School of War

Stephen Rabe, historian and author of The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village, joins the show to discuss one of the countless, incredible stories from D-Day.  ▪️ Times      •      01:18 Introduction     •      01:25 Marine        •      02:50 Origins      •      06:48 Normandy     •      09:29 507th           •      15:20 Training     •      18:23 Overlord           •      21:21 The Villagers        •      25:20 A change in plans      •      30:07 HQ Battalion     •      36:17 Armageddon           •      39:00 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division       •      44:01 Staying behind     •      46:37 Return       Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Fred Kagan, senior fellow and the director of the Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins the show to discuss Ukraine's drone operation targeting Russia's strategic air assets.  ▪️ Times      •      01:46 Introduction     •      02:25 What just happened?        •      07:48 Escalation risk      •      10:20 Control     •      12:39 Implications           •      21:10 Stratagems     •      24:04 Effects           •      30:40 Economic pressure        •      37:20 Continuing operations  Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Lt. Col. Zachary Griffiths & Maj. McKinsey Harb joined the show to discuss the U.S. Army's new Field Manual 1, FM 1 -THE ARMY: A PRIMER TO OUR PROFESSION OF ARMS.  ▪️ Times      •      01:22 Introduction     •      01:51 West Point        •      05:43 Culture shift      •      08:50 FM 1     •      12:00 Ben Salomon           •      18:06 Warrior     •      24:04 Tensions           •      31:05 Recruiting       •      35:18 Leader/follower      •      42:19 Mission command      

Rick Atkinson, historian and author of The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780, joins the show to discuss the causes, conduct, and epic consequences of the American Revolution.   ▪️ Times      •      02:08 Introduction     •      02:21 Journalism        •      04:30 Mogadishu      •      09:30 Lessons     •      12:49 Ideology           •      16:36 Diplomacy     •      20:21 Boston           •      22:59 “Blows must decide”       •      28:05 British strategy      •      31:27 Washington          •      36:49 Franklin in Paris     •      41:15 Friendless Britain           •      45:57 Legacy     •      51:24 250th Celebration  Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Jonathan Hackett, former U.S. Marine Corps interrogator and author of Theory of Irregular War, joins the show to discuss America's post-9/11 wars and how irregular warfare works.  ▪️ Times      •      01:12 Introduction     •      01:30 A good interrogator       •      03:26 Afghanistan     •      06:15 In the interrogation room       •      12:10 The Reid Technique         •      14:27 Galula     •      17:10 A military solution           •      23:32 Voluntary acceptance       •      25:34 Irregular War      •      28:20 The war we have          •      31:33 COIN     •      36:10 Speaking the language       Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Robert D. Kaplan, Robert Strausz-Hupé Chair in Geopolitics at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and author of Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis, joins the show to discuss the world's current state of “permanent crisis”.  ▪️ Times      •      01:40 Introduction     •      02:00 Far Rockaway      •      04:55 Balkan Ghosts     •      08:20 Geography and technology       •      10:55 Weimar         •      13:43 Mediocrities     •      17:44 Reading deeply           •      20:30 Shakespeare       •      23:20 Where to watch      •      26:59 Xi and Taiwan          •      28:39 Sacred honor     •      31:22 Post-modern cities        •      33:28 AI and atrophy     Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Mick Ryan, retired major general in the Australian Army and author of  The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire, joins the show to discuss the evolving battlefield and cycles of change and innovation going on in Ukraine.  ▪️ Times      •      01:35 Introduction     •      02:17 Touring the front      •      05:11 No place safe     •      07:01 Change       •      11:24 Wire guided drones        •      15:31 Task organization        •      20:38 Drone defense          •      22:49 Is artillery dead?     •      26:39 Rethinking procurement      •      30:34 2014          •      33:07 Putin's objectives     •      36:05 Formula for ceasefire        •      38:02 A just solution        •      39:41 Surprise is alive and well      Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Thomas Bruscino, professor at the U.S. Army War College, and Mitchell G. Klingenberg, assistant professor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, join the show to discuss their article "Making War Upon the Map" The U.S. Army's Forgotten Map Problem, Meade's Gettysburg Campaign, and Depicting Operational Art.  ▪️ Times      •      02:05 Introduction     •      03:12 What's missing?      •      06:17 A modern problem     •      09:27 Meade takes command       •      11:29 Seeing both sides        •      15:41 South Mountain        •      22:54 Lee's mistakes           •      30:11 Meade's good choices      •      36:32 Mapping in 2025     •      41:51 Visualization          •      47:37 Developing doctrine Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

John Hillen, James C. Wheat Professor in Leadership at Hampden-Sydney College and author of The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management, joins the show to talk about how to think strategically in war, business, and life. ▪️ Times      •      01:55 Introduction     •      02:31 An Army start      •      05:17 Cold War ends     •      10:14 The Gulf         •      13:15 Changing styles        •      18:00 73 Easting       •      22:59 Policy and business           •      26:09 Strategos      •      29:04 In the doing     •      32:17 Inside out & outside in         •      36:41 Seeking horizons      •      42:22 Goals are not strategy     •      43:42 Call of Duty        Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Moyar, William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College and author of Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968,  joins the show to explain the major inflection points of the Vietnam War. ▪️ Times      •      01:58 Introduction     •      02:47 The “orthodox view”      •      05:51 Dominos     •      08:41 A Maoist vision         •      12:42 1963        •      15:30 Henry Cabot Lodge       •      21:10 Slow erosion           •      24:57 Ground troops      •      30:10 Morale     •      33:39 Nixon in office         •      37:30 Triangular diplomacy      •      39:31 Vietnamization fails      •      43:09 American mistakes          •      47:31 Wanting out      •      50:10 Aftermath   Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Douglas Murray, journalist and author of On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization, joins the show for a wide ranging conversation that covers Death Cults, anti-Semitism, and recent shifts in the Right. ▪️ Times      •      01:42 Introduction     •      03:00 9/11 origins      •      09:50 It's not 1939     •      13:45 Death cults         •      19:16 “I'm not a fascist, I'm an idealist.”        •      23:51 Vasily Grossman       •      37:05 What's going on with the Right?          •      49:07 Nostalgia for the absolute      •      54:10 Regaining balance   Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Raymond Jonas, Jon Bridgman Endowed Professor in History at the University of Washington and author of Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Empire, joins the show to discuss a failed-but-spectacular 19th Century attempt by European powers to undermine the Monroe Doctrine. ▪️ Times      •      01:42 Introduction     •      03:31 Transatlantic relations      •      05:20 Europe distracted     •      08:39 Secession and unrest        •      12:46 Maximillian I        •      17:55 Continental powers      •      20:01 Britain, France and Spain         •      26:13 What the Americans did right      •      28:23 Napoleon III     •      30:09 Mexico and the Confederacy         •      35:20 Slavery adjacent       •      38:46 What went wrong         •      42:07 Benito Juarez    •       44:33 Maximillian's execution    •       46:20 European alarm Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and host of The Iran Breakdown podcast, joins the show to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, where things stand with the Trump administration's pursuit of a deal, and the prospects of an Israeli attack. ▪️ Times      •      01:33 Introduction     •      02:04 Beginnings      •      04:25 A weapon is the purpose     •      07:31 Enrichment        •      12:32 JCPOA        •      16:54 “The worst deal…”      •      18:46 Can Iran reach the U.S.?         •      23:53 Dismantle the program      •      29:01 Splitscreen     •      34:09 Risky and futile        •      41:02 Pacing   Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute, joins the show to discuss “restraintism” as a factor in Trump's choices in the Middle East. ▪️ Times      •      01:46 Introduction     •      02:20 What is it?      •      05:01 Left, right, center      •      06:56 Syria '07        •      11:47 Iraq Study Group        •      17:21 Populist expression      •      27:34 Balance         •      30:20 Obama v Trump      •      34:56 Oscillation     •      42:16 Back to JCPOA?         •      45:49 Snapback      •      47:44 Syria '25     •      52:09 Iran and Turkey Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Lord Andrew Roberts, the Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and chair of the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, joins the show to discuss October 7th revisionism, the potency of antisemitism, and the strange effort to reinterpret World War II. ▪️ Times      •      01:56 Introduction     •      02:35 Why?      •     03:48 No room for debate      •      05:34 Not “accidental”        •     16:13 Cooper's conclusions        •      20:13 Peace with Hitler      •      22:53 Destroying the foundation         •      25:06 Free speech     •      27:39 Gaza endgame Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Jonathan Horn, former White House speechwriter and author of The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines, joins the show to discuss the defeats, victories, and legacies of Douglas MacArthur and Jonathan Wainwright, the highest-ranking American POW of WWII. ▪️ Times      •      01:56 Introduction     •      04:36 Arthur MacArthur      •      09:33 The Philippines      •      16:13 Wainwright        •      18:20 War Plan Orange        •      27:06 Crisis      •      32:34 MacArthur leaves         •      35:20 Bataan and surrender        •      43:18 Captivity      •      48:34 Postwar  Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and co-author of No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy, joins the show to discuss Beijing-Moscow cooperation and the prospects of the U.S. driving a wedge between them. ▪️ Times      •      02:05 Introduction     •      02:21 Sino-Soviet split      •     06:20 Spheres of influence      •      09:17 Domination       •     13:20 Stabilizing effect        •      22:15 Xi & Putin      •      28:19 Pacific expansion         •      35:20 More resources       •      41:06 America in, Russians out, Germans down Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Walter Russell Mead, Alexander Hamilton Professor of Strategy and Statecraft at the University of Florida's Hamilton Center and columnist for The Wall Street Journal, joins the show to talk about the role of economic issues in Trump's strategic views. ▪️ Times      •      01:34 Introduction     •      04:09 Mercantilism & physiocracy      •      08:50 Silicon Valley      •      14:01 Coalitions       •      16:26 How things worked        •      22:52 Post-war policy & China      •      33:17 Tariffs         •      42:50 Executive overreach      •      45:53 The dollar  Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Lara Burns, retired FBI Special Agent and head of terrorism research at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, joins the show to talk about how Islamist groups operate in the United States. ▪️ Watch the interview on YouTube - Ep 185: Lara Burns on the Hamas Threat in America ▪️ Times      •      01:32 Introduction     •      01:48 Terrorism squad     •     03:10 The Muslim Brotherhood     •      06:20 Hamas      •     14:26 The money        •      26:03 Oppressors      •      32:39 American Muslims for Palestine       •     35:18 All connected        •      43:07 Information campaign      •      50:19 Understanding      •      55:01 Fighting back Follow along on Instagram and on X @schoolofwarpod Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Alexander Burns, Assistant Professor of History at Franciscan University and author of Infantry in Battle 1733-1783 (From Reason to Revolution), joins the show to talk about how combat evolved in the decades between Marlborough and Napoleon. ▪️ Times      •     01:45 Introduction     •     02:19 1733     •     06:20 Infantry in battle     •     10:54 Achieving results       •     14:19 Tactical effectivness         •     18:40 Prussia       •     24:17 More than fear       •     29:45 Early nationalism        •     33:12 American evolution      •     38:50 Drones and prestige Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Tom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas and author of Seven Things You Can't Say About China, joins the show to talk about the CCP's global designs. ▪️ Times      •      01:48 Introduction     •      02:30 Paying attention     •     05:38 Bipartisan     •      08:38 Early days       •     13:54 Strategic delays         •      16:13 An evil empire       •      18:45 “What's it to us?”       •     22:04 Lynchpin        •      25:24 Splitting the axis      •      28:39 China and Ukraine     •      34:00 More dangerous Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Sean McMeekin, Professor of European History and Culture at Bard College and author of To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism, joins the show to talk about Communist approaches to foreign policy and war. ▪️ Times      •      01:35 Introduction     •      02:39 Communism and war     •     11:02 Giving history a shove        •      16:41 Lenin's vision       •     20:55 A united front         •      25:54 Infiltration       •      28:45 Stalin at the helm       •     34:51 Ups and downs        •      41:10 Driving a wedge      •      43:37 “We resemble them more than they resemble us…” Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Michael Cook, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and author of A History of the Muslim World: From Its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity, joins the show to discuss the sudden, explosive Arab expansion of the 7th century.  ▪️ Times      •     01:46 Introduction     •     03:05 Sources     •     04:42 War and politics        •     07:32 Grass and sand       •     09:30 Self-defense         •     12:21 Ibn Khaldun      •     16:11 An Arab identity       •     18:45 Knock on effects        •     26:40 Two targets      •     28:32 The Arab way of war       •     34:50 Coming out of the desert        •     38:48 Civil war      •     42:27 Jihad Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Stephen Kotkin, Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins the show to discuss how both sides have lost the Ukraine War, and the risks of various routes to peace. ▪️ Times      •      02:47 Pressuring Putin     •      12:50 A new path     •     17:07 Avoiding a debacle        •      32:43 Friends     •     38:30 Realignment     •      46:58 Articulating strategy Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Phillips O'Brien, chair of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews and author of The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler--How War Made Them and How They Made War, joins the show to discuss the nature of strategic decision making in World War II and beyond. ▪️ Times      •      01:50 Introduction     •      02:48 Germany 1st debunked     •     06:50 A matter of choices       •      08:20 Management styles       •     11:23 FDR the navalist        •      14:42 Strategic balance     •      16:52 The British Empire       •      18:58 Churchill the shapeshifter          •      26:42 Britain's place     •      29:22 Casablanca      •      33:54 Making Hitler     •      38:43 Firepower + racial superiority      •      42:41 Delaying defeat     •      44:55 A childish view of war      •      46:50 Human decisions     •      48:28 Stalin the survivor     •      51:30 “Not nice people” Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD and retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, joins the show to discuss how prepared (or ill-prepared) the U.S. is for cyber warfare. ▪️ Times      •      03:24 Introduction     •      04:20 America: A Target Rich Environment     •     05:59 Cyber and mobilization       •      08:35 What actually happens?      •      11:36 Automation        •      16:18 Salt and volt typhoon     •      22:04 Continuity of the economy       •      28:33 Offense         •      35:05 Cyber responses     •      38:43 Public opinion      •      41:43 Defense of the homeland     •      49:30 A new kind of leader Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Christopher Kolakowski, director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and editor of Tenth Army Commander: The World War II Diary of Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., joins the show to discuss the most senior U.S. officer killed by enemy action in WWII, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.  ▪️ Times      •      01:44 Introduction     •      02:15 In the shadows     •     03:53 Fathers and sons      •      06:28 Childhood      •      09:30 West Point Commandant of Cadets        •      16:03 Alaska '41     •      20:18 The Japanese threat      •      24:20 10th Army        •      29:03 Notes for an unwritten memoir     •      31:02 Operation Causeway     •      35:47 Okinawa     •      41:52 Attrition     •      43:50 Another Anzio?     •      50:57 Homeward bound Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King's College London and author of The Guarded Age: Fortification in the Twenty-First Century, joins the show to discuss how fortification is alive, well, and everywhere.  ▪️ Times      •      01:22 Introduction     •      01:53 A default condition     •     13:20 Why is that there?      •      22:13 Alexandrian foundations      •      28:50 Security and mobility         •      39:53 The pendulum swings     •      48:54 Intrigue   Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army and author of War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, joins the show to discuss future-war fiction and the possible futures of current wars. ▪️ Times      •      01:23 Introduction     •      02:10 Tom Clancy     •     05:40 Accessibility      •      07:14 The Battle of Dorking      •      09:57 White Sun War        •      13:39 Diplomatic failures     •      15:40 Friction      •      18:50 Israel transformed        •      23:00 Existential threats     •      25:25 Ukraine     •      32:31 Pressuring Putin        •      35:01 Taiwan and Japan Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, joins the show to discuss the continued relevance of geopolitics. ▪️ Times      •      01:29 Introduction     •      01:54 Twentieth century     •     03:29 Advent of geopolitical theory     •      07:08 Land versus sea      •      13:09 Authoritarianism        •      17:40 Struggle for power     •      20:30 Burdens of defense      •      23:25 Eurasia        •      27:50 Different politics     •      36:09 “…a kind of American realism”  Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Tom Karako, Senior Fellow and Director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, joins the show to discuss what President Trump's executive order on missile defense portends. ▪️ Times      •      01:15 Introduction     •      02:08 Dawn of missile defense      •     05:50 Ups and downs     •      10:40 Arguments against      •      14:50 Capabilities       •      18:45 A layered defense     •      22:20 Cost      •      26:42 Tried and tested       •      28:21 A “Pearl Harbor” Pearl Harbor  Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Eric Chewning and Thomas Moore of HII join the show to discuss America's military shipbuilding challenges, and their potential solutions. ▪️ Times      •      01:32 Introduction     •      01:55 Origins      •     07:08 An eroded defense industrial base      •      10:20 Shipbuilding in 2025       •      17:11 Deindustrialization       •      21:46 Learning curves     •      27:00 Contract economics      •      32:26 Japan and South Korea       •      37:39 Thinking about the whole problem        •      39:03 Manned and unmanned        •      42:25 Force protection      •      45:06 Soft kills and hard kills Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Diana Mara Henry and Gabe Scheinmann join the show to discuss the new book I Am André: German Jew, French Resistance Fighter, British Spy, which charts the astonishing, brave, and tragic World War II career of ‘André' Joseph Scheinmann. ▪️ Times      •      01:50 Introduction     •      03:01 The story of a fighter      •     09:26 Born in Munich        •      11:87 Citizen without a country      •      17:08 Liaison to the High Command       •      21:46 MI6       •      25:20 Spycraft      •      30:27 London and capture      •      36:31 Interrogation       •      42:52 Max and Regina       •      46:40 Natzweiler      •      52:29 Dachau      •      55:30 America     •      01:01:17 “Jews as fighters” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Evan Mawdsley, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and author of Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory, joins the show to discuss the successful 1944 U.S. naval campaign through the Central Pacific in World War II. ▪️ Times      •      01:36 Introduction     •      02:27 The Central Pacific      •      11:15 Carrier air power      •     14:31 Embracing the task force        •      20:00 Replenishment at sea      •      24:28 A campaign for airbases      •      27:56 Limiting loss       •      33:38 Spruance & Mitscher      •      38:36 Japanese defense doctrine      •      45:58 Parallels today     Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Dmitry Filipoff, associate research analyst at the Center for Navy Analyses, joins the show to discuss the U.S. Navy surface component and the grave challenges it faces. ▪️ Times      •      01:19 Introduction     •      02:09 Lessons from the Red Sea      •      06:35 Friendly fire       •      10:55 Depletion        •      13:45 2027       •      18:07 How do fleets fight?      •      21:47 Scope and scale        •      24:57 “Catastrophic destruction”      •      29:00 The first few hours     •      34:30 Scripted exercises          •      37:15 Managing the chaos      •      41:34 Failing constructively   Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow, China Studies, at the National Bureau of Asian Research and author of Mapping China's Strategic Space, joins the show to discuss how to better understand the geopolitical premises of China's strategic elites. ▪️ Times      •      01:36 Introduction     •      02:04 Strategic space      •      05:05 Mao's strategic vision       •      11:12 Origin points       •      17:10 Geopolitical dimensions      •      20:25 Finding answers      •      26:35 Encirclement        •      33:55 Core interests      •      38:56 China's end goal      •      45:37 Multilateralism        •      49:04 Risk and overextension  Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Dan Blumenthal and Kyle Balzer, co-authors of The True Aims of China's Nuclear Buildup for Foreign Affairs, join the show to discuss the geopolitical implications of China's increasing and diversifying nuclear arsenal.  ▪️ Times      •      01:24 Introduction     •      02:40 China's buildup      •      05:05 American perception       •     07:28 What is nuclear strategy?        •      11:49 Geopolitical vision      •      16:28 Shaping the world order      •      18:41 Restoring American credibility       •      25:10 Imagining failure      •      30:24 Prospects Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Rachel Kousser, professor of Classics and Art History at the City University of New York and author of Alexander at the End of the World, joins the show to talk about the violent, brilliant, complex career of Alexander the Great. ▪️ Times      •      01:27 Introduction     •      01:59 Early years and conquest     •      05:45 Pragmatic opportunist       •     09:20 Persepolis burning        •      11:48 Darius      •      14:36 Alexander in the field      •      19:30 Understanding the geography       •      25:56 Dreamer      •      29:50 “A war of choice…”     •      32:57 Building something new      •      34:36 Breaking point       •      38:00 King with consent      •      41:48 Harnessing strength Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies, joins the show to explain the broken Defense Department acquisition process and how he believes it can be fixed. ▪️ Times      •      01:24 Introduction     •      01:39 Employee #13      •      03:14 Palantir      •      06:22 Monopsony       •      11:18 Messy and chaotic      •      14:40 Dual purpose companies      •      17:18 The buying process      •      23:50 Pushback     •      25:59 Competing efforts     •      27:37 Heretics and heroes      •      31:22 Thinking about future war       •      35:05 A changing selection criteria      •      36:47 “The future is software defined”   Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Dubowitz, chief executive officer of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to break down the collapse of the Assad regime and the implications for Israel, Turkey, and Iran. ▪️ Times      •      01:23 Introduction     •      02:49 What happened?       •      05:04 Rebels      •     08:17 Risk assessment       •      11:30 Factions     •      17:10 Extremists and radicals      •      19:15 “Our enemies lie to us…”       •      24:19 Defensive reshuffle     •      29:11 Nuclear Iran     •      34:59 A powerful message     •      42:40 Striking power       •      47:27 A new “Ring of Fire” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Host Aaron MacLean recently embedded with the Israeli Defense Forces and saw firsthand Israel's war with Iranian proxy groups Hezbollah and Hamas. What lessons can Americans learn from Israel's year of fighting for its survival?  ▪️ Times    •      03:28 The North      •    04:26 Metula      •    07:45 Yishai     •    10:00 Realities and misconceptions       •    18:06 Stalemate     •    22:33 Shaping the fight      •    40:00 Reconnaissance-strike complex       •    46:38 Dotan Razili     •    50:50 Iron Dome in action     •    54:43 Sarit Zehavi     •    1:11:01 Hezbollah defeated       •    1:12:58 “Knowing but not understanding” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Michael Leggiere, Professor of Humanities at the University of Florida and editor of War Studies Journal 1, joins the show to discuss the sad state of military history in higher education. ▪️ Times      •      01:17 Introduction      •      02:48 Military history in academia      •      03:53 PME      •     05:22 What is “new” military history?       •      11:55 “History shouldn't be a mystery”     •      17:55 The Journal     •      20:45 Suggested pieces       •      24:32 Napoleon       •      26:58 Lee Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow at AEI and author of Keeping Up with the Pacing Threat: Unveiling the True Size of Beijing's Military Spending, joins the show to discuss the dire situation the U.S. defense budget is in.  ▪️ Times      •      01:22 Introduction      •      02:48 Keeping up      •      05:26 China's spending      •     10:01 Equipment costs       •      13:46 “Stealing our stuff”     •      18:25 5 alarm fire     •      20:32 U.S. budget truths       •      24:50 BCA 101      •      31:32 Today or tomorrow      •      39:23 Defense is cheaper, not better     •      43:21 Solutions   Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Thomas Barfield, Professor and Chairman of the Anthropology Department at Boston University and author of Shadow Empires: An Alternative Imperial History, joins the show to discuss empire.   ▪️ Times      •      01:15 Introduction      •      03:20 Understanding Afghanistan      •      05:15 Classifying empires      •     09:59 Failures and features       •      12:24 Borders     •      15:30 Exogenous empires     •      21:36 Brits and Athenians       •      26:40 Vulture empires      •      32:21 Taking responsibility      •      37:15 Empires of nostalgia     •      44:50 Vacuum empires       •      51:05 American/Athenian policy      •      54:53 China and empire today Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Rebecca Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of Duty to Deter: American Nuclear Deterrence and the Just War Doctrine, joins the show to make the moral argument for why the United States should modernize and grow its nuclear arsenal.  ▪️ Times      •      01:15 Introduction      •      01:48 A net good     •      04:50 Tactical nuclear weapons     •     10:25 The argument of disarmament      •      14:03 Cold War strategy     •      19:53 Capability and will     •      26:06 Downside of “no first use”       •      32:03 The nuclear triad      •      37:20 Russia and China      •      40:56 The moral argument Follow along  on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

Randall Schriver, Chairman of the Board at The Project 2049 Institute, and Dan Blumenthal, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, join the show to discuss a road map for economic competition—and warfare—between the U.S. and China.  ▪️ Times      •      01:55 Introduction      •      02:30 Planning for economic warfare     •      06:27 Endstate     •     10:18 Leadership     •      12:21 NSDD     •      14:59 Starting points     •      17:10 Decoupling       •      20:03 Where is the stuff coming from?      •      23:50 Degrading the Chinese economy      •      27:33 A dream of cooperation     •      32:17 Slow the growth     •      36:08 Wargaming       •      41:41 Protraction     •      44:49 International and Congressional concerns Click the link to read the report - DEFEATING THE CCP A RUNNING START Follow along  on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack