Red Cross "Donut Dollies" and commissioned professionals in the Nurse Corps to the military leadership's complicated attitudes towards the "commodification of companionship." It's a great conversation that touches on the impact of human nature, societal norms, and the ever-changing conception of gender, and attitudes towards equality of the sexes.
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Civilian control of the military is a foundational concept of democracy in the United States. In recent years, voices in the community that study the civilian-military relationship have raised concerns that civilian control is being slowly eroded away by the outsized participation of the military in national policy making. Todd Schmidt, Director, Army University Press, joins guest host Carrie Lee to share his thoughts on how the nation got here and what might be done to better balance the relationship. This is the sixth episode in our multi-part special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center.
The post CIVILIAN CONTROL OF THE MILITARY: A CRUMBLING FOUNDATION? appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
One of the priorities of U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Randy George is war fighting, particularly the charge to refocus and prioritize efforts that build lethality and cohesive teams. This follows previous guidance from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to focus on war fighting, ideally through wargames, and from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to increase the classroom attention devoted to China, the Department of Defense's pacing challenge. Zenel Garcia and Tom Spahr join podcast host Ron Granieri to discuss how the Army War College has adapted its curriculum to incorporate all that guidance and to better prepare graduates. The class of 2024 is the first to experience the newly designed China Integrated Course, which combines discussions of Chinese history, politics and strategy with a practical war-fighting exercise to cap off the core curriculum.
The post WAR FIGHTING, WAR THINKING appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Max Margulies is in the studio with guest host Carrie Lee for the fifth episode in our multi-part special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center. Max and Carrie discuss the relationship between the government and society when it comes to the use of the military. Whether it's peacekeeping operations versus declared war, the impact of casualties on public opinion, or the resources expended to prosecute international goals, today's discussion considers how much the views of the voting population play in the calculus of policy making. How does public opinion affect where, how and why U.S. officials prosecute foreign policy through the use of the military?
The post FOREIGN POLICY VERSUS PUBLIC OPINION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
An exorbitant privilege. That is what French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing called the U.S. dollar's role as the global international reserve currency. That role brings many advantages but is it sustainable and worth any costs? What would it take for an alternative to emerge? The raising of the debt ceiling, the rise of China as a financial power and recent troubled economic times in the United States have many questioning the future of the U.S. dollar. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Rob Farley and Mark Duckenfield to discuss the realities of the power and place of the U.S. economy in the international market. They join podcast host Ron Granieri for a conversation about world finance. Their goal is to explain why debt is actually necessary, why the Chinese renminbi won't likely become the new reserve currency and how much gold could fit in Bliss Hall here at the War College.
The post A CONSENSUAL HALLUCINATION: THE U.S. DOLLAR’S WORLD ROLE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The U.S. Department of Defense underwent several significant changes in 1973. First, the law that empowered the draft expired when Congress didn't extend it, and the all-volunteer force (AVF) was born. Second, Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger initiated "the Total Force Policy which integrates the active, Guard, and Reserve forces into a homogeneous whole.” Lindsay Cohn is in the studio to discuss the impact these force management changes have had on civil-military relations. She joins guest host Carrie Lee to consider how eliminating the draft and expanding the reserve component changed how the military interacted with the citizens of the nation. This is the fourth episode in a multi-part special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center.
The post THE DRAFT’S END AND THE TOTAL VOLUNTEER FORCE’S BEGINNING appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established on April 25, 2013 to stabilize the country after the Tuareg rebellion of 2012. In June 2023, a new government that had come to power in a coup withdrew the mandate, forcing the mission and all of its staff to depart the country by the end of the year. Joe Ruzicka served as the Senior Advisor to the Commanding General, as well as the Senior U.S. Military Observer to MINUSMA, during that turbulent time. He is in the studio with guest hosts Jonny Drake and TJ Moffatt to discuss his experiences in Mali and why the mission ended. It's the second of a two-part episode that examines the pros and cons of how the UN mission in Mali was conducted.
The post SEARCHING FOR PEACE IN TIMBUKTU: THE UN MISSION IN MALI PT 2 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's not odd for discussions about civil-military relations to focus on the civilian control exercised by the President of the United States (POTUS). Obviously, in his role as Commander-in-Chief, POTUS sits atop the military chain of command. But a complete discussion has to also consider the military's relationship with Congress. Members of the House and Senate provide oversight for activities and programs, authorizations and appropriations for the finance of the military, as well as confirmations for the most senior officer promotions. Katherine Kuzminski is in the studio along with guest host Carrie Lee to discuss how the relationship between Congress and the military has changed over time, for better and worse. Katherine brings several decades of experience as an Army spouse as well as her research specializing in Department of Defense institutional and organizational design and management; military recruitment, retention, and talent management policy; veteran and military family issues; and civil-military relations. This is the third episode in a multi-part special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center.
The post OVERSIGHT, AUTHORITIES AND CONFIRMATIONS: CONGRESS AND THE MILITARY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established on April 25, 2013 to stabilize the country after the Tuareg rebellion of 2012. In June 2023, a new government that had come to power in a coup withdrew the mandate, forcing the mission and all of its staff to depart the country by the end of the year. Joe Ruzicka served as the Senior Advisor to the Commanding General, as well as the Senior U.S. Military Observer to MINUSMA, during that turbulent time. He is in the studio with guest hosts Jonny Drake and TJ Moffatt to discuss his experiences in Mali and why the mission ended. It's the first of a two-part episode that examines the pros and cons of how the UN mission in Mali was conducted.
The post SEARCHING FOR PEACE IN TIMBUKTU: THE UN MISSION IN MALI PT 1 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The U.S. military is to a certain extent a microcosm of the population it serves. While this ensures that the military includes the best characteristics of society, it also means that the military must contend with societal challenges as well. Political polarization among the citizens of the United States is higher than it has been in decades, and that has implications for a representative military. Michael Robinson is in the studio to discuss his study of the phenomenon and the potential politicization of the military ranks. He joins host Carrie Lee for a conversation about his book, Dangerous Instrument: Political Polarization and U.S. Civil-Military Relations. This is the second episode in our special series supporting the U.S. Army War College’s Civil-Military Relations Center.
The post SHIFTING GROUND: POLARIZATION AND THE MILITARY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The United States Air Force Security Service (USAFSS) was created in October 1948, just 13 months after the recognition of the Air Force as a separate branch with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. Cloaked in secrecy, it arose out of a need for air-minded intelligence that just wasn’t being provided by the Army or the Navy. Our good friend and fellow podcaster Philip Shackelford is in the studio to discuss his new book Rise of the Mavericks: The U.S. Air Force Security Service and the Cold War, which takes a foundational look at the creation and development of the Security Service that is the forerunner of modern-day intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as communications and cyber intelligence and security. Phil joins podcast host Ron Granieri to examine his personal connection to the USAFSS, the roadblocks he encountered researching the topic, and his transition into the podcasting world as the creator and host of The Modern Scholar Podcast.
The post THE AIR FORCE HAS SPIES?! RISE OF THE MAVERICKS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Joint. The term is used ubiquitously in the U.S. Department of Defense. Joint operations, joint professional military education, joint mindedness, joint staff, etc.—at a certain point in a professional's career, you can't go an hour without hearing a joint-associated term. A product of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, jointness has been a much-discussed topic ever since its creation. Sharon Weiner is in the studio to present her thoughts on jointness, specifically the Joint Chiefs of Staff and civil-military relations. She joins host Carrie Lee in this first of a multi-part special series supporting the U.S. Army War College's Civil-Military Relations Center.
The post THE JOINT CHIEFS: POLITICS VERSUS PROFESSIONALISM appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Born in the midst of the Cold War, James Bond was often considered the consummate Cold Warrior. But within the 14 original novels, 9 short stories, 40 continuation novels, 10 Young Bond novels and 25 movies to date, the fictional reflection of the struggles between the West and the Soviet Union was far more complex than reality. Martin Brown and Ron Granieri are guests in the studio to discuss their new book, The Bondian Cold War: The Transnational Legacy of a Cultural Icon. Martin and Ron, along with their fellow editor, Muriel Blaive, who wasn't able to attend this gathering, have written and gathered a volume of essays that examine the Bondiverse. They join host Gen Lester to discuss the impact 007 has had on the entertainment world, the culture war, and the very real worlds of espionage and diplomacy.
The post THE SPY WHOM WE LOVE: JAMES BOND BEYOND THE COLD WAR appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
What happens when you get three experienced soldiers together to discuss something they've worked on for much of their careers? Well, the first thing that happens is that they "go secure" and start speaking in acronyms. More importantly, you get an enthusiastic conversation about transforming the Army to support soldiers now and well into the future. LTG Ross Coffman is in the virtual studio with hosts Lou Yuengert and Bob Bradford, and as the Deputy Commanding General of Futures Command, he's got a front-row seat to some of the Army's biggest innovation efforts across the force.
The post PEOPLE, PRIORITIES & PROGRESS – FUTURES COMMAND:
(HOW SHOULD THE ARMY RUN?) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It’s time for another episode about the U.S. Army War College’s Distance Education program. COL Heather Smigowski, Chair of the Department of Distance Education (DDE), is back in the studio, and this time she’s brought along two joint military and one civilian graduate of the DDE program. Ken Hills, Donna Jenkins and Mark Nibert join Heather and podcast host Ron Granieri for a conversation about their time in the program. The discussion focuses on how to prepare for the two-year program, what surprised each of them about the curriculum, some tips and tricks for success, and where they've seen payoffs since graduation. No surprise, the recurring themes are that time management, discipline, and sacrifice are necessary to take full advantage of the tremendous opportunities distance education offers.
And just in case the Army's DDE program doesn't work for you, Ken was contractually obligated as the Vice Commandant of the Global College of Professional Military Education to mention the distance education opportunities the Air Force offers at https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/GCPME/.
The post FINDING TIME FOR GROWTH: DISTANCE EDUCATION AT USAWC PT 4 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time for another episode of On Writing with Michael Neiberg. For this conversation, Michael is joined by Rana Mitter, author of China’s Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism. Their discussion took place in the heart of London on a warm June afternoon at the British Academy, complete with all the background noises of the bustling city. Rana explains how China is shaping the modern narrative and memory through the reinvention of its role in World War II. An often overlooked theater, the Chinese government has taken liberties with its complicated response to the Japanese invasion and rewritten it as a fierce resistance and heroic battle against fascism.
The post UNDERSTANDING CHINA THROUGH ITS RECRAFTED PAST: RANA MITTER
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Editor-in-Chief JP Clark had the opportunity to sit down for a conversation with Major General David Hill, the 53rd Commandant of the U.S. Army War College. Their discussion begins with the best-known activity at Carlisle, the education of strategic-minded, joint-qualified warfighters from across the Department of Defense, U.S. Government, and international fellows. But the commandant also comments on the many other activities conducted by Army War College, including executive education for general officers and sergeants major, extensive research in all aspects of national security, and world-class wargaming. There is even the preservation of one of the best collections of artifacts and documents relating to the history of the U.S. Army.
The post ARMY WAR COLLEGE 360: A CONVERSATION WITH MG DAVID HILL
(USAWC BEYOND CARLISLE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time once again to feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. For over 50 years, the Eisenhower Program has reached out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that are often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. military. This episode features Nate Minott and Chris Powers as they discuss some of the newest threats to homeland security. Nate considers the modern consumer-grade drone and the problem of securing airspace over sporting events, concerts or any large gathering. It's a timely concern as the world watches what drones can do on the battlefield. Chris discusses the potential threat of foreign buyers acquiring land in the United States as well as the militarization of civilian law enforcement.
The post PRESERVING DOMESTIC SECURITY
(EISENHOWER SERIES) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time for another episode about the U.S. Army War College's Distance Education program. COL Heather Smigowski, Chair of the Department of Distance Education (DDE), is back in the studio and this time she's brought along two recent grads of the AY21 and AY22 DDE classes. Mark Almond and Dave Paravecchia join Heather and podcast host Ron Granieri to explain what graduating from the distance program has done for them and how it has impacted their careers in the Army. Their conversation focuses on tips and techniques for time management along with the real-time lessons they learned while still working their "day jobs."
The post LESSONS FROM FORT LIVING ROOM: DISTANCE EDUCATION AT USAWC PT 3 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
When faced with a challenge, a soldier will always come up with some sort of solution to make the system, process or piece of equipment work. It may not be an elegant solution or a good use of time, but they will find a way to make it work. Lori Mongold and Andrew St. Laurent are doing everything in their power to make sure soldiers don't have to find workarounds to disconnected systems, at least in the force management world. They are the chief and deputy chief of the office in the Army staff charged with fixing how the service creates and manages units. Their solution revises processes and replaces fifteen legacy systems with one new information technology system, the Global Force Information Management Operational Environment. They join host Bob Bradford in the studio to explain the bureaucratic journey required to move the global force management process from the industrial to the cognitive era.
The post ONE-STOP SHOPPING FOR FORCE MANAGEMENT: GFIM
(HOW SHOULD THE ARMY RUN) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In the closing scene of James Michener's novel The Bridges of Toko-Ri, an admiral thinks of the aircrew he just sent to the Korean conflict--some never to return--and asks, "Where did we get such men?" President Ronald Reagan asked the same question years later at the Medal of Honor presentation to Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, speaking of both the awardee and his many comrades in Vietnam. It is often overlooked that many who served in both of those conflicts came from the activated reserve forces and selective service. During their year at the Army War College, Kent Park and Stephen Trynosky examined the challenges if we had to again rapidly expand the army for a large war. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss their research on the topic and their concerns that the U.S. is not adequately prepared for a major conflict with a near-peer threat, such as China or Russia. Park and Trynosky argue that the U.S. needs to take steps to increase its personnel readiness long before the shadow of great power conflict appears because timelines in the modern global security environment are much more compressed than in previous conflicts.
The post RECRUIT, RETAIN, DRAFT?: RAISING AN ARMY FOR LARGE SCALE CONFLICT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Michael Neiberg is back in the studio for the next installation of the On Writing series. This week's guest is Shashank Joshi, Defense Editor for The Economist. This episode is a slight variation from the normal On Writing discussion because Shashank is a journalist writing a much shorter form than our usual guests, and then there's the little issue of the deadlines associated with a fast-paced news cycle. Their conversation turns to the organization and formulation of an interesting and accessible article, avoiding personal injury when dealing with demanding editors, and what sort of formal and informal research is necessary to build a mental database useful for informing a news-oriented writing format.
The post WRITING ON A DEADLINE: SHASHANK JOSHI
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time once again to feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. For over 50 years, the Eisenhower Program has reached out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that are often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. military. This time we have two officers of NATO's northern front in the studio, Norwegian Steinar Dahl and Canadian Eric Landry. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to present their thoughts on the NATO alliance and their country's contributions to the organization. The conversation focuses on interoperability, what the war in Ukraine has revealed about NATO and what the organization's world role might be after that war has ended.
We've titled this "Revisited" because regular listeners might remember that in 2020 A BETTER PEACE sat down with Major General Torgeir Gråtrud, commander of the Norwegian Special Operations Command, to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership and Norway's role in NATO.
The post OBSERVATIONS FROM NATO’S NORTHERN FRONT REVISITED
(EISENHOWER SERIES) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Regular listeners might remember previous episodes in which we looked at the 2022 National Security Strategy and the 2022 National Defense Strategy. In this episode, we continue the examination of strategic-level documents with a review of the 2023 National Intelligence Strategy. Genevieve Lester is in the studio, but this time she's the guest with podcast host Ron Granieri. Their conversation dissects the document that is the Director of National Intelligence's strategic direction for the Intelligence Community (IC) for the next four years. Ideally, it aligns IC priorities with other national strategies and supports the IC’s mission to provide timely, insightful, objective, and relevant intelligence and support to inform national security decisions and to protect the United States and its interests. But what can you say about an institution whose business is keeping secrets in a document that is shared with the world? Gen and Ron share their thoughts about the language used, the specificity and vagueness, and the overall message the document conveys.
The post ASPIRATIONAL, VAGUE, AND STRATEGIC: THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time once again to feature some of the smart conversations that occur around the country through the Eisenhower Series College Program. For over 50 years, the Eisenhower Program has reached out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that are often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. military. In this episode, two senior Army officers share their personal and professional experiences with the diversity, equity and inclusion policies of the U.S. Army. Kirk Daniels and Dena Goble are in the virtual studio with podcast host Ron Granieri. Their conversation ranges in topic from "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"—its inception and its end—to frank and honest conversations with leaders and supervisors and the many positive aspects of a diverse force that represents the nation it defends.
The post CANDID CONVERSATIONS ON DIVERSITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command have their work cut out for them, developing doctrine and strategy and educating the public on the contributions of space to daily life in the modern world. A.P. Penaflor joins host Jacqueline Whitt in the studio to discuss space, a topic that once held nations spellbound but has become so routine that the average citizen gives it little thought. But the members of the DoD that work in the space realm every day are busy developing the tactics, techniques and procedures that allow the military and commercial industries to operate and navigate in the unforgiving environment today and well into the future.
The post STRATEGY IN SPACE! appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's time once again for a visit to the Wargaming Room. In this episode, three recent graduates of the AY23 Resident Course at the U.S. Army War College share the wargame they developed as part of the Carlisle Scholars Program. Giovanni Corrado, Ian Hopper and Kent Park are in the studio to discuss the impetus and goal of their Strategy Simulation Exercise. Joined by podcast editor Ron Granieri, the three game creators share how the exercise demonstrates how policy is made at many different levels. Using alliances, negotiations, political capital and timed periods, they've created a game that is an incredible teaching tool for a handful, a dozen, or even over a hundred students at a time.
The post SIMULATING DIPLOMATIC DISASTER
(WARGAMING ROOM) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has revived interest in and discussions about NATO. When 31 countries, each with their own national interests and goals, come together, interoperability becomes a driving consideration. Giovanni Corrado and Joel Gleason conducted a study of NATO interoperability and doctrine as their research project for the Carlisle Scholars program at the U.S. Army War College. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to share the findings of numerous interviews and studies. What they found was that despite all the different languages, interests, equipment and procedures, multinational formations on the battlefield make it work. Much of that is due to well-formed doctrine that most members aren't aware of in their daily routine.
The post MANAGING NATO: INTERESTS AND INTEROPERABILITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's back-to-school time across the United States, and it's no different here at the U.S. Army War College. What's different this year is that the resident class of academic year 2024 will arrive at a brand new academic facility, dubbed the new Root Hall by faculty and staff. It's a beautiful building with every detail designed around facilitating the education of leaders today and well into the future. And of course, you can't have a school without a library, but this isn't the library you remember from grade school. Greta Braungard, Academic Library Division Chief, and Heather Goyette, Knowledge Commons Branch Chief, join podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain the features and innovations of the new facility. From movable stacks and digital databases to self-checkout and a whole new spectacular view (quite a change from the previous basement location), the new library will be at the center of the student body's research effort.
The post AT THE CENTER OF THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE: THE LIBRARY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Fifty years ago, the United States Department of Defense ended the draft and chose to rely exclusively on volunteers to fill the ranks. The all-volunteer force was born and the competition was on to attract the best and brightest to military service. This year, the Army, Navy and Air Force, including National Guard components, all expect to fall well short of their recruiting goals. Tony Perez feels that one of the major shortcomings of the recruiting game is communication. He's in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain why a significant portion of the problem is old people failing to communicate with young people. Old people may be a bit of an overstatement, but Tony sees an issue with the inability of military recruiters to explain why the military provides so many of the things that the next generation desires in a job or even a career.
The post A COMMUNICATION GAP ACROSS THE GENERATION GAP appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In our last episode, we examined the relationship between military medicine and tactical effectiveness, as well as some of the incredible advances in combat medical care over the last few decades. In this episode, Manny Menendez asks some hard questions about how well the excellent casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) system developed and refined over 20+ years of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq will transition to large-scale combat operations. In a wide-ranging discussion with podcast host Darrell Driver, Manny discusses the problems of mass casualties, enemy anti-air capabilities, organizational culture and societal expectations about casualty care. In his Army War College research project, Menendez suggests the Army must alter its approach to CASEVAC, giving the example of pairing a ride-sharing system combined with a grab-and-go philosophy that strikes a different balance between tactical need, specialized medical care, and speed of evacuation.
Once upon a time, a wound as simple as a scratch could lead to death. Many of incredible advances in medicine and medical care since were driven by the exigencies of war. Tanisha Fazal has conducted a fascinating study that examines the relationship between military medicine and military effectiveness in interstate wars globally since 1900. She's in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the outcomes of the study and the methodology her team used to arrive at their conclusions. Whether it is technological advances, or changes in tactics, techniques and procedures like the golden-hour rule or the platinum fifteen minutes, medicine has a profound effect on not just the ability to field a force but also its morale.
In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this fourth and final episode are Mike Barnett, Mark Mullinax, Ryan Noble, and Jon Holm. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the daunting task of mobilization for large-scale operations. Their conversation examines such topics as maximizing the effective use of reserve component mobilization authorities, leveraging alternate mobilization sites, expanding civilian hires and contracting and increasing continuity and reallocation of deployable readiness assets.
The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.
The United States Department of Defense spends a great deal of time and resources developing uniforms. The respective organizations in each branch of service take requirements from leadership and design functional clothing that meets environmental, operational, safety and visual performance factors. The uniforms need to fit all heights, weights, shapes, sizes and genders across the force, be manufactured economically via mass production practices, and by law utilize a U.S.-based textile industry that has shrunk over the last few decades. Amy Brayshaw has been a part of this developmental community for 20+ years, and she's in the studio to share her experiences with podcast editor Ron Granieri. Amy explains the difficulties associated with uniform development, including supply base issues, mass rollouts, color matching and durability, all while trying to meet the needs of the force and leadership's guidance.
In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this third episode are Jennifer Hunt, Matthew Inglis, and Lillian Woodington. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the complicated task of protection writ large. Their conversation covers the concepts of the role the National Guard might play in addressing vulnerabilities in the cyber domain, air and missile defense across the competition continuum, and the role of protection in deterrence.
The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.
The U.S. Army War College Civil-Military Relations Center hosted its inaugural conference in May 2023. This year’s theme on the military and society was the American all-volunteer force as it turns 50. One of the major sub-themes throughout was the recruiting crisis and what it portends for the all-volunteer force. What affects people’s willingness to join the military? What policies may be most effective in sustaining the all-volunteer force? How does the relationship between a military and its society impact national security? On Saturday, May 6, the keynote speaker was one of the most prominent scholars of civil-military relations, Peter Feaver. He was joined by moderator and chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy, Carrie Lee, to discuss the state of public trust in the military and his new book, Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the Military. We were able to capture their conversation and are pleased to present it to you as a bonus episode on A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast.
Black Americans' fight for equality in the U.S. armed forces has been a rough road. At times, the Army has been a leader in driving change in the United States. In other instances, the institution has stood with "feet of clay." Charles Allen and John Nagl have studied the history of black soldiers throughout American history, and their work has led to a new elective course at the Army War College, a recent Joint Forces Quarterly article and a number of presentations to the force. Their hope is to educate and inspire others to the recognition and gratitude owed generations of black soldiers who persevered through unjust treatment and segregation by a nation that they sought to defend.
In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this second episode are Jessicah Garrett-Somssich and Andrew Sinden. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the ever-growing realms of artificial intelligence (AI) and additive manufacturing (AM). Their conversation covers the concepts of building trust in technology, differences in generational acceptance and where to accept risk in the name of innovation to maximize the value of AI and AM in the Army.
The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.
Fiction can be liberating. It offers authors latitude to think, propose, and prognosticate about real-world topics in ways that non-fiction does not allow. The ability to ask "what if?" can be an incredible tool in the national security realm that can inform real-time, real-world efforts and offer "solutions" to wicked problems. Retired Australian Major General Mick Ryan has joined the ranks of fiction writers to help leaders think about what conflict with the People's Republic of China (PRC) might look like in his new book, "White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan." He's in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain why he chose narrative as a tool to continue his dedicated service to professional military education. A 35-year veteran of the Australian Army, Ryan has plenty of experience to inform his fictional account of a possible conflict with the PRC. It is both an enjoyable read and an informative guide as to what technology on the future battlefield might look like.
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In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this first episode are Paul Lashley and Andrew Hercik. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the role of long-range fires, the implications of strategic weapons in the theater army, and how they can be better integrated.
The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.
Plan, Program, Budget and Execute - repeat. It's the strategic planning process for allocating resources in the Department of Defense that was first initiated in the early 1960s. The brainchild of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, it was originally the Planning, Programming, and Budgeting, or PPBS. Over the years the "System" was dropped and replaced with "Execution" yielding the current iteration, PPBE. A Better Peace is pleased to welcome retired Army Major General John Ferrari, to better understand the workings and inherent tensions of the PPBE process. The former Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation (2014-2019), MG Ferrari shares his extensive insider perspective on the incredibly complex process that was created out of a need to wrangle a growing defense institution and the associated budgets. He joins Bob Bradford and Tom Galvin to present a primer and much more on PPBE. They discuss where it succeeds, where it doesn't and some of the necessary characteristics of relationships and leadership that need to be understood and refined to keep the process moving forward effectively.
The post RESOURCING THE FORCE: MG JOHN FERRARI, RET.
(HOW SHOULD THE ARMY RUN?) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Bernard Fall is considered by many to be one of the finest analysts and writers of the Vietnam War. Much of his insight about counterinsurgency warfare in Indochina was informed by the formative experiences earlier in his life. A Better Peace welcomes Nate Moir to discuss his book, "Number One Realist: Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare", which analyses Fall's life to understand what drove his thinking and understanding of the situation. He joins host John Nagl to explain how Fall was consistently ahead of the conventional wisdom. Fall's penetrating assessments of the war brought some rebukes and even monitoring by the FBI, but in hindsight were proved to be sadly prescient and are an outstanding example of critical thought.
Sixty-six years ago, the Soviet Union placed Sputnik in orbit around the Earth and it changed everything. Since then, more than 80 nations and 100 commercial entities have also found their way into space. Yet much of the public is not aware of the extent to which hardly any event, transaction, or communication occurs that doesn't rely on some aspect of technology developed for or residing in space. A Better Peace welcomes General James Dickinson, Commander, U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM), to the virtual studio to share his strategic vision for the execution and integration of military spacepower into global joint all-domain operations. General Dickinson joins Ben Ogden to explain how SPACECOM "will ensure there is never a day without space."
It’s time for another episode of On Writing. A Better Peace welcomes William Inboden to the studio to discuss his book, "The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink." Will sits down with host Michael Neiberg for a conversation about capturing the efforts and accomplishments of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, and his administration as they confronted the Soviets, reduced the nuclear threat and won the Cold War. The discussion examines how Will moved past his preconceived notions to present an unbiased and accurate account of the actions and interactions of the Reagan national security team in the 1980s.
The final episode of our three-part series on Afghanistan looks at rebuilding trust in the civil-military relationship. Twenty years of warfare presented a number of civil-military interactions, some positive and some detrimental, but the eventual collapse of Kabul after hearing time and again from the military that “this will be the year” we turn the corner, emptied the trust reservoir. Guest host and U.S. Army War College Fellow, LTC Ranjini Danaraj, is joined by LTG (retired) Doug Lute, the former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Deputy National Security Advisor on Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Asia under both Presidents Bush and Obama, and Dr. Carrie Lee, the Co-Director of the Civil-Military Relations Center and Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. They have a thoughtful discussion on Afghanistan’s impact on civil-military relations. Their conversation reveals the vital aspects of a civil-military relationship, how politics are fundamental to the conversation, how to better integrate other elements of national power and the need to balance expertise with humility.
The civil-military relationship in the United States is a complicated one, and it is continually evolving. The discussion space that was once dominated by the writings of Samuel Huntington and Morris Janowitz, has morphed even further, opening the conversation to a multitude of new voices. As the nation finds itself even more polarized, significant work has to be done by the military to remain effective in the political sphere and yet remain above the partisan fray. Civ-mil relations are a standard topic in joint professional military education and they are so important that the U.S. Army War College has established a new Civil-Military Relations Center (CMRC). The center's mission is "To sponsor and promote the development of a healthy, sustainable relationship between the American military, society, and political leaders through education, research, and outreach." The center's co-director, Carrie Lee, is in the studio today with podcast editor Ron Granieri, to explain how the CMRC intends to accomplish its mission and what lies ahead.
The first episode of our three-part series on Afghanistan lessons discussed building armies. This episode focuses exclusively on assessing them. In the studio for this second episode are LTG (R) Eric Wesley, who brings experience from both the National Security Council Staff and the International Security Assistance Force, and Dr. Ben Connable, author of a RAND monograph entitled, Embracing the Fog of War: Assessment and Metrics in Counterinsurgency, They join guest host and U.S. Army War College Fellow LTC Ranjini Danaraj for a serious discussion about the assessment of military forces in Afghanistan. The conversation covers assessment shortfalls, optimism in reporting, holding commanders accountable to their assessment, creating competitive perspectives, taking a long view of war, and measuring will to fight. Assessing is no easy task, but this episode provides insights on how to get it right, breaking the military’s assessment failure cycle, and helping military leaders accurately and credibly inform strategy decisions.
Twelve years ago last week, on May 2, 2011, the U.S. military conducted a raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan that killed Usama bin Laden. Once the mission was accomplished, the SEAL team conducted sensitive site exploitation and gathered up and returned with all of the materials and equipment they discovered in the compound. Nelly Lahoud and her team sorted through some 97,000 files and 6,000 pages of declassified documents, all in Arabic, to discover the truth about bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network. She's in the studio to discuss her book, "The Bin Laden Papers: How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth about Al-Qaeda, Its Leader and His Family" with host John Nagl. The information gleaned from this incredible undertaking paints a picture of a man and a network that, after the 9/11 attack, were confined, restrained and not very successful.
The United States spent over 20 years in Afghanistan and while a lot has been written about the missteps, there is much to be written about the solutions that would have lent to better outcomes. This is the first of a three-part series on Afghanistan and its lessons. Guest host and U.S. Army War College Fellow LTC Ranjini Danaraj and MG Donn Hill, the Commander of Security Force Assistance Command, have a candid discussion on what the U.S. Army has learned about security force assistance, building balanced and sustainable foreign security forces, and operationalizing the lessons learned from Afghanistan. MG Hill shares insights on how the Army's security force assistance brigades are taking best practices to armies around the world and what is now codified in the forthcoming update to FM 3-22, Army Support to Security Cooperation.
The military is a microcosm of the society it protects and is thus subject to many of the same tensions experienced by the population at large. As the nation struggled with racism in the '60s and '70s, the Army experienced violence and discrimination in the barracks and in the field. The Army recognized that the organization could not function in this divisive environment and in the late '60s began to address racism and racial identity. Beth Bailey's new book, "An Army Afire: How the US Army Confronted Its Racial Crisis in the Vietnam Era," chronicles the efforts that succeeded and those that failed. She's in the studio with podcast host Ron Granieri to explain how "seeing only OD" was an earnest yet flawed approach.
When twins Derek and TJ Baird joined the Army in the '90s, neither of them had any idea what lay ahead. But 26 and 30 years later respectively, one is a colonel and the other a command sergeant major, and it's safe to say the Army has been a great place for them. The Baird brothers join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to tell the story of two very different yet very similar careers serving the nation. Derek and TJ share how they have relied on each other throughout the years for advice and support both as professional soldiers and as brothers. It's a great story of their similar leadership philosophies and styles and decades of service that they plan to continue for decades more.
Prolific author, sociologist, historian, civil rights activist and co-founder of the NAACP, W.E.B. Du Bois is one of the most prominent scholars and activists in African-American history. He and his unpublished work about the betrayal of Black soldiers during World War I are the topic of Chad Williams new book The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War. Chad joins podcast host Michael Neiberg for another episode of On Writing to examine the origin, research and the process behind his book. It's a fascinating conversation that goes beyond a simple biography and examines Du Bois's struggles with his own disillusionment with WW I and his transformation to anti-war activist as he described it in his unpublished manuscript.
2023 is, of course, the 20th anniversary of the United States' invasion of Iraq. There has already been and surely will be much more examination of the event and the subsequent consequences of the war but very little of the analysis has been from the viewpoint of the Iraqis. Sam Helfont changed that with his new book "Iraq against the World: Saddam, America, and the Post-Cold War Order." He joins podcast editor, Ron Granieri, to explain how he gained access to internal Ba'th Party files that reveal the foreign policy, inner workings and previously unknown actors in Saddam Hussein's regime. It's a fascinating discussion of the decade leading up to the invasion from the view of the Iraqis, and how they were able to disrupt global norms and divide Western states.
In March 2023, the Society for Military History held its annual meeting in San Diego. During the conference, Phil Shackleford, librarian, military historian and host of The Modern Scholar Podcast, moderated a roundtable titled Making Airwaves – The Profession of History and the World of Podcasting. Phil was kind enough to share the live recording of the roundtable and we want to share it with you, our listeners.The panel included the hosts of multiple podcast hosts in the military history sphere:Bill Allison, Georgia Southern University, Co-Host, Military Historians are People, Too! https://www.mhptpodcast.com/Alycia Asai, Sonoma State University, Host, Civics & Coffee https://www.civicsandcoffee.com/Kelly DeVries, Loyola University Maryland, Co-Host, Bow and Blade https://bowandblade.libsyn.com/websiteRon Granieri, Army War College, Host, A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/category/podcasts/Philip C. Shackelford, South Arkansas Community College, Host, The Modern Scholar Podcast https://modernscholarpodcast.com/Be sure to check out the fascinating podcasts from the other panel participants.*This episode was recorded live during a conference session, so please excuse any irregularities in audio quality. It originally aired on The Modern Scholar Podcast on 1 April 2023.
Lou Yuengert and Tom Galvin are back in the studio for another episode of "How Should the Army Run?" This episode focuses on Lou's recent service on the Army's Talent Management Task Force. The Army has done relatively well at placing its top performers in appropriate leadership positions, but in an organization of high performers are the other 90% of the personnel being placed where they are best suited while still meeting the needs of the service? Lou shares his experience as the Army struggles to move from an industrial age strength management system to a system that puts the right people in the right jobs routinely throughout their career. It's a big task and there is a lot of information that has to be measured, managed and available to make it work.
At the end of January 2023 we ran an article by John Nagl and Matthew Woessner about a fictional student's ill-informed preparation for his War College comprehensive exams. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek, demonstrating how the student learns the exact wrong lessons by skimming Thucydides' The History of the Peloponnesian War. Today, 28 March 2023, is the first day of comps for the AY23 resident class and Woessner and Nagl felt they had to step up to the mics to help the students with that last minute cram session. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain the origin of the idea and what students really need to know about T-Diddy.
Valley Forge, the 1778 winter encampment of Washington's Continental Army, is the stuff of legend and lore. Tales of brutal temperatures, bare footed soldiers and near starvation are what come to mind when recollecting middle school American History courses. Rick Herrera set out to understand the strategic importance of Valley Forge and the logistic challenges that Washington and his staff overcame. He captures many lessons still applicable today in his new book "Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778", and he's in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss it.
General Charles Flynn, Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), was in Carlisle to address the AY23 resident class of the U.S. Army War College. He took the time to sit down with our Editor-in-Chief JP Clark to discuss what the Army is doing in the Pacific. Their conversation includes the 4Cs framework, allies and partners, wargaming and campaigning in the region and the responsibilities of the theater Army to set the theater for the joint force. General Flynn shares his extensive experience in the Pacific and at the senior level of Army leadership to provide a clear picture of the Army's activities and contributions to joint operations in the INDOPACOM theater.
It's time for part two of our Antarctica trip. In February 2023, Michele Devlin, Professor of Environmental Security at the U.S. Army War College, traveled to the Antarctica and took us along through a little technological sleight of hand. Armed with her trusty iPhone and a list of questions and topics for discussion, Michele documented her journey and her reactions along the way. In this second of two episodes, Michele is joined by Managing Editor Buck Haberichter in the virtual studio to explain the hows and whys of her trip. In part two Michele sums up her visit to Antarctica and ties it all together for national security professionals and honestly for everyone on the planet.
And now for something completely different! In February 2023, Michele Devlin, Professor of Environmental Security at the U.S. Army War College, traveled to the Antarctica and took us along through a little technological sleight of hand. Armed with her trusty iPhone and a list of questions and topics for discussion, Michele documented her journey and her reactions along the way. In this first of two episodes, Michele is joined by Managing Editor Buck Haberichter in the virtual studio to explain the hows and whys of her trip. Whether it's her arrival in Ushuaia, Argentina, her thoughts on the strategic importance of the polar regions, or her first steps on the continent of Antarctica this is a truly interesting and engaging episode that you've got to hear.
A crucial turning point in the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Saratoga boosted the morale of the Continental Army; influenced the opinions of the French, Spanish and Dutch; and closed the door to possible invasions from the Canadian front. Kevin Weddle is in the studio to discuss the strategic lessons of this important battle as he has outlined them in his book The Compleat Victory. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine the interplay of strategic leadership, politics, personal ambition, and battlefield strategies. Their conversation visits familiar names like Washington and Howe, Gates and Burgoyne, Arnold and Morgan. It's a great discussion for those already familiar with Saratoga's importance but equally interesting to those who would like to learn more.
It's time for another episode about the U.S. Army War College's Distance Education program. COL Heather Smigowski, Chair of the Department of Distance Education, is back in the studio to offer a few suggestions to new students who just received their welcome letter to the class of academic year '25 (AY25). Heather joins podcast host Ron Granieri to describe the challenges the members of AY25 will face during their academic journey over the next two years. Whether it's the shock of going back to school, the inevitable surges of reading assignments, or the potential disruptions to "normal" life and family vacations, the next two years will require dedication and concentration. Heather offers tips and techniques for time management and effective study, and also highlights the many resources available to every student in the program.
Historical Mindedness is a form of reasoning that deals with historical material and present-day problems and it is woven throughout the U.S. Army War College curriculum. It doesn't predict the future or provide all the answers to modern international situations, but it does arm strategic thinkers with the right questions to ask of the dilemmas they face. Alexander Mikaberidze is in the studio today to look at how historical mindedness can inform our understanding of Russia's war in Ukraine. He joins Michael Neiberg to discuss his newest book "Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace" for this episode in our On Writing series. Alexander argues that the current conflict has its roots in the 18th century and the behaviors of the House of Romanov. He notes that the Russian and Soviet governments have cast historical figures such as Field Marshal Mikhail Golenischev-Kutuzov in different ways, both positively and negatively, to suit their own purposes.
For more than one hundred years there were three recognized domains in military conflict: land, maritime and air. In the two last decades after significant debate, the cyber and space domains were officially defined by western allies. Rob Farley is in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain why the United States and its allies need to consider adding the finance domain to the multi-domain discussion. Not to be confused with the economic lever of power in DIME, Rob makes the argument that the finance domain involves the technologies of finance and money that countries use to either maximize their own resource base or interfere in other states' abilities to maximize their resources. As with all discussions at the War College, he begins with Thucydides and moves forward in time examining the British pound, the U.S. dollar, the gold standard and looking forward at cryptocurrency and digital currency.
Tom Galvin is back in the studio for another episode of "How Should the Army Run?" He's joined today by Doug "Muddy" Waters to talk about how the Army (and the rest of DoD) gets its funding. In this stage-setting episode Tom and Muddy discuss Congressional processes like appropriations and authorizations, continuing resolutions, the "color of money", and you'll hear familiar terms like POM, OCO, O&M and RDT&E. It's a great primer on how the basics of the budget process work and a great starting point to inform change.
It's time for another episode of On Writing. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Tami Biddle to the studio to discuss her newest history project, Taking Command: The United States at War 1941-1945. Tami sits down with host Michael Neiberg for a conversation about capturing this very large and complicated topic. Tami shares her processes for organization, content selection, and how she has gone about creating and contributing something new on a topic that has been so thoroughly discussed. Their conversation provides a glimpse inside the historian's mind in the opening stages of a new, and very ambitious, project.
In 1997, the U.S. Army War College produced the first edition of How the Army Runs (HTAR), a reference handbook that documented and explained the processes and organization of the U.S. Army. Published every two years, the document has evolved along with the organization it seeks to capture in writing. As the editor of the last five editions of HTAR, Lou Yuengert was once asked by a former War College commandant, "Have you ever thought about writing a book about how the Army should run?" A Better Peace welcomes Lou to the studio to kick off a new series to examine whether the organization and operation of the Army is really the best way to conduct business in the joint world. He sits down with War Room Senior Editor Tom Galvin to consider what works and what doesn't and why. The two have an excellent conversation setting the stage for future episodes that hope to not just critique, but to offer innovative suggestions and even praise those elements that work well.
Readers will recall that for this year’s Thanksgiving message, we turned the page back to 1968 for the proclamation issued that year by President Lyndon Johnson. Even in a time plagued by war, unrest, and division, Johnson reminded the nation to not overlook all that was good.Inspired by the recent success of the Artemis 1 mission to lunar orbit, we will continue the theme of 1968 for our annual holiday message. That year ended with the historic Apollo 8 mission, the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. During their return to Earth, astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders broadcast a televised greeting from space that was the most watched television program to that time.As the first humans to ever leave low Earth orbit and thus to be able to look back at our world in its entirety, they had a truly unprecedented vantage from which to bring good tidings to all. Though the words come from a specific religious text and tradition which these men shared, when placed in the context of that epic journey and the unsettled time at home, the underlying message seems to transcend any specific set of beliefs and speak to a perhaps common sense of awe and wonder when faced with the vastness of space and the universe. In that spirit, we share the Apollo 8 message in its written form and as a podcast with the original recording available on the podcatcher of your choice.And so to close the year, we here at War Room wish that you and yours may find a brief distraction from your troubles and a sense of hope and wonder like those of the Apollo 8 astronauts for what is still to come. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! We’ll see you in 2023.
Any conversation has two very basic players, the sender and the receiver. The intelligence conversation, at its most basic level, has the producer and the consumer. There are volumes written, schools, courses, and entire career fields and specialties dedicated to producing better intel, but how does one learn to be a better intelligence consumer? A BETTER PEACE welcomes LTG (R) Karen Gibson to shed some light on what commanders need to know to, not only be a better consumer, but to mentor and train intelligence professionals and staffers. She joins host Gen Lester, to share her experiences from over three decades in the intelligence community during which time she led intelligence-operations fusion centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, East Africa, and in the United States.
The war in Ukraine has been a fascinating study of the democratization of intelligence. That's a phrase coined by David Gioe in a recent article he wrote with Ken Stolworthy. David and Ken join host Gen Lester in the studio to discuss what has changed in the intelligence realm that makes information so readily available and effective for the Ukrainian forces. David notes that the gap between what the professional intelligence community knows and what the average citizen armed with an Internet connection can know has dramatically narrowed as the conflict drags on. The commercialization of intelligence has been growing for years, but now the enormous amount of open source information, collated and analyzed by both amateurs and professionals alike has led to operationalization by the military in ways never seen before.
The U.S. Army War College provides an outstanding strategic-level education to the military and civilian leaders of the DoD and other federal agencies. Each year, roughly 380 U.S. and international students attend the year-long resident course at Carlisle Barracks, PA. But what many people don’t realize is that at any given time there are nearly twice that many students enrolled in the distance education program receiving a similar quality education as those in the resident course and ultimately the same degree. Today we have COL Heather Smigowski, Chair of the Department of Distance Education, in the studio to describe the creation of the program and the changes it has undergone to become the present-day effort.Created in 1967 the distance program has evolved over the last five decades into a two-year program that is delivered both synchronously and asynchronously, online and for two weeks each year in-person in Carlisle. All of this is accomplished by board-selected students who navigate the courseware from their present duty (or deployed) location while performing their “day job,” often while serving in command positions. It’s a great conversation with podcast editor, Ron Granieri that looks at how the U.S. Army provides educational opportunities to the force around the world.Created in 1967 the distance program has evolved over the last five decades into a two-year program that is delivered both synchronously and asynchronously, online and for two weeks each year in-person in Carlisle. All of this is accomplished by board selected students who navigate the courseware from their present duty (or deployed) location while performing their “day job”, often in command positions. It’s a great conversation with podcast editor, Ron Granieri that looks at how the U.S. Army provides educational opportunities to the force around the world.
As part of our ongoing collaboration between A BETTER PEACE and the Army War College Civil-Military Relations Center, Celestino Perez joins podcast editor Ron Granieri for a wide-ranging discussion of civil-military relations. Tino notes that words like politics and partisan can have many different meanings. He argues that conversations and debates on the proper role and rules for military engagement with society would be more fruitful, if participants recognize these potential differences. Acknowledging these subtle differences is the first step toward better dialogue and understanding of this complex issue.
In October 2022 we published an episode examining the newly released National Security Strategy (NSS) and comparing it to its interim predecessor. Once the NSS is published there are a number of other strategic documents that are published that nest within the overarching guidance of the NSS. In this episode podcast editor Ron Granieri sits down with War College professors Bob Bradford and Tom Spahr to discuss the unclassified version of the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS). The capstone strategic guidance document for the Department of Defense (DoD), the NDS details priorities, identifies allies and adversaries, and spells out in grand macro terms the direction forward for the entire DoD. The analysis centers around the utility and the messaging of the document as well as the complimentary Missile Defense Review that was released along with the NDS. The three talk about plenty of familiar concepts like building partner capability and capacity, integrated deterrence and developing resilience that make for a great conversation.
Every year the amount of sheer talent, knowledge and experience that comes through the little town of Carlisle, PA is astounding. There is the student body at the Army War College and the nation's leaders that present as part of the curriculum, the number of academic powerhouses associated with Dickinson College and Penn State Dickinson Law, and the speaker program at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. Added to that list is the J. Sherwood McGinnis, Jr. War, Peace and Justice Project (WPJP) which began its Fall/Winter presentation schedule in October this year. A BETTER PEACE was fortunate enough to sit down with two of the program's main presenters, General Sir Rupert Smith and LTG (Ret.) Jim Dubik, Ph.D., to discuss the project's main theme: "Why has it been so difficult to achieve peace and justice as a result of our conflicts?" The two soldier-authors shared their thoughts and experiences with podcast editor Ron Granieri in a captivating conversation.Be sure to check out the project's website at https://www.warpeacejustice.org/ for future events. And visit the Cumberland County Historical Society where the project was hosted the next time you're in Carlisle.
There are multiple facets to the civil-military relationship. How the military interacts with the civil society, or other governmental agencies or the relationship between the military and the civilian authorities charged with the control and direction of the military are all very different. Alice Hunt Friend is in the virtual studio to discuss her specific area of expertise - the elite levels of leadership, the folks participating in the highest levels of the government. She joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine some of the misunderstandings that exist and what has to be done to correct them. Their conversation centers on the role of politics in the civ-mil relationship, and the mis-characterization of political versus partisan.And while we're on the topic, the U.S. Army War College is pleased to announce the creation of its new Civil-Military Relations Center(CMRC). The center was created to sponsor and promote the development of a healthy, sustainable relationship between the American military, society, and political leaders through education, research, and outreach. Go check out the website and see the publications, podcasts, events and conferences designed to develop leaders, advance knowledge and connect professionals.https://cmrc.armywarcollege.edu/
Dating back to 1987 and the Goldwater-Nichols Act, the National Security Strategy (NSS) has become perhaps the most powerful single document to communicate the Executive branch's vision to Congress, the American people, the many departments of the U.S federal government, as well as foreign friends and foes. When President Biden took office in January 2021, his administration produced an interim NSS that many nicknamed the "skinny NSS" and released it March of that year. On 12 October 2022, the Biden-Harris administration released an updated NSS. We've got Carrie A. Lee and J.P. Clark in the studio to examine the contents of the new document and talk about what has changed, what is emphasized and what the new NSS communicates to the world. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to highlight the themes and messages in the new product that is now twice as large as the original interim NSS.
Successful military organizations are always assessing and adapting; this includes methods of command and control. The joint task forces with constituent air, land, and maritime components currently used by the U.S. military have demonstrated benefits, but are all too often ad hoc structures that take too long to stand up and fight as a cohesive team. Tom Bruscino and Lou Yuengert are in the studio to talk about their recently released manuscript, The Future of the Joint Warfighting Headquarters: An Alternative Approach to the Joint Task Force, which they wrote with fellow authors Eric Bissonette, Kelvin Mote, Matthew Powell, Marc Sanborn and James Watts. Tom and Lou argue that now is the time to create standing, numbered, and regionally aligned joint warfighting headquarters— American Expeditionary Forces (AEFs)—around a command council and a staff organized into Joint centers and cells. They join host Darrell Driver to share the thought process behind the organizational structure and why the U.S. military must become a superior and sustainable joint force sooner than its adversaries.
Since President Eisenhower first named and warned against the military-industrial complex in his farewell speech, the relationship between "the military and the market" has been the subject of heightened scrutiny from Congress, the press, and scholars. A new book by that name provides new and surprising perspectives by taking the long view of two centuries of the economic dimensions of the military from entrepreneurs and new technologies to consumer products and sex workers. A BETTER PEACE welcomes editors and contributors Kara Dixon Vuic, Jennifer Mittelstadt and Mark R. Wilson as they discuss they discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of the military-industrial complex and beyond with podcast editor Ron Granieri.Find the book here: https://www.pennpress.org/9781512823233/the-military-and-the-market/
Getting faculty governance right in higher education can be a difficult endeavor. There are multiple models that can be employed, personalities always play a role and leadership has to agree on the value that the faculty's experience contributes. Getting it right in the world of professional military education (PME) adds a whole new twist. Nicholas J. Rowland and Matthew Woessner are back in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss shared governance in PME. Their conversation builds on their previously published work Shared Governance for Intellectual Overmatch as they still strive to provide the best form of governance to create the finest strategic leaders in the world.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes Ian Ona Johnson to the studio to discuss his new book Faustian Bargain: The Soviet-German Partnership and the Origins of the Second World War. Ian joins our own Michael Neiberg to not only discuss his writing, editing and publication process but their conversation ventures into the usefulness of history. Written before the hostilities in Ukraine began, the alliances of the interwar period that the book examines offer great insights into the behavior of Russia and a number of the nations affected by the war. Their conversation even turns to the latest debate amongst historians regarding presentism or the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values and concepts.
The U.S. military is struggling to recruit and it's not just quality, it's quantity as well. The all volunteer force is at risk. Falling recruiting rates can be compensated for by higher retention rates for a time, but eventually the lack of new talent will be felt across the force. Allison Abbe is in the studio to discuss a recent article in which she points out policies that have created the insular military communities that may be raising retention but harming recruiting. Allison joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain her thoughts on the three policies that might be doing more harm than good, and how they could be changed for the better.
It has been recognized since antiquity that victory in war often goes to those who best organize "the sinews of war" (money, equipment, and supplies). Yet at the U.S. Army War College the Defense Management course that teaches these topics has often been maligned. For a time, a heavy focus on acronym-heavy process caused many students to roll their eyes and ask, "Why do I have to learn this? I'm not a force manager, or budgeteer, or program manager etc."Tom Galvin and Doug Waters are in the studio to explain how the course is evolving to better demonstrate why everybody needs a little Defense Management in their lives. In one of the final components of the core curriculum, War College students get a healthy dose of the other strategic triad -- force structure, readiness, and modernization. Galvin and Waters join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss how this course is changing and why everybody needs to just eat their academic spinach because the students are going to "speak defense management" in their coming assignments.
John Roderick is back in the studio w/ Ron Granieri for pt 2 of their discussion but the topic has moved on to #podcasting & the power of #conversations in our lives. Can we talk?
Each year, in the final week of instruction at the U.S. Army War College there is a four-day event that takes place known as the National Security Seminar (NSS). The resident seminars grow by six to seven members apiece as approximately 160 invited guests from many walks of life across the country join the students to engage in candid dialogue about national security issues, the U.S. military and the viewpoints of the citizenry of the nation. The new seminar members typically have no close association with the military and are invited via a nomination process.The four-day itinerary includes distinguished speakers covering topics of civil-military relations, globalization, foreign policy, international security issues and the role of the United States in the world. The guests are able to attend several social events where the conversation is less formal, and they close their week with a staff ride tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield.In 2022 one of those guests was John Roderick, a musician, singer, songwriter, podcaster and politician. He was in podcast editor Ron Granieri's seminar and he's in the studio today to share his experiences during his four days in Carlisle.This is part one of a two-part episode.
We'll wrap up back to school week at the U.S. Army War College with the re-release of a great discussion between Ed Kaplan, Mike Baim and former Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline E. Whitt, to highlight the contributions of the U.S. Army War College's Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP). In a time when the nation sees increasing political divides and claims that the civil-military gap is ever widening, this program reaches out to reverse the trend. Ed and Mike explain how each academic year a joint cohort of military officers and national security professionals reach out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that may have little direct knowledge of the military. Their goal is to have reasoned and thoughtful discussions with the society they serve and protect. And for more than 50 years the Eisenhower Program has succeeded in closing that gap with both the rising and established generations in those communities. Ed Kaplan moved on to become the Dean of the School of Strategic Landpower, but the ESCP is still going strong under the leadership of Col Leon Perkowski in the Department of National Security and Strategy. If you're interested in participating in the program or if your institution is interested in potentially scheduling a speaking engagement with the ESCP, you can contact Col Perkowski at leon.perkowski@armywarcollege.edu
Yesterday began the first full week of instruction for the resident course at the U.S. Army War College. Introductions are done, orientation is over and another year of Boatyard Wars is in the books. Now students will begin to flex intellectual muscles that they may not have stretched for a few years. The editorial team thought we could help get things rolling with the strategic re-release of a few articles and podcast episodes that highlight the Carlisle Experience, the reasons War Colleges exist, useful tools for thinking, and additional programs available throughout the year.In this War Room Podcast, “Why War Colleges?” Andrew A. Hill interviews the 50th Commandant of the U.S. Army College, U.S. Army Major General Bill Rapp to discuss the history, roles, and responsibilities of war colleges to develop future strategic leaders, both military and civilian, and to develop ideas that address current and future needs of the defense enterprise. They explore why the Army’s performance during the Spanish-American War necessitated the Army War College’s founding, and how it has evolved in the century since.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes author and analyst Ali Wyne to the studio for a conversation about the intricacies of the concept of great power competition as a policy framework. He joins our new Editor-In-Chief, J.P Clark, for a fast-paced discussion of the ideas laid out in his new book "America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition." It's a fascinating conversation well timed to the actions of both Russia and China and the responses of U.S. leadership.
It's the tail end of the change of command season. Beloved (or not so beloved) commanders are moving on to new opportunities. New faces are taking over, watching, assessing, trying to get a feel for the team and the mission. WAR ROOM isn't a full fledged military organization (think military adjacent) but the time has come for our "change of command." Jacqueline Whitt, our outgoing Editor-In-Chief, is moving on to new and exciting opportunities with the U.S. Department of State and we're taking a moment to hear her final thoughts on her time with WAR ROOM. She's joined in the studio by her successor J.P Clark, a familiar face, longtime friend and former member of the editorial team. Podcast editor Ron Granieri moderates the conversation that renews the purpose of WAR ROOM, examines what the team has been able to accomplish over the last five years and what the future holds. Join us in saying farewell to Jackie and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors and welcoming J.P. as he shares his thoughts for moving forward without missing a beat.And take a read of Jackie's farewell letter we posted yesterday.
From 10-12 May 2022 the War College hosted the first annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners the symposium displayed original research and presented solutions to senior leaders about how landpower can help achieve national objectives in the future. As part of symposium Army leadership asked the United States Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project faculty to address the future role of strategic landpower. Taking up that challenge seven members of the USAWC class of 2022 participated in the integrated research project as part of their Masters in Strategic Studies degree research requirement and presented their results at the symposium to amplify their work. A BETTER PEACE has organized two podcast sessions with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the strategic landpower symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this second episode to discuss shaping the theater are Tim Clark, Curtis Perkins and Tim Sikorski. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss a variety of aspects pertaining to landpower to include the theater army's role in the information environment, sustainment modernization in multi-domain operations and logistics challenges in the INDOPACOM theater.The second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is set for 9-11 May 2023 and there is a call for papers due by 15 January 2023. Registration can be accomplished online. The theme will be the "Role of Strategic Landpower in Future Joint and Combined Operations."2023 Strategic Landpower Symposium Home Page - https://csl.armywarcollege.edu/landpower/default.aspx
From 10-12 May 2022 the War College hosted the first Annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners the symposium displayed original research and presented solutions to senior leaders about how landpower can help achieve national objectives in the future. As part of symposium Army leadership asked the United States Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project faculty to address the future role of strategic landpower. Taking up that challenge seven members of the USAWC class of 2022 participated in the integrated research project as part of their Masters in Strategic Studies degree research requirement and presented their results at the symposium to amplify their work. A BETTER PEACE has organized two podcast sessions with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the strategic landpower symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this first episode to discuss shaping the theater are Phil Baker, Gregory Foxx, Kirk Sanders and Carl Zeppengno. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss a variety of aspects pertaining to landpower to include, the National Guard State Partnership Program, special operations persistent forward presence, theater ISR operations and Marine Advance Based Operations alongside Army landpower doctrine.The second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is set for 9-11 May 2023 and there is a call for papers due by 15 January 2023. Registration can be accomplished online. The theme will be the "Role of Strategic Landpower in Future Joint and Combined Operations."2023 Strategic Landpower Symposium Home Page - https://csl.armywarcollege.edu/landpower/default.aspx
Don't ask, don't tell (DADT) was signed into law November 30, 1993 by the Clinton administration. It was a compromise measure intended to allow lesbian, gay and bisexual service members to serve in the U.S. military without discrimination or harassment as long as they didn't disclose their orientation, or engage in homosexual conduct or same sex marriage. Unfortunately in practice the policy often failed to live up to its intended purpose. In 1993 Dixon Osburn and Michelle Benecke founded the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network with the goal of repealing DADT and eliminating any service bans on gay and lesbian U.S. military personnel. Dixon is in the studio today with Editor -in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss the eventual repeal of DADT and Dixon's book Mission Possible: The Story of Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Looking after your family is a full time job. And all too often it's easy to lose yourself in that job and forget about your own wellbeing. In this episode Faith and Lynda discuss the importance of the often overlooked relationship between mind, body, spirit and the health and wellness of the military spouse. Joining in this story are Giovanna Reyes-Alexander and Payal Talwar. Giovanna is an Army spouse who holds multiple degrees in nutrition and dietetics and has shared her knowledge in these areas with people from across the globe. Payal Talwar is married to a Soldier in the Indian Military and brings her expertise in Neuro Linguistic Programming, Life and Performance coaching and training, and is a Law of Attraction trainer. Learn how to set an intention for the day when you first wake up, because body and mind are part of the same system and have to work in tandem.
It's time for the last installment of the AY22 Eisenhower Series. Brian Dudley and Kevin Payne join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to share their thoughts on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the U.S. Army. In keeping with the Federal government and DoD the Army is continually revising its DEI policies "with the aim of maintaining a vibrant workforce that represents the wide-ranging backgrounds of the American people." Brian and Kevin describe how their personal and professional experiences and studies have influenced their thoughts on DEI.
If you're new to the military it can be a flurry of bizarre and foreign traditions and actions that make very little sense. Imagine if you're also new to the United States. Join Faith and Lynda for their conversation with Melanie Wilhite, German by birth and an Army spouse by marriage, she is a certified Army Family Team Building Master Trainer. They're joined by Rebecca Lockhart and she adds her perspective as a former Navy brat and current Army Spouse who embraces military life. Military customs, courtesies and traditions provide a welcome sense of belonging to all spouses regardless of rank or experience and comfort in knowing what to expect.
What went wrong in Afghanistan? Did anything go right? We're definitely not going to thoroughly answer those questions in a thirty eight minute podcast episode, but any answer to those questions should feed the greater question - What can the United States in general and the Army in particular learn from the nation's experience in Afghanistan? A BETTER PEACE welcomes three members of the Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP) to share their experiences while deployed to and in support of operations in Afghanistan. Matt Adamczyk, Rob Greiner and Kevin Payne join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to discuss the issues they encountered in conjunction with Operation Enduring Freedom and the subsequent operations in Afghanistan.
Historically, every PCS meant a job change or flat out job lost for military spouses. But times have changed and a new environment means more opportunities for employment and fulfillment. Get linked in to this episode where Faith and Lynda talk employment with Heather Kline, a Talent Acquisition Contractor with Client Solution Architects and retired Navy Human Resource Officer. Then there’s Meredith Smith, an Air Force spouse currently working as the Deputy Director for Community Events and Programs on the military spouse team at Hiring Our Heroes (HOH). Learn how to navigate resource overload, address resume gaps, and don’t give those employers a reason to say no!TAKEAWAYS here - https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/22-053-OUR-VOLUNTEER-STORY-WHERE-CAN-YOU-HELP_Episode-Takeaways-1.pdf
Coup d'etats are sadly a fact of life on the African continent. Since 1950, of the 486 attempted coups in the world, 214 occurred in Africa with 106 of them being successful. Unfortunately countries on the African continent tend to have many of the conditions typically associated with coups. Whether it is poverty, terrorism and insurgencies, or a failure to understand basic human rights there are many factors working against peace. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Daniel Kuwali to the studio to discuss his research to understand and try to prevent coup d'etats in the future. Daniel is a Brigadier General in the Malawi Defense Force where he serves as Chief of Legal Services and Judge Advocate General. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine the organizations and changes that have to thrive in order to staunch the instability in the region and promote stable democracies.
Our military community is incredibly dependent on volunteerism. Without spouses and service members actively volunteering on and off installation, life for military families would be far more difficult and far less fulfilling. Join co-hosts Faith Bomar and Lynda Lind as they have a conversation with award winning USA Today and Amazon best selling author Eric Gardner and retired Navy Human Resources Officer and current Army spouse Heather Kline. Eric and Heather share a wealth of information about finding volunteer opportunities that can give you a sense of purpose, translate to work experience and support our service members, families and communities. Just bring YOU, we all have value to add.
Feedback is a bit of an art form. And there are as many different types of mentorship and coaching as there are soldiers in the Army. So how do you effectively train leaders as they come up through the ranks to provide effective, honest feedback and evaluations that are in the macro sense uniform and evenly applied across the force. Michael Shaw has looked at the problem and is the first to admit that he doesn't have all the answers, but he's got some great suggestions about resources that are already out there. There's no doubt the Army has mastered the bureaucratic process of evaluations but in this day and age can the service tolerate a system that isn't optimized to find, develop and advance talent wherever it's found - and not just in the top block.
Take an already stressful event like moving, add in a possible foreign country, throw in some training enroute or the only vacation time you'll see all year, sprinkle with some kids, maybe a few pets and do it all on the military's shifting timeline. And don't forget the end of a job for your spouse and maybe you as well and a host of new responsibilities, maybe a change of command waiting on the other end. Mix it all together and you and about 1/3 of the U.S. military are smack dab in the middle of Permanent Change of Station or PCS season. Listen in as Faith and Lynda discuss how to prepare yourself and your children for the big and little moments of a PCS. Joining the conversation from Pisa, Italy where her family is currently stationed, Wendy Way suggests that you “Book that move, don’t mess around.” Wendy is a military spouse, former Army Logistics Officer, and the CEO and co-founder of LOGSA Mil Moves. And adding her moving tips is military spouse Christine Carol “C.C.” Gallagher, a highly sought-after expert and developer of the Stressless PCS Kit. No matter how many moves you have made, you will learn something in this episode!
It's time again for the Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP). Established over 50 years ago, the ESCP engages colleges, voluntary organizations, think tanks and other public forums across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that might be less familiar with the military. Their goal is to have reasoned and thoughtful discussions with the society they serve and protect. In past years A BETTER PEACE has augmented the limited travel plans of the ESCP and though travel has increased again we're pleased to bring you the first of several discussions for the Academic Year '22 forum.Joining podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio for this episode are Leila Green, Jason Groat, Mike Rossman and Amit Talwar. Interestingly enough not a one of them is in the U.S. Army and only one of them is a U.S. citizen, they represent, but of course don't speak for, the British Army, the Australian Army, USAID and the Indian Army, respectively. The four guests share their expertise and insights regarding the U.S. shift away from a focus on terrorism and violent extremism toward a renewed interest in great power competition. Much of their conversation with Ron centers on allies and friends and the balance of soft power versus hard.
Last episode the team dove into the daunting process of changing schools (again) and setting your children up for success. But what if you need just a little bit extra. Join Faith and Lynda as Danielle Foote helps them update their magical PCS binders (you know you have one) with tips and tools for our exceptional needs and special education kids. Danielle is a former military brat and current Army spouse. She has over ten years of special education teaching experience across numerous grade levels in five different states. In this episode you’ll hear that knowledge is power and that it’s good to speak up, advocate for your child, and to teach your child how to advocate for themselves.
In the modern age the United States rarely ever enters a conflict alone. Fighting alongside an ally or as part of a coalition magnifies capabilities and lethality and often more importantly brings legitimacy and access. But the coordination and communication necessary for successful multi-domain operations is intense. Add multiple different languages, disparate communication and networking systems and simple deconfliction can become a herculean task or result in a simple but drastic reduction of interaction and interoperability. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Aaron Dixon to the studio to explain how many of the network issues of coalition operations in the MDO can be resolved, without breaking the bank. Aaron joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss why the solution to the problem doesn't involve newer, better, faster technology, at least not in the immediate future. He argues for more disciplined, targeted training and refusing to ignore issues in the exercise environment. EDITOR'S CORRECTION: When introducing our guest Ron states that he commanded the 3rd Security Force Assistance BRIGADE. He actually commanded 3rd Squadron, 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB).
As if PCS season isn't stressful enough it can be overwhelming when you begin to navigate the requirements to register your children in their new schools. Join Faith and Lynda as they jump right into all things school related for your child as well as continuing education for yourself. They are joined by Michele Sumter. Michele is a military spouse who has served in military-connected schools as a principal at all levels. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of school systems and transitioning students with her military friends. The key to it all is it's never too early to start contacting schools to ensure your military child is set up for success.Download Takeaways - https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/22-055-OUR-EDUCATION-STORY-PT-1_SCHOOL-AND-PCS_Episode-Takeaways.pdf
Wargames can be incredible teaching and learning tools when they are built and utilized properly. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors and require a skilled hand in their creation. A BETTER PEACE welcomes two such skilled developers, Chris Steinitz and Erin Sullivan to the studio to share their experiences as game developers and discuss how they started in the wargaming world. Chris and Erin join podcast editor Ron Granieri to talk about what makes a great wargame, what crucial information is necessary before even starting construction of a game and when you truly need a wargame versus tailored analysis.
It's time for another installment of MIL SPOUSE EDITION and we thought before we get too deep into content perhaps you should meet the co-hosts of the series. Faith Bomar and Lynda Lind join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to lay out the roadmap for the series and explain how they ended up as the hosts of the program. With the goal of sharing information and expertise to the broadest possible audience, the two hosts will be talking to experts about topics that are important to military spouses and families. Future episodes will cover education (your children and your own), PCS-ing, volunteering, employment, military culture, customs and courtesies, and maybe most important - self-care. So come meet your guides through this endeavor as Faith and Lynda share conversations and experiences, and promise a few laughs along the way talking about "Their Mission, Our Story."
We do our best at WAR ROOM to publish a wide variety of articles and podcast episodes that we hope contribute to the national security discussion. Sometimes we publish something that might not seem dead center of the military or policy realm or it might appear, at best, adjacent to the strategic level of conversation we aim for. For example, last year our best read article was THE PCS PENALTY AND THE ARMY FAMILY. That's why when the Army War College AY22 Spouses Group came to us with an idea for a podcast we jumped at it. This limited run series will feature spouses who share their expertise and experiences in issues that effect every military family regardless of which branch of service they're in. This episode introduces the production team of Kim Miller, Melanie Wilhite and Joanie Zipperer. All three women are spouses of students in the AY22 Resident Course and they were just a few of the powerhouses behind the scenes making this effort happen. They discuss the thinking behind the project and why the WAR ROOM: MIL SPOUSE EDITION is something you or someone in your life should definitely listen to. Watch for episodes to be released as additional content each Friday for the next several months.
This week we are celebrating WAR ROOM's fifth birthday! We published our first article on 1 May 2017 and our first podcast episode a couple of weeks later on 17 May. Today we celebrate where we've been and where we're going with our 300th podcast episode! It's estimated that nearly 75% of all the podcasts started podfade, or slowly stop producing new episodes, often after only about 7 episodes. So you can understand why we're pretty proud to to publish our 300th episode and thrilled that you are still out there listening along. Jacqueline Whitt, our first podcast editor, now Editor-in-Chief, and Ron Granieri, our current podcast editor sit down in the virtual studio to discuss the start of it all. They talk about what it takes to produce an episode, what WAR ROOM hopes to contribute to the NATSEC conversation and where we're hoping to take the conversation. Thanks to all of our loyal listeners as well as all of our guests, and here's to the next 300 episodes. What do you want to hear us talk about?EDITOR'S CORRECTION: Ron mistakenly credits Buck as the voice of the opening credits. That voice is actually Professor Douglas "Muddy" Waters (CAPT, USN, Ret) from the Department of Command, Leadership and Management, and a friend of WAR ROOM. Buck just reads all of the legal disclaimers. BTW: Episode 75 is THREE PIONEERS OF AIRPOWER (GREAT STRATEGISTS) and Episode 123 is BEYOND TASK FORCE SMITH: ‘NATIONAL’ UNPREPAREDNESS FOR WAR IN KOREA
Four years ago the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) underwent a name change in hopes of signifying a change in thinking in the region. The new name, United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), was in recognition of "the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans as America focuses West." In studying the region it quickly becomes clear that India, and particularly Indian naval strategy must be examined to understand the dynamics of the situation. A BETTER PEACE welcomes back Patrick Bratton to share his studies of Kavalam Madhava Panikkar, an Indian scholar statesman and the author of among dozens of other works, India and the Indian Ocean: An Essay on the Influence of Sea Power on Indian History. Patrick joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to look at the life and works of Panikkar and how India's first ambassador to China has lessons to offer to anyone interested in understanding INDOPACOM.
Conditional statements or as they're more commonly known, IF-THEN statements, are the foundation of almost all programming languages. They allow an automation that looks for a certain circumstance, and if that circumstance exists then an action happens. The action may be the end result or it may send the automation down a path searching for more circumstances, but it is the building block for decision making processes, cyber or otherwise. That's why it's so odd that when it comes to defining cyber warfare there doesn't seem to be a clear set of rules for decision making. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Patrick Walsh to look at defining the red line in cyberspace. What defines an act of warfare, versus crime, versus terrorism in cyberspace. Patrick joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to share his years of experience prosecuting cybercrimes and how he feels laws can better inform decision making and responses to actions in the cyber realm.
Casualties are a fact of military life. Whether the result of a training accident, peacekeeping operations or full scale combat, the military has made the commitment to guide families through the very difficult circumstances of a service member's death with the aid of Casualty Assistance Officers (CAO). Sadly through repetition the U.S. Army has created training and programs and processes that are world class. Unfortunately, when the odd circumstances surrounding the captivity of Bowe Bergdahl by the Haqqani network in Afghanistan and Pakistan occurred, it highlighted the deficiencies of the CAO program when addressing prisoners of non-state actors and violent extremist organizations (VEOs). This isn't the story of Bergdahl's ordeal. It's the experiences of Kevin Hickey the CAO for the Bergdahl family and he joins Ron Granieri in the studio to discuss his observations over five long years supporting them. He's researching and proposing improvements and changes to the traditional CAO program to make sure that the U.S. Army is prepared for situations like the Bergdahl's when it happens again one day.
CAUTION: This episode contains a first-person account of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attempted suicide. These are incredibly important topics that need to be discussed, but we want our listeners to be aware that the conversation can be very frank at times. If you or someone you know is in crisis, there are options available to help you cope. Contact the National Suicide Prevention LifelineLast week on March 29th the nation observed National Vietnam War Veterans Day. This week we'd like to share a conversation with Jan Scruggs, the man who conceived of and eventually built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. A combat veteran of the Vietnam War himself, Jan tells the incredible story of his motivations, obstructions, collaborations and finally success in creating a striking symbol of the conflict and its cost that is visited by over 3 million people each year. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss his experience in Vietnam and the post traumatic stress he suffered upon his return. Jan tells the story of his mission to recognize the sacrifices and losses of his generation and to help heal the people that are sent out to fight their nation's wars.
Let's be honest - the study of strategy can, at times, be a tedious thing. For those of us who haven't dedicated their lives and/or careers to understanding the detailed workings, intricate interplay and parlance of the strategic realm it can be a downright drag. But what if you could comprehend it all via an amazing space opera? What if the Empire, the Rebellion, the Romulans, the Klingons, the Federation, the Spice Trade and the Apes of a futuristic Earth all had something to teach you about strategy? What if the Federation could make conversations about discrimination and diversity much easier to discuss in a learning situation? Jon Klug and Steve Leonard so firmly believed that science fiction offers both a mirror and a possible guidebook for students of strategy and leadership that they gathered up a bunch of friends and colleagues and they put a book together on the topic. Jon and Steve join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss To Boldly Go: Leadership, Strategy, and Conflict in the 21st Century and Beyond. The three of them examine the genesis of the project, what they've learned along the way and they set out to answer the age old questions Kirk or Picard? Khan or Q? Buck or Flash? The Empire or The First Order?
FACT CHECK - Jon Klug mentions that Dino De Laurentiis owned the rights to Star Wars. What Jon was trying to convey was that De Laurentiis owned the rights to Flash Gordon, and he refused to sell them to George Lucas who had hopes to create a new Flash Gordon movie. Instead Lucas was forced to create a little project he eventually called Star Wars.
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For many, Afghanistan and the lessons that should have been learned have been overshadowed recently by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And as much as Ukraine deserves the attention of the world, national security professionals have a duty to learn as much as possible from the successes and failures of Afghanistan. To that end, A BETTER PEACE is extremely pleased to welcome Maj Gen Brian Mennes, the Deputy Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He joins Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to discuss his experiences in Afghanistan during his multiple tours in the theater. Tom and the general served together on three separate tours in Afghanistan and their conversation focuses on the wins that they achieved along the way along with the losses and the eventual fall of the Afghan government in August 2021.
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Sanctions. They're the talk of the town right now as the world watches Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Social media and the news networks are full of "experts" sharing their opinions on every aspect of sanctions associated with the current world situation. Should they have happened sooner? Did the West wait long enough? Are they too harsh? Should they be much tougher? Is there a clear criteria for Russia to comply with to have them removed? Will they ever completely go away? A BETTER PEACE welcomes Mark Duckenfield, former Department Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy to discuss the topic. Mark holds a PhD in political science from Harvard University where he specialized in European political economy. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to look at sanctions from a historical perspective. When have sanctions worked? When have they failed? What are the necessary conditions of economies, cultures and people that will enhance or stymie the effects of economic sanctions?
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Chinese leaders have struggled to develop coherent policies toward Eurasia for centuries. And the work of building a policy for the larger Central Asian region has serious implications for the building of the modern Chinese state. Beijing's efforts to reduce the influence of the Uyghur population of Xinjiang Province is a perfect example of the failing policies of the region. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Zenel Garcia to discuss his latest book China’s Western Frontier and Eurasia The Politics of State and Region-Building. Zenel joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to examine how China has attempted to handle its western frontier through a series of state-building initiatives. Their conversation looks at how China's region-building project in Eurasia has been complicated by the collapse of the USSR, increasing globalization, and the party’s professed concerns about terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
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What if everything around you, every element of your daily life could be weaponized against you and your nation? Space, cyberspace, civil society - all tools and arenas available to the enemy in addition to the traditional domains of warfare. That's the premise of the new book Old and New Battlespaces: Society, Military Power, and War authored by Jahara "Franky" Matisek and Buddhika Jayamaha. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Franky to the virtual studio to discuss how this concept impacts the nature and character of war. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine what this all means for policy, planning, recruitment and a host of issues for military and political leaders to consider moving forward.
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As we wind down Black History Month the Editorial Team thought it most appropriate to re-release this and one other podcast on Executive Order 9981. Originally released in July 2018, the 70th anniversary was a great reminder to examine the official order to desegregate the military and consider how far we've come and what still must be accomplished.
This podcast is the second of two commemorating the seventieth anniversary of EO 9981 and its influence over the U.S. armed forces today. WAR ROOM welcomes Brigadier General Earl Simms, U.S. Army Retired, whose thirty-three year career culminated as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute. BG Simms relays his experiences as an African-American officer in the early days of integration and his perspectives on the state of race relations in the U.S. military and society today. Army War College Professor of Leadership and Cultural Studies Chuck Allen moderates.
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WAR ROOM isn't a news outlet and we don't do up to the minute reporting. But when Dr. Joel Hillison came to us last week and wanted to discuss the ongoing situation on the Ukraine border we happily welcomed him back to the podcast. Joel joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the BETTER PEACE virtual studio to discuss what it takes to be truly effective deterring an adversary. It's often easier to declare your enemy irrational, maniacal. or power hungry than it is to try and understand their motivation or point of view. Joel tries to apply strategic empathy (and years of NATO experience and study) to place himself in the shoes of Russian leadership to better grasp what is driving their thought process and actions. The goal is to determine what is important, what is threatening, what consequences are too painful, and where is there room to negotiate? At the time of this episodes release tensions are still high with limited hostilities continuing along the border and avenues of communication still open. Joel and Ron's hope is that at the moment you listen to this episode the conversations are still ongoing, because the alternative is not good for anyone.
The post FEAR, HONOR, INTEREST: THUCYDIDES’S LESSONS FOR UKRAINE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In honor of Black History Month the Editorial Team thought it most appropriate to re-release this episode on Executive Order 9981. Originally released in July 2018, the 70th anniversary was a great reminder to examine the official order to desegregate the military and consider how far we've come and what still must be accomplished.
The post EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: DESEGREGATING THE ARMED FORCES (RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Admit it. In your most self-aggrandizing dreams you're as charming as Sydney Bristow, as lethal as Jason Bourne, and as intuitive and intellectual as Jack Ryan. If Austin Powers was anywhere in that mix you might want to keep that to yourself. But you know that real life spies don't really live like that. Right - you know that? A BETTER PEACE welcomes author, analyst and educator Amy Zegart to the virtual studio to set the record straight on the realities of the intelligence world in the digital age and talk about her new book Spies, Lies and Algorithms. She joins our own Gen Lester to discuss what real intelligence work looks like, what the role of AI is in the future of information collection and analysis and what intelligence priorities should look like going forward.
The post TRUE SPIES: STUDYING AND UNDERSTANDING MODERN ESPIONAGE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In light of the current situation on the Ukraine/Russia border the WAR ROOM Editorial Team thought it was a good time to revisit an incredibly well informed discussion of NATO. We're re-releasing this enlightening discussion between Stanley Sloan and Ron Granieri. And while we're at it we'd be remiss if we didn't point to our NATO Archive where you can find another sixteen articles and episodes on different aspects of NATO.
In discussing NATO and our European allies, burden sharing has been a hot topic for the last several years under the current administration. But the fact of the matter is that burden sharing has been an area of concern since the inception of NATO and throughout it's development. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Stanley Sloan to the studio to discuss the current state of NATO and a way ahead for the organization. Sloan, a subject matter expert on NATO and transatlantic relations, joins podcast host Ron Granieri to examine the history of U.S./NATO relations, the growth in membership and the current and future implications for all of its member nations as well as Russia.
The post PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: THE TRANSATLANTIC ALLIANCE (RE-RELEASE) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
As the situation on the Ukrainian/Russian border seems to worsen and families and nonessential staff prepare to evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, pundits are throwing around the concepts of U.S. credibility and reputation. Interestingly our Editor-in-Chief, Jacqueline Whitt, sat down in the virtual studio last week to discuss this very topic with podcast editor, Ron Granieri. Intuition might suggest that events like Vietnam, Iraq and last year's withdrawal from Afghanistan would seriously damage U.S. reputation on the world stage. Jackie and Ron discuss the reality of how the U.S. is viewed, how these events have created greater internal partisan divisions and how difficult crafting a strategic message is in the modern day world of hyper-connectivity.
The post ON CREDIBILITY AND REPUTATION: EDITOR’S CORNER appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE is happy to welcome back Tanya Roth to the virtual studio. She sits down with our Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss her new book, Her Cold War. In her book, Tanya examines how the roles and norms surrounding servicewomen in the U.S. military have morphed over the decades. She and Jackie discuss the opportunities women have gained through hard fought battles for equality in the national defense realm. From noncombatants to proven military leaders, women have come a long way since the late 1940s and there is still further to go.
The post YEAH, LET’S LET WOMEN IN: HER COLD WAR appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In 2019 we published our first holiday message. It was a reprint of the words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill on Christmas Eve in 1941 as he stood beside President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the South Portico of the White House. Last year we published President Franklin D. Roosevelt's words from his 1942 Christmas Eve message.
At the risk of returning to the well one too many times, this year it seemed all too appropriate, in the 80th anniversary year of the attack on Pearl Harbor, to highlight FDR’s message from Christmas Eve 1941.
There are so many things that you can choose to be mad or scared about in the world today. There have been too many lines drawn, dividing even friends and families. In truth the only thing that will get us all through this adversity is just as FDR closed his speech 80 years ago, the “conviction of the dignity and brotherhood of man which Christmas Day signifies more than any other day or any other symbol.”
The staff of WAR ROOM hopes, as we do each year, that you and your loved ones can find reason for cheer this season. We hope that you have good will towards your neighbors and pride in those who risk their lives daily both overseas and at home, defending our liberties, caring for the aged and ill among us, delivering packages, and keeping vital services open.
This year we are presenting this holiday message both as an article as well as a podcast episode. You can listen to the original recording of the messages of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill below and on your favorite podcatcher.
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On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 affirming the "important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding." Here at WAR ROOM we have addressed the importance of Women in Peace and Security time and again and this episode visits the topic once more. Today on A BETTER PEACE we welcome a woman who has championed the values set forth by the resolution. Over a forty year period, Major General, retired, Kristin Lund, was the first woman to be promoted to the rank of major general in the Norwegian Army, the first woman to command a United Nations peacekeeping operation and the first woman to be inducted into the U.S. Army War College International Fellows Hall of Fame. She joins our podcast editor Ron Granieri in person in the studio to discuss her experiences in the joint/multinational force conducting peacekeeping operations around the world throughout the years.
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Usually Michael Neiberg is the interviewer in our ON WRITING series. In this episode he sits down with podcast editor Ron Granieri as the interviewee. They're talking about his new book When France Fell: The Vichy Crisis and the Fate of the Anglo-American Alliance. The two examine the conflict between Free and Vichy France and the interaction with the Allies in the early days and throughout World War II. They discuss relationships rife with bad assumptions, mistrust, failed promises and difficult personalities which leads to a much better understanding of the United States' dealings with its oldest ally.
The post AS TIME GOES BY: UNDERSTANDING FREE & VICHY FRANCE (ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The WAR ROOM Staff learned of the recent loss of one of the great thinkers in the world of strategic thought. Colonel (retired) Arthur F. Lykke was a faculty instructor in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College in the late 80's and nearly 35 years ago he introduced the national security world to three little words - END, WAYS and MEANS. Art left us in the final weekend of November 2021 but we were fortunate enough to sit down and talk with him as he shared his thinking behind the now famous three-legged stool that every serious military thinker, statesperson and strategic leader has contemplated, critiqued, discussed or implemented in the course of their studies and duties. We offer this special re-release of part 2 of the 2-part podcast with him in honor of his contribution to strategy. Until we meet again Art, thank you.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/19-184-LYKKES-LITTLE-THREE-LEGGED-STOOL-PART-2-Transcript.pdf
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The WAR ROOM Staff learned of the recent loss of one of the great thinkers in the world of strategic thought. Colonel (retired) Arthur F. Lykke was a faculty instructor in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College in the late 80's and nearly 35 years ago he introduced the national security world to three little words - END, WAYS and MEANS. Art left us in the final weekend of November 2021 but we were fortunate enough to sit down and talk with him as he shared his thinking behind the now famous three-legged stool that every serious military thinker, statesperson and strategic leader has contemplated, critiqued, discussed or implemented in the course of their studies and duties. We offer this special re-release of part 1 of the 2-part podcast with him in honor of his contribution to strategy. Until we meet again Art, thank you.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/19-184-LYKKES-LITTLE-THREE-LEGGED-STOOL-PART-1-Transcript.pdf
The post LYKKE’S LITTLE THREE-LEGGED STOOL (PART 1) Re-release appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Since its birth, the United States has benefited from the protection of two vast oceans to the east and west. The events of 9/11, of course, brought new attention to the defense of the homeland and recent cyber attacks redefined thoughts of secure borders. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Matt Cavanaugh, Franky Matisek and Bert Tussing to the virtual studio to discuss their part in the Homeland Defense Institute. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine how information is being used to divide and attack the civilian population. They look at examples of cyber attacks and the use of misinformation in Eastern Europe and discuss how Information as a part of DIME has come to the forefront in the cyber age.
The post DEFENDING THE HOMELAND IN THE CYBER AGE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
WAR ROOM has presented our readers and listeners with a number of discussions in the past on Women in Peace and Security. In this episode our Editor-in-Chief, Jacqueline Whitt sits down in the virtual studio with Lauren Buitta, founder and CEO of Girl Security. Lauren began her career as a policy analyst in 2003, and she quickly recognized the underrepresentation of women in the national security arena. In response, she launched Girl Security - the only organization dedicated to advancing girls, women, and gender minorities in national security through supportive pathways. Their conversation includes the barriers young women encounter as well as the incredibly successful mentorship program Girl Security has developed to counter mindsets and misrepresentations.
The post NATIONAL SECURITY FOR ALL: GIRL SECURITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
What is readiness? The state of being fully prepared for something? But what is that something? And what does fully prepared mean or more importantly cost? The military has used readiness as a metric of success for years driving budgets and training and acquisition efforts across the force. A BETTER PEACE welcomes our own Tom Galvin to discuss the War College's latest look at readiness. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss what he has termed enterprise readiness. The topic spans ideas such as intellectual readiness, strategic agility, large scale warfare and the role of national readiness and nesting into the the country's strategic communications.
The publications referenced in this episode can be found here in the Practitioner's Corner. - https://publications.armywarcollege.edu/publication.cfm?categoryID=30
The post ENTERPRISE READINESS: PREPARING FOR CRISIS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A little over two years ago we sat down with the students and advisors of Integrated Research Project (IRP) #6. Their task was to examine leadership development requirements in the multi-domain operations environment in the year 2040. Due to a hardware malfunction we thought we had lost the recordings of these conversations, but just recently we were able to recover the files. Though the conversation has a couple of dated references, we thought the topic was still worth airing. A BETTER PEACE is happy to welcome Chance Geray, Tim Monroe and Jason Schmidt to the studio for the last of three episodes to discuss what the team found looking forward twenty years. In this final episode they tie together all of the research findings from the IRP. They look at current leadership development trends, the challenges of the future battle environment and what has to be done to ensure that the U.S. continues to have the most capable leaders for tomorrow. They’ll lay the foundation for the changes necessary to ensure U.S. military leadership is prepared for future warfare and peacekeeping.
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In the last episode we introduced you to Integrated Research Project (IRP) #6. A little over two years ago we sat down with the students and advisors of the study to examine leadership development requirements in the multi-domain operations environment in the year 2040. Due to a hardware malfunction we thought we had lost the recordings of these conversations, but just recently we were able to recover the files. Though the conversation has a couple of dated references, we thought the topic was definitely worth airing. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Jason Schmidt, Rick O'Donnell and Greg Hillebrand to the studio for the second of three episodes to discuss what the team found looking forward twenty years. In this episode they look at how the military has traditionally developed leaders and current trends in that arena. They’ll lay the foundation for the changes necessary to ensure U.S. military leadership is prepared for the challenges of future warfare and peacekeeping.
The post LEADERSHIP 2040: A PATHWAY TO THE FUTURE EP 2 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A little over two years ago we sat down with the students and advisors of Integrated Research Project (IRP) #6. Their task was to examine leadership development requirements in the multi-domain operations environment in the year 2040. Due to a hardware malfunction we thought we had lost the recordings of these conversations, but just recently we were able to recover the files. Though the conversation has a couple of dated references, we thought the topic was definitely worth airing. A BETTER PEACE is happy to welcome Greg Hillebrand, Tim Monroe, and Chance Geray to the studio for the first of three episodes to discuss what the team found looking forward twenty years. In this first episode they look at some of the biggest changes in the environment that will affect leadership requirements of the future. They’ll lay the foundation for the changes necessary to ensure U.S. military leadership is prepared for the challenges of future warfare and peacekeeping.
The post LEADERSHIP 2040: A PATHWAY TO THE FUTURE EP 1 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Every year the U.S. Army seeks out 125,000 to 140,000 new recruits to maintain the desired end strength and capability of the force. In order to do that the Army Enterprise Marketing Office has to craft a message that appeals to a broad audience across the shrinking qualified U.S. population. All the while the Army has to compete with the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines and now the Space Force also trying to attract the most qualified recruits from the U.S. citizenry. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Matt Lawrence and John Horning to the virtual studio to discuss the myths and challenges Army marketing has to contend with. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to look at what it takes to create a message campaign that entices high quality personnel and dispel the myth that the Army is "the bureaucratic meat grinder of the underprivileged."
The post APPEAL TO THE MASSES, DISPEL THE MYTHS: ARMY MARKETING appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Grand strategy is an elusive beast. Everybody wants some. We all agree it's important but nobody can agree exactly what it is. And everybody wants to teach about the topic. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Christopher McKnight Nichols and Andrew Preston to the virtual studio, who along with Doctor Elizabeth Borgwardt, have edited a fascinating new essay collection Rethinking American Grand Strategy from Oxford University Press. The two join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the how the book came about, and their contributions to the grand strategy conversation.
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Anyone paying attention to the last two decades of conflict has to acknowledge that understanding culture is important. Even if you think that culture is just that "squishy sh*t", you've got to be honest that it's difficult to understand enemy intent, analyze how best to train an allied force or comprehend the will of the people if can't even grasp the basics of the cultural foundations of those populations. And yet the DoD and the individual service components have a strange on-again, off-again relationship with the understanding and instruction of culture. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Kerry Fosher, Lauren Mackenzie and Allison Abbe to the virtual studio to discuss the role of cultural programs in military training and their new book The Rise and Decline Of U.S. Military Culture Programs 2004 To 2020. The three join podcast editor Ron Granieri to look at how the services have created and re-created cultural training programs over and over again seemingly forgetting lessons learned time and again.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-113-MESSAGE-IN-A-BOTTLE-REBUILDING-CULTURAL-CAPABILITIES-AGAIN-Transcript.pdf
The post MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE: REBUILDING CULTURAL CAPABILITIES – AGAIN appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A hero of the Imperial German Army (by his own account), an architect of the rise of two dictatorships, a co-creator of a mystical neo-pagan religion, and an author, General Erich Ludendorff was a force to be reckoned with. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Jay Lockenour to the virtual studio to discuss his most recent look at the persona of Ludendorff as one of the most prominent Germans of the 21st century. Jay joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to talk about Ludendorff's relationship with Hindenburg, Hitler, his wife Mathilde and his behavior in the Interwar Years.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-110-TOO-WEIRD-FOR-THE-NAZIS-ERICH-LUDENDORFF-Transcript.pdf
The post TOO WEIRD FOR THE NAZIS: ERICH LUDENDORFF appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Michael Neiberg is back with our On Writing series and this time he's talking with Philip Caputo in the virtual studio. Phil, a Marine infantry lieutenant, is a combat veteran who served in Vietnam before becoming a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author. His first book, A Rumor of War, has sold over 2 million copies and was eventually adapted as a two-part TV movie in 1980. He has written memoirs, travel books, fiction, non-fiction and award-winning investigative journalism pieces and he discusses the shift of mental gears to accommodate each of the genres.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-092-SHIFTING-MENTAL-GEARS-PHILIP-CAPUTO-ON-WRITING-Transcript.pdf
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Name a topic or an interest and you can probably find a podcast about it. With over 2 million podcasts and more than 48 million episodes somebody is talking about something you want or need to hear. Today we're talking about our little corner of the podosphere. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Mary Foster, Abram Trosky, and Jacqueline Whitt to the virtual studio to talk about how they incorporate podcasts and podcasting in the classroom. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss how the medium can be used to share information in support of educational objectives as well as its utility in developing better communicators.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-081-WERE-SO-META-PODCASTING-ABOUT-PODCASTING-Transcript.pdf
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"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it." - Lao Tzu
As this episode is released much of the United States is recovering from the wrath of Hurricane Ida. At the center of most of the destruction is water. It overflowed from banks, surged towards shores, destroyed property, knocked out power and swept loved ones away. In its wake, in the midst of a staggering overabundance of water one of the most sought after resources is fresh drinking water.
It's no exaggeration to say that water has been a motivating force in Sarah Petrin's personal and professional life since the day she was born. She joins Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to explain why the resource has dominated so much of her life and is the basis for her book Bring Rain: Helping Humanity in Crisis.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/20-194a-FINDING-OUR-FUNDAMENTAL-HUMANITY-Transcript.pdf
ADDENDUM: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/20-194a-AN-ADDENDUM-ON-HUMAN-SECURITY-AND-AFGHANISTAN.pdf
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Regardless of whether conflict occurs between state or non-state actors, is conventional or irregular there is one constant: there is always a population of citizens that suffers in one way or another. Warfare often focuses on the enemy’s ability to fight, mobilize, resupply or defend. Sarah Petrin is in the virtual studio today and she wants to focus the discussion on Human Security. She joins our Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss the protection of civilians; women, peace and security; sexual exploitation and abuse; human rights; and peace operations. She wants to make sure these topics aren't forgotten in the complex world of operations that the DoD must engage in. Her white paper Human Security in U.S. Military Operations: A Primer for DOD is the basis of the conversation.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/20-194b-HUMAN-SECURITY-PEOPLE-NOT-GOVERNMENTS-Transcript.pdf
WHITE PAPER: https://pksoi.armywarcollege.edu/2021/07/14/human-security-in-u-s-military-operations-a-primer-for-dod/
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You can't turn on your computer or phone at the moment without hearing a podcast or seeing an article with someone's opinion about what went wrong in Afghanistan. The editorial team at WAR ROOM decided that if we were to enter the fray we needed to interview someone that truly had the bona fides to speak intelligently about the long term strategic view of Afghanistan. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Larry Goodson to the virtual studio. Larry is the Professor of Middle East Studies at the U.S. Army War College, and is one of the most knowledgeable people in the United States on the culture, the people, and the problems in Afghanistan and the nations that surround it. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss why the situation has unfolded as it has and what might lie ahead for the region and the United States.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-128-VALUES-INTERESTS-AND-LEADERSHIP-BEYOND-AFGHANISTAN-Transcript.pdf
The post VALUES, INTERESTS, AND LEADERSHIP BEYOND AFGHANISTAN appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
As the situation in Afghanistan has unfolded in the last several weeks, many have questioned how the collapse of the country could have happened so quickly. Daily press releases reported the steady march of the Taliban across the country capturing major population areas, often with little resistance from the Afghan military. As expected, pundits have looked to place blame for the U.S. administration's failure to anticipate the speed of the deterioration of order. Most often the finger was pointed at intelligence. A BETTER PEACE welcomes James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, to offer his thoughts on the abilities, strengths, and shortcomings of the intelligence community. He joins host, Genevieve Lester in the virtual studio to take a realistic look at the part intelligence played in the Allied withdrawal from Afghanistan.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-125-AFGHANISTAN-WHERE-WAS-THE-INTEL-Transcript1.pdf
The post AFGHANISTAN: WHERE WAS THE INTEL? appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Storytelling is as old as humankind. Long before there was the written word, humans told their stories through spoken word, songs and drawings. It was how we passed on our history, our culture and our shared experiences. We've progressed technologically from the original cave drawings and humanity finds new ways everyday to use technology to tell our stories. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Sasha Maggio to the virtual studio to share her medium of choice, Twitter, where she is telling the stories of the U.S. Army. Sasha joins our Editor-in-Chief, Jacqueline Whitt, to discuss how she uses the long thread format to relay the history of the Army in a way that is enjoyable, engaging and sometimes amusing to an audience that may not have been previously interested.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-013-A-STORYTELLERS-TALE-Transcript.pdf
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To many people the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is as foreign as the countries in which our embassies are placed. Fortunately, we here at A BETTER PEACE know some people, and on this episode we welcome Andrea Gastaldo to share her experiences as the Director of the Department of State’s Political-Military Bureau Office of State-Defense Integration (PM/SDI). That particular office may not be familiar to most military folks but the Foreign Policy Advisor or POLAD program that Andrea is responsible for probably rings a bell. She joins our own Associate Editor Amanda Cronkhite in the next installment of this multi-part series to discuss the details of a program that probably has more direct contact with the military and combatant command leaderships than any other office in DOS. Andrea has served as a POLAD to the Commanding General of U.S. Army North and has experience around the world in such places as South Africa, Belarus and New Zealand. Her current position finds her recruiting and mentoring future POLADs and that experience makes her the perfect guest to conduct the next installment of what we're calling DOS 101.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-094-DOS-101-FOREIGN-POLICY-ADVISORS-Transcript.pdf
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In April 2020 we published an article that argued for the removal of the official photo from the Army's promotion and selection process. The goal was to eliminate a source of bias from the process and the Army took notice and removed the photo requirement. Bonnie "Buffie" Clemente joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss how the officer evaluation system still has sources of bias that have to be addressed to ensure a true meritocracy. Buffie brings to bear her years of experience with evaluations and promotion boards to identify both conscious and unconscious forms of bias in the system and the way ahead to try and minimize their impact.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-062-FREE-OF-BIAS-ARMY-OFFICER-EVALUATIONS-Transcript.pdf
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Land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace, that is the multi-domain environment that the Army sees operations occurring in from now forward. What does this shift in viewing the environment mean for all the aspects of raising and sustaining an army and all of its interactions and interdependencies in the joint force? Doctrine is being written and re-written across the force to adapt to this new schema, but all the doctrine in the world is useless if there aren't leaders in place that understand it and execute it. Jeff Barta joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to talk about the efforts of Army University to change, synchronize, modernize and distribute the education and training necessary to develop the leaders of today and tomorrow to operate in the multi-domain environment.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-072-INFLECTION-POINT-ARMY-LEADER-DEVELOPMENT-STRATEGY-Transcript.pdf
The post INFLECTION POINT: ARMY LEADER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's highly unlikely you'll ever hear a military leader say "I've got all the money and time I need to execute the mission." And when a global pandemic, aging infrastructure, and the end of a multi-decade war all drive federal spending towards domestic priorities, defense budgets get even tighter. Enter the practice of divestiture. Sustainment is the most expensive portion of a weapon system's life cycle, and there comes a time when it's more cost effective to get rid of the system and find something new to do the job. Adam Miller joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss why getting rid of things is harder than it sounds. They talk about a budgetary system that doesn't incentivize divestiture, personal and professional biases that get in the way, and an acquisition system that is a baffling maze of rules, regulations, terms and acronyms.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-067-ITS-TIME-TO-LET-GO-ACQUISITION-DIVESTITURE-Transcript.pdf
The post IT’S TIME TO LET GO: ACQUISITION DIVESTITURE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Last year our WARGAMING ROOM editor, Ken Gilliam, sat down with a soon-to-graduate War College student to get her impression of the use of wargames in the classroom. A BETTER PEACE welcomes War College graduate Tina Cancel to the studio to share her thoughts and experiences with LEGO® Serious Play® and the War College created game, Joint Overmatch. Ken has recently retired and moved on to a new career and this was fitting as his final episode because Tina confirms the benefits of all of his hard work during his time as the Director of Strategic Wargaming at the Center for Strategic Leadership and gives him some great feedback to pass on to his successor.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-037-WARGAMING-IN-THE-SEMINAR-A-STUDENTS-VIEW-WARGAMING-ROOM-Transcript.pdf
The post WARGAMING IN THE SEMINAR: A STUDENT’S VIEW (WARGAMING ROOM) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The DoD has touted the civilian expertise of the National Guard and Reserve members of the force for years. Whether it was the small town mayor or civil engineer working Civil Affairs, or the physician or aviator applying their civilian "day job" skills directly to their military career fields, there are a number of incredibly successful matches that make the reserve component of the force invaluable. But what about all of the folks that have military jobs that look nothing like what they do in the civilian world? Andrew Vidourek and Rob Gerlach want to make sure the Army knows about all of the skills that exist among Guard and Reserve personnel, and specifically those that aren't properly matched. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to pitch a new approach to better talent management through technology. Their plan is to create a database of certified civilian expertise that is accessible, searchable and readily matches people to jobs that suit their talents. Their goal is to improve recruiting, retention, job satisfaction and ultimately lethality in the reserve component.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-073-THE-ARMYS-GOT-TALENT-IN-RESERVES-Transcript.pdf
The post THE ARMY’S GOT TALENT IN RESERVE(S) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
"If the Army wanted you to have a family they would have issued you one!" It's been a while since that phrase was in fashion, but if you do the math these days it might actually seem like the Army wants you to have a family. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Rachael Hoagland to look at the financial policies that actually incentivize Soldiers to get married, and at the same disadvantage single service members. Rachael joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to look at how the good intentions of the service to help provide for Army families unintentionally creates a pay/benefit gap that can lead to rash decisions. She proposes some solutions (don't worry she's not trying to take away money from married Soldiers) and lays out the cost to benefit ratio.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-074-MONEY-MARRIAGE-AND-MILITARY-LIFE-Transcript.pdf
The post MONEY, MARRIAGE, AND MILITARY LIFE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The U.S. Department of Defense has had its difficulties over the last decade with recruiting and retention. The high operations tempo of the last 20 years, long separations, the danger of combat, and an ever-shrinking pool of eligible recruits are just some of the factors that have made the sustainment of the force more difficult than in many years past. The all-volunteer force depends on attracting, recruiting, and retaining the right people and managing that talent properly. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Robert Gerlach and Silas Martinez to discuss a project that hopes to address the attracting and recruiting aspect and hopefully indirectly improve the retention piece. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to explain Rob's unique Strategy Research Project (SRP). Creating the first ever video SRP, Rob worked with his advisor, Silas, to try and solve a real problem for the U.S. Army by answering a unique question; "What if the Army Museum Enterprise could be utilized to attract or identify the right people to the Army and make sure they find their way into the ranks?"
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-077-HONORING-THE-PAST-WHILE-SPEAKING-TO-THE-FUTURE-Transcript.pdf
The post HONORING THE PAST WHILE SPEAKING TO THE FUTURE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In September 2019 we introduced you to the Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP). Though we are approaching life as we remember it pre-COVID, travel limitations significantly limited the ESCP from visiting colleges and universities, interacting with audiences often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. Military. It is our hope at WAR ROOM to bring you a glimpse of what some of those presentations might have looked like via A BETTER PEACE.
In the third and final episode of academic year 2021 our podcast editor Ron Granieri is joined by War College students and ESCP members Rena Henderson-Alailima, Jeff Munn and Nicholas Ploetz. Today's conversation addresses the internal dimensions of strategy. Once again three professional military officers and leaders apply the sum total of their experiences to examine climate change, the resulting resourcing strategy and the future of autonomous technology as it all impacts military strategy.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-088-STRATEGY-FROM-THE-INSIDE-OUT-EISENHOWER-SERIES-Transcript.pdf
The post STRATEGY FROM THE INSIDE OUT (EISENHOWER SERIES) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In September 2019 we introduced you to the Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP). Though we are approaching life as we remember it pre-COVID, travel limitations significantly limited the ESCP from visiting colleges and universities, interacting with audiences often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. Military. It is our hope at WAR ROOM to bring you a glimpse of what some of those presentations might have looked like via A BETTER PEACE.
In the second episode of academic year 2021 our podcast editor Ron Granieri is joined by War College students and ESCP members Ron Hawkins, Abdul Sami and Kate Sanborn. This time the conversation turns to the concept of soft power versus hard power. What do three War College students have to say about tackling the topic of soft power at the School of Strategic Landpower? Quite a bit. Each with a career's worth of experience in the Department of State, the Pakistan Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, respectively, they have many examples where China has outpaced the United States in recent years. They each offer a hopeful view of how the United States has and must continue to engage nations around the world with diplomacy and all the tools in the soft power tool bag before ever resorting to the use of military force.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-087-STUDYING-SOFT-POWER-AT-THE-WAR-COLLEGE-EISENHOWER-SERIES-Transcript.pdf
The post STUDYING SOFT POWER AT THE WAR COLLEGE (EISENHOWER SERIES) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In September 2019 we introduced you to the Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP). Though we are approaching life as we remember it pre-COVID, travel limitations significantly limited the ESCP from visiting colleges and universities, interacting with audiences often unfamiliar with members of the U.S. Military. It is our hope at WAR ROOM to bring you a glimpse of what some of those presentations might have looked like via A BETTER PEACE.
In this first episode of academic year 2021 our podcast editor Ron Granieri is joined by War College students and ESCP members Rebecca Connally, Aixa Dones and Adisa King. In their conversation they share their personal thoughts and experiences as career military officers and leaders in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. They try and tackle the question of how well either the armed forces or American society as a whole have lived up to their stated values of diversity, equity and inclusion. They discuss where they have seen success and failure and what the path looks like going forward.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-086-DIVERSITY-EQUITY-AND-INCLUSION-THE-DODS-ROLE-EISENHOWER-SERIES-Transcript.pdf
The post DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION: THE DOD’S ROLE (EISENHOWER SERIES) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Wars are costly affairs. It costs money to raise and train and equip militaries. The cost to rebuild societies after the destruction of battle is tremendous. But most costly is the staggering human cost of war. And so as we approach Memorial Day in the United States it's only fitting that this episode examines how the nation memorializes and honors those who have died in service to their country. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Kate Clarke Lemay to examine the history and significance of military cemeteries around the world. She joins our Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss her study of U.S. military cemeteries and her book "Triumph of the Dead: American World War Two Cemeteries, Monuments and Diplomacy in France". Their conversation covers the art and architecture of the cemeteries, along with the politics and diplomacy of their locations and creation. Honoring and remembering the war dead speaks to the fabric of a nation's morality as well as the lengths it will go to in defense of its beliefs.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-082-HONORING-THE-WAR-DEAD-AMERICAS-MILITARY-CEMETERIES-Transcript.pdf
The post HONORING THE WAR DEAD: AMERICA’S MILITARY CEMETERIES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Long before COVID saw much of the country locked in their homes operating on laptops and tablets, conducting business and meetings and school and training, there was a significant portion of the population that was already learning via distance education. The military has always had a portion of the force that accomplished professional military education (PME) via correspondence (an antiquated term at this point) and in the last two decades a significant portion of annual training requirements have moved online to computer based training. But how effective is it? A BETTER PEACE welcomes Geoff Bailey to take a look at the state of distance education in the U.S. Army. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio as they discuss the pros and cons of distance learning. An advocate for distance education, Geoff points to recent changes due to the pandemic and urges educators within the Army to seize upon the gains made in technology, delivery and engagement techniques and practices. The whole goal of his research is to ensure that the total force is the best it can be trained regardless of whether learning occurred in person or at a distance.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-060-WEVE-GOT-TO-DO-BETTER-DISTANCE-EDUCATION-Transcript.pdf
The post WE’VE GOT TO DO BETTER: DISTANCE EDUCATION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
To many people the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is as foreign as the countries in which our embassies are placed. Fortunately, we here at A BETTER PEACE know some people, and on this episode we welcome back Alex Avé Lallemant to share his experiences as a career Foreign Service Officer. For this second installment in the series he once again joins our own Associate Editor Amanda Cronkhite to discuss the ins and outs of the State Department. Currently the Consular Section Chief in Harare, Zimbabwe, Alex has served overseas in every one of the State Department’s geographic bureaus, including multiple tours in Afghanistan. That experience makes him the perfect guest to conduct what we're calling DOS 101.
Transcript - https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-076-DOS-101-DECODING-THE-STATE-DEPARTMENT-PART-2-Transcript.pdf
The post DOS 101: DECODING THE STATE DEPARTMENT PART 2 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
To many people the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is as foreign as the countries in which our embassies are placed. Fortunately, we here at A BETTER PEACE know some people, and on this episode we welcome Alex Avé Lallemant to share his experiences as a career Foreign Service Officer. He joins our own Associate Editor Amanda Cronkhite in this multi-part series to discuss the ins and outs of the State Department. Currently the Consular Section Chief in Harare, Zimbabwe, Alex has served overseas in every one of the State Department’s geographic bureaus, including multiple tours in Afghanistan. That experience makes him the perfect guest to conduct what we're calling DOS 101.
Transcript - https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-061-DOS-101-DECODING-THE-STATE-DEPARTMENT-Transcript-2.pdf
The post DOS 101: DECODING THE STATE DEPARTMENT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes H.R. McMaster, retired Lieutenant General, former National Security Adviser, and accomplished author. On today's episode he joins our own Michael Neiberg to discuss his writing process and research techniques as he wrote Dereliction of Duty and his newest book Battlegrounds. The conversation takes them on a tour of McMaster's time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he transitioned from operational armored cavalry officer to PhD candidate. They share stories of their times studying with some of the greatest minds and mentors in the field of history and how that served him throughout his career.
The U.S. Army War College is a vast repository of experience and expertise. Every day that knowledge is used to further develop joint officers and enlisted personnel along with many of their federal civilian counterparts. Every once in a while, the War College is able to share its development techniques and curriculum outside the gates of Carlisle Barracks. One of those instances is the International Strategic Crisis Negotiations Exercise (ISCNE) and on today's episode Ed "Cliffy" Zukowski is in the virtual studio to explain the program. Cliffy joins Ken Gilliam in the latest installment of the WARGAMING ROOM to explain the value of the two-day strategic negotiation event and how he and the team take the show on the road to prominent universities. ISCNE is not only a great example of the DoD sharing knowledge but it's a crucial part of the War College's outreach mission.
Contact Cliffy: edmund.zukowski@armywarcollege.edu
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-049-EXPOSING-NEXT-GEN-DIPLOMATS-TO-CRISIS-NEGOTIATIONS-Transcript.pdf
The post NOT JUST WAR GAMES: SIMULATING CRISIS NEGOTIATIONS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The United States has employed the conscription of military service members as far back as the Revolutionary War and as recently as the Vietnam War. What most people now know as the draft or Selective Service came into existence in 1940 via the Selective Training and Service Act. The first peacetime draft in the United States, it required men 21-36 (18-65 once the U.S. entered WWII) to register with local draft boards. Though women have served in the U.S. military for many years, and more recently in combat, they have never been subject to the draft. A BETTER PEACE welcomes back Kara Dixon Vuic to discuss her study of the topic and the recent decision of the Biden administration to move the discussion out of the Supreme Court and into Congress. She joins our Editor-in-Chief, Jacqueline Whitt, in the virtual studio as they discuss the history behind women's exclusion from the draft. They examine the legal arguments, social and ethical norms involved, as well as some of the strange alliances of recent years as the conversation continues.
The post THE GANDER AND THE GOOSE: WOMEN AND SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It all started with a Twitter thread. Matthew Ford set his trap with a few sly comments about the ever controversial S.L.A. Marshall (SLAM) and three intrepid historians couldn't help themselves but to jump into the fray. Listen now to part 2 with Matthew, Robert Engen, Rob Thompson and our DUSTY SHELVES editor Tom Bruscino. The four of them debate the merits and pitfalls of SLAM's works, the different approaches they each use in their research, the role of rhetoric in military change and just a general ribbing back and forth between historians and journalists.
The post SLAM-FEST: A DISCUSSION OF S.L.A. MARSHALL’S WORKS – PART 2 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It all started with a Twitter thread. Matthew Ford set his trap with a few sly comments about the ever controversial S.L.A. Marshall (SLAM) and three intrepid historians couldn't help themselves but to jump into the fray. The result is a 2-part podcast with Matthew, Robert Engen, Rob Thompson and our DUSTY SHELVES editor Tom Bruscino. The four of them debate the merits and pitfalls of SLAM's works, the different approaches they each use in their research, the role of rhetoric in military change and just a general ribbing back and forth between historians and journalists.
The post SLAM-FEST: A DISCUSSION OF S.L.A. MARSHALL’S WORKS – PART 1 appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
As long as there has been war, there have been prisoners of war (POWs). If you have served in the U.S. military in the last 50 years you know of the Law of Armed Conflict, the Code of Conduct and the extensive efforts the nation takes to recover U.S. and allied POWs and those listed as Missing in Action (MIA). But it might surprise many people to learn that throughout history often little preparation has been made by any nation to account for, feed, house and transport enemy prisoners. And it is only recently that historians of these conflicts have begun to study the topic of POWs. Professors Daniel Krebs and Lorien Foote are in the virtual studio for this episode to discuss their work in this field and their book Useful Captives: The Role of POWs in American Military Conflicts. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine how the treatment of POWs has changed over time to include some of the most recent actions in the middle east regarding mistreatment and release of prisoners.
The post POWs IN AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Adversity and resilience are incredibly relevant topics in light of what's going on in the world today. People around the world are facing challenges and adversity that they've never seen before and are seeking new ways to deal with it. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Jennifer Alessio to share her story of a potentially career-ending injury and how she found a path forward to not only survive but thrive. Jennifer joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss the grit and growth mindset. Based in the works of Dr. Angela Duckworth and Dr. Carol Dweck, Jennifer discusses how the mindset can benefit innovation, talent management, soldier development and even recruiting in the U.S. Army.
The post THE GRIT AND GROWTH MINDSET appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Mandated by public law, the National Security Strategy (NSS) is the report that the President of the United States sends to Congress to communicate the administration's strategy and vision regarding national security. It is to be submitted to Congress in a classified format no later than 150 days after the date on which a new President takes office. But Congress isn't the only audience of the NSS as there is typically an unclassified summary that communicates the administration's intent to the military, the citizenry, and friends and foes alike. Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt is in the virtual studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the Interim NSS that the Biden administration released on 3 Mar 2021. Ron and Jacqueline take a look at what's different in this document and perhaps more importantly what is similar to previous administration's NSS reports.
The post THE INTERIM NSS: A TOUCHSTONE appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
"The Gulf War is often remembered as a 'good war,' a high-tech conflict that quickly and cleanly achieved its objectives." That's the opening line of Sam Helfont's new article in the Texas National Security Review, and he's in the virtual studio to discuss how the narrative might not match reality. Sam joins A BETTER PEACE editor Ron Granieri to discuss the fallout of the first Gulf War. As a Middle East historian, Sam offers a unique perspective on the realities of life after the shooting stopped. He talks about the political, economic, and humanitarian dilemmas it caused in the region as well as the divisions and harm it introduced into the western world and the United States.
The post AFTERMATH: THE FIRST GULF WAR appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Business Executives for National Security (BENS) a nonprofit comprised of senior business and industry executives commissioned a study and produced a report it refers to as "A CALL TO ACTION" to strengthen U.S. emergency response for sustained, widespread events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. BENS President and CEO, Joseph Votel, joins our own Editor-in-Chief in the virtual studio to discuss the findings of the report. Their conversation reviews the recommendations of federal, state and local government responsibilities and relations and the need for a national strategy for emergency response. Not surprisingly, as in any large scale operation, the need for clear communication and information sharing is highlighted as one of the crucial factors for success.
The post NATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE: THE BENS REPORT appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
On 5 February, 2021, newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed military leaders to lead a one-day stand-down within the next 60 days to address extremism within the nation's armed forces. That same afternoon our Editor-In Chief, Jacqueline Whitt sat down with Ty Seidule in the virtual studio to record this episode. Seidule, a prominent figure in the conversation about extremism, has long fought against the veneration of Robert E. Lee and the Confederate cause in the Army, specifically at the United States Military Academy. His 2015 video on Prager University, "Was the Civil War About Slavery?" has been viewed over 34 million times. And his newest book Robert E. Lee and Me is drawing both praise and anger. Their discussion ranges from his childhood in the south to his time at West Point as the Head of the Department of History, and what he's been doing since his retirement as a brigadier general in 2020.
The post THE ARMY’S ROBERT E. LEE PROBLEM appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes Ann Meredith to discuss her experience as a female officer in the U.S. Army. She joins WAR ROOM podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss what her career has looked like as a woman, a mother and a wife in the Military Police corps. Ann recounts long separations, supportive units, honest mentors and the biases and discriminations that many women must overcome in any branch of the military.
The post EVERY SOLDIER HAS A PERSONAL STORY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes back Tami Davis Biddle to our GREAT STRATEGISTS series. She joins WAR ROOM podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss the contributions of Thomas C. Schelling to the Cold War nuclear strategy realm.
The post HOW MUCH FOR THE PEN? SCHELLING (GREAT STRATEGISTS) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes authors General Sir Rupert Smith and Ilana Bet-El to the virtual studio to talk about the ultimate goal of being understood as authors. Smith and Bet-El are co-authors of The Utility of Force now available in a second edition. They join our own Michael Neiberg to discuss their collaborative process and the different strengths and attributes they each bring to the effort. He is a retired British Army officer with a wealth of experience in matters of war and diplomacy culminating as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe. She is a strategic adviser, writer and historian with experience at the UN as well as advisory work around the world. Together they compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses to produce a book that is readable by academic, specialist and generalist alike.
Editor's Note: We apologize for the intermittent sound quality of our guests. We had technical difficulties with the equipment, but we feel the intent of the conversation remains intact and is well worth the distractions.
The post WHEN A GENERAL WRITES FOR THE GENERALIST (ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
UPDATED: 1450/15 Dec 2020 A BETTER PEACE welcomes Robert Payne to discuss the radicalization of U.S. military members, particularly in the Army. Payne joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to examine how individual members of the Army are radicalized and what the service and law enforcement need to do to defeat the …
Continue reading "HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: RADICALS IN THE RANKS"
The post HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: RADICALS IN THE RANKS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes Chris Dougherty and Becca Wasser from The Gaming Lab at the Center for New American Security (CNAS). Chris and Becca join host Ken Gilliam in our special series the WARGAMING ROOM to discuss the efforts and contributions of CNAS to the gaming world. The three discuss how strategic gaming is used …
Continue reading "LIKE YOUR BRAIN HAS JUST GONE TO THE GYM (WARGAMING ROOM)"
The post LIKE YOUR BRAIN HAS JUST GONE TO THE GYM (WARGAMING ROOM) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes Adam Seipp to discuss the world of Cold War literature. Adam’s previous article in our DUSTY SHELVES series reviewed Sir John Hackett’s 1978 best seller, The Third World War: August 1985. Hackett, deemed both the heir to Pat Frank and Neville Shute and also the ancestor of Tom Clancy and so …
Continue reading "PAST VISIONS OF FUTURE WARS"
The post PAST VISIONS OF FUTURE WARS appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes back Ken Gilliam for another installment of the WARGAMING ROOM. In this episode Ken sits down with Doug Winton, the chair of the Department of Military Strategy, Planning and Operations (DMSPO) at the U.S. Army War College. Ken and Doug discuss War College games like JOINT OVERMATCH and MDO 1943. They …
Continue reading "A LABORATORY FOR MILITARY PROFESSIONALS (WARGAMING ROOM)"
The post A LABORATORY FOR MILITARY PROFESSIONALS (WARGAMING ROOM) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The United States has identified drug trafficking, drug use, and drug manufacturing as important issues — domestically and internationally. In recent years, the opioid crisis has been at the center of many U.S. government efforts. Overdoses due to synthetic drugs have been on the rise for the past decade with fentanyl and its derivatives squarely …
Continue reading "A FATAL DOSE IN 2 MILLIGRAMS: FENTANYL AND NATIONAL SECURITY"
The post A FATAL DOSE IN 2 MILLIGRAMS: FENTANYL AND NATIONAL SECURITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
When planning for interactions with foreign countries, whether in peace or in war, it can be easy for military planners to be lulled into the false security of the homogeneity of a culture or race or nationality. Many would argue that was exactly what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq in the last two decades. But …
Continue reading "UNDERSTANDING A DIFFERENT PEOPLE: THE OKINAWAN IDENTITY"
The post UNDERSTANDING A DIFFERENT PEOPLE: THE OKINAWAN IDENTITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
A BETTER PEACE welcomes Pulitzer nominated journalist and author Stephen Vogel to the virtual studio to talk about his path to authorship and his love of history. Steve joins our own Michael Neiberg to discuss the differences between his role as a journalist versus his style as a narrative historical author and how that differs …
Continue reading "THE VALUE OF WRITTEN THOUGHT: STEPHEN VOGEL (ON WRITING)"
The post THE VALUE OF WRITTEN THOUGHT: STEPHEN VOGEL (ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
What do a hyper-competitive Monopoly player, an educational methodologist and a U.S. Army War College Faculty member have in common? Well for starters they’re all the same person and that combination of skills and interests makes Megan Hennessey the perfect guest on this inaugural WARGAMING ROOM episode of A BETTER PEACE. Megan joins series editor …
Continue reading "GAMES, PLAY, AND THE AFFECTIVE DOMAIN (WARGAMING ROOM)"
The post GAMES, PLAY, AND THE AFFECTIVE DOMAIN (WARGAMING ROOM) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Facial recognition technology promises to help law enforcement identify and track suspicious individuals ideally revealing bad actors before they can commit acts of violence or other crimes. The more promising facial recognition becomes as a technology however, the louder grow the voices concerned about the potential invasion of privacy that such mass collection could or would …
Continue reading "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING AND HE’S HERE TO HELP"
The post BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING AND HE’S HERE TO HELP appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
On October 31st, 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, which reaffirmed “the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace building, the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase …
Continue reading "WOMEN IN PEACE AND SECURITY"
The post WOMEN IN PEACE AND SECURITY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's a two-for-one on A BETTER PEACE this week. Kara Dixon-Vuic and Jason Vuic join Mike Neiberg in the studio for our ongoing ON WRITING series. Kara and Jason share their varied approaches to writing and discuss what literary collaboration looks like in their house. Two very different authors that write on different topics discuss their takes on research, their writing styles and reading each other's drafts.
TRANSCIRPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/20-131-TWO-AUTHORS-UNDER-THE-SAME-ROOF-ON-WRITING-Transcript.pdf
The post TWO AUTHORS UNDER THE SAME ROOF
(ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
It's an election year, and leaving all politics aside, the use of opinion polls is already in full swing by all parties involved. Polling performance in recent years has called the accuracy of polls into question. Was the sample size big enough? Did the questions lead to predictable answers? Who is actually willing to answer the polls, and how many are truthful? A BETTER PEACE welcomes Amanda Cronkhite to the studio to discuss the art and science of opinion polling. She joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine what polls can really tell us if done correctly.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/20-089-WOULD-YOU-BE-WILLING-TO-ANSWER-A-FEW-QUESTIONS-Transcript1.pdf
The post WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS? appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
“Be All You Can Be”, “Army of One”, “Army Strong” these are just a few of the most recent slogans used by the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in the last 40 years. The first remained in place for over 20 years. The last was 12 years running. But if the Army is going to meet …
Continue reading "A SMARTER WAY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN"
The post A SMARTER WAY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Born of an idea first uttered in October 1960 at an impromptu speech by then Senator John F. Kennedy, the Peace Corps was officially established on 1 March 1961. In its first year Peace Corps volunteers served in just 5 countries. Six short years later 14,500 volunteers had served in 55 countries around the world. To date more than 240,000 volunteers have served in 142 host countries. Due to COVID-19, all of those volunteers have been recalled to the United States. But that doesn't stop former volunteers from singing the praises of the program and its great works. A BETTER PEACE welcomes four volunteers of the Peace Corps organization "To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans" the third goal of the organization. Brad Arsenault, Steven Saum, Maricarmen Smith-Martinez, and Joby Taylor all join our podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to discuss their Peace Corps experiences. It is their hope to inspire the next generation to selfless service so that once the pandemic is managed, the Peace Corps can continue its mission "To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women" and "To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served."
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/20-099-TOWARDS-A-BETTER-UNDERSTANDING-OF-OTHER-PEOPLES-Transcript.pdf
The post TOWARDS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OTHER PEOPLES appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Imagine taking a graduate level program in a foreign country in a different language from your native tongue. Now imaging stepping it up and enrolling in the one class that does it completely differently from all the rest, and prides itself on significantly challenging its students to think and behave in a manner that forces …
Continue reading "CARLISLE SCHOLAR, INTERNATIONAL FELLOW — THE VIEW FROM BAHRAIN"
The post CARLISLE SCHOLAR, INTERNATIONAL FELLOW — THE VIEW FROM BAHRAIN appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
The citizen soldiers of the Army’s National Guard component often lead different lives from their active duty counterparts. Geographically tied to their state units, they often live out their entire career in their home states spared of the constant moves the rest of the military endures. Guard units in years past have been overlooked for …
Continue reading "NOT YOUR FATHER’S NATIONAL GUARD"
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The current temporary theme we are using only credits a single guest. This podcast featured Joseph Atkinson, Richard D’Angelo and Ronald Granieri If anyone still doubts how integral the Internet is to daily life then shut off your modem or put your phone in airplane mode in the midst of the current pandemic …
Continue reading "THE MAGIC OF THE INTERWEBS"
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The current temporary theme we are using only credits a single guest. This podcast featured John Brennan, Steve Marks, Ed Croot and Ron Granieri. Organizational culture, on its face, is a relatively easy concept to understand; who “we” are as an organization is defined by the underlying beliefs, assumptions, and values – spoken …
Continue reading "THE TURMOIL OF IDENTITY CRISIS: SPECIAL FORCES ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE"
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The J in JPME stands for joint. In order to qualify for joint accreditation each senior service college and the National Defense University are mandated by CJCS instruction to include a proportional number of students and faculty from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Each year hundreds of senior officers attend the college of …
Continue reading "LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER: A SAILOR AT THE ARMY WAR COLLEGE"
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In the last decade the U.S. Army reserve component has moved from a strategic to an operational reserve. This has driven a clear requirement for greater reserve integration amongst the active component. To accomplish this the Army and the Joint force have expanded the use of multi component units (MCUs) to improve efficiency and readiness across the active and reserve components of the DoD. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Darren Buss and Rick Giarusso to discuss the employment of MCUs in support of the the Army and Joint missions in keeping with the Total Force Policy. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain the challenges and successes of marrying up the different components in support of real world missions.
Transcript: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/20-043-MULTI-COMPONENT-UNITS-MAXIMIZING-THE-TOTAL-FORCE-Transcript.pdf
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A BETTER PEACE welcomes Alexandra Richie, internationally acclaimed and award-winning writer and historian, and one of the world's foremost experts on World War II in Europe. Richie joined Michael Neiberg to discuss her studies and books on both German history as viewed from Berlin, and the Warsaw Uprising. Their conversation covered how she first started writing and how her study of classical music years earlier aided her mindset and method of writing. The interview took place at the new U.S. National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/19-198-THE-MORE-BEAUTIFUL-QUESTION-ALEXANDRA-RICHIE-ON-WRITING-Transcript.pdf
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Playboy magazine first hit newsstands in December 1953, so it was quite well established by the time the United States joined the conflict in Vietnam. Derided by a portion of the population as disgraceful smut, the common retort from the men who perused the sordid pages was “I just read it for the articles.” A …
Continue reading "THEY REALLY READ IT FOR THE ARTICLES"
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When you talk about the millennial generation a lot of them want some kind of fulfillment out of the work that they’re doing and not feel like they’re just gonna be a cog in the machine. In September of 2019 we introduced you to the Eisenhower Series College Program. Members of the Eisenhower Program began the …
Continue reading "SERVICE TO THE NATION: CLOSING THE CIVIL-MILITARY DIVIDE (EISENHOWER SERIES)"
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Getting that idea from the battlefield…back into the hands of someone who can fix it back in the states or elsewhere in the world rapidly is absolutely critical. In September of 2019 we introduced you to the Eisenhower Series College Program. Members of the Eisenhower Program began the year on the road visiting colleges and universities, …
Continue reading "NEW WEAPONS FOR NEW DOMAINS? (EISENHOWER SERIES)"
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What do you do when the training your organization requires you to accomplish doesn’t actually prepare you for your mission or enhance your unit readiness. You create a board game, of course. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Mike Loftus, Will McKannay and Jim Markley to discuss how Mike and Will, with Jim’s help, came to create …
Continue reading "READINESS IS PRIORITY #1, BUT READY FOR WHAT? (WARGAMING ROOM)"
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I would venture to say that there are a lot of black troops that understand what those names mean and just have chosen not to take it up as an issue. Bragg, Benning and Hood are names that are universally known throughout the Army and most of the Department of Defense. They are some of …
Continue reading "WHOSE HISTORY? WHOSE HERITAGE? MEMORY AND MEMORIALS IN THE ARMED FORCES"
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There is a concept called collective coping. It’s using social media and specifically social relationships to cope with issues…more than ever you can see that people are reaching out. In September of 2019 we introduced you to the Eisenhower Series College Program. Members of the Eisenhower Program began the year on the road visiting colleges …
Continue reading "SOCIAL MEDIA: GOOD MEDICINE OR A BAD PILL (EISENHOWER SERIES)"
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Suddenly I was distracted by this amazing roar…and I turned to the umpire and I said ‘What is that?’ absolutely dumbstruck by this vision and sound and he said ‘That’s a Spitfire’ A BETTER PEACE welcomes James Holland, internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. A familiar and trusted face appearing in numerous WWII documentaries, …
Continue reading "FACT AND FICTION: THE RECOUNTING OF WWII WITH JAMES HOLLAND (ON WRITING)"
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The Defense Acquisition System is the management process by which the Department of Defense provides effective, affordable, and timely systems to the users. -Department of Defense Directive Number 5000.01 Misunderstood, under-appreciated, Congressionally scrutinized, and even mocked and immortalized in a Hollywood movie, the acquisition corps of each of the services have a difficult job. Charged …
Continue reading "EFFECTIVE, AFFORDABLE AND TIMELY: DOD ACQUISITION"
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What you’re describing…always has been a leadership problem. It’s leadership at the extreme echelons. So leadership at the top of the Army and leadership at the bottom of the Army are primarily where you address and solve this problem. In September of 2019 we introduced you to the Eisenhower Series College Program. Members of the …
Continue reading "INCLUSIVITY, DIVERSITY AND THE MILITARY AS A LEADER OF CHANGE (EISENHOWER SERIES)"
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There is no “Latin America” right? It is a region made up of independent sovereign countries, some with different histories, some with different languages…based on that they’re going to have different relationships with the United States. In the present day examination of global security, much of the United States’ attention is focused on the Middle …
Continue reading "NEGLECT AND ATTENTION IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE"
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The 2018 National Defense Strategy was clear in its call to shake off strategic atrophy – to maintain competitive advantage against our Nation’s adversaries we must evolve. – Commander’s Foreword, Army Special Operations Forces Strategy In the realm of national security very few elements ever remain stagnant, and those that do are relegated to irrelevance. As …
Continue reading "EVOLUTIONARY STRATEGY TO COMBAT STRATEGIC ATROPHY"
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The old adage under Atatürk was zero problems with the neighbors; now the adage is zero neighbors without problems. You would be hard pressed to find a current member of the U.S. military who remembers a time in their service when the United States wasn’t involved in conflict in the Middle East. Forty years ago this …
Continue reading "IMPERIAL ECHOES AND CONTEMPORARY CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST"
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It’s very hard to implement a long term development project when rebels might overrun and destroy or steal whatever you’ve implemented. To say that Central Africa has been a tumultuous region for the last three decades is an understatement. Genocide, civil and proxy wars and disease have lead to a death count that numbers in …
Continue reading "GREAT WAR IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION OF AFRICA"
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International law can actually be a very powerful tool in the regulation of warfare In 1907 the major powers of the world gathered in the Netherlands for the Second Hague Conference. Building on the agreements of the First Hague Conference of 1899 the participants noted that many warring parties were not observing the international laws …
Continue reading "FIGHTING OVER THE LAW OF WAR"
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When disaster strikes in the United States we are fortunate to have the National Guard available to bolster and support our civilian first responders. Experts in logistics and transportation, organization and construction as well as medical experts, the Guard is vital in supporting the long term recovery operations that follow any disastrous event. The Guard response to the current COVID-19 pandemic is very much like many other natural disasters that the U.S has endured in the last 50 years. But it's also very different. The pandemic hasn't struck a single region that allows help to arrive from safe staging areas outside the hot zone. The entire nation is vulnerable to this virus, and responders find themselves immersed in aiding citizens at a very personal level. With that level of interaction come the complications of diverse cultures, religious and political views, and a multitude of multitude of languages other than English. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Michele Devlin and Steve Warnstadt to the studio to examine the navigation of the complex cultural terrain of our great American melting pot. They're joined by our Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss what the DoD, along with state level leadership, must do to ensure that Guard troops are best prepared to succeed amongst the diverse culture that is our national strength.
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The DoD has [set] a precedent for using its service members for drug tests, for vaccines, for things that they think may be of benefit to the warfighter…I don’t see that it would be too wild to also include CBD Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in both marijuana and hemp plants and it’s the …
Continue reading "CBD: SNAKE OIL OR A G.I.’S NEW HOPE?"
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The key thing is relationships. When we build those relationships those are bridges that help us to go throughout all the situations we face in our career as military [members]. One of the finest aspects of the resident class each year at the U.S. Army War College is the cohort of International Fellows (IF). For …
Continue reading "CULTIVATING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ONE STUDENT AT A TIME"
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It wasn’t long before the aircraft were able to fly to much greater altitudes and at greater speeds and get into an environment where humans just could not function correctly and humans became sort of the weak link or the limiting factor Anyone who watches military aviation knows that many believe the F-35 will be …
Continue reading "THE MAN IN THE MACHINE: IS AVIATION’S WEAKEST LINK THE PILOT?"
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Burden sharing has been an issue in the alliance from the very beginning, from the drafting of the treaty when members of the U.S. Congress wanted to make sure that the Europeans were going to be able to hold up their end of the deal In discussing NATO and our European allies, burden sharing has …
Continue reading "PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: THE TRANSATLANTIC ALLIANCE"
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I think in a lot of ways our job…is to move the dialog out of the Pentagon and into the field. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Brian Linn, renowned student and historian of the U.S. Army as an institution. Linn joins Michael Neiberg in the studio to discuss how he began his work first looking at the …
Continue reading "THE U.S. ARMY IN THE 20TH CENTURY: AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN LINN (ON WRITING)"
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My abiding memory of colonels is that they really are the pivot between the engine room and the ultimate decision makers particularly, for example, in a corps headquarters. A BETTER PEACE welcomes General Timothy Radford of the British Army to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership, vision and effect. Radford was in …
Continue reading "A TRANSATLANTIC PERSPECTIVE ON NATO (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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Martial Citizenship…is the concept that since soldiers serve the state the state therefore owes something back. The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service released its report “Inspired to Serve” on 25 March 2020. The Commission’s two primary statutory charges were: (1) to “conduct a review of the military selective service process” and (2) …
Continue reading "THE MARTIAL CITIZEN"
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Don’t just know the soldier in the uniform, know the man or the woman behind the uniform. Military members, law enforcement officers, and first responders are sadly no strangers to tragedy and trauma. How well individuals and organizations respond to those events, and just as importantly avoid future events, can be highly dependent on the …
Continue reading "LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDST OF TRAUMA"
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I think the most important thing the public should know about classification is that there are rules. The Department of Defense does not just make up what they think is classified. No, NOTHING in this episode is classified. If you’re a novice to the world of classification, have you ever wondered who classifies something and …
Continue reading "THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF CLASSIFICATION"
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If he didn’t do that, he should have. If you’ve ever spent any time with historians you know that they are the worst people to watch a movie with. Custer never said that, Roosevelt didn’t jump up from his wheelchair, there was no grass on that battlefield in 1917. A BETTER PEACE gathered three of …
Continue reading "THAT NEVER HAPPENED: A WATER COOLER DISCUSSION ABOUT MOVIES"
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The President, and all policy makers should have the unvarnished truth as best as the intelligence community can serve it up. A BETTER PEACE welcomes former Director of National Intelligence (DNI), James Clapper to discuss the role of the ODNI and the current state of the position. Clapper joins guest host Genevieve Lester, Chair of …
Continue reading "THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ODNI: AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CLAPPER"
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What we do know is that all of the movement of people and animals made this virus transmit much faster around the world than it would have otherwise. And you can directly associate it with the effects of the war. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Michael Neiberg to examine the misnamed Spanish Flu of 1918. Neiberg …
Continue reading "LESSONS FROM 1918: GET A FLU SHOT, WASH YOUR HANDS"
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The Army War College joins the rest of society to commemorate the long tradition and considerable contribution made by Hispanics to defend our nation. A BETTER PEACE welcomes three native Spanish speakers as they take over the mics. Originally recorded during National Hispanic Heritage Month 2019 (Sep 15 – Oct 15 ’19) three students …
Continue reading "THE ARMY WAR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE – EN ESPAÑOL"
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There has never been anything like it in recorded history where a country has put…a trillion dollars aside to help in jump starting all of these infrastructure projects around the country Much has been made of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Wary watcher’s are quick to point out the spread of Chinese influence in …
Continue reading "CHINA’S GRAND STRATEGY AND THE BRI"
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The Army prides itself on being able to learn, but it also has shown throughout history it also forgets pretty quick too. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Brian Linn and Conrad Crane to discuss the inter-war periods throughout U.S. history and what they’ve meant to the further development of the U.S. Army. WAR ROOM Senior Editor …
Continue reading "IT’S ONLY A PRE-WAR PERIOD IN HINDSIGHT"
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As we wind down Black History Month the Editorial Team thought it most appropriate to re-release this and one other podcast on Executive Order 9981. Originally released in July 2018, the 70th anniversary was a great reminder to examine the official order to desegregate the military and consider how far we’ve come and what still …
Continue reading "EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: WHAT INTEGRATION MEANS FOR TODAY’S MILITARY"
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As we wind down Black History Month the Editorial Team thought it most appropriate to re-release this and one other podcast on Executive Order 9981. Originally released in July 2018, the 70th anniversary was a great reminder to examine the official order to desegregate the military and consider how far we’ve come and what still …
Continue reading "EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: DESEGREGATING THE ARMED FORCES"
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If you go into reading history with an open mind what you’re looking for is to be surprised; you’re looking for things that tell you something you didn’t know. The liberation of an oppressed people is indeed a noble venture. But as the U.S. learned in Iraq, it’s a complicated relationship between the liberated and …
Continue reading "LIBERATION FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE LIBERATED (ON WRITING)"
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I worry that we’re going to field many of these systems without really thinking through both the legality and morality of putting them into the field. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Dr. Paul Springer Chair of the Department of Research at the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College. Paul joins our Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt …
Continue reading "AI ON THE BATTLEFIELD? – IT’S ALREADY HERE"
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To really have a successful mission you have to be willing to stay A BETTER PEACE welcomes Mary Elizabeth Walters to discuss to calculus of humanitarian operations involving the U.S. military. The decision to render aid or enter into humanitarian operations in another country isn’t always an easy one. It may seem like a simple …
Continue reading "HUMANITARIAN OPS: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND PITFALLS"
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SO IT WASN’T JUST THE STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT THAT ENABLED THIS BUT ALSO THE PERSONALITIES SEEMED TO BE RIGHT The United States has been in favor of a more autonomous Europe ever since the end of WWII. But it’s possible that there have been a few mixed messages throughout the years. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Robert …
Continue reading "EUROPEAN STRATEGIC AUTONOMY: ON U.S. TERMS"
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A BETTER PEACE welcomes Major General Torgeir Gråtrud, commander of the Norwegian Special Operations Command, to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership. Major General Gråtrud was in Carlisle to attend his induction into the International Fellows Hall of Fame at the U.S. Army War College. He becomes the 70th International Fellow to receive the honor. During the podcast he addresses Norway’s participation in the Global SOF Network, the nature of cooperation and relations in the Nordic region and his advice to junior officers and NCOs. A BETTER PEACE podcast editor Ron Granieri moderates.
The post OBSERVATIONS FROM NATO’S NORTHERN FRONT (LEADER PERSPECTIVES) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Back in the 1930s, Air Force officers who were assigned instructor duty at the Air Corps Tactical School…would wear these little…pledge pins on their uniforms. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Dr. John Terino, Chair of the Department of Airpower at the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College (ACSC.) John joins our Editor-In-Chief, Jacqueline Whitt to …
Continue reading "LOOKING TO THE PAST TO CHANGE THE FUTURE"
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It’s not that Dundas was opposed to the use of light infantry he thought it was, the pejorative term was, ‘it’s very American’ A BETTER PEACE welcomes Dr. Huw Davies of King’s College London. Huw joins WAR ROOM Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to trace the development of Great Britain’s Light Infantry. It’s easy to call …
Continue reading "LESSONS LEARNED THE HARD WAY: THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRITISH LIGHT INFANTRY"
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This was never meant to be the be all and the end all…let’s remember this title of my little 4-page magnum opus…’Toward An Understanding of Military Strategy’ A BETTER PEACE welcomes back U.S. Army Colonel (retired) Arthur F. Lykke for the second and final part of his interview. Having explained the birthplace of the three-legged-stool …
Continue reading "LYKKE’S LITTLE THREE-LEGGED STOOL (PART 2)"
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The Vice [Chief of Staff] of the Army…came to the War College…and the first thing he said to me was something like ‘Art why the hell does Senator Nunn want to talk to you about strategy…?’ If you’ve ever participated in strategic-level professional military education you’re probably familiar with his work. If you’ve ever listened …
Continue reading "LYKKE’S LITTLE THREE-LEGGED STOOL (PART 1)"
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From my vantage point…there’s been a growing role and place for USAID in policy discussions. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Brad Arsenault, Alexious Butler and Leigh Caraher to the studio to explain the great works of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID.) The three join Podcast Editor Ron Granieri to discuss how USAID measures success, …
Continue reading "“ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE”"
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In September 1944 defeat looked not only likely but imminent for the German Army. And It was at that point that Adolf Hitler told his generals that he was going to launch a winter offensive that would turn the war around. A BETTER PEACE welcomes David Hogan, Director of Histories at the U.S. Army Center of …
Continue reading "REMEMBERING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE"
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Perhaps the biggest most powerful thing they can do is in the field of logistics. They can be prepared for the reception, staging and onward movement and integration of forces. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Paul T. Mikolashek and Gregory Cantwell to the studio to discuss the modern theater army. The two join Managing Editor Buck Haberichter to …
Continue reading "STAGE SETTING: THE MODERN THEATER ARMY"
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And somebody hadn’t written a book on the whole [conference]…and so I thought well maybe I’ll try and then I thought that’s crazy. Who am I to try this massive subject. A BETTER PEACE welcomes award winning and internationally renowned author Margaret MacMillan. Perhaps best known for her study and writings of the 1919 …
Continue reading "PARIS 1919: A CONVERSATION WITH MARGARET MACMILLAN (ON WRITING)"
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When the local belligerents are still willing to fight and they’ve not stopped the war, dropping peacekeeping forces in the middle of that is not a recipe for immediate success. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Dr. Paul Williams from the Elliot School of International Affairs at the George Washington University. Williams, an academic expert and consultant …
Continue reading "MAKING PEACE, KEEPING PEACE"
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Every voice will bring something a little bit different and that particular voices have particular things to add. For the past century we have been discussing diversity in some form or fashion in the United States Department of Defense. There have obviously been great strides but many would argue there is still a long way …
Continue reading "DIVERSITY IN PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION"
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Quite frankly a number of times in [Lee’s] career he debates getting out of the Army to pursue other interests. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Paul Springer to the studio to discuss the influence of the West Point class of 1829. Springer joins our Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to examine the unique experiences of this cohort, and …
Continue reading "THE WEST POINT CLASS OF 1829"
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A BETTER PEACE welcomes Gail Fisher and Joel Hillison into the studio to examine the DoD’s approach towards gaining and sustaining the competitive advantage over adversaries across the spectrum of competition. The DoD has no specific doctrine regarding this topic and all too often the response to the challenge falls to the acquisition community in …
Continue reading "COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: MORE THAN JUST TECHNOLOGY"
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I’m using Kennedy’s life to tell the story of America’s rise, first to great power status and then superpower status. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning author Fredrik Logevall to discuss his newest project, a two-volume biography of John F. Kennedy. Logevall joins Michael Neiberg in the studio as they discuss the complexity of …
Continue reading "THE CHALLENGES OF WRITING BIOGRAPHIES (ON WRITING)"
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One of the things we’re trying to do is encourage people…to start talking about older books, older readings, older things that are lost or never really well known that really should have been. A BETTER PEACE welcomes WAR ROOM editors Tom Bruscino and Jon Klug to explain the drive and desire behind the DUSTY SHELVES …
Continue reading "BOOK LOVERS NEED APPLY: A DUSTY SHELVES PODCAST"
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The law only required that both parties be consenting adults…which tells us something about the assumptions at the time A BETTER PEACE welcomes Tanya Roth to discuss a topic that we often think of as an issue of modern day — LGBT service members — but has been a fact of military service for decades. …
Continue reading "WAC MARRIAGE CASE: THINKING ABOUT GENDER, SEX, AND MILITARY SERVICE"
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We need to go back and think big, and We need to think big fast. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Major General Eirik Kristoffersen, Chief of the Norwegian Army, to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership. Major General Kristoffersen was in Carlisle to attend his induction into the International Fellows Hall of …
Continue reading "ALLIES ARE MORE THAN FRIENDS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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What are the costs for the U.S. of losing the war? And it’s a sort of uncomfortable conversation in some ways because the answer may be not all that much. A BETTER PEACE returns with our three scholars of the American War in Vietnam and Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to examine the Tet Offensive and its significance …
Continue reading "RETHINKING STRATEGY IN VIETNAM AFTER TET – EPISODE 2"
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From an American-centric scholarship standpoint, I think much of it is driven by this search for finding a scapegoat to make it understandable for why we lost. A BETTER PEACE welcomes three scholars of the American War in Vietnam to sit down with Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to examine the Tet Offensive and its significance in the …
Continue reading "RETHINKING STRATEGY IN VIETNAM AFTER TET – EPISODE 1"
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If you read a story and it sounds just too good to be true — either good or bad — open up another window and look for the same topic from a different outlet. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Amanda Cronkhite, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of National Security and Strategy, to discuss the reality of …
Continue reading "BIAS IN THE MEDIA?…SAY IT ISN’T SO"
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HISTORICALLY WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO… READ ABOUT ANOTHER CULTURE, READ ABOUT THEIR HISTORY, THEIR ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT AND TO UNDERSTAND WHY A CULTURE DEVELOPED THE WAY THAT IT DID In a world that is dominated by discussions of artificial intelligence, increasing technology on the battlefield, and new domains in space and cyber, what …
Continue reading "TEACHING GENDER AND RACE IN HISTORY AT USMA"
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Our students come with a professional ethos and a professional mindset of being apolitical and fundamentally the decisions… we’re talking about often are happening in the political realm. In a rather momentous occasion, our Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt turns over the reins of podcast production to our new Editor of A BETTER PEACE, Ron Granieri. After …
Continue reading "WE’RE ALL CONSTRUCTIVISTS NOW"
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Imagine a conflict, a real war with China…what does war termination look like in that environment? In our third and final episode our scholars continue the discussion of war termination, the latest calls for more lethality and persistent presence of politics in every conflict in modern times. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Emily Knowles of the …
Continue reading "SOME THINGS CHANGE, SOME STAY THE SAME – EPISODE 3"
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…the claim that AI is changing the nature of warfare…it doesn’t have to be backed up by any empirical evidence at all…simply saying that maybe gets you what you want In the first episode our scholars began the discussion of the nature versus the character of war. In episode 2 the conversation turns to AI …
Continue reading "SOME THINGS CHANGE, SOME STAY THE SAME – EPISODE 2"
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I think it makes…strategic thinkers think that they’re saying something profound when in fact they are not. Scholars have long held that the nature of war is enduring and unchanging, while the character of war is in flux and subject to the whims of technology and modern thought. It is a concept often credited …
Continue reading "SOME THINGS CHANGE, SOME STAY THE SAME"
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When you’re more focused on lethality you’re less likely to look at ways the military can act to support things that will maybe avoid war in the first place During his tenure as the Secretary of Defense, James N. Mattis frequently used the term lethality in describing all aspects of the U.S. Department of Defense. …
Continue reading "THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN LETHALITY"
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To me what intellectual leadership means is to read more and study more and be a deep thinker, and I don’t think that’s what the secretary of defense wants us to do. Words have meaning and all too often there is no common understanding of that intended meaning. When former Secretary of Defense Mattis placed …
Continue reading "IT’S A MATTER OF INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY"
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The charter was…to look at preparation of the Navy for the defense of maritime security and the coasts In the early 1900’s the U.S. Navy found itself creating strategy in an ad hoc manner in the midst of modernization and calls for officer corps structure and education reform. In response the Secretary of the Navy …
Continue reading "THE GENERAL STAFF THAT WASN’T"
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Dickinson College…students marched on the War College but instead of violence we had discussion. In a time when the nation sees increasing political divides and claims that the civil-military gap is ever widening, one program reaches out to try and reverse the trend. Colonels Ed Kaplan and Mike Baim join WAR ROOM Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline E. …
Continue reading "THE EISENHOWER SERIES COLLEGE PROGRAM: 50 YEARS OF OUTREACH"
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In this episode in our Great Strategists series, U.S. Army War College historians Bill Johnsen and Con Crane present one of the more enigmatic figures in military theory, Baron Antoine-Henri Jomini. Historians have given Jomini mixed reviews in terms of evaluating his theories and contributions, but almost all recognize his influence.
Modern analysts often pit Jomini and his contemporary, Carl von Clausewitz, as polar opposites, creating "Jominian" and "Clausewitzian" camps. In reality, both were informed by their experiences with the Napoleonic Wars, but they took different perspectives--Clausewitz from the Prussian perspective, Jomini from the French. And while Clausewitz died in 1831, Jomini lived to be an old man and prolific writer, so you can see elements of Clausewitzian thought in Jomini's writing. Still, Jomini was interested in finding general principles of warfare that could translate directly to success on the battlefield; a task that seemed simple when he could draw from observations of Napoleon's greatest victories.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/19-117-A-SCIENTIFIC-APPROACH-TO-WAR-ANTOINE-HENRI-JOMINI-GREAT-STRATEGISTS.pdf
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The current temporary theme we are using only credits a single guest. This podcast featured Tami Davis Biddle, Michael Neiberg, Richard Lacquement and Jacqueline Whitt. We continue our Great Strategists series with an episode on the man whose works serve as a foundation of strategic thought about war. Thucydides (c. 460-400 BC) was …
Continue reading "THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF WAR — THUCYDIDES (GREAT STRATEGISTS)"
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Ah, writing ... that elusive skill. For all the advice and helpful books on the market, there is little substitute for developing the skill through practice and experience. But not everyone has the time, and even experienced writers can struggle to find the right words.
In this episode of A BETTER PEACE, Jennifer Keene and Michael Neiberg discuss various tips on writing, especially history and other scholarship. How does one craft a good thesis? Or deliver a great hook in the introduction? Or develop those 'wow' moments that leave a lasting impression on the reader?
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At the outbreak of the war, all of those armies were quite small but they rapidly grew many times their size in 1914 Historical memory of the First World War often focuses on the western front, perhaps because of egocentrism or the wealth of documents and literature that emerged from the front. But while the …
Continue reading "WORLD WAR I WAS ALSO FOUGHT IN AFRICA!"
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One of the things that will occur as you [move up the ranks] is you’re going to have a more diverse workforce A BETTER PEACE welcomes to the studio U.S. Army Reserve Major General Tammy Smith to discuss her perspectives on strategic leadership, especially her current role in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of …
Continue reading "A CAREER FULL OF ‘ZIGS’ AND ‘ZAGS’ — MAJOR GENERAL TAMMY SMITH (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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They’re outgoing. They’re adventurous. They want to do something for the war effort. They want to do their bit. While contemporary conversations about women and the military focus on the extent to which women are or should be integrated as service members, this is but one perspective. Women have been associated with militaries in various …
Continue reading "“GIRLS NEXT DOOR” — WOMEN AS EMOTIONAL LABORERS ON THE FRONT LINES"
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The current temporary theme we are using only credits a single guest. This podcast featured Roland Murphy and Chris Wyatt The western African nation of Liberia underwent a period of significant unrest and violent beginning with a military coup in 1980 and culminated with a very bloody civil war in 2003, which saw …
Continue reading "THE ARMED FORCES OF LIBERIA TODAY"
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From the WAR ROOM Editorial Staff: What happens when a DBA from the Harvard Business School lands at the U.S. Army War College? There’s the inevitable push-back against the formal dress code, but more importantly–there’s innovation and new ideas. Although Dr. Andrew A. Hill has announced his departure from the War College and as the …
Continue reading "WHY WAR COLLEGES? — A SPECIAL RE-RELEASE"
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How important is enhancing unity of effort … [so] all the differences in culture, values, caveats, mindsets, etc. are harmonized for a common objective? Service at the strategic level sometimes involves working with international partners and possibly serving within multinational environments, such as NATO in Belgium or UN peacekeeping missions. The experiences of American officers …
Continue reading "WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR ONE TO SUCCEED IN A MULTINATIONAL ASSIGNMENT?"
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Space is important and we would notice if it went away Indeed, so much of what the global public relies upon for work and life depends on space capabilities. But more than ever, the space domain is becoming contested, and that is driving a new discourse about the capabilities that the U.S. military require to …
Continue reading "WHAT SHOULD A U.S. SPACE FORCE LOOK LIKE?"
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There is nothing we do in the joint force that isn’t enabled by space. Nothing. A lot of attention is being paid to the space domain, and so A BETTER PEACE welcomes General John W. “Jay” Raymond, Commander of the U.S. Air Force Space Command, to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership. …
Continue reading "THE CHALLENGES OF KEEPING SPACE SECURE (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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He realized that in a democracy, military success is not sufficient General Frederick C. Weyand served as the 28th Chief of Staff of the Army in the 1970s but, as Dr. Frank Jones of the U.S. Army War College explains, he earned the right to be considered a Great Captain from his efforts during the …
Continue reading "KNOWING WHEN A WAR IS UNWINNABLE — GENERAL FREDERICK C. WEYAND (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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Military intelligence is important, but it isn’t the whole world As quoted from David Oakley’s book, Subordinating Intelligence: The DoD/CIA Post-Cold War Relationship How has the relationships among intelligence agencies evolved over the past half century, and why is this important for national security leaders today? In this episode in our on-going series on Strategic Intelligence, …
Continue reading "THE DOD-CIA RELATIONSHIP: ARE WE MILITARIZING STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE?"
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Humanitarian Mine Action is one way for the DoD to really support the other three instruments of national power Explosive Remnants of War, or ERW, is a significant problem in former battlefields. For example, the landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Dayton Accords was littered with antipersonnel mines. Since 1996, more than 3,000 square …
Continue reading "CLEARING THE BATTLEFIELD: WHY DE-MINING IS A POWERFUL U.S. CAPABILITY"
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One weakness of the way we view strategy … is that we neglect the environment Professional military education (PME) plays a vital role in preparing military leaders to fight and win the nation’s wars. PME occurs at all levels of leadership, required for the most junior non-commissioned officers to the most senior flag officers and …
Continue reading "STRATEGY AS PERFORMANCE: EDUCATING STUDENTS TO GO BEYOND ENDS, WAYS, & MEANS"
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For those that say ‘I wish I would have started a little bit earlier but I didn’t’ — don’t despair. … Start now! The demands on senior leaders can sometimes overwhelm their abilities to manage their personal affairs and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Thinking about and planning for the long-term may lose out against …
Continue reading "WHY SENIOR LEADERS SHOULD NOT TAKE PERSONAL FINANCE FOR GRANTED"
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Pigeons were treated with very high regard in the military … much like working dogs are today Technological innovation has always been central to warfighting, and the advances made over the 20th century were especially important. During the First World War, battlefield communications were limited, and armies employed means–old and new–to communicate. They used old …
Continue reading "HOW A HOMING PIGEON SAVED THE LOST BATTALION OF WORLD WAR I (DUSTY SHELVES)"
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Command at the strategic level is challenging. Commanders are leading large organizations that are regionally (even globally) distributed, perform a widely diverse range of missions and tasks, or are overseeing the execution of military campaigns. They must address both short-term mission accomplishment and the long-term needs of their organizations, services, or the joint force. But …
Continue reading "HOW CHANGE OF FLAG OFFICER COMMANDERS IMPACT THEIR ORGANIZATIONS"
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The ritual of retaliation codified what makes you legitimate [as a combatant] and what makes you not legitimate How did combatants enforce the lawful practice of war prior to the Geneva Conventions and other conceptions of international laws of warfare? During the Civil War period, the answer was the customary practice of retaliation, which provides …
Continue reading "ON HOLDING THE ENEMY ACCOUNTABLE: CUSTOMS OF RETALIATION IN THE CIVIL WAR"
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If we want [Artificial intelligence] to thrive, we have to have leaders who understand it Artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere and everyone is talking about it. But so what? What is the real utility of “AI” and how did it change or transform the organizations that incorporated AI into their practices? A trio of U.S. …
Continue reading "HOW DO ORGANIZATIONS CHANGE AFTER INCORPORATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?"
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Today it is commonplace for a female to command a brigade, and it is hugely important The military is a constantly evolving organization. Change in the US military is driven by both the need to serve as an effective fighting force and maintain a connection with society. An example is the recent integration of women …
Continue reading "GENDER INTEGRATION AND THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING A “FIRST”"
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I don’t write science fiction so I can predict the future, but I want to better understand what’s lies ahead This episode is the final in a series of releases on the Emerging Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region, produced in collaboration with the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Department of Social Sciences as …
Continue reading "“FICINT”: ENVISIONING FUTURE WAR THROUGH FICTION & INTELLIGENCE (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)"
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This is not humanity’s first technological rodeo This episode is another in a series of releases on the Emerging Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region, produced in collaboration with the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Department of Social Sciences as part of the 2019 Senior Conference. Just how much have the rapid advance of …
Continue reading "HOW COMPETITORS USE TECHNOLOGY TO SHAPE THE ENVIRONMENT (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)"
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We have to become accustomed to federated approaches to security … as opposed to multilateral alliance approaches This episode is another in a series of releases on the Emerging Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region, produced in collaboration with the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Department of Social Sciences as part of the 2019 …
Continue reading "HYPERCOMPETITION AND TRANSIENT ADVANTAGE (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)"
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It’s not so much the mil-mil relationship … the political relationship is something that’s a little more volatile than it has been in the past This episode is the next in a series of releases on the emerging environment in the Indo-Pacific Region, produced in collaboration with the United States Military Academy at West Point’s …
Continue reading "SECURITY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION: THE VIEW FROM TOKYO (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)"
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This is not going to look like US-Soviet competition. … Countries in Southeast Asia — they don’t want to choose. This episode is the second in a series of releases on the Emerging Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region, produced in collaboration with the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Department of Social Sciences as …
Continue reading "THE MEANING OF ‘PARTNERSHIP’ IN THE INDO-PACIFIC (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)"
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How fantastic that we live in a world where we have a problem of ‘population aging’? This episode marks the first in a series of releases on the Emerging Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region, produced in collaboration with the United States Military Academy at West Point’s Department of Social Sciences as part of the 2019 …
Continue reading "DEMOGRAPHICS, AGING, AND SECURITY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC (INDO-PACIFIC SERIES)"
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These two commanders, Scipio Africanus vs. Hannibal … demonstrated [strategic leadership] to a great degree A BETTER PEACE continues the Great Captains series with the sequel to a previous episode on the renowned Carthaginian general Hannibal. This episode tells the story of Hannibal’s opponent in the Battle of Zama, Scipio Africanus. Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus …
Continue reading "AN UNBEATEN ROMAN GENERAL: SCIPIO AFRICANUS (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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The European Union is a cooperative of twenty-eight member states, and everyone has different views A BETTER PEACE welcomes special guest Aili Ribulis of the European Union’s delegation to the United States to discuss advances and initiatives that the EU is undertaking to develop its capabilities. This follows up on a podcast conducted in 2018 …
Continue reading "THE EUROPEAN UNION LOOKS FORWARD II: DEVELOPING EU CAPABILITIES"
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In 2013, a team of authors was commissioned by then Chief of Staff of the Army General Odierno to write a study of Operation Iraqi Freedom to glean insights for immediate practical application. The resulting two-volume report (Volume I | Volume II) was completed in 2016 but not authorized for release until early in 2019. In this presentation, A BETTER PEACE welcomes co-editor U.S. Army Colonel (Retired) Frank Sobchak and author U.S. Army Colonel Jim Powell to discuss their experiences of assembling the team, researching the report, and ultimately writing what came to a 1300-page product with tremendous implications for the current and future Army. What were more important insights? What were the toughest challenges, beyond the sheer size of the project? A BETTER PEACE Editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.
The post HOW TO TELL THE STORY OF A WAR: THE OIF STUDY appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
In the States, we hadn’t had tanks coming off the assembly line in months In 1992, as calls for the post-Cold War peace dividend grew louder, then-Chief of Staff of the Army General Gordon Sullivan wrote a provocative essay in ARMY Magazine as a clarion call for the nation to sustain vigilance and military preparedness …
Continue reading "BEYOND TASK FORCE SMITH: ‘NATIONAL’ UNPREPAREDNESS FOR WAR IN KOREA"
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Democracy in South Africa is still fairly young. … The people of South Africa are still not enjoying the fruits of prosperity or economic growth As South Africa faces its May 2019 Presidential elections, the nation finds itself at a crossroads. Support for the African National Congress, the party of Mandela that ushered in post-Apartheid …
Continue reading "FORECASTING THE 2019 SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTIONS"
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The common thread [in addressing key strategic problems] is the requirement to convert operational military success to political success A BETTER PEACE welcomes General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership and balancing continuity with the need for change. The British Army has a very long history, and General …
Continue reading "TENSIONS AND PARADOXES FACING SENIOR LEADERS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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There is a significant percentage of Europeans … that believe that American standards and quality of products and services … are very low A BETTER PEACE explores the current state of trade between the U.S. and Europe as compared to U.S.-China trade. While the latter gets more attention nowadays, in reality transatlantic trade remains many …
Continue reading "TRANSATLANTIC TRADE: MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER"
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Russia still needs to be a part of the West. … Our position should be to remain open and stay engaged with Russia A BETTER PEACE is pleased to welcome Ambassador John Tefft to the studio to discuss his perspectives on Russia and Russian-US relations. As former US Ambassador to Russia from 2014-2017, AMB Tefft …
Continue reading "RUSSIA’S VIEW OF THE WEST: IT’S COMPLICATED"
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It’s natural to ask what can we gain from this ‘old war’? … You can read [history] in a book, but when you actually walk the field, it rams home into your head and stays there In an earlier episode of A BETTER PEACE, Learning Strategy by Walking the Ground, Andrew Hill and Len Fullenkamp …
Continue reading "RELIVING THE CIVIL WAR THROUGH BATTLEFIELD STAFF RIDES"
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‘Is Remote Warfare Cheaper?’ ‘So that’s a really hard question to answer. … We actually have very little data’ A BETTER PEACE explores the implications of NATO members’ ongoing shift away from large-scale coalition operations to smaller-scale operations that rely primarily on local forces, militias, or other groups supported by Western resources, training, and small …
Continue reading "REMOTE WARFARE & RISKS OF RELYING ON LOCAL FORCES"
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At the end of the day, what Putin really wants to re-structure European relationships [from the EU’s] rules-based Europe towards a [transactionally-based] Great Power Europe A BETTER PEACE presents “Russia, Great Power Competition, & Politics of Hybrid War” where Mitchell Orenstein and Darrell Driver discuss the history of great power dynamics and interests in Europe …
Continue reading "RUSSIA, GREAT POWER COMPETITION, & POLITICS OF HYBRID WAR"
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What if we spent one day on Herodotus, one day on Thucydides, and one day on Xenophon [at the War College]? Students with a basic foundation of ancient military history are likely to know about Thucydides and his accounts of the Peloponnesian War from both strategic and operational perspectives. But it would be an oversight …
Continue reading "BEYOND THUCYDIDES: HERODOTUS, XENOPHON & UNDERSTANDING WAR (GREAT STRATEGISTS)"
The post BEYOND THUCYDIDES: HERODOTUS, XENOPHON & UNDERSTANDING WAR (GREAT STRATEGISTS) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
Armed conflict is a deadly business. We in the military profession have a moral obligation to examine what works and what doesn’t work Traditional lists of prominent and successful strategic leaders are often biased toward celebrated historical figures. Of course, such figures were both heroes (to their own people) and villains (to the enemy) all …
Continue reading "KNOW THY ENEMY: OSAMA BIN LADEN & RISE OF THE NON-STATE ACTOR (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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As the ‘global’ commander, he oversees all of the Army including the Army Air Corps in all of the theaters in World War II In this episode in our Great Captains series, we profile an officer whose extraordinary achievements depart slightly from those typical associated with the term ‘great captains’ as described by Napoleon. George …
Continue reading "GEORGE C. MARSHALL & LEADING THE NATIONAL WAR EFFORT (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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Elections in Nigeria are not about issues. They are about personality and personal and ethnic alliances A BETTER PEACE welcomes Ambassador John Campbell to the studio to discuss the upcoming Nigerian elections and describe the very complex political and social landscape in Nigeria. Contrary to the mythical ‘north-south’ divide, Nigeria comprises about 350 different ethnic …
Continue reading "THE COMPLEX POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IN NIGERIA"
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If Moldova is never in the news, I doubt policy makers are ever really thinking about Moldova If you were a news editor, which story would you run first — a moderate earthquake in Italy or a larger earthquake in Sri Lanka? In the U.S., the Italian earthquake would be more likely due to the …
Continue reading "WHY DOES THE MEDIA COVER STORIES IN SOME COUNTRIES … BUT NOT OTHERS?"
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Don’t love the military too much, and don’t love the other institutions too little It is well-known that poll after poll shows the military ranks as the most trusted institution in the U.S. And, it is equally known that the opposite was true a mere few decades ago. The numbers belie the persistent tensions that …
Continue reading "CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS & THE DANGERS OF BEING A HIGHLY TRUSTED INSTITUTION"
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The approach that the government often takes to acquisition of [intellectual property] rights is something that’s completely anathema to working with tech companies Managing and regulating intellectual property (IP) rights is central to the functioning of a working economy. The intellectual work behind the development of new products, publications, or innovative ideas is vital and …
Continue reading "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS & NATIONAL SECURITY"
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It was the largest battle in the [Vietnam] war in terms of numbers of casualties, and politically it was the most important On the Anniversary of the start of the Tet Offensive of 1968, A BETTER PEACE welcomes retired U.S. Ambassador Jim Bullington to recount the story of the Battle of Huế in Vietnam which …
Continue reading "REFLECTIONS ON THE HUE CITY MASSACRE"
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The relationship is complex because journalists and politicians depend on each other A free and independent media is a hallmark of freedom and provides an important check against government power. Meanwhile, government leaders are invested in pursuing their agenda. This brings about natural tensions between political objectives and the objective truth, and therefore between governments …
Continue reading "ROLES (AND PERILS) OF BEING A WATCHDOG: THE PRESS AND GOVERNMENT"
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As the Campaigns of 1862 move forward, Lee turns to Jackson more and more for counsel A BETTER PEACE continues its Great Captains series with a look at a leadership team, rather than an individual. In this episode, U.S. Army War College Professor of History Christian Keller argues that the strategic teaming of Generals Robert …
Continue reading "THE PARTNERSHIP OF ROBERT E. LEE AND STONEWALL JACKSON (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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The great benefit of looking at John Warden’s system is that it [employed] effects-based objectives [for] attacking an enemy A BETTER PEACE continues the Great Strategists series with a look at the systems-based theory of John Warden III, Colonel, U.S. Air Force retired. Out of the emerging theories of airpower and his own experiences in …
Continue reading "JOHN WARDEN AND THE ENEMY AS A SYSTEM (GREAT STRATEGISTS)"
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[Kotter’s] first step is to establish a sense of urgency. … But then the question I ask the students is, ‘What’s the step that leads to figuring out what’s urgent?’ Why is change hard in military organizations? There’s no question that militaries need to change routinely to sustain the ability to fight and win its …
Continue reading "LEADING AND MANAGING CHANGE: MORE THAN JUST A PROCESS"
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We don’t have a sophisticated genre about what do militaries do in the wake of victory What is the role of the military in consolidating victory? This has been a difficult question at least since World War II and is very salient now. A BETTER PEACE explores this topic with the help of Dr. Wayne …
Continue reading "WHAT DO YOU DO WITH FORCE AFTER YOU WIN?"
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Fundamentally in asymmetric conflicts, the struggle is over information that comes from the [local] population. This is different from the traditional ‘hearts and minds’ view A BETTER PEACE welcomes Jacob Shapiro from Princeton U., co-author of Small Wars, Big Data: The Information Revolution in Modern Conflict. Conventional wisdom in conflict has been that those combatants …
Continue reading "A ‘BIG DATA’ APPROACH TO WINNING THE ASYMMETRIC FIGHT"
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The OODA loop kinda represents how … humans and organizations learn, grow, and survive A BETTER PEACE continues its series on Great Strategists with a look at airpower theorist John Boyd, who conceived of the “OODA” (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act) Loop. Originally expressing an approach to tactical engagement, Boyd later expanded the idea to …
Continue reading "JOHN BOYD AND THE “OODA” LOOP (GREAT STRATEGISTS)"
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You cannot help but approach your sources from your own experiences and backgrounds Our three-part roundtable on the “Lessons” of History concludes as Con Crane, Jacqueline E. Whitt, and Andrew A. Hill discuss the importance of critical thinking for developing historical mindedness. From the subjectivity of first-person accounts to the modern phenomenon of so-called “fake …
Continue reading "DOCUMENTS CAN LIE, TOO: THE “LESSONS” OF HISTORY (PART 3)"
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You cannot help but approach your sources from your own experiences and backgrounds Our three-part roundtable on the “Lessons” of History continues as Con Crane, Jacqueline E. Whitt, and Andrew A. Hill discuss the roles of military historians in professional military education and the practical uses of military history in general. If history doesn’t teach …
Continue reading "JUDGES, NOT LAWYERS: THE “LESSONS” OF HISTORY (PART 2)"
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HISTORY IS NOT A BOX OF FACTS, IT IS A STATE OF MIND History teaches us ____________.” Many listeners have probably heard that opening a few times, usually followed by a claim that is apparently profound and timely, but also probably poorly supported and problematic. Why does this construction persist, then? Is it because of …
Continue reading "“HISTORY TEACHES US” NOTHING: THE “LESSONS” OF HISTORY (PART 1)"
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Every major thread in the world’s wisdom has some aspect of contemplative practice in it How can senior leaders cope with the overwhelming amount of information and constant high demand for complex decision making and action? A recognized barrier is a natural limitation of a leader’s ability to focus on the situation at hand. Instead, …
Continue reading "DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION: WHAT SENIOR LEADERS CAN DO TO IMPROVE FOCUS"
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We definitely want leaders that know how to win A BETTER PEACE welcomes Admiral John Richardson, the 31st Chief of Naval Operations, to present his perspectives on strategic leadership. Admiral Richardson’s talk focuses on the qualities necessary to lead in an environment of growing great power competition — integrity, toughness, accountability, and initiative. How should …
Continue reading "LEADING AND WINNING IN GREAT POWER COMPETITION (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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The Europeans should not be happy about [the US withdrawal] … even if it is a good thing for the U.S. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (also known as INF) has garnered significant attention in the latter half of 2018 as President Trump announced that the US would withdraw from it. But before then, the …
Continue reading "WHY WITHDRAW FROM THE INTERMEDIATE-RANGE NUCLEAR FORCES TREATY?"
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The INF was a successful treaty, in that it was fully implemented. … [and it was] intended not to be easy to pull out The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (also known as INF) has garnered significant attention in the latter half of 2018 as President Trump announced that the US would withdraw from it. But …
Continue reading "LOOKING BACK AT THE INTERMEDIATE-RANGE NUCLEAR FORCES TREATY"
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How do you explain how well-intentioned, patriotic, bright people make poor judgments that lead to so much suffering? Historian and U.S. Naval Academy Professor Brian VanDeMark joins the podcast to discuss his acclaimed new book, Road to Disaster: A New History of America’s Descent into Vietnam. How do advances in cognitive psychology help explain how intelligent, …
Continue reading "AMERICA IN VIETNAM: WHEN THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST GO WRONG"
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Napoleon stands out in history for being an individual who understood the interplay between war and politics WAR ROOM welcomes Lieutenant General Christopher Cavoli, Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army, to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership. In this interview, he uses the examples of prominent historical figures to describe the qualities of …
Continue reading "LEARNING ABOUT LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE CLASSICS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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The promise of much of this outsourcing was to reduce cost. … but the total costs [of all contracts] have gone up. So contracts are not cheaper The joint force has long depended on the private sector to provide necessary goods and services to support and sustain the warfight. This has been true since the …
Continue reading "MILITARY MIGHT AND THE DEFENSE MARKETPLACE"
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At its best, integrating women or any new group of people makes you re-evaluate where the Army is as a whole The current discourse on the inclusion of women in combat roles follows a long history of questions surrounding the roles and restrictions afforded to women in the military. Positive change often came about out …
Continue reading "TRIALS AND ERRORS IN INTEGRATING FEMALE SOLDIERS"
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A day in the Army where you don’t learn something new is a day wasted WAR ROOM welcomes Lieutenant General Wayne Eyre of the Canadian Armed Forces to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership. He focuses most of his comments toward colonels entering the strategic level and the need for them to …
Continue reading "WHAT IT TAKES FOR COLONELS TO BE SUCCESSFUL (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)"
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If you look at all the civil wars over the past two hundred years, you can document foreign fighters in more than a quarter of them Foreign fighters are “individuals who are not citizens of a state where there is a conflict but who travel to that state to become part of the non-government forces …
Continue reading "FOREIGN FIGHTERS ARE NOT FOREIGN TO INSURGENCIES"
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The Navy’s trying to figure out, ‘how can you expand your reach.’ … And in all the agreements that they forge with the studios, at no point is the Navy supposed to be paying for any of this WAR ROOM welcomes Ryan Wadle from Air University to discuss the history of how the war film …
Continue reading "WAR FILMS: COOPERATION AND FRICTION BETWEEN THE MILITARY AND HOLLYWOOD"
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Even a big country like the United States can’t efficiently produce everything we need and want The third and final installment in our economic series focuses on how U.S. post-World War II “leadership” in the international system and burgeoning global economy has shaped U.S. strategy ever since. C. Richard Neu and Joel Hillison discuss how …
Continue reading "HOW US LEADERSHIP OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AFFECTS STRATEGY (ECONOMICS SERIES #3)"
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How do I stay true to two masters–the Army & Air Force, and also the employers? Our series on Senior Leader Perspectives continue with an interview with the 28th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Air Force General Joseph Lengyel. In the past two decades, the roles and commitments of the National Guard have grown …
Continue reading "BALANCING BETWEEN CIVILIAN LIFE AND SERVICE IN THE NATIONAL GUARD"
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There’s twenty-four outcomes that you’re supposed to do, they would come in and go ‘Prove to me your assessment on all twenty-four of these things.’ The 2018 National Defense Strategy includes the following stark assessment of Professional Military Education, or PME: “PME has stagnated, focused more on the accomplishment of mandatory credit at the expense …
Continue reading "DITCH THE CHECKLISTS: LET’S EDUCATE LEADERS!"
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We want … to start the conversation with this current generation of military officers. The half-life of a military officer’s career is pretty short The U.S. military and the militaries of many of its partner nations regard themselves as professional organizations and comrades in the profession of arms. The military is heralded as a profession …
Continue reading "TAKING TIME TO REFLECT ON MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM"
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His strategy was to strike directly at the heart of Rome … [he selected] terrain well and positioned himself in a way that almost secured victory Hannibal Barca (247-183 BC) was a Carthaginian general at a time when the Roman Empire was growing in power and influence across the Mediterranean. Hannibal demonstrated his prowess as …
Continue reading "HANNIBAL AND THE MARCH THROUGH THE ALPS (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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When military historians study battles or campaigns, what purpose does it serve? To immerse oneself deeply in the period and master the details, or to connect events of the past to the present? These and other questions are addressed in this conversation between two renowned military historians--Robert Citino of the World War II Museum and Michael Neiberg of the U.S. Army War College. They also address questions of what constitutes good historical writing and why it is especially important to develop such writing skills today.
The post THE ART OF WRITING HISTORY (ON WRITING) appeared first on War Room - U.S. Army War College.
[Washington] believes that if the Army is forced to disperse in order to feed itself, he will lose this part of the war. The harsh winter of 1777-1778 saw the American Revolution at a crossroads. Despite growing popular support among colonists for independence, the Continental Army was in a difficult state. Battle weary and low …
Continue reading "FROM THE DEAD OF WINTER: WASHINGTON AND VALLEY FORGE"
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He understands the psychology of war matters, and he is intent on trying to get the war over as quickly as possible. We continue our series on Great Captains with a look at William Tecumseh Sherman, one of the more controversial figures in the Civil War due to his actions in the South during the …
Continue reading "WILLIAM T. SHERMAN: THE FIRST ‘MODERN’ GENERAL (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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I wrote to my mother, who was living in France, saying, ‘We’re not going to win this war. We’re making the same mistakes the French made only on a larger scale.’ Every late summer, resident War College students immerse themselves in the Theory of War and Strategy, a challenging core course that covers the fundamentals …
Continue reading "VIETNAM — ONE MARINE’S PERSPECTIVE"
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The real competitive strength of the U.S. is in our [political and economic] system, particularly the interaction between the two. The politics generally keeps its hands off. C. Richard Neu, former economist at RAND and U.S. Army War College Professor Joel Hillison return to the WAR ROOM studio for the second installment of our podcast …
Continue reading "PRESERVING PEACE THROUGH ECONOMIC STRENGTH — ECONOMICS SERIES"
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Young people are capable of extraordinary things as long as they are given the opportunity by the adults in their lives An all-volunteer force depends on the willingness, capabilities, and capacities of a nation’s youth to serve. While much has been made of the paucity of youths who meet the physical and moral qualifications to serve …
Continue reading "WHAT DO WE EXPECT OF OUR YOUTH?"
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They saw airplanes … come into reality as weapon systems … and they became strong advocates. We continue our Great Strategists series with a look at three pioneers of airpower — Giulio Douhet from the Italian Armed Forces, Billy Mitchell of the U.S., and Hugh Trenchard, the “father” of the British Royal Air Force. In …
Continue reading "THREE PIONEERS OF AIRPOWER — GREAT STRATEGISTS"
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Subsequent events after the election seem to bear out that perhaps we do have old wine in new bottles. In February 2018, Chris Wyatt and Jacqueline E. Whitt discussed the Strange Bloodless Coup in Zimbabwe in which Robert Mugabe was quietly deposed and new President Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed power. At the time, there were a …
Continue reading "THE STRANGE BLOODLESS COUP IN ZIMBABWE — SIX MONTHS LATER"
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For the past decade or so, the economics profession has been scratching its head hard to figure out why has [the engine of U.S. production] started to falter? Without question, the state of the U.S. economy shapes the conversation between national leaders and the military over strategies, requirements, and capabilities. But economics is not a …
Continue reading "THE FRAGILITY OF U.S. ECONOMIC PROSPERITY — ECONOMICS SERIES"
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We should focus [artificial intelligence] in assisting and helping us make more timely and effective decisions Artificial intelligence (AI) is making a lot of noise today, what does its continued development mean for national security? Will AI solve problems, or are there important limits to the technology that AI is unlikely to overcome? What should …
Continue reading "WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOLVE OUR NATIONAL SECURITY PROBLEMS, OR CREATE THEM?"
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[The Harold K. Johnson Chair] is an effort to bring civilians into the military in order to chip away at the gap that exists … between the civilian world and the military As a follow-up to her WAR ROOM article on professional military education, former Harold K. Johnson Chair of Military History Dr. Jennifer Mittelstadt …
Continue reading "BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE CIVILIAN WORLD AND THE MILITARY"
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There is one thing for the event to occur; but the manner in which it was handled was more institutionally damning. In a follow-up to his article published in WAR ROOM in June, Richard Lacquement sits down with WAR ROOM Editor-in-Chief Andrew A. Hill to go over the aftermath of My Lai as it continues …
Continue reading "HOW MEMORIES OF MY LAI INFLUENCED MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM"
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Stumbling block number one: You start to believe the hype. … Two: You somehow start to think you deserve it, as opposed to think that you’ve still got to hustle. WAR ROOM welcomes Dr. Rebecca Johnson to discuss her perspectives on strategic leadership as Dean of Academics at the Marine Corps University. Having witnessed many …
Continue reading "“WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THERE” — AND OTHER CAUTIONARY TALES FOR LEADERS"
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The shadow of the First Amendment certainly hovers over the chaplaincy… . Religion has long played an important role in sustaining soldier morale, especially in the front lines of war. But, over the past century many questions have surfaced over how religion is institutionalized in the armed forces. Is the existence of a chaplaincy a …
Continue reading "WHAT IS THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN THE MODERN MILITARY?"
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We are better than we were, in that our communities [and individuals] are more integrated, but not necessarily totally so This podcast is the second of two commemorating the seventieth anniversary of EO 9981 and its influence over the U.S. armed forces today. WAR ROOM welcomes Brigadier General Earl Simms, U.S. Army Retired, whose thirty-three …
Continue reading "EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: WHAT INTEGRATION MEANS FOR TODAY’S MILITARY"
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We are at an all-time high of African-Americans serving at the three-star level, [including two] women. In my thirty-seven years in uniform, I don’t recall that many African-Americans at that most senior level It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all …
Continue reading "EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: DESEGREGATING THE ARMED FORCES"
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The way we should approach this is ‘How do we put ourselves out of a job? How do we make it so logistics is not the operational constraint?’ This is the second of two podcasts discussing U.S. Army War College student and faculty research into Army sustainment. This discussion addresses a study on how to …
Continue reading "SUSTAINMENT IN A FUTURE COMBAT ENVIRONMENT"
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If you go to Disney World, twenty years ago there were no express lines. … Now we have an express pass where you pay a little extra, you get escorted to the front. … What happens if everyone who’s in line needs to get to the front? This is the first of two related podcasts …
Continue reading "CAN ARMY EXPEDITIONARY OPERATIONS BE SUSTAINED?"
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To treat our own time period as though it is somehow exceptional feels intellectually and morally wrong. Do we need a new lexicon or do we already have the right words that we are misapplying? For a quarter century, a popular term to describe the modern strategic environment has been “VUCA,” an acronym meaning “Volatile, …
Continue reading "IS “VUCA” A USEFUL TERM OR IS IT ALL “VUCA’ED” UP?"
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We’re in a support role, and sometimes that’s a little bit challenges for folks to wrap their mind around. In the next release in the ‘Leader Perspectives’ series, WAR ROOM welcomes Brigadier General James Blankenhorn, U.S. Army retired and former Commander of the Command and Control of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Force Alpha. …
Continue reading "WHEN THE MILITARY IS NOT IN CHARGE: DEFENSE SUPPORT TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES"
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We tend to think about ‘strategic leaders’ as people who were successful…. But to me, it is the content of their goals that matter. WAR ROOM welcomes Dr. Sarah Sewall, former Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights under the Obama administration and the inaugural Deputy Assistance Secretary of Defense for Peacekeeping …
Continue reading "WHAT DOES ‘SUCCESS’ MEAN AS A STRATEGIC LEADER?"
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We as American citizens have to re-evaluate … the information we’re getting from social media to inform our understanding of foreign policy and world events. A constructive relationship between policymakers and the public is an important enabler for national security policy. When public opinion opposes options that an Administration wishes or needs to consider, that …
Continue reading "THE MURKY MIX OF MEDIA, PUBLIC OPINION, AND POLICYMAKING"
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The intelligence community typically focuses too much on the here-and-now and urgent, as opposed to the more distant and important future. In this culminating podcast in the Intelligence series, WAR ROOM welcomes former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to discuss the strategic roles of intelligence and his perspectives on themes presented throughout this series. …
Continue reading "WHERE DOES INTELLIGENCE GO FROM HERE? AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CLAPPER"
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You talk about the capabilities of the War College graduates and the ability as a colonel to transfer from being concerned about [one’s unit] into understanding the desires of the entire enterprise WAR ROOM welcomes retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership and the solving of difficult strategic …
Continue reading "STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND CHANGING THE US ARMY IN EUROPE"
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How do we take an institution … that is designed to collect sensitive material and incorporate everything else that is out there [– Journalism, social media, academic literature, etc.]? WAR ROOM welcomes Adam Wasserman, a former political analyst from the Central Intelligence Agency to discuss the particular challenges of conducting strategic intelligence analysis in today’s …
Continue reading "NEEDLES IN HAYSTACKS: ANALYZING TODAY’S FLOOD OF INFORMATION"
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Instead of what the Melian dialogue tells us, which is that ‘Might Makes Right,’ … when it comes to Supreme Command, ‘Right Makes Might.’ Whoever has the superior decisions wins. Science fiction has a long history of helping provide simple explanations for complex phenomena. Few phenomena are as complex, and as elusive, a grand strategy. …
Continue reading "“STAR WARS” AS A LENS FOR GRAND STRATEGY?"
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30 years ago, we still talked about deterrence a lot in this country. We still talked about nuclear weapons in this country. Today, the broader population does not, and therefore part of my job is to make sure that that becomes part of the dialogue again. What happens when an important strategic message is simply …
Continue reading "THE CHALLENGES OF SENIOR LEADER COMMUNICATION"
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It’s silly to expect that intelligence will always get it right. WAR ROOM welcomes Dr. Richard Betts from Columbia University to discuss what success and failure really mean in the intelligence community. For example, when adversaries successfully strike U.S. targets, the results are tragic and are often followed by soul searching and, unfortunately, blame. Success …
Continue reading "STRATEGIC ATTACKS AND THEIR FALLOUT"
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What a President or any other senior leader brings with him or her to office in inevitably a simplified view of how the world works. Is it critical that national leaders have an open mind? Or is it sometimes necessary? In this third episode in the WAR ROOM series on Intelligence, special guest Paul Pillar, …
Continue reading "IMPACT (OR NOT) OF INTEL ON STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING"
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If they come out with an after-action review or lessons learned from Iraq and all it talks about is how officers executed the war, then you know the Army missed an opportunity. WAR ROOM welcomes Command Sergeant Major Christopher Martinez who retired from the U.S. Army after culminating his career as Command Sergeant Major of …
Continue reading "THE SENIOR NCO AS A STRATEGIC LEADER"
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Failure is not just the result of one part of the equation. [Sometimes] you can give the right piece of intelligence and they won’t act on it. What does it take to be a successful intelligence officer or civilian? Or perhaps, what negative traits indicate the likelihood of failure? In this second episode in the …
Continue reading "POLICY SUCCESS VS. INTEL FAILURE?"
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People say, “Well, people break the rules of warfare all the time, so why should we have rules?” Is there an absolute moral and ethical framework that guides forces in war, or is it no more than the rules chosen by the powerful to justify their actions? What is the benefit of such frameworks in …
Continue reading "DO ETHICS MATTER IN WARFARE TODAY?"
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For national security officials who are wading through floods of information, how do they find that nugget, … that piece of information that fits with all the other pieces? What is the role of intelligence in a world where information is everywhere and the global security environment moves and evolves at breakneck speed? Answering this …
Continue reading "THE ROLE OF INTELLIGENCE TODAY"
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A story … breaks down more complicated theoretical concepts into something that is relatable. Among the challenges of educating senior national security professionals is that the dynamics and complexity of the strategic environment inhibits the creation of clean models or simple how-to guides. The context of each problem is different, as even the same type …
Continue reading "MAKING THE CASE FOR THE CASE METHOD"
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Films can bring to life war’s battles, leaders, examples of strategic decisions, and examples of less successful strategic decisions. As Mark Gagnon and Jacqueline E. Whitt show in this presentation, there are many ways that films can be used in professional military education. From learning about strategic decisions and their impacts to broadening the world …
Continue reading "LEARNING STRATEGY THROUGH FILM"
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There’s an old saying, “Command can be lonely.” But it doesn’t have to be. WAR ROOM welcomes Major General Mick Ryan, Australian Army and Commander of the Australian Defense College to the studio to discuss matters of strategic leadership in conjunction with the U.S. Army War College’s annual Strategy Conference. What separates successful strategic leaders …
Continue reading "STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP FROM AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE"
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You assume professional competence at [the strategic] level, … but the more senior you get in the armed forces or defense, the more you are looking for issues of character. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Lieutenant-General Patrick Sanders CBE, DSO of the British Army, who addressed the 2018 resident class of the U.S. Army War …
Continue reading "WHAT DO THE BRITS THINK OF AMERICAN OFFICERS?"
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It is difficult to describe just the unbelievable amount of destruction that Syria has gone through… since 2011. WAR ROOM welcomes Dean of the U.S. Air War College Christopher Hemmer to the studio to explain the historical and present-day contexts of the on-going civil war in Syria. With possibly over 500,000 killed and untold …
Continue reading "THE VEXING AND COMPLEX CIVIL WAR IN SYRIA"
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One in five people on the planet by 2050 will be an African. One in ten will be a Nigerian. You have tremendous potential. … And it all depends on one thing. It’s a question of governance. With North Korea and other national security challenges dominating headlines, Africa is garnering less attention than before. So …
Continue reading "WHAT IS THE STATE OF U.S. RELATIONS WITH AFRICA?"
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The United States says over and over that the U.S. supports a rules-based international order but is not party to one of the most important rules-based [international treaties]. The United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea is an important international agreement from the 1970s that establishes the rights and responsibilities of States engaging …
Continue reading "THE LAW OF THE SEA: PROVIDING ORDER OR INTRUDING ON SOVEREIGNTY?"
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How should Europe respond to a US that might be pivoting away or might not see Europe as useful anymore? There’s a number of camps, one might say. The relationship between US and Europe has faced many stresses and strains over the years, especially in present times as European leaders debate over the transatlantic partnership. …
Continue reading "IS TRANSATLANTICISM DEAD?"
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We need to consider what’s important here. We need to worry … a lot more about protecting our allies Japan and the Republic of Korea. WAR ROOM welcomes Wallace “Chip” Gregson (Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps Retired), former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs and former Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces …
Continue reading "CLOSE FRIEND IN A DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD: ON JAPAN-US RELATIONS"
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The direction that Latin America takes is going to be, of course, up to the people of the region, but the region could look quite differently a year from now. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Eric Farnsworth, Vice President of the Washington Office from the Council of the Americas, to discuss Latin American relationships with …
Continue reading "GOOD (BORDER) FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS? ON THE U.S. AND LATIN AMERICA"
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If [President Mnangagwa] wants a genuine legacy of someone who has restored Zimbabwe to great prominence, he has an opportunity here, but … they have to show us. The elections in South Africa signal a potential turning point in the nation’s politics. Since of end of apartheid, the Africa National Congress, or ANC, has been …
Continue reading "SOUTH AFRICA’S ELECTIONS AND THE MATURING OF DEMOCRACY"
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At the NATO-Warsaw summit [this past year], there was a joint declaration, and I would say a historic [one] between NATO and the EU to decide to work together. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Ludwig Blaurock, Counsellor for Political and Military Affairs, Security and Development Section from Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the …
Continue reading "“UNITED IN DIVERSITY”: THE EUROPEAN UNION LOOKS FORWARD"
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How do you really make a difference to inspire people around you? WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Major General John S. Kem, the 51st Commandant of the U.S. Army War College to discuss leader development. Who does it well, and why is it so hard to do in the Army? What principles can leaders adopt …
Continue reading "HOW DO GREAT STRATEGIC LEADERS DEVELOP OTHERS?"
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Military history has been seen [in India] by the political and academic establishment as a forgettable legacy of our colonial past. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Air Vice Marshal (Dr.) Arjun Subramaniam, who retired from the Indian Air Force after 36 years of service, to provides his perspectives on relationships between India and the U.S., …
Continue reading "PRESERVING MILITARY HISTORY: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE"
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Clausewitz talkS about war being an extension of politics; for criminals, violence is … an extension of the profit motive. Paul Kan and Jacqueline E. Whitt discuss organized crime as an important force in the global security environment. Whether organized criminal activity by large transnational groups or networks of smaller groups perpetrating similar criminal behaviors …
Continue reading "ORGANIZED CRIME: NOT WHAT YOU SEE ON TV"
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If [President Mnangagwa] wants a genuine legacy of someone who has restored Zimbabwe to great prominence, he has an opportunity here, but … they have to show us. For nearly four decades, Robert Mugabe reigned over the African nation of Zimbabwe, a reign that ended as the result of a struggle over his succession followed …
Continue reading "THE STRANGE BLOODLESS COUP IN ZIMBABWE"
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I would urge your listeners … Don’t fall under this illusion that there are easy military answers to difficult geo-political questions. WAR ROOM welcomes Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Boot is a critic of the Trump Administration, and during this …
Continue reading "MAX BOOT ON THE LURE OF SIMPLE MILITARY SOLUTIONS — A PODCAST"
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[COOK SAID,] ‘These faces. I didn’t get to know all their names. They joined my platoon, and many of them were dead by morning.’ For forty-six years after the Korean War, veteran John A. Cook would be haunted by the memories of fighting and of his fellow soldiers being killed or wounded. What is now …
Continue reading "COOK’S ‘MIDNIGHT DRAWINGS’ AND THEIR HAUNTING VIEWS OF WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)"
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What becomes the dominant narrative? [The Vietnam War has] been examined principally through American eyes. The Tet Offensive was an important event during the U.S. war in Vietnam. After three years of direct involvement by U.S. combat troops, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were convinced that the relationship between the U.S. and South Vietnam …
Continue reading "THE TET OFFENSIVE: 50 YEARS LATER"
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Iraqis came up to [COL Rick Schwartz] and said, ‘Thanks for getting rid of Saddam. What do we do now?’ Rick had no answer. That coalition forces were ill-prepared and ill-equipped to secure the peace after capturing Baghdad is well understood. How has the joint community evolved its doctrine and postured itself better to address …
Continue reading "WE WON … NOW WHAT? HOW TO SECURE VICTORY"
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I tell people today that history makes you smarter, but your heritage makes you prouder. The U.S. Army War College routinely hosts senior military and civilian leaders who come to meet and work with faculty and students on matters of national security, strategic leadership, and professional military education. WAR ROOM is pleased to welcome Gen …
Continue reading "PERSPECTIVES ON STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP — GEN. ROBIN RAND, U.S. AIR FORCE GLOBAL STRIKE COMMAND"
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[VON STEUBEN] WAS THE RIGHT MAN AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND THE RIGHT TIME. In the next installment of in our Dusty Shelves series, “Building the Continental Army: Von Steuben’s ‘Blue Book’,” Jack Giblin and Jacqueline E. Whitt tell the story behind the Continental Army’s first training manual. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a …
Continue reading "BUILDING THE CONTINENTAL ARMY: VON STEUBEN’S “BLUE BOOK” (DUSTY SHELVES)"
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This [National Security Strategy] sort of fits the mold, in that it is strong on ends, aspirations, and vision, but vague on ways. In this podcast, four members of the U.S. Army War College engage in dialogue about the Trump Administration’s National Security Strategy (NSS), released in December 2017. Beyond focusing on the content of …
Continue reading "ARMY WAR COLLEGE ROUNDTABLE ON THE NEW(?) NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY"
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Washington [will] realize early on that he is playing a losing hand and has to change how he plays that hand. This inaugural episode of the Great Captains series focuses on George Washington from his early career aspirations as a colonel in the British (!) Army to leadership of the American Revolution. Throughout, Washington’s ability …
Continue reading "GEORGE WASHINGTON: THE LESSONS OF FAILURE (GREAT CAPTAINS)"
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[Operation Christmas Drop] says a great thing about the ability to train and operate in the real world environment. … The humanitarian mission has always been a part of the military. Sometimes great traditions happen by accident or circumstance. Spur of the moment actions by an aircrew in 1952 have grown to become an annual …
Continue reading "OPERATION CHRISTMAS DROP: SPREADING CHEER ACROSS THE PACIFIC"
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This is a hand receipt unlike any other. … Imagine instead of signing for an office key or a computer, … you’ve just taken responsibility for the first atomic weapon. Military historian Con Crane tells the story behind an unusual hand receipt, showing the transfer of responsibility of the components of the ‘Little Boy’ atomic …
Continue reading "RECEIPT: BOMB, ATOMIC, 1 EACH (DUSTY SHELVES)"
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[9/11] was a mixture of the intensity of doing my job with the surreal. Strategic intelligence plays a vital role in the national security policy arena, but it is not well-understood because of its secret nature and the tendency for both policymakers and the public to pay attention to it generally only after a crisis …
Continue reading "HOW STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE HAS CHANGED SINCE 9/11"
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[PRESIDENT TRUMAN] WAS INTERESTED IN TAKING A LOOK AT AMERICA’S POSITION IN THE WORLD. In 1950, competition between the U.S. and its Allies and the Soviet Union was growing in intensity. Concerned over debt and seeming fragility of post-World War II peace, President Truman felt was time to re-examine “our objectives in peace and war …
Continue reading "NSC-68: THE POLICY DOCUMENT THAT SHAPED THE COLD WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)"
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The 2017 release of a television series on Vietnam War from director Ken Burns has renewed interest and controversy surrounding the purpose of the war and its effects. In this podcast, military historian, retired U.S. Army War College professor, and Vietnam veteran Len Fullenkamp presents his perspective on why the U.S. became involved. He also discusses the social and political change that happened at the same time, and how institutions such as education and political structures changed as a result. What does the Vietnam experience teach us about matters of national security policy today? What should military leaders learn from Vietnam so they may better render best military advice to their civilian overseers?
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War Room welcomes Dr. Rob Farley, author of Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force, to discuss and critique the National Security Act of 1947 which included the establishment of an independent Air Force. Was it wise to separate the Air Force from the Army and pursue an unrealized promise of airpower solving national security problems on its own? Is the interservice rivalry that followed more destructive than helpful – and did the Goldwater-Nichols Act do enough to mitigate it? What can one learn from the establishment of an independent air force when considering new or emerging domains such as space or cyber? These and other questions are debated under the moderation of Dr. Mark Duckenfield, Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College.
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In this podcast, military historian Len Fullenkamp reflects on the importance of immersing oneself in the minds of strategic leaders facing dynamic and complex situations. One tool is the staff ride, an opportunity to walk a battlefield and understand the strategic perspective of the leaders prosecuting a campaign. What was the decision made then and what can it teach us about strategic decisions now?
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The Arctic may be a very cold region, but in matters of national security today it is a hot topic. War Room welcomes guest podcaster Dr. Dawn Berry, a renowned expert in the Arctic region. She presents the geographic perimeter of U.S. security interests from the late 19th to early 20th century, which includes far-flung and diverse locations such as Greenland and the Virgin Islands. Presently, both get a lot of attention due to their historical strategic importance, such as Greenland's special minerals and Virgin Islands' proximity. How important is this region to U.S. interests today?
War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.
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War Room welcomes our distinguished guest, Brigadier General Emmaneul Kotia, Deputy Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Ghana. BG Kotia stopped by while visiting War Colleges in the U.S. to discuss opportunities for further collaboration in peace operations and training. In this podcast, BG Kotia explains the roles and offerings from the KAIPTC and addresses the complexity of peace operations in Africa, such as the high number of disparate factions usually involved in conflicts and the challenge of brokering peace agreements so the peacekeepers can operate under clear guidance and rules of engagements. Brian Foster from the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute moderates.
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Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway assumed command of Eighth U.S. Army after it had been driven south in the early phases of the Korean War. Faced with a broken and dispirited force, Ridgway had to turn the situation around quickly. His memorandum of January 1951, “Why We Are Here,” was a message to the troops about what was at stake, and embodied his belief in the cause and faith in the fighting spirit of the force. In six months, a rejuvenated Eighth U.S. Army had driven the Chinese north of the 38th parallel. It is one of the great stories of U.S. military history.
This inaugural episode of the Dusty Shelves series, Army historian Con Crane and War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt present the memorandum and the story of Lieutenant General Ridgway. The memorandum, displayed and transcribed below, comes from the collection of Ridgway’s papers available at the Army Heritage and Education Center.
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War Room welcomes special guest Martin Lacourt, the senior armed forces delegate to the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) regional delegation to the US and Canada. In addition to discussing the role the ICRC plays in monitoring conflict and protecting human rights and dignity during war, M. Lacourt also discusses the relationship that the ICRC has had with the U.S. military, a relationship that has grown since the turn of the 21st Century. He discusses the urgency of keeping the laws of warfare current and relevant in today’s dynamic and increasingly dangerous world, and offers advice for strategic leaders on how to properly engage with international actors. War Room associate editor Ryan McCannell moderates.
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Josh Kennedy and Buck Haberichter the popular but wrong perception that special operations forces are capable of resolving all national security dilemmas without the need for conventional forces. The elite selection process, specialized training, and long history of success are what make special operations forces ‘special.’ But, as the podcasters explain, they are neither superhuman nor endowed with magical powers. Yet they are often treated that way, viewed as a simple and cheap solution to the thorny problems of the world. Listen in as the podcasters discuss the effects this misperception has on strategic decisionmaking, resourcing, and civil-military relations. Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.
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In this War Room podcast, Ambassador Alexander M. Laskaris, current civilian deputy to the commander, reflects on the uniqueness of the command and growing importance of interagency cooperation, a hallmark of AFRICOM’s first decade. Along with reflections on strategic leadership, Ambassador Laskaris discusses the challenges of AFRICOM’s identity between being a 'hard power' warfighting command and a 'soft power' organization focused on preventing war and building security capacity. War Room associate editor Ryan McCannell hosts.
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In this fourth episode of War Room’s special series on Great Strategists, Patrick Bratton explores Alfred Thayer Mahan's The Influence of Seapower upon History and its relevance to the 21st century. Writing at the turn of the 20th century, Mahan was explicitly thinking about the role of sea power for the United States as it emerged onto the world stage, and his ideas, though very influential at the time, have fallen somewhat out of favor in more recent thinking about sea power. Mahan's emphasis on big fleets and decisive battles have led some to dismiss Mahan as hopelessly out of date, but Mahan was also writing about broader political questions about the maritime domain. And in the 21st century, rising powers, particularly in Asia, are reading Mahan quite seriously, so it remains a text worth reading and exploring seriously. War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.
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In this War Room podcast, War Room Editor-in-Chief Andrew Hill sits down with Professor of Behavioral Sciences Steve Gerras to discuss critical thinking, a key skill that senior leaders should develop. Gerras argues that it is, indeed, possible to improve one’s ability to think with training and practice—even while recognizing that doing so can be counterintuitive, unappreciated, and difficult. Gerras and Hill discuss the problems of confirmation bias, fake news, and clarified concern, and how we can learn to combat these problems by seeking out disconfirming information, using Wikipedia and the Internet to our advantage, and thinking more deeply about problem design and construction.
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In this third episode of War Room’s special series on Great Strategists, Larry Goodson presents the writings of Kautilya, who is lesser known to military audiences that Clausewitz or Sun Tzu. As counsel to a young emporer in 4th century BCE India, Kautilya developed and published the earliest known works explaining the international relations philosophy known today as realism. ‘Conquer or be conquered’ and ‘the friend of my enemy is my enemy’ are among the teachings originating from the Arthashastra, a collection of 14 books that covered matters of both military and civilian governance.
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In “Sun Tzu and the Art of War,” Paul Kan explains the impacts of Sun Tzu’s famed treatise on war. Although little is known about Sun Tzu, The Art of War has been applied to many contemporary contexts from sports to relationships. Military educators often align this book with unconventional war in contrast to the supposed conventional war teachings of Carl von Clausewitz. The podcasts explore the impacts of the book and compare it to those of other Chinese philosophies of the time.
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This podcast is the first episode of a War Room special series featuring some of history’s greatest strategists. Featured is Carl von Clausewitz, famed for his book On War (Vom Kriege) which is a staple of professional military education in the U.S. and many partner nations. This is remarkable given that the original text of On War is an unfinished manuscript published posthumously by his wife Marie. Clausewitz scholar Vanya Eftimova Bellinger and War Room podcast editor Jacqueline Whitt explore the book’s major theses and implications they present for modern scholars and practitioners of strategy.
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In this War Room podcast, “Time as a Dimension of Strategy,” Joe Brooks and Doug Douds take a critical look at concepts that may too often be taken for granted in strategy – time and space. Drawing from philosophy, political science, and culture, the podcasters discuss a range of perspective on how time and space have defined and measured throughout history. How do our understandings of time shape our strategy? And how do we develop strategies that shape an environment occupied by those whose perspectives on time differ?
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In this War Room Podcast, “Why War Colleges?” Andrew A. Hill interviews the 50th Commandant of the U.S. Army College, U.S. Army Major General Bill Rapp to discuss the history, roles, and responsibilities of war colleges to develop future strategic leaders, both military and civilian, and to develop ideas that address current and future needs of the defense enterprise. They explore why the Army’s performance during the Spanish-American War necessitated the Army War College’s founding, and how it has evolved in the century since.
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Don Snider reflects on his experiences in the drafting of the 1988 National Security Strategy (NSS) and what purpose that document serves. With Matt Scalia interviewing, Don describes the political context within which the NSS was written and the five audiences that the NSS must serve. He also discusses the challenges facing new Administrations in building political consensus and forging strategies that reflect the preferred agenda of the President.
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In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the “One Belt, One Road” strategy as a national effort ostensibly to improve the economic integration and regional security of the Eurasian landmass. Also known as the “Belt and Road Initiative,” the strategy emphasizes development projects within underdeveloped east European and Asian nations. However, critics question both the motivations of the Chinese and the potentially low returns on investment. So why are the Chinese pursuing this? Join the podcast as Rakesh Kapoor and Paul Kan explore this question.
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The defense acquisition system has been the subject of much controversy and criticism. From the “Sisyphus Paradox” to more recent studies on defense acquisition reform, critics have complained about the process of acquisition being too slow and cumbersome. But far less attention has been given to the strategy of acquisition. How should defense leaders make investment choices that address shorter-term needs while preserving long-term opportunities? Mark Kappelmann and Andrew Hill provide analysis and offer ideas and recommendations in this War Room Podcast.
Watch Colonel Mark Kappelmann in a panel discussion on military innovation at the Center for New American Security.
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In this War Room Podcast, Jamaican Defense Force Colonel Jaimie Ogilvie discusses with U.S. Army War College faculty member Dr. Paul Kan the challenges of foreign fighters operating within the Caribbean, the “third border” of the U.S. as named by former President G. W. Bush. By foreign fighters, Colonel Ogilvie refers to the David Malet's definition from his book Foreign Fighters: Transnational Identity in Civic Conflicts, "a non-citizen of a state experiencing civil conflict or arrives from another state to join a civil insurgency." This definition differs from more common usage which treats foreign fighters as a type of terrorist.
They explore the broad range of reasons why individuals become foreign fighters; the impact of foreign fighters on the economically fragile states in the Caribbean, particularly on tourism; and the potential expansion of violent extremist organizations into the region. They also discuss why the U.S. should be concerned about the presence and activities of foreign fighters so close to its homeland, and that the U.S. should assist its Caribbean partners as many lack the resources to deal with the problem themselves.
Colonel Ogilvie is Jamaican’s first officer to attend the U.S. Army War College, and the podcast is based on his strategy research project in satisfaction of resident program requirements. Each year, the U.S. Army War College resident class includes over 75 international officers from 70 different partner nations all over the globe.
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