Podcasts about Civil affairs

Ad astra Travelers! Welcome to another episode of Tales of Teyvat: A Genshin Lore Podcast. This week, we're discussing the mysterious person in the shadows as we hunt for intel with Yelan! After our hosts discuss Yelan's Aventurine spirit, popping lip gloss, and involvement in the Twink Tank, they discuss their initial thoughts on Yelan's character. Afterwards, our hosts discuss Yelan's addiction to danger, main character energy, and connection to gambling. Later, we review her story quest and the drama that ensues with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, her involvement in the Perilous Trail chasm quest, and the devastating loss that led to her receiving her Vision. Does heroism flow in Yelan's bloodlines? Will she and Xiao become better friends? Is Yelan a part of the Spy Network? Or is Yelan working for Regrator? Bring your dice and mora for this week's episode!Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠talesofteyvat.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to find a comprehensive lore sheet that provides visual aids and links to videos and important Genshin Impact Resources. Make sure to give us a follow on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to stay updated on all things Tales of Teyvat and let us know your thoughts on today's episode. Questions? Thoughts? Theories you have to share? Feel free to email us at talesofteyvatpod@gmail.com and let us know, we would love to hear from you!Tales of Teyvat has partnered with the Shade Chamber Podcast to create a Genshin Community on Discord for our listeners! We are so excited to chat Genshin Lore, Honkai Star Rail, and so much more with you! You can join our server at https://bit.ly/shadesofteyvat.

Meet the new Pineland Underground hosts. The crew will be discussing any and all things related to Army Special Operations this season!

This week we sit down with the Small Unit Tactics Command Team to discuss how operators shoot, move and communicate and gain experience for real word operations.

Today, Rob Boudreau interviews 1st CAG G-9 OIC LtCol. Chris Bridger (who recently left for a new billet) and G-9 Chief GySgt Brian Schultz discuss their experience working in Civil Affairs. Enjoy.One CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www.civilaffairsassoc.org---Great news!Feedspot, the podcast industry ranking system, rated One CA Podcast as one of the top 10 shows on foreign policy. Check it out at:https://podcast.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/---Special Thanks to Louis Bacalov for a sample of Ricatto Alla Malla. Retrieved fromhttps://youtu.be/XSJN1R29mHE?si=nGPBcD-J7XM4BEFZ

In Beijing's historic Qianmen area, a marriage registration office opened on Saturday in the bustling Dashilan shopping area, amid a cluster of photo studios and shops offering wedding-related services.在北京历史悠久的前门地区，一家婚姻登记处上周六在大栅栏商业街区正式启用，周边聚集着众多摄影工作室和婚庆服务机构。On the same day, a revised version of marriage registration rules started to take effect in China, historically leaving out the former requirement that both the bride and groom need to present their hukou, or the certificate of household registration status, which had been in place since the 1980s.与此同时，新修订的《婚姻登记条例》于当日在全国正式施行，具有历史意义地取消了自上世纪80年代起实施的新娘和新郎都需持户口簿办理登记的要求。Foreseeing that the policy revision—mainly to make marriage registrations and related services more convenient—would bring a surging number of registrants, the civil affairs authority set up the new registry to better serve couples.为应对此次以提升婚姻登记便民服务水平为核心的政策调整可能带来的登记量激增，民政部门特别增设了这处全新登记场所，以更好地为夫妻提供服务。"Previously, the newlyweds needed to go to the places of their household registration and take the hukou booklets for marriage registration. From now on, they just need to show their ID cards to tie the knot at marriage registration offices anywhere in the country," said Bian Zhihui, a registrar at the new office in downtown Beijing.工作人员边志辉（Bian Zhihui）介绍：“以往新人必须返回户籍所在地，并携带户口簿才能办理结婚登记。新政实施后，全国范围内任一婚姻登记处只需查验身份证即可为新人办理结婚登记。”From checking ID cards and photos of the newlyweds and guiding them to fill in the forms, to verifying the information through a nationalized computer network, the whole registration process takes about only 10 minutes.从核验新人身份证件及合影照片、指导填写申请表，到通过全国联网的信息系统进行数据比对，整个过程仅需约十分钟即可完成。Bian said the new rule is among a slew of pro-marriage and childbearing policies promulgated by the Chinese government to streamline procedures and give incentives for people aiming to start families.边志辉（Bian Zhihui）表示，这项新规是中国政府为简化行政流程、提升婚育激励而推出的系列政策之一，旨在通过制度优化鼓励适婚人群组建家庭。China recorded 1.81 million marriage registrations in the first quarter of this year, marking an 8 percent drop from the same period in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.民政部数据显示，今年第一季度全国结婚登记量为181万对，较去年同期下降8%。After nine consecutive years of decline, China's marriage registration numbers saw a brief rebound in 2023. However, the downward trend resumed last year, with registrations falling to their lowest level since 1980.在经历连续九年下滑后，我国结婚登记量曾在2023年出现短暂回升，但去年这一下降趋势再度延续，登记人数已降至1980年以来历史新低。The new marriage registration office is located in a traditional courtyard building and boasts a one-stop service, allowing couples to choose wedding dresses and suits, take wedding photos or purchase marriage souvenirs.新设立的婚姻登记处坐落于传统四合院建筑群中，提供从婚纱礼服挑选、结婚照拍摄到婚庆纪念品购置的一站式服务。A 15-minute walk from the office is the marriage registration service center of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Beijing's Xicheng district. The center has registered more marriages than anywhere else in the capital.该登记处与西城区民政局婚姻登记服务中心仅相距15分钟步程，是北京市婚姻登记量最大的服务机构。Xu Zongyi said the center, of which he is a deputy director, recorded nearly 20,000 marriage registrations last year.其副主任徐宗义（Xu Zongyi）透露，2023年该中心办理结婚登记近2万对。Xu expects the latest rule change to boost marriage registration by 20 to 30 percent.徐主任预计，此次政策调整将使辖区婚姻登记量实现20%至30%的增幅。On Saturday, there were approximately 1,700 marriage registrations recorded in Beijing, among which about 900 pairs were not permanent residents of the capital. Various Chinese provinces and cities have done more than just cut red tape to boost marriage and fertility rates.上周六，北京市共办理约1700对结婚登记，其中约900对新人非本市户籍居民。中国各地政府为提升结婚率和生育率，已推出一系列超越简化行政程序的创新举措。In March this year, the provincial government of Zhejiang issued a notice calling local authorities to improve marriage and fertility support policies, with recommended incentives including the distribution of cash in the form of "wedding red envelopes" or consumption vouchers to newlyweds.今年3月，浙江省政府发布通知，要求各级地方政府完善婚姻及生育支持政策，鼓励采取多种激励措施，其中包括向新婚夫妇发放“婚庆红包”或消费券等。Yan Yan from the Civil Affairs Bureau of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, told Xinhua News Agency that a government-sponsored group wedding for 52 couples is slated for May 22, with the ceremony to be held in the historic Shenyang Palace Museum.辽宁省会沈阳市民政局婚姻登记处负责人闫岩（Yan Yan）向新华社透露，一场由政府主导的集体婚礼盛典定于5月22日在沈阳故宫博物院举行，届时将有52对新人参与这场文化底蕴深厚的仪式。"Through the group wedding, we advocate new ways of getting married by infusing traditional customs with the new trend of thrifty practices," Yan said.“通过将传统婚俗与新时代节俭风尚有机融合，我们旨在通过集体婚礼形式倡导文明简约的婚庆新风尚。”闫岩（Yan Yan）在接受采访时强调。Liu Qing and Yao Wenjiu, both working in Shenyang away from their home cities, plan to get married this month.在沈工作的异地青年刘清（Liu Qing）与姚文久（Yao Wenjiu）计划本月完成婚姻登记。"The new rule allows us to do it more conveniently in the city where we work—you don't have to go back home to 'steal' hukou booklets from parents," Liu said.刘清（Liu Qing）表示：“新规实施后在工作地就能办理婚姻登记，再也不用像过去那样专程回老家找父母'借'户口簿了。”While marriage is legally determined and executed autonomously by the parties involved, parental approval and endorsement remain culturally paramount in Chinese marital traditions. For young adults whose household registration remains jointly registered with their parents—even if they live and work elsewhere—previous regulations required them to obtain the family's hukou booklet to complete marriage registration. This effectively meant that registering a marriage first necessitated parental awareness and consent.在中国传统婚姻文化中，尽管婚姻关系的缔结在法律层面由当事人自主决定，但父母的认可与祝福仍具有至关重要的文化意义。值得注意的是，对于户籍仍与父母共同登记（即便其本人在异地工作生活）的适婚青年群体，既往政策要求婚姻登记必须提交家庭户口簿，这实际上意味着需要父母知情且同意后才能登记结婚。Wang Jun, a marriage and family counselor, said marriage registration reform eliminates the mandatory household registration booklet requirement, granting individuals full autonomy in marital decisions.资深婚姻家庭咨询师王君（Wang Jun）表示，此次婚姻登记制度改革废除了户籍簿的硬性规定，切实保障了公民在婚姻决策中的充分自主权。With more than 10 years of experience, Wang volunteers as a counselor at the Xicheng district marriage registration service center.拥有十余年从业经验的王君（Wang Jun）目前在西城区婚姻登记服务中心担任志愿咨询师。"Parents' opinions are traditionally deemed authoritative to help their children choose the 'right' spouses and avoid risks in future marriage. Nowadays, many young people are more inclined to seek help through counseling," Wang said.她分析道：“传统观念认为父母的意见具有权威性，能帮助子女甄选'合适'的婚配对象，规避未来婚姻风险。但如今更多年轻人倾向于通过专业咨询寻求婚恋指导。”However, she warned that under the rule, there might be a higher possibility of impulsive "flash marriages" and divorces, especially among young people who lack experience in intimate relationships and family issues.不过她特别指出，新规实施后冲动型“闪婚”及后续离婚现象可能增多，尤其在缺乏亲密关系经营能力和家庭矛盾处理经验的青年群体当中。marriage registration office婚姻登记处take effect生效household registration户籍;户口登记newlyweds/'nju:lɪˌwed/n. 新婚夫妇; 新婚的人flash marriages闪婚

Welcome to ONE CA Podcast. Today, Brian Hancock hosts Giancarlo Newsome, an Army Reserve Civil Affairs officer, to explore innovation in diplomacy, including using a hybrid financial equity approach to partner-nation projects, technology acquisition, and improving civil affairs reach with partner nations. --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www.civilaffairsassoc.org ---Great news!Feedspot, the podcast industry ranking system, rated One CA Podcast as one of the top 10 shows on foreign policy. Check it out at:https://podcast.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/

Welcome to One CA Podcast. This week, Assad Raza hosts John Nonemaker and Amanda Smolinski from Veterans Without Orders, a non-profit that recruits veteran Civil Affairs servicemembers to work in humanitarian assistance programs worldwide.Information on Veterans Without Orders:Website: https://veteranswithoutorders.org/Contact: john@veteranswithoutorders.org---One CA is a product of the civil affairs association and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership.We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations. To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org---Great news!Feedspot, the podcast industry ranking system rated One CA Podcast as one of the top 10 shows on foreign policy. Check it out at:https://podcast.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/---Music: Special thanks to SYAH IW for a sample of Seventeen, April shower. Retrieved from https://youtube.com/watch?v=VaX1ggLTlwo&si=WHxLcsfzmOgfaZ_4

Last time we spoke about Operation Jinzhou and the defense of Harbin. In the tumultuous landscape of early 1930s China, Chiang Kai-shek hesitated to engage in combat, fearing internal factions and the looming threat of the CCP. Zhang Xueliang, commanding a substantial force, felt pressure from both the Japanese and his own government. As tensions escalated, the Kwantung Army launched a brutal campaign against Jinzhou, leading to its fall. Amidst chaos, resistance leaders like Ma Zhanshan and Ding Chao emerged, rallying against Japanese aggression, determined to protect their homeland despite limited support. In November, the Jilin Provincial Anti-Japanese Government formed under Cheng Yun, rallying over 3,000 troops led by Feng Zhanhai against Japanese forces. After several battles, including the retaking of Shulan, they faced fierce resistance but ultimately had to retreat. As the Japanese advanced, the Jilin Self-Defense Army was established, but after intense fighting, Harbin fell to the Japanese on February 6. Despite earlier victories, the Chinese resistance crumbled, leading to the establishment of Manchukuo and the end of organized resistance in Manchuria.   #145 What was Manchukuo? Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War.   To start off this episode I want to turn back to our old friend Ishiwara Kanji. Ishiwara's ambition to dominate Manchuria was primarily a means to an end: to secure resources and a strategic position against America. After gaining control of Manchuria, Ishiwara shifted his focus toward another objective: fostering racial cooperation among Asian peoples. His vision for Manchukuo, or rather his interpretation of it, served as a launching pad for his idea of an East-Asian league, rooted firmly in his Final War theory. During his time in Manchuria in 1932, this Pan-Asian concept of Manchukuo distinguished him from many of his colleagues in the Kwantung Army and marked him as unconventional within the Imperial Japanese Army .   As many of you may know, Manchukuo was a fraudulent puppet state designed to legitimize Japan's takeover of Manchuria. The Japanese high command aimed to disguise their invasion of this part of China as an indigenous independence movement. To achieve this, they installed Puyi, the last Qing emperor, as the figurehead of Manchukuo while promoting ideals of racial harmony. This facade was necessary, as controlling a population that harbored resentment towards them required some effort to win their favor. Fortunately for the Japanese, there were factions in Manchuria that actually desired independence. This region was the heartland of Nurhaci's Manchu people—yes that guy we spoke about all the way back in the beginning of this podcast. The Japanese had considerable leverage, framing their actions as a noble revival of the Qing dynasty or a restoration of power to the Manchu. Additionally, there was a significant Mongolian presence, and Inner Mongolia would soon play a role in these events. Manchuria was reluctantly drawn into the nationalist movement, and it shared Japan's apprehension towards the USSR, having faced its own struggles against it for a long time. Moreover, a large population of Japanese settlers in Manchuria welcomed the takeover, as the Zhang Xueliang regime had not been particularly accommodating to them, implementing various discriminatory measures. Zhang Xueliang's alliance with the Nationalists effectively sealed the fate of the Japanese settlers, who anticipated expulsion.   As military operations progressed, Ishiwara and Itagaki convened with other prominent Kwantung officers to strategize control over Manchuria. They met with Officer Katakura, Chief of Staff Miyake, and Dohihara Kenji from the Mukden special service, reviewing a prior plan by Colonel Dohihara for a multi-ethnic autonomous nation in Manchuria. This entity was to be led by Puyi, possessing complete autonomy in internal matters, while defense and foreign relations would be managed by Japan. Ishiwara drafted the plans by September 22nd, which were sent to Tokyo on October 2nd. Although Tokyo's high command disapproved of the objectives, they collaborated with the Kwantung Army for five months to establish a new state based on two main principles: the purported indigenous movement for Manchurian independence and the administrative framework for Kwantung Army control.   The Kwantung Army proceeded to utilize Manchuria's traditional structure of local self-governing bodies. Throughout 1931, they bribed, persuaded, and threatened local leaders to foster a movement for autonomy against the Kuomintang hardliners. One of their first initiatives was the establishment of the "Jichi Shidobu Self-Government Guidance Board," responsible for coordinating regional independence movements in collaboration with the Kwantung Army to, as Miyake put it, "guide Manchuria to self-government." The board was headed by Yu Ch'ung-han, a Mukden elder statesman educated in Japan and a former advisor to Zhang Zuolin. It comprised 20 Japanese and 10 Manchurian members. Such organizations attracted Japanese civilians in Manchuria, who supported the so-called multiracial political structure, as they could exploit it for their own interests. The Kwantung Army heavily promoted slogans like “racial harmony, racial equality, and the righteous way.” Their control over Manchuria was solidified by placing Japanese advisors in all governmental bodies with ultimate veto power, ensuring that everything was effectively under Japanese control. While it seemed that Ishiwara's vision was unfolding as planned, by 1933, he became a fierce critic of the very system he had helped establish.   It's quite ironic that the man who played a key role in initiating the conquest of Manchuria would be unable to exert his influence in shaping Manchukuo. While Ishiwara Kanji served as the operations officer officially responsible for planning and executing military operations to capture Manchuria, the political arrangements for the new state fell outside his control. Nevertheless, Ishiwara was very vocal about his views on the development of Manchukuo, strongly advocating for racial harmony. He persistently urged his colleagues that the economic growth of Manchukuo should embody the spirit of racial cooperation. Ishiwara believed that the economic interests of Manchukuo would naturally align with those of the Kwantung Army, as both aimed for the unity of Asia against the West. He was gravely mistaken. Ishiwara was driven by his theory of a final war, and everything he did was aimed at preparing for it; thus, his fixation on racial harmony was part of this broader strategy.   In March 1932, the self-government guidance board was dissolved, transferring its functions and regional organizations to newly established bureaus within the Manchukuo government. In April, an organization called the Kyowakai (Concordia Association) was formed, led by Yamaguchi Juji and Ozawa Kaisaku, with the goal of promoting racial harmony. This initiative received support from members of the Kwantung Army, including Ishiwara, Itagaki, and Katakura. The Kwantung Army invested heavily in the organization, which quickly gained traction—at least among the Japanese. General Honjo expressed concerns about the organization's potential political influence in Manchukuo; he preferred it to remain an educational entity rather than evolve into an official political party. By "educational role," he meant it should serve as a propaganda tool for the Kwantung Army, allowing them to exert influence over Manchukuo without significant commitment.   But to Ishiwara the Concordia Association was the logical means to unify the new nation, guiding its political destiny, to be blunt Ishiwara really saw it should have much more authority than his colleagues believed it should. Ishiwara complained in August of 1932, that Manchuria was a conglomerate of conflicting power centers such as the Kwantung army, the new Manchukuo government, the Kwantung government, the Mantetsu, consular office and so on. Under so many hats he believed Manchukuo would never become a truly unified modern state, and of course he was one of the few people that actually wanted it to be so. He began arguing the Kwantung army should turn over its political authority as soon as possible so “Japanese of high resolve should hasten to the great work of the Manchurian Concordia Association, for I am sure that we Japanese will be its leaders. In this way Manchukuo will not depend on political control from Japan, but will be an independent state, based on Japanese Manchurian cooperation. Guided by Japanese, it will be a mode of Sino-Japanese friendship, an indicator of the present trends of world civilization” Needless to say the Concordia Association made little headway with the Chinese and it began to annoy Japanese leaders. The association gradually was bent into a spiritless propaganda and intelligence arm of the IJA, staffed largely by elite Japanese working in the Manchukuo government.  Ishiwara started utilizing the Concordia Association to advocate for various causes, including the return of leased territories like the Railway zone, the abolition of extraterritoriality, and equal pay for different races working in Manchukuo—efforts aimed at fostering racial harmony. However, this advocacy clashed significantly with the Japanese military's interests, damaging Ishiwara's reputation. As a result, the staff of the Kwantung Army began to shift dramatically, leaving Ishiwara increasingly isolated, except for Itagaki and a few loyal supporters. The higher-ups had grown weary of the disruptive Concordia Association and gradually took control, ensuring that discussions about concessions were halted. In August 1932, Ishiwara received a new assignment, and he appeared eager to leave Manchuria. Now that finishes off our story of Ishiwara, he will return later on in future episodes. Again if you want a full sort of biography on him, check out my youtube channel or Echoes of War podcast where I have a 4 part series on him.    Now I want to get more into the specifics of what exactly was this new state known as Manchukuo? During the mayhem that was the invasion of Manchuria, by October 6th of 1931, the Japanese cabinet had finally relented and decided to no longer interfere with the establishment of a new regime in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia. The remaining disagreement between the Japanese government, Tokyo General HQ and the Kwantung army was not whether or not to establish a new regime, but whether or not to promote the establishment of a new regime. Japan obviously did not want to break the Washington system established by the treaty of Versailles. Yet they of course wanted to expand Japanese interest in Manchuria. So it was to be a delicate game of chess balancing their interests in coordination with the western powers. This was specifically why Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijiro had opposed direct participation of Japanese soldiers in the establishment of a new regime, because clearly it would open Japan to condemnation from the west.    Over the course of the invasion, Japan managed to occupy the 3 northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang by establishing pro-japanese regimes within each under Zhang Shiyi, Xi Qia and Ma Zhanshan respectively. On September 20, 1931, Jianchuan proposed the establishment of a Japanese-backed regime led by Puyi during a meeting with Honjo Shigeru, the commander of the Kwantung Army. Obviously Jianchuan was in league and under the influence of our old friend Doihara. Two days later, on September 22, the Kwantung Army General Staff developed the "Solution to the Manchuria-Mongolia Issue," based on Doihara's suggestion to create a Five-Nation Republic in Manchuria and Mongolia, with Japan as the "leader." The plan outlined the establishment of a new regime under Puyi, supported by Japan, to govern the 3 northeastern provinces and Mongolia. The new regime would entrust Japan with national defense and diplomacy, as well as the management of key transportation and communication infrastructure. It also proposed appointing Xi Qia, Zhang Haipeng, Tang Yulin, Yu Zhishan, and Zhang Jinghui to oversee garrisons in locations such as Jilin, Taonan, Rehe, Dongbiandao, and Harbin. To execute this plan, the Japanese Kwantung Army, led by Chief of Staff Itagaki, utilized local intelligence agencies and some mainland ronin to initiate a so-called strategic operation. To facilitate the plan's implementation, the Kwantung Army informed the commander of the Japanese Army in Tianjin that afternoon, requesting immediate "protection" for Emperor Xuantong.   After the Kwantung Army took control of Jinzhou, it believed the moment was right to establish the hastily assembled puppet regime. To secure the full backing of the Japanese government and the military leadership, the Kwantung Army decided to send Itagaki back to Tokyo for negotiations. At that time, Itagaki had a fairly detailed plan to present. The proposed "Manchuria-Mongolia Central Government" aimed to create a centralized power structure that would be distinct from mainland China, effectively becoming a truly "independent" nation. They intended to appoint local collaborators as officials at all levels and were prepared to fabricate "public opinion" to obscure global perceptions of Japan's scheme to establish this regime. This of course was highly influenced by the announcement from the League of Nations that they would be investigating the entire incident in what would become known as the Lytton Commission.  Thus they believed it was essential to set up the regime before the League of Nations investigation team arrived in Manchuria. They understood that if these actions were "carried out directly by Japan," they would violate both the Nine-Power Treaty and the League of Nations. However, they reasoned that if the Chinese initiated the separation themselves, it would not contradict the principles of those treaties.   The Kwantung Army established puppet organizations using collaborators, starting with the "Liaoning Provincial Local Maintenance Association," which was formed on September 25, 1931. The association's chairman, Yuan Jinkai, represented the civil governance faction of the Fengtian clique. After the First Zhili-Fengtian War, he was appointed governor of Fengtian Province by the Zhili government, which led to his unpopularity with Zhang Zuolin. At the time of the incident, he was already retired. The association's vice chairman, Kan Chaoxi, had previously served as the governor of Rehe and commander of the Third Division. He fell out of favor with Zhang Zuolin due to his involvement with Guo Songling and subsequently retired. A common characteristic of the puppet organizations created by the Kwantung Army is that they always included Japanese advisors, regardless of their level. The "Liaoning Provincial Local Maintenance Association" was no exception, hiring Kanai Shoji, head of the health section of the local department of the Manchurian Railway and chairman of the Manchurian Youth League, as its top advisor. In the Japanese-occupied Fengtian, this highest advisor effectively became the leader of the maintenance association. While the association was ostensibly responsible for maintaining local order, it actually functioned as a tool for Japan to establish a puppet regime. Recruiting discontented officials and creating puppet institutions was just a minor part of the Kwantung Army's strategy to set up a puppet regime. The crucial factor in this endeavor was gaining the support of influential local warlords. To achieve this, the Japanese Kwantung Army, along with various intelligence agencies, employed a mix of soft and hard tactics, including coercion and incentives. As a result, they successfully pressured figures such as Yu Zhishan, Zhang Haipeng, Zhang Jinghui, Xi Qia, Zang Shiyi, and Ma Zhanshan to defect to the Japanese forces.   Following the Mukden Incident, former Qing nobles who had hoped to restore the Qing Dynasty believed the moment had arrived. Xi Qia, a member of the former Qing royal family and the Chief of Staff of the Jilin Provincial Army at the time, took advantage of the Jilin governor's absence due to his mother's funeral to open the gates of Jilin and surrender to Japan. This made Xi Qia the first Chinese official to collaborate with the Japanese invaders since their invasion of China. He sent a secret letter to the abdicated Qing emperor Puyi, urging him to return to "the birthplace of the ancestors, restore the Qing Dynasty, and rescue the people from their suffering," with the backing of "friendly nations". Xi Qia and the former Manchu nobles, who had elevated him to acting governor of Jilin Province, proposed to the Japanese to invite Puyi to the Northeast to establish a monarchy. The Japanese Kwantung Army had already identified Puyi as a suitable puppet leader. After the 15 year war had concluded, under interrogation, Shirono Hiroshi confessed that the reason why the Japanese chose Puyi was: First, Puyi had “no connection with the Kuomintang in mainland China”; Secondly, "some old classes in the Northeast and Mongolia still have traditional yearnings for the Qing Dynasty"; Third, “the peasants in general… seemed to welcome the kingly political system implemented by the Aisin-Gioro family.”   On November 8th, 1931, Doihara orchestrated the "Tianjin Incident" and covertly removed Puyi from his home in the Japanese Concession in Tianjin. They traveled through Dagukou, Yingkou, and Lushun before arriving in Fushun. By February 5th, 1932, the Japanese army had taken control of Harbin, stabilizing the situation in North Manchuria. Afterwards the Kwantung Army Headquarters organized a series of "National Construction Staff Meetings" to plan for a "National Construction Conference" involving collaborators. On February 16th, leaders from the Northeast provinces, including Zhang Jinghui, Xi Qia, Ma Zhanshan, Zang Shiyi, Xie Jieshi, Yu Chonghan, Zhao Xinbo, and Yuan Jinkai, gathered for the "Northeast Political Affairs Conference" at the Yamato Hotel in Shenyang. The meeting was led by Honjo Shigeru, the commander of the Kwantung Army. They decided to invite Puyi to rule the puppet state of "Manchukuo" and assigned government positions to the attendees. Notably, Itagaki Seishirō was appointed as the head of the Fengtian Special Agency and the chief advisor to the Military and Political Department of Manchukuo.    On February 18th, the "Northeast Administrative Committee" issued a "Declaration of Independence," stating: "From now on, we declare that the regions of Manchuria and Mongolia will be separated from the Chinese central government. Based on the free choice and appeal of the residents of Manchuria and Mongolia, these regions will achieve complete independence and establish a fully independent government." On February 23rd, Itagaki met with Puyi in Fushun to inform him that he would be the "ruler" of Manchukuo. Although Puyi had hoped to reclaim the throne, he was disappointed with the "ruler" designation but felt compelled to accept it. On the 29th, the "All-Manchuria National Construction Promotion Movement Conference" passed a resolution urging Puyi to take on the role of ruler. In February, the Japanese army began its offensive against Rehe. Meanwhile, the League of Nations declared that it would not recognize Manchukuo.   On March 1st, Japan orchestrated the establishment of "Manchukuo," appointing Puyi as its "ruler" under the reign title "Datong." China firmly rejected the notion of Manchukuo's "independence" and lodged a strong protest against Japan on the same day. On March 8th, Puyi officially declared his inauguration as the "ruler of Manchukuo" in Xinjing. Concurrently, officials were appointed to various "offices," "ministerial positions," and "ministries," leading to the formal establishment of Manchukuo. The following day, Puyi conducted an inauguration ceremony, and on March 10th, a secret agreement was signed with Japan. Japanese Ambassador to Manchuria, Nobuyoshi Mutō, and "Prime Minister" Zheng Xiaoxu signed the Japan-Manchuria Agreement in Changchun, with the Japanese government issuing a statement recognizing "Manchukuo."   In October of 1932, the League of Nations Assembly released the Lytton Commission Report.  Alarmed by the Mukden incident, the League of Nations had dispatched a group of investigators, led by British statesman Lord Lytton, to uncover the truth of what was going on. The commission traveled to Manchuria, gathering testimonies and examining evidence. Their task was daunting: Japan insisted its actions were defensive, protecting its economic interests and citizens. Meanwhile, China accused Japan of orchestrating the railway incident as an excuse for invasion. Months later, the Lytton Report emerged, painting a balanced yet damning picture.    On February 24, the commission concluded that the "Mukden Incident" was staged by Japanese troops. It condemned Japan's actions as a violation of Chinese sovereignty, rejecting their claims of self-defense. Moreover, the report did not recognize the puppet state of Manchukuo, established by Japan in Manchuria. Instead, it called for Manchuria's return to Chinese control under an arrangement respecting regional autonomy. Though praised for its fairness, the report lacked teeth. Later on the League urged Japan to withdraw, but Japan walked out of the League instead, solidifying its grip on Manchuria.    Manchukuo's territory would span the former provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, excluding the Kwantung Leased Territory. It would also gradually incorporate eastern parts of Inner Mongolia, Chengde City and Rehe Province. The 1932 "Japan-Manchuria Protocol" established that the sovereignty of the Kwantung Leased Territory belonged to "Manchukuo." This entity acknowledged the Qing Dynasty's agreement to lease the Guandong Territory, which includes Lushun and Dalian, to Japan. As a result, the Guandong Territory remained under direct Japanese control and was not included in the "administrative division of Manchukuo." By 1934 Manchukuo was divided into 14 provinces, 2 special cities and 1 special district: Andong Province , " Fengtian Province ", Jinzhou Province , Jilin Province , Rehe Province , Jiandao Province , Heihe Province , Sanjiang Province , Longjiang Province , Binjiang Province, Xing'an East Province , Xing'an West Province , Xing'an South Province , Xing'an North Province , Xinjing Special City , Harbin Special City , and North Manchuria Special District. By 1939 this would increase to 19 provinces and 1 special city.   Politically, Puyi served as the nominal head of state for "Manchukuo." He took on the role of ruler on March 8, 1932, adopting the reign title "Datong." On March 1, 1934, Puyi conducted a "coronation ceremony" in Xinghua Village, located south of "Xinjing," and renamed "Manchukuo" to the "Great Manchurian Empire." In this capacity, Puyi was designated as the "emperor," with the reign title "Kangde." "Manchukuo's administrative structure was led by the 'State Council,' headed by the 'Premier.' This pseudo 'State Council' included the 'Ministry of Foreign Affairs,' 'Ministry of Civil Affairs,' 'Ministry of Finance,' 'Ministry of Justice,' 'Ministry of Industry,' 'Ministry of Transportation,' 'Ministry of Culture and Education,' and 'Ministry of Military Affairs.' The 'Ministry of Finance' was later renamed the 'Ministry of Economy,' while the 'Ministry of Military Affairs' retained its name. The 'Ministry of Industry' was split into the 'Ministry of Agriculture' and the 'Ministry of Labor,' and additional departments like the 'Ministry of Health and Welfare' were established. Each ministry was led by a 'minister,' but real power rested with the Japanese vice ministers. The head of the 'General Affairs Department of the State Council,' who was also Japanese, effectively served as the 'Premier.' This role was first held by Komai Tokuzo, followed by Hoshino Naoki and Takebe Rokuzo. Every Tuesday, the Japanese vice ministers convened to discuss and make decisions on 'national' policies and various specific matters in a meeting known as the 'Fire Tuesday Meeting.'"   The legislative assembly of "Manchukuo" was known as the "Legislative Yuan," with Zhao Xinbo serving as its first "President." However, true legislative authority rested with the Kwantung Army. Manchukuo operated without a formal constitution, instead relying on a series of special laws. The advisory group was referred to as the "Senate," led by a "Speaker," with Zang Shiyi being the inaugural holder of that position. The highest judicial authority in puppet Manchukuo was the "Supreme Court," with Lin Qi as the first "Supreme Justice" and Li Pan serving as the "Supreme Prosecutor General." The judicial agency was the "Imperial Household Agency," headed by Xi Qia.   Following the September 18th Incident, Zhang Xueliang maintained a policy of "non-resistance." Most of the former Northeastern Army was "ordered" to retreat south of Shanhaiguan without engaging in combat. Those who could not withdraw were split into two factions: one group, motivated by national integrity and a shared animosity toward the enemy, rose to fight against Japan and became a significant part of the renowned Northeast Volunteer Army. The other faction consisted of traitors who surrendered, acknowledged the enemy as their leader, and acted as the enforcers and thugs for the Japanese invaders. These collaborators and the forces they commanded formed the backbone of the puppet Manchukuo army. Simultaneously, they recruited defectors and traitors, as well as bandits and social miscreants, thereby bolstering the ranks of the puppet Manchukuo military. They were under the influence of the highest advisors from the puppet Manchukuo Military and Political Department, which was made up of Japanese military officials. Directly controlled by the Kwantung Army, they served as vassals and accomplices of Japanese imperialism.   "The State Council of Manchukuo" served as the governing body of the puppet state. It functioned as the highest political authority in the region. Structurally, it operated under the direct control of the head of state, Puyi. However, in practice, the State Council was heavily influenced by the Japanese Kwantung Army, with many key positions occupied by Japanese officials. The breakdown of power is as follows: "Head of State": "Emperor" ( before the transition to the imperial system , the ruler) "Emperor's direct agencies": Imperial Household Agency - Shangshufu - Senate - Military Attaché Office - Military Advisory Council - Sacrifice Office "Yuan": State Council - Courts - Legislative Yuan - Control Yuan "National Army": Royal Guards - River Defense Fleet - Flying Squadron - Xing'an Army - Jiandao Special Forces "Police": Maritime Police Force - Security Bureau Other "agencies": General Affairs Department (not official) External Group: Concord Society   To fulfill its goal of annexing Northeast China, Japan initiated a "national policy immigration" campaign under the guise of development, intending to relocate 1 million households and 5 million Japanese citizens from Japan to Northeast China over two decades. Additionally, around 2 million Koreans were moved to the region as political immigrants. In April 1936, the Japanese Kwantung Army convened an "immigration" meeting in Changchun, where they developed the "Manchuria Agricultural Immigration Million Households Migration Plan." By September 1944, there were 1,662,234 Japanese immigrants (including early settlers) residing in various areas of Northeast China. Following 1945, most Japanese immigrants were repatriated, notably during the large-scale repatriation in Huludao, although the issue of Japanese orphans also arose.   After the September 18th Incident, in response to the invasion by Japanese fascists, people from all nationalities and professions in China resisted fiercely. The Japanese fascists employed military forces, police, and special repressive agencies to brutally suppress the anti-Japanese movement, inflicting significant suffering on the Chinese populace. In addition to collaborating with the Kwantung Army for extensive military encirclement and suppression, the Kwantung Military Police Force oversaw other repressive agencies during peacetime and became the primary force behind the implementation of white terror.   As for its economy, Manchuria is rich in natural resources. By 1936 its coal reserves were about 3 billion tons, iron reserves roughly 4 billion and had other minerals including Gold, Magnesite, Bauxite, Oil shale, Diamonds. Its forestry and fishery industry was quit rich as well. During the Zhang Zuolin era, Manchuria's industrial base was already well-developed, and Japan required a robust military industry to support its aggressive war efforts. Steel production was primarily located in Anshan and Benxi, while the chemical industry was centered in Liaoyang. The coal industry was concentrated in Fushun, Benxi, and Fuxin. Oil shale and synthetic fuel production were mainly found in Fushun and Jilin. Magnesite mining took place in Haicheng and Dashiqiao, and hydropower generation was focused in Jilin and along the Yalu River. Fengtian (now Shenyang) served as the hub for machinery, arms, and aircraft industries, whereas light industries, including textiles and food production, were concentrated in cities like Dalian, Dandong, Harbin, and Qiqihar.   The industrial sector of the puppet state was largely controlled by the South Manchuria Railway Company. Following the establishment of the puppet state, investments from various Japanese conglomerates rapidly flowed into Northeast China. After 1937, the puppet state implemented an economic control policy for the industrial sector, adhering to the principle of "one industry, one company," which led to the creation of monopoly companies for each industry. Under this framework, the South Manchuria Railway transferred its industrial operations and reorganized them into a massive conglomerate called the "Manchuria Heavy Industry Development Corporation ," which monopolized all steel, coal, chemical, and electric power industries in the region. Additionally, over 40 specialized companies were established, including the "Manchuria Electric (Telephone and Telegraph) Company," "Manchuria Machinery Manufacturing Company," "Manchuria Mining Company," "Manchuria Airlines," "Manchuria Artificial Oil Company," "Manchuria Textile Company," "Manchuria Wool Textile Company," "Manchuria Chemical Industry Company," "Manchuria Forestry Company," "Manchuria Gold Mining Company," "Manchuria Livestock Company," "Manchuria Fisheries Company," "Manchuria Tobacco Company," "Manchuria Agricultural Commune," and "Manchuria Development Commune." These companies were jointly established by Japanese investors and the "Manchukuo" government, with profits shared according to their respective investments. In case of losses, the Manchukuo government guaranteed 10% of the profits for Japanese investments.   To transform Manchuria into a base for its aggressive expansion against China and the Pacific War, Japan imposed strict control and extensive exploitation of the region's economy and resources. The primary focus of this control and exploitation was on mineral resources such as coal, iron, and oil, as well as essential industries. Under the intense plundering and strict oversight of Japanese imperialism, Northeast China's economy rapidly became colonial, leading to severe hardships for its people. Due to Japan's stringent economic control policies and large-scale colonial exploitation, the local industry and mining sectors suffered, national industries declined, and the rural economy collapsed, resulting in a swift transformation of Northeast China into a colony. To maximize the extraction of colonial resources, the Japanese invaders minimized the consumption levels of the local population. Since 1935, they implemented comprehensive distribution controls on vital strategic materials and everyday necessities. This distribution control policy plunged the people of Northeast China into extreme poverty and suffering.   The 1936 resource survey report from the State Council of the puppet Manchukuo indicated that the region had an arable land area of 40 million hectares (equivalent to 4 billion mu), with 25 million hectares classified as cultivated land. Additionally, the forested area covered 170 million hectares. The annual production figures included 2.5 million tons of soybeans, 2 million tons of wheat, 700,000 tons of rice, 1 million tons of millet, 8 million tons of sorghum, 5 million tons of corn, 600,000 tons of other grains and beans (excluding soybeans), 300,000 tons of cotton, and 160,000 tons of tobacco. The livestock population consisted of 4 million horses, 3 million cattle, 30 million sheep, and 40 million pigs. The total annual grain output in the puppet Manchukuo was approximately 20 million tons. Of this, around 7.5 million tons were consumable grains for local farmers throughout the year, while 4 million tons were designated as seed grains. Furthermore, the region was responsible for supplying rations to Japanese and Korean immigrants. In compliance with the demands of the Kwantung Army, the puppet Manchukuo was obligated to deliver over 1 million tons of grain to Japan annually. The grain collection process commenced in mid-August and concluded at the end of November, imposing a significant burden on farmers. Japanese colonists were exempt from agricultural taxes and received monthly rations.   The puppet state of Manchukuo had a “military force” known as the “Manchukuo Army.” It was divided into three components: "rear security" and "law and order maintenance," all under the control of the Japanese Kwantung Army. Initially, its military capabilities were limited, with the Kwantung Army handling most combat operations. However, as the main forces of the Kwantung Army shifted south and manpower became scarce, the anti-Japanese armed groups in Northeast China were suppressed and weakened. Consequently, the puppet Manchukuo began to assume more military responsibilities on its own, with many of its soldiers being Korean Japanese recruited from the Korean Peninsula. The entire Northeast was segmented into eleven military control zones, each led by an individual known as a commander. The military authority of the puppet state of Manchukuo was under the control of the Japanese Kwantung Army. Any troop movements, training exercises, equipment modifications, or personnel changes required approval from the Kwantung Army Headquarters. The puppet Manchukuo Army had nine ranks: general, colonel, and lieutenant. Upon graduating from the military academy, individuals were promoted to second lieutenant. After two years, they advanced to first lieutenant, and then to captain after another three years. Following that, a captain would be promoted to major after three years, then to lieutenant colonel after another three years. After four years, a lieutenant colonel would become a colonel, who would then be promoted to major general after four years. After three additional years, a major general could rise to the rank of lieutenant general, and finally, after four years, a lieutenant general could achieve the rank of general. The highest military rank was general, which was a lifetime appointment. Above the rank of general was an honorary title modeled after the Japanese marshal. Individuals such as Zhang Jinghui, Zhang Haipeng, Yu Zhishan, and Ji Xing were conferred the title of general. Thus was born a puppet state that would contribute to the 15 year war in Asia.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Yes perhaps this episode was a bit on the boring side of things, but its important to take a critical look at what exactly Manchukuo was. The new puppet state would be used for various means during the 15 year war and would ultimately be the crown jewel in a long list of conquered territories by the Japanese Empire.

Please welcome Lieutenant Nick Dubaz, the G39 Director of the Southern European Task Force, Africa. Nick oversees Civil Affairs teams working across the continent to help U.S. Embassies build positive relations with partner nations' people and leaders.---One CA is a product of the civil affairs association and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership.We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations. To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org---Great news!Feedspot, the podcast industry ranking system rated One CA Podcast as one of the top 10 shows on foreign policy. Check it out at:https://podcast.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/---Music: Special Thanks to the site "Relaxing jazz piano" for the sample from Warm March Jazz Music. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/m7WiikpM0J0?si=Ow6IiDktAqe6jykV

In this episode Brian Hancock talks with Kurt Dykstra and Joshua Weikart to discuss the 38 Golf Program, the Functional Specialty Team Construct, and the recent Functional Specialty Team Symposium. Major Dykstra and Captain Weikert, welcome to the show. Thank you very much. Wonderful to be here. --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in current or former military personnel, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with the people and leadership of a partner nation. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Special thanks to Art Music for a sample from the song "January | Instrumental Background Music." Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0orz_C33I --- Transcript 00:00:03 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the 1CA Podcast. This is your host, Jack Gaines. 1CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. Our goal is to inspire anyone interested in working the last three feet of foreign relations. To contact the show, email us at capodcasting@gmail.com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www.civilaffairsassoc.org. I'll have those in the show notes. 00:00:39 BRIAN HANCOCK I'm Lieutenant Colonel Brian Hancock, and I will be your host for this session. Today, we have with us Major Kurt Dykstra and Joshua Weikert  and  Joshua Weikert  and Captain Joshua Weikert to discuss the 38 golf program and the recent Functional Specialty Team Symposium. Major Dykstra and Captain Weikert, welcome to the show. Thanks very much. Wonderful to be here. Thank you, sir. 00:01:26 BRIAN HANCOCK A quick disclaimer while we're here that the remarks of myself and the participants are solely ours. All right, gentlemen, let's jump into it. From the beginning, what attracted you to U.S. Army civil affairs? Well, I can start that answer. So I'm a bit older, as you might have gathered from my bio. 00:01:43 KURT DYKSTRA a bit older, as you might have gathered from my bio. And at various points in my adult life, I had thought about entering into military service. And for one reason or another, It just didn't happen. And it was always a great regret in my life that I had not served and saw it as something that I wish I would have done. And then about four or so years ago, I got a call from a friend of a friend who at the time was a major who was recruiting for this new golf program. And we really didn't know each other, but we sort of had moved in similar circles and knew the same people and those sorts of things. And my wife and I were hiking the Appalachian Trail and I was having breakfast one morning and got a phone call from Colonel Koinga, as he retells the story, I think within an hour or two, I said something like, sounds good to me, let's do it. Of course, I did talk with my wife and those sorts of things, but that's my pathway in and a bit unique perhaps, but I think a story that has some resonance with many of the other gulfs, particularly those who were not prior service, that this was fulfilling an opportunity that they had, that they had wished that they had taken earlier, which was to serve the country through the military. 00:02:51 BRIAN HANCOCK the country through the military. Well, first of all, Kurt, you're not that old. You look very young and healthy to me. And so you're doing something right. So good for you. I'm thrilled that you have chosen to give both the Army and civil affairs a chance. We definitely need the type of skills that you bring to the table. Now, let me turn to you, Captain Weicker. Tell me a little bit about your journey getting here. Well, I was a prior service soldier. 00:03:16 JOSHUA WEIKERT  prior service soldier. Also being the pre -law advisor at my university, I had a pre -law student who was interested in the Army JAG program. And she had asked me to look into direct commissioning programs in the Army in general, knowing that I was a veteran and had some experience in this area. And I stumbled across the 38 Gulf page on the Army Talent Management website. And it was such an immediately obvious fit because I teach politics, but I also do politics. I work for the House of Representatives. And for that matter, when I go out looking for faculty members to hire, I like looking for people who are practitioners as well as being scholars. And this really dovetailed very nicely into that model. And it struck me as something with a very clear need. It also struck me as something that, especially as we think about lessons learned from Iraq and Afghanistan and 20 years of deployments, that this was an area where the Army could really bone up its skills and get more into capacity building both within our formations and also the places where we operate. So it struck me as something that was both important and extremely interesting. 00:04:13 BRIAN HANCOCK Well, very glad that you're here. The background that you both have in politics and helping. do governance on an almost daily basis. It makes me wonder, how would we train something like transitional governance? This is one of our core capabilities. I don't know if the program does things like that. I think there's a big future for us in this area. And both of you have the background to help us move in that direction. Well, in the early 2000s, 00:04:44 JOSHUA WEIKERT  the DOD had... conducted a review of all the civil administration and civil affairs tasks that were out there that the Army engages in. And they came up with a list of something like 1 ,400 different tasks. And they combed through this list and started identifying things that are not currently met. So where are the areas where the Army needs help? And out of that derived these 18 skill identifiers within the 38 Gulf program, covering a broad range of civil skills. And these include things like... finance, education, and border security, and law, regulation, and policy, and this cultural heritage and property protection. And the goal of the program is essentially to enhance a commander's ability to operate in a stable civil environment, to foresee and address any likely challenges that should crop up, so that commanders can focus on accomplishing their primary image. 00:05:33 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Yeah, if I might jump in a little bit on that as well, either read the book or see the movie Monuments Men, then that gives you a little bit of a sense. In World War II, The U .S. were heading across Western Europe. They needed help to identify certain things, whether it's art, whether it's the significance of structures. And those are skills that the Army just didn't have. So the George Clooney's of the world, who at the time were art historians and museum curators, were brought into the Army's orbit to assist in those tasks. And that's kind of the history of the program that goes way back when, and then it was recently restarted in many ways and broadened as Captain Weigert. has been describing. So in some ways, I describe our role as consultants with specific civilian side expertise that the Army simply does not have to assist the Army to be able to do things that it otherwise might not be able to do. So we get called upon to assist in some of those areas that are more specialized than what the Army generally might have. And in other ways, like other civil affairs officers, you know, we're kind of the Army's diplomatic corps. So it's really those combinations, but the Gulf program specifically brings a very specific and in -depth civilian skill set to be used for Army purposes. 00:06:47 BRIAN HANCOCK set to be used for Army purposes. It sounds a little bit similar to some of the specialists we have with surgeons and lawyers, but also different at the same time. When we were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, we definitely could have used these capabilities in all of these special functional areas. The Department of State tries their best to fill that gap, but the reality is that they're a relatively small organization that isn't necessarily equipped to go to non -permissive environments for extended periods of time. So for transitional governments, I think the heavy lift tends to fall on the military, and you really can't rebuild a government without trying to rebuild the economy and those other threads that tie into that tapestry. I'm very excited for the future with you guys on board. One of the initial challenges is that there wasn't necessarily a clear career progression through every rank for these soldiers. They couldn't follow the 38 Alpha career progression. Has that been relooked at? We do have a quasi -path through your military education. 00:07:57 JOSHUA WEIKERT  a quasi -path through your military education. We do not yet have a basic officer leadership course, though we are currently piggybacking on Medical Services Bullock down here at Fort Sam. which is actually where they both are right now. But my understanding is that a 38 golf at CA Bullock course is in development, and I volunteered some of my time doing some of the course materials for that. And of course, we do have the civil affairs captain's course as well as an option. Beyond that, I'm not certain at all. But for Major Dykstra, if he has more information on that. 00:08:26 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Much of this has been like jazz. There's been a certain underlying beat that's there, and there's a lot of improvisation that happens along the way. And Captain Weikert is exactly correct that we do DCC largely with the JAG DCC. And then we sort of peg on BOLIC, either AG or AMED, and AMED seems to be the preferred course right now. And to me, this is an area for improvement. We've gone through two school experiences without having any sort of direct training for what it is that we do. And that feels to me like an area that we can improve upon. And I think that is in process, as Captain Weikert mentioned with. With large organizations, particularly the U.S. Army, all that sort of thing takes time. Yeah, it does. But I do think that as the program matures, as there are more people within it for longer periods of time, a lot of the questions about career path and specifics along those lines, frankly, either be worked out by doctrine or they'll be worked out by the process of having people going through these programs and through the ranks and getting OERs and those kinds of things. So I'm not as concerned about that. A ladder piece is what I think that it would be beneficial for the golf program to have better formal education laid out sooner as we see with most other MOCs. 00:09:37 BRIAN HANCOCK other MOCs. It makes sense to me. It is clever, though, to piggyback on a professional MOS. Many reservists have a similar challenge who aren't 38 golfs because a lot of the professional military education that we funnel through. is geared towards combat arms. And of course, for reserve soldiers, what we do is largely support. But in terms of professional military education, understanding some of these other professions like medicine and pieces of logistics and information operations, professional military education historically has not been geared to advance the tradecraft of those individuals. So I think there's a larger movement within the Army at large, though, to create more specialized training. Unlike the Marine Corps, where they have fewer MOSs and folks have to be a little bit more of a generalist, the fact that we have so many specialty MOSs in the Army, I think, lends itself to the ability to stand up individual branches that can run its own training. And within the functional specialties of the 38 golf program, you might even need an entire course dedicated. to each of those functional areas because they're really quite different. 38 golfs are contained within the functional specialty team construct, like the building where they live within a civil affairs unit. Some folks tend to conflate the 38 golf program with the functional specialty team, not the same. But let's take it a step further. Since the functional specialty team which houses the 38 golf program is a military unit, It, of course, has non -commissioned officers in it as well as officers. Three of us happen to be officers, but non -commissioned officers are very important for us to get things done in the Army. What right now is the role of the non -commissioned officer within functional specialty teams? And gentlemen, where do you see that going? Go ahead, Captain Martin. I think that's exactly right. 00:11:40 JOSHUA WEIKERT  right. And in addition, the just traditional roles that NCOs play in almost any unit in formation in terms of like training plan development and... upward input and things like that. I think the role of NCOs is all the more valuable and important in an FXFB section that includes a significant number of direct commission officers. You need that reinforcing experience even more in that set. And also, as we found out at the symposium in April, many of we had NCOs in attendance, and many of these NCOs are themselves fairly accomplished within their careers on the civilian side. So they have SI. contributions to make as well. So they're an essential part of this formation. 00:12:19 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Yeah. One of our NCOs was a lawyer of 35 plus years, had done really remarkable things in the civilian side. So the idea that I, as a newly commissioned officer, would come in as the experienced person on the civilian side and he was more experienced on the Army side was true on the one hand, but it also was so much more than that because his civilian expertise was also first rate and really quite impressive. 00:12:41 BRIAN HANCOCK first rate and really quite impressive. That's amazing. And I don't know if the functional specialty teams will select for that type of talent. It certainly exists, at least within the Army Reserve. We're very skill -rich. That is exciting to me. Now, prior to the establishment of the 38 golf program, who was manning the functional specialty teams? 00:13:03 JOSHUA WEIKERT  There is great talent in our formations already. So we had, for example, veterinarians. We had public health practitioners. and people that have civil affairs and what we now think of as sort of 38 Gulf skill sets. With the 38 Gulf program, you have subject matter experts who can get a little further into the weeds in areas where we don't have as much expertise. If someone came up to a practicing JAG lawyer and said, look, we need to design a judiciary system because we're about to massively disrupt the civil administration of this country, they're going to be in the ballpark. They understand courts and civil and criminal procedure and things like that. but they might clearly consider things that I would think of in terms of governmental engineering around separation of powers, how those are selected. And that is what I think 38 Gulfs add to that functional specialty. It lets us accomplish a lot more within the same formation. That makes sense to me. 00:13:51 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Yeah, I completely agree with that. And clearly the civil affairs units and the FXSPs in particular were doing tremendous work prior to the visioning of the 38 Gulf program. In many cases, it seems as though it might be because of the particular and unique skill sets of those officers and NCOs. I think the Gulf program is trying to actually more systematically identify and bring into the Army persons who have depth to skill. 00:14:17 BRIAN HANCOCK to skill. What I'm hearing is that 38 Gulfs bring out more capability and apply it to the often very complex civil social problems that we work on in the civil affairs community. I read a fair amount of peer -reviewed literature, and I can tell you from that standpoint, since the 38 Gulfs have entered the community, I've seen a lot more peer -reviewed literature coming out. So I think there definitely is some effect from this program, and I'm really excited to see where it's going to lead. Now, at the end of April, the 304th Civil Affairs Brigade, which is commanded by Colonel Toby Humphries, convened the first -ever functional specialty team symposium. How did that come about? What's the history there? Colonel Daniel Fletcher is the FXSP chief of the drill fourth. 00:15:03 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  chief of the drill fourth. So I was as green as they come. And Colonel Fletcher, he was incredibly helpful and kind to me to help me figure out some things. And through that, he learned that there was an onboarding and utility gap of how are we supposed to use these golfs? And he asked around up and down the chain in other units and found out that lots of people were having the same kind of question. So this, I think, was the impetus that he had then to say, well, let's get some people together to talk about some of these issues and see if we can't find solutions to some of these challenges. And then he and our CEO, Colonel Humphreys, talked. And Colonel Humphreys was, as I'm told, immediately enthusiastically on board for this effort. And then through lots of laboring hours and the work of many good officers and NCOs, we put together this symposium. It was a really rich learning experience, let alone a great networking opportunity. 00:16:01 BRIAN HANCOCK That sounds amazing. I almost wish I had been there. I know one of my mentors, Colonel Bradford Hughes, was there, and probably some of his team as well. What were some of the topics you guys discussed, and did you come to any conclusions or lessons learned that you'd like to share with the community? We had essentially three large chunks. 00:16:19 JOSHUA WEIKERT  three large chunks. One was around organization and operations of 38 golfs and ethics SP sections. One was around training and doctrine. And then we specifically also discussed recruitment and personnel and lengthy discussions around accessions and initial onboarding. And we covered a lot of ground in three days. The white paper that is just about ready to be disseminated details the findings and does make some recommendations. But I think far more important than any particular recommendation that came out of it was the fact that we were able to draw all these discussions into one place and one location at one time. I have to believe, greatly increases the likelihood that they are ultimately acted upon because we were able to draw from everyone's best practices and identify where our collective gaps were. And as we sort of pass this up to USKPOC and the command level, this is something that is going to be a little more valuable simply because we were able to reach consensus on even just our concerns. 00:17:17 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Exactly. It was a tremendously rich experience and a breadth of topics. And you mentioned Colonel Hughes. And he and his team have, I think, sort of set the pace for many of the KCOMs in terms of how they're using gulps in particular. And so I was a bit familiar with him through the literature and through various email types of things, but I'd never really talked with him before. Unfortunately, he couldn't be there in person, so he was presented by a team. But then got the chance to meet him this summer in Madison, Wisconsin, at a training event at the University of Wisconsin. And you want to talk about officers who are... just stellar in terms of their knowledge, but also stellar in terms of character and quality of person. Carl Hughes is right up there as well. So it was just an incredible experience to learn from other KCOMs and to understand history and some of the doctrine issues that arise and to identify road bumps or landmines and avoid them or fix them. But a really great experience that I think was appreciated by all who attended. 00:18:17 JOSHUA WEIKERT  all who attended. One of the things that came out of the symposium for me in terms of like genuinely new things that I learned, is that at one point there was the establishment of this Institute for Military Support to Governance, which was formed specifically to identify and support reservists with civilian acquired skills that were applicable to these functional areas. And it sounds like it was a forerunner in many ways to what we think of as the 38 Gulf program today. And it still exists, at least as far as we can tell, absolutely unclear what current status is. But this is something that came up several times during the symposium, is that that could be something that could function as a vehicle to address some of the coordinating. challenges we face and maybe even some of the accessions on board be challenged. And it will just remain to be seen if that's something we can vitalize or revitalize. I love the way you're thinking. 00:19:01 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Sir, this is part of the benefit of having an academic like Captain Weikert in the planning team. He thinks institutionally and thinks strategically in terms of the doctrine aspect of things. It's not just operational or tactical. The other thing I would mention is Captain Weikert mentioned The white paper from the symposium is soon to be published, but there was an article in the latest edition of The Shield that gives a more thinner or more popular description of what the symposium did and what it accomplished and who was there. So I would encourage any listener who is at least somewhat curious about the symposium to check out The Shield article and then be able to look out for the upcoming white paper. 00:19:40 BRIAN HANCOCK Let me ask you, gentlemen, a test question now that I've got you both warmed up and unsuspecting here. Field manual, three -tack, five -step, civil affairs operations, our Bible, recently updated. It added this new task of civil network development and engagement, or CNDE, which in itself is pretty complicated because we're talking about mapping and engaging interrelated complex adaptive systems. Okay, so mathematically, at least, it's already very complicated. Now, considering how deep the expertise is, within the 38 Gulf community, I would suspect that those folks with those credentials in those communities are probably in a very good position to advance civil network development engagement within their specialty areas. Now let's talk about that concept within the broader Army concept. We're all professionals at this level of our career. How are we as an institution, in your opinion, measuring the strength of the professional networks that we are bringing with us, which are an asset for both civilian and the military? How could we include the strength of someone's network as, say, part of their promotion or board packages? Do you have any thoughts how the Army as an institution could take a better measure? of our professional networks and ability to leverage them to achieve commander's effects. I can say that it did come up at the symposium among that group of 38 Golfs and FXSP members in attendance that this was an essential part of just understanding what our own capabilities were and how do we track and map where everyone lands in terms of their skill sets. 00:21:13 JOSHUA WEIKERT  that it did come up at the symposium among that group of 38 Golfs and FXSP members in attendance that this was an essential part of just understanding what our own capabilities were and how do we track and map where everyone lands in terms of their skill sets. So it was something of general interest at the symposium, and it also came up in the context of how we developed training. for 38 golfs and for civil affairs units more generally. And those efforts are likely to be ongoing. But in terms of how to do it, I think it should be relatively straightforward because we already have some of these things sort of populated in the soldier talent profile at HRC, for example. And if we simply adapt that and augment it to specifically identify for civil skills and civil networks, it shouldn't be too challenging to at least get that on paper. Now, how you operationalize that and put it to work is a more challenging question, obviously. 00:22:03 KURT DYKSTRA But it does seem to me as though there is a lot of ad hoc -ness to the way this is happening so far. The point and purpose of the Gulf program is to really get into uniform persons with skills that the Army was lacking. And if we simply have them but don't know about them and don't utilize them and leverage them and execute on them, then maybe to put it in a more concrete way, if we're simply relying upon, I know a guy or I know a gal who has that experience and they happen to be over there. in the 352, well, that's better than not having that information. But it's not really how you want to be running a program like this. Better to have a much more institutionalized, formalized means of understanding networks so that we can affect the broad array of a civil society. Because as we all understand, if a civil society breaks down, it's not just one thing that needs to be addressed. It's about 175 things that need to be addressed. in order for civil society to work. So there's still work to be done there, but I am heartened by the fact that the Gulf community is a robust one intrapersonally and continuing to be more so. And these topics of more institutionalizing that kind of knowledge is absolutely on the topic of conversation for many people who are thinking more seriously about how to do that. 00:23:18 BRIAN HANCOCK people who are thinking more seriously about how to do that. I love the fact that this community is actually thinking about these difficult questions that not only affect the army, but... affect the force as a whole and strategically affect our ability to compete and deter, ideally avoiding conflict altogether. And these are things that we have to understand. What networks, how do we invest in them? How do we, if necessary, appropriate them to steer the world away from costly conflict? That is something that needs more attention, 00:23:49 JOSHUA WEIKERT  more attention, is there is a very, very, very robust peace mission for 38 Gulf. And I think it's important to remember, too, as we think about how we exploit these talents. For example, the same way our conservationists and cultural property protection folks have a partnership with the Smithsonian, we would want to see that within every skill identifier, that institutional partner becomes a potential warehouse of understanding what their aside people can do and how they can contribute as well. So I think at present, it is very interpersonal, and it's great that we do have that network of folks. But I also think that that is something that will get augmented once we have everything built out to its fullest expression. Carty, do you have a thought on that? 00:24:26 KURT DYKSTRA  I was just going to say that we want to be in a spot to have those networks built out and an understanding of the places in which we operate before any hostilities break out. These things are happening and they're happening because of the good work of a whole lot of people, but the program is still pretty young. So we're still gaining our legs and still building it out. And with the kind of caliber of people we have in uniform now through this program, I have no doubt that the future is really, 00:24:50 BRIAN HANCOCK have no doubt that the future is really, really bright. That's wonderful to hear. The Army has done conflict for a long time, right? This idea of competition is still somewhat new to us, so we're not going to expect overnight our doctrine and schooling to change to be able to help us secure that win in competition. But I'm seeing encouraging signs, and I know we're going to head in that direction, and I really believe the 38 Golfs are going to have a very big role as we look to maximize our return on investment and competition, ideally avoiding conflict altogether. Now, at the symposium, I imagine maybe behind closed doors, a very professional and upfront group who's not afraid to talk about challenges. Within those conversations, what... at present, do you see as the single greatest challenge that needs to be overcome within the 38 Golf community? And what are your suggestions to do so? I'll say one thing. 00:25:52 KURT DYKSTRA  To a person who was there, yes, there were some frustrations or constructive criticism ideas, but there was not a person in that room who was not enthusiastic about the program and grateful to be a part of it. So I think part of the challenge in a twofold piece, and both of these things have to do with the program being relatively new. The first one I would say is the accession process and the identification process. How does someone go from never having worn a uniform in the history of their life to commissioning? And how does that process work? And how long does it take for that to happen? Part of the challenge that we see, and I think it's getting better, I was maybe second class of Gulfs that came in, is that it was an on -again, off -again process for close to two years. And if we are trying to identify highly skilled, highly talented, highly experienced civilian personnel to come into uniform, a two -year process is problematic. 00:26:51 BRIAN HANCOCK is problematic. It's strange to me because my recruiter had me in boots before I left his office. And that was actually part of the discussion. 00:26:59 KURT DYKSTRA AND  that was actually part of the discussion. In so many other areas, Army recruiting is really, really strong, and there's a clearly established path that you do. And because of the newness and kind of quirkiness of this program, there's less of that, and we're sort of building the ship as we're sailing. Yesterday in the hotel here at Fort Sam, I met a thoracic surgeon who was newly commissioned. And some of those areas that maybe have experience with highly skilled civilian practitioners. coming newly into the Army that have paths that are a bit more developed than what the golf program is. So again, I think it has gotten much better, but it takes time. 00:27:36 JOSHUA WEIKERT  time. I think as the program grows and we sort of meet our staffing benchmarks and as we get more practice and more reps in the process, I do believe a lot of this will hire. I think it will as well. The other thing I would say is having the ability for a civil affairs bullet to come into play. 00:27:49 KURT DYKSTRA  having the ability for a civil affairs bullet to come into play. We latched on with mainly the JAG officers for GCC and there's... a lot that's great about that, especially as a lawyer. It was very strange. So there were about 100 of us in our Bolick class. All but five of us, I think, were JAG officers. But I was the lawyer who wasn't the JAG. And I was the old guy. So it was really, it was a fascinating couple of months and a lot of fun. But we were sort of sitting along the side as they were talking lots of things about JAG school and what happened next for them. And then to be at AMED Bolick, again, it's a similar sort of thing. And there's, especially for someone new to the Army like me, being around people in the Army is invaluable, regardless of whether it's directly related to my MOS or not. But at some point, it would be helpful to get some specialized training about what it is that the Army expects me to do, apart from the civilian experience that I bring to the table. 00:28:45 JOSHUA WEIKERT  In terms of challenges within 38 Gulf, I also find that, organizationally speaking, is how we connect 38 Gulfs with commanders and missions. Because at present, we are relying on these informal networks to pass information along about we need six Delta to go to Poland in two weeks. Who's available? You know, things like that. That's always going to be inefficient, for one thing. We realize a little too much on that ad hoc communications network. And it also means that commanders can't go looking for 38 Gulfs either. So what I think will have to happen sooner or later is having some kind of centralized. repository of mission and or task information that 38 Gulfs can go to and look at ongoing missions or missions in planning. And at the same time, some kind of searchable database where commanders can go find those people. And there are institutions and organizations that have this set up in existence. So it's not something we need to reinvent. It's just something we need to consolidate because it is just very unlikely that every formation in a civil affairs unit will happen to have the right people for their region and their missions. We need to be better to get good information down to every individual 38 golf and up to every commander. And that's just going to take time and awareness to them. 00:29:51 BRIAN HANCOCK time and awareness to them. That makes perfect sense. So that would help you grow in your skill set and mature your capability as well for everyone's benefit. Totally sold on that. And I think in time, as you mentioned, that's probably going to be developed and roll out. We've talked a lot about the 38 golf program today. Very exciting. I think certainly the best thing that's happened to civil affairs in decades. And I believe over time it'll be one of the best things that's ever happened to the Army and to the military at large. Very exciting. Those in the audience who are listening, who are interested in learning more and perhaps going through that application process, which will shrink in time, of course, what are those steps they need to take? If someone raised their hand and says, sign me up to 38 Golf, what do they do? 00:30:44 JOSHUA WEIKERT  the Army and Hound Management website. If you just Google 38 Gulf Army, I believe the first tip that you'll see. And it's been built out over the past three years, adding more context, more information about the steps. But it essentially begins with laying out the basic requirements for the program, which is at least a master's degree in a relevant SI field, and at least professional experience in that as well. Once you've cleared those hurdles, you're then looking at developing your packet, and it does provide good guidance on that. I have already fielded some inquiries from interested NCOs and officers, and there are also some groups that you find on LinkedIn and Signal as well that are very active in discussing this process and how it's going. 00:31:18 BRIAN HANCOCK it's going. Professional football teams don't just recruit from their neighborhood. They go all over the place to get the right specialties, to put them together in the right combination for the right missions and matchups. I love the way you're thinking about putting something together like that. I've honestly felt that... As an institution, one of the things that we should do a little bit better job with in general is knowledge management within the military. If you have deep subject matter expertise, if it's in a very tight area like tech support, they have knowledge bases that you can search. We don't have a lot of tools like that, and we spend a lot of our money on human capital who are producing intellectual property, some of which is lost when a unit rips out or when there isn't a good continuity plan. And of course, the deep knowledge that you're describing, we definitely need a better way to collect, analyze, maintain, and make that accessible. So thinking about 38 Gulfs, and it was described as a consultancy within the Army. 00:32:12 JOSHUA WEIKERT  it was described as a consultancy within the Army. So essentially, a staff officer or commander pauses and says, wait, how do I fill in the blank? That should trigger a call at an RFI down to some kind of 38 Gulf to fill that need. Yeah, and two more comments on that. One, this isn't unique to the Army. 00:32:29 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  to the Army. Any organization of any size will sort of talk about knowledge walking out the door. So this is not a unique situation to the Army, though, of course, it's magnified given the size, scale, and scope of what the U .S. Army does. The second thing I would say is, and this was part of the discussion at the symposium, the Colonel Hughes panel, what the 351st does is they house all of their goals at the KCOM level, as opposed to embedding them in brigades or battalions. And that way... Whether it's the ultimate solution or whether it's a matter of a way to actually get their arms around it, they have a sense as to what their capacity is within the 351st because they're all at the KCOM level and can understand that, oh, we have this issue of an agricultural thing happening in the Philippines. Wonderful. We know who we can send to help out on that mission. As things continue to get better, and they clearly have gotten better. But as this program is longer and more experienced and has more people in it and more knowledge shared through it, I fully expect that the process will get better and the knowledge that we're able to share in social life. 00:33:31 BRIAN HANCOCK I definitely think it will. We're approaching our time for the show. I wanted to give you a few last minutes for each of you. Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share with the community? First of all, thanks for having us on, 00:33:46 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  on, sir. It's been a real treat to be able to talk with you. In addition to the great resources that Captain Weikert mentioned, feel free to reach out to us if you have questions on the golf program. We may not have all the answers, but we can probably be a good conduit into the network to help get you the answers, or at least the right people who would have the answers. So happy to field any phone calls or emails about the golf program. Awesome. 00:34:07 JOSHUA WEIKERT  And I would just say to anyone who's currently in the pipeline or is thinking about applying or has recently commissioned and is very sort of new to the process, patience is the key. I know it seems like it's taking forever. It has gotten better with every iteration. It seems like the sort of processing time is getting smaller and smaller and all these things. So just hang in there and it does reach a conclusion eventually. 00:34:26 BRIAN HANCOCK a conclusion eventually. Well, thank you both very much, Major Dijkstra and Captain Weikert for coming on the show. That concludes this issue of 1CA Podcast. 00:34:37 Close Thanks for listening. If you get a chance, please like and subscribe and rate the show on your favorite podcast platform. Also, if you're interested in coming on the show or hosting an episode, email us at capodcasting@gmail.com. I'll have the email and CA Association website in the show notes. And now, most importantly, to those currently out in the field, working with a partner nation's people or leadership to forward U.S. relations, thank you all for what you're doing. This is Jack, your host. Stay tuned for more great episodes. One CA Podcast.

China is prioritizing protecting the rights of elderly workers and respecting their willingness to work as it began gradually raising the statutory retirement age on Wednesday.从2025年1月1日起，中国开始渐进式延迟法定退休年龄。在此过程中，中国优先保障老年职工的权益，并尊重他们的工作意愿。The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued an interim guideline outlining operational measures for workers to choose their retirement age.人力资源社会保障部、中央组织部、财政部三部门联合发布《实施弹性退休制度暂行办法》（以下简称《办法》），概述了职工选择退休年龄的操作措施。The new policy stems from a decision approved by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in September to raise the statutory retirement age for men to 63 and for women to either 55 or 58, depending on their occupation.该新政策源于9月《全国人民代表大会常务委员会关于实施渐进式延迟法定退休年龄的决定》（以下简称《决定》）。《决定》提出，依据职业性质，将男职工的法定退休年龄延迟到63周岁，将女职工的法定退休年龄延迟到55周岁、58周岁。According to that decision, from Wednesday, male workers age 60 and female workers age 55 can ask for their retirement age to be extended one month every four months. Female workers who are 50 years old can ask for a one-month retirement extension every two months. By doing so, the retirement ages will increase to 63 for men and 55 or 58 for women in 15 years.根据《决定》，从2025年1月1日起，60周岁男职工和55周岁女职工可每4个月申请延长退休年龄1个月。50周岁女职工可每2个月申请延长退休年龄1个月。这样一来，15年后，男职工退休年龄将延迟至63周岁，女职工将延迟至55周岁、58周岁。The guideline excludes those who reached the previous statutory retirement age before Tuesday.2024年12月31日前已经达到原法定退休年龄的人员，不适用本《办法》。Once the age increase is fully implemented, workers will be able to voluntarily retire up to three years earlier than the new statutory age, provided they have met the minimum pension contribution requirement, which is currently 15 years but will gradually rise to 20 years by 2030.一旦延迟退休政策全面实施，职工达到养老金最低缴费年限（目前为15年，从2030起将逐步提高至20年），可以自愿选择比新法定退休年龄提前3年退休。However, workers cannot retire before the previous statutory retirement age, which is 50 or 55 for women and 60 for men.但是，职工退休年龄不得低于原法定退休年龄，即女职工50周岁、55周岁，男职工60周岁。Those who choose early retirement must notify their employers in writing at least three months before their chosen retirement age.职工自愿选择提前退休的，至少在本人选择的退休时间前3个月以书面形式告知所在单位。Workers wishing to delay retirement once they reach the statutory ages must agree with their employers in writing at least one month in advance, with a limit of a three-year postponement.职工达到法定退休年龄后希望延迟退休的，至少提前1个月与所在单位达成书面协议，且延迟退休时间不得超过3年。Civil servants, senior executives in State-owned enterprises and government officials must retire once they reach the new statutory retirement age, according to the guideline.《办法》规定，公务员、国有企事业单位领导人员及其他管理人员，达到新的法定退休年龄时应当及时办理退休手续。Employers are required to maintain the same rights and benefits for workers who postpone retirement, including social insurance and labor relations. Workers can reverse their decision to postpone if they come to an agreement with their employers.用人单位需保证延迟退休的职工享有相同的权益和福利，包括社会保险和劳动关系。职工与所在单位协商一致，可以终止延迟退休。The guideline underscores the importance of respecting individuals' working preferences and ensuring that retirement decisions are voluntary. It prohibits employers from pressuring workers into retirement decisions against their wishes.《办法》强调，要充分尊重职工意愿，确保其退休决定出于自愿，并禁止用人单位强制职工做出违背自身意愿的退休决定。Experts have welcomed the guideline. Zhao Zhong, dean of the School of Labor and Human Resources at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, said the specific measures included in the guideline will help the public and employers understand and implement the nation's policy on raising the retirement age.专家对《办法》的实施表示欢迎。北京中国人民大学劳动人事学院院长赵忠表示，《办法》中的具体措施将有助于公众和用人单位理解并执行国家关于延迟退休年龄的政策。"It has very detailed rules and measures on how to retire in advance or postpone retirement, which is a positive response to people's concerns about labor relations and working rights protections related to postponing retirement, showing greater respect for people's working willingness and rights," he said.他说：“《办法》对于如何提前或延迟退休制定了非常详细的规则和措施，积极回应了人们关于保障与延迟退休相关的劳动关系和工作权益的关注，体现了对人们工作意愿和权利的更大尊重。”Li Chang'an, a professor from the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said the guideline is an explanation of the retirement decision made by the Standing Committee of the NPC in September, which highlights the "voluntary and flexible" principles of the retirement policy.北京对外经济贸易大学国家对外开放研究院教授李长安表示，《办法》是对9月《全国人民代表大会常务委员会关于实施渐进式延迟法定退休年龄的决定》的解释，突出了退休政策的“自愿和灵活”原则。He added that postponing the retirement age progressively is a result of socioeconomic development and changes in demographic structure, which allows for better use of human resources and eases the burdens on social and pension funds.他补充道，渐进式延迟退休年龄是社会经济发展和人口结构变化的结果，能够更好地利用人力资源，并减轻社会和养老金基金的负担。Figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that China's elderly population—people 60 years old and above—accounted for more than one-fifth of the nation's total population in 2023.民政部数据显示，2023年中国60周岁及以上老年人口占全国总人口比重超过五分之一。interimadj.暂时的，过渡时期的

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Last time we spoke about the Long March. Amidst escalating conflicts, the Red Army, led by the newly empowered Mao Zedong, faced immense pressures from the Nationalist Army. Struggling through defeats and dwindling forces, they devised a bold retreat known as the Long March. Starting in October 1934, they evaded encirclement and crossed treacherous terrain, enduring heavy losses. Despite dire circumstances, their resilience allowed them to regroup, learn from past missteps, and ultimately strengthen their strategy, securing Mao's leadership and setting the stage for future successes against the KMT. During the Long March (1934-1936), the Red Army skillfully maneuvered through treacherous terrain, evading the pursuing National Revolutionary Army. Despite harsh conditions and dwindling numbers, advances and strategic ploys allowed them to cross critical rivers and unite with reinforcements. Under Mao Zedong's leadership, they faced internal struggles but ultimately preserved their unity. By journey's end, they had transformed into a formidable force, setting the stage for future victories against their adversaries and solidifying their influence in China.   #131 The Complicated Story about Xinjiang Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. I've said probably too many times, but theres one last major series of events I'd like to cover before we jump into the beginning of the 15 year war between China and Japan. When I say Xinjiang I imagine there are two responses from you in the audience, 1) what the hell is Xinjiang or number 2) oh what about that place in northwest China. That pretty much sums it up, the history of this province, or region if you want to call it that is almost never spoken about. It was a place as we have seen multiple times in the series, where conflicts come and go like the weather. But in the 1930's things really heated up. What I want to talk about is collectively part of the Xinjiang Wars, but more specifically I want to talk about the Kumul Rebellion. There's really no way to jump right into this one so I am going to have to explain a bit about the history of Xinjiang.  Xinjiang in a political sense is part of China and has been the cornerstone of China's strength and prestige going back to the Han dynasty over 2000 years ago. In a cultural sense however, Xinjiang is more inline with the Muslim dominated middle-east. It's closer to th Turkic and Iranian speaking peoples of Central Asia. From a geographical point of view Xinjiang is very much on the periphery. It is very isolated from western asia by the massed ranks of the Hindu Kush, the Pamirs, the Tien Shan, the Indian Subcontinent of Karakoram, Kunlun, the Himalaya ranges and of course by the Gobi desert. It neither belongs to the east or west. As a province of China its the largest and most sparsely populated. It can be divided into two main regions, the Tarim Basin and Zungharia and then into two lesser but economically significant regions, the Ili Valley and Turgan Depression. The Tien Shan mountain range extends roughly eastward from the Pamir Massif, creating a formidable barrier between Zungharia and the Tarim Basin. This natural obstacle complicates direct communication between the two regions, particularly during winter. The Ili Valley, separated from Zungharia by a northern extension of the Tien Shan, is physically isolated from the rest of the province and can only be easily accessed from the west. This western area came under Russian control in the mid-nineteenth century and now forms part of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. Now it has to be acknowledged, since the formation of the PRC in 1949, Xinjiang changed in size and ethnic composition. The CCP drove a massive Han migrant wave over. Regardless, Han's make up a minority and according to some population statistics taken during the 1940s, Xinjiang was dominated by 7 Muslim nationalities, roughly 3.5 million people out of a total population of 3.7 million. 200,000 of these were Han settlers, while 75,000-100,000 were Mongols, Russians, Tunguzic peoples (those being Sibo, Solon and Manchu), a few Tibetans, Afghans and Indians. Among the various indigenous Muslim nationalities of Xinjiang, the Uighurs stand out as the most numerous and politically important. This Turkic-speaking group primarily consists of sedentary agriculturalists who reside in the oases of the Tarim Basin, Turfan, Kumul, and the fertile lowlands of the Hi Valley. In the late 1940s, the Uyghur population in Xinjiang was estimated to be approximately 2,941,000. Following the Uyghurs, the second-largest Muslim nationality in the region is the Kazakhs, with an estimated population of around 319,000 during the late Republican Period. Kirghiz come in third, with an estimated population of about 65,000 at the same time. Both the Kazakhs and Kirghiz in Xinjiang are nomadic Turkic-speaking peoples, with the Kazakhs primarily found in the highland areas of Zungharia and the Hi Valley, while the Kirghiz inhabit the upland pastures of the Tien Shan and Pamirs. There also exist a small group of Iranian-speaking 'Mountain' Tajiks living in the upland Sarikol region in the far southwest, with an estimated population of 9,000 in the mid-1940s; a primarily urban group of Uzbeks residing in larger oasis towns and cities of the Tarim Basin, numbering approximately 8,000 in the mid-1940s; and a smaller group of Tatars settled mainly in Urumqi and the townships near the Xinjiang-Soviet border, estimated at 5,000 during the same period. Lastly, it is important to mention the Hui, a group of Chinese-speaking Muslims dispersed throughout China, particularly in Zungharia and Kumul within Xinjiang, as well as in the neighboring northwestern provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia. Known as 'Tungan' in Xinjiang, the Hui population was estimated at around 92,000 in the mid-1940s and held significant political and military influence during the Republican Period. Excluding the Ismaili Tajik's of Sarikol, the Muslim population of Xinjiang, whether Turkic or Chinese speaking, are Sunni following the orthodox of Hanafi Madhhab.  As for the non Muslim population, excluding the Mongols who numbered roughly 63,000 and inhabit a narrow strip of land along the northeastern frontier between Xinjiang and the Mongolian People's Republic, Tien Shan, Ili Vally and Chuguchak, most were newcomers, migrants from the mid 18th century while the region was being conquered. Again according to the same statistics from the 1940s I mentioned, Hans represented 3-4 % of the population. Although the Han population disproportionately held power with the main administrative areas, they had no sizable territorial enclaves. The Han population can basically be divided into 5 groups; descendants of exiled criminals and political offenders; Hunanese settlers who came over after Zuo Zungtang's conquests; Tientsin merchants who were supplying Zuo's army; Shanxi caravaneers who came to trade and Gansu colonists. Lastly there were the Tunguzic Peoples and Russians. The Tunguzic speaking Sibo, Solon and Manchu settled mostly in the Ili region. The Russians also tended to live in the Ili region. These were mostly White Russian refugees from the civil war.  Xinjiang's first Republican governor was Yang Zengxin, a Yunnanese native. He had previously worked as the district magistrate in Gansu and Ningxia earning a reputation as a good manager of the local Tungan Muslim population. In 1908 he was transferred to Xinjiang and quickly found himself promoted to by the last Qing governor of Xinjiang. He held out his post after the Xinhai revolution and quelled a Urumqi rebellion soon after. Yang Zengxin's survived politically by always siding with whichever faction he thought was winning. For example in 1917, President Li Yuanghong dispatched Fan Yaonan to watch over Yang and try to replace him if possible. Yang recognized quickly whichever Warlord faction held power over the Beiyang government should be courted. Thus Yang held out for a long time and his province was comparably peaceful compared to most of warlord era China. To maintain his power, Yang enacted a divide and rule style, trying to placate the conflicts between certain groups within Xinjiang, but made sure to exclude Russian influence. Basically Yang tried his best to keep groups who could come into conflict away from each other, keeping the Uyghurs of southern Xinjiang away from the pastoral nomads of Zungharia and Tien Shan. Above all Yang considered the Bolshevik Russians to be the greatest threat to his regime, in his words “The Russians ... aimed at ... isolating the country from all outside influence, and at maintaining it in a state of medieval stagnation, thus removing any possibility of conscious and organised national resistance. As their religious and educational policy, the Russian administrators sought to preserve the archaic form of Islam and Islamic culture. . . Quranic schools of the most conservative type were favoured and protected against any modernist influence”. During his 16 year of power, Yang established himself as a competent autocrat, a mandarin of the old school and quite the capable administrator. Yet his economic policies were long term exploitative causing hardship and exhausting the province. Yang realized he was reached the threshold of what the population was willing to endure and endeavored to allow corruption to emerge within his administration provided it remained within acceptable limits. IE: did not spring forward a Muslim revolution. He opened junior positions in the administration to Muslims which had a duel effect. It made the Muslim community feel like they were part of greater things, but placed said officials in the path of the populations anger, insulating senior Han officials. Ironically it would be his fellow Han Chinese officials who would become angry with him. Some were simply ambitious of his power, others felt that Xinjiang should be more closely inline with China proper.  Rumors have it that after a dinnr party, Yang deliberately surrounded himself with opium addicts, stating to his subordinates “the inveterate opium smoker thinks more of his own comfort and convenience than of stirring up unrest among his subordinates”. Needless to say, Yang later years saw him seriously alienating senior officials. By 1926 he claimed “to have created an earthly paradise in a remote region” so he seemed to be quite full of himself. That same year he turned against his Tungan subordinates. He accused many of conspiring with Ma Qi, a Tungan warlord of Xuning in Qinghai, whom he also thought were driven by Urumqi. Deprived of his formerly loyal Tungans, Yang found himself increasingly isolated. A expedition was sent to Urumqi in 1926, whr G. N Roerich noted “The Governor's residence consisted of several well-isolated buildings and enclosed courtyards. The gates were carefully guarded by patrols of heavily armed men ... The Governor's yamen seemed to us to be in a very dilapidated condition. The glass in many of the windows on the ground floor was broken and dirty papers and rags had been pasted on the window frames. Numerous retainers roamed about the courtyards and villainous bodyguards, armed with mauser pistols, were on duty at the entrance to the yamen.” It seems likely Yang had decided to leave Xinjiang at that point. He had amassed a immense personal fortune and sent much of it to his family in China proper and also to Manila where he had a bank account. Further evidence of this was provided by Mildred Cable and Francesca French, two members of the China inland Mission who reported 'Wise old Governor Yang ... as early as 1926 ... quietly arranged a way of escape for his family and for the transference of his wealth to the security of the British Concession in Tientsin. Later in the same year, accompanied by several 'luggage cases of valuables', Yang's eldest son was sent out of Sinkiang, travelling incognito, in the company of these missionaries”. It was also at this time Yang erectd a statue of himself in th public gardens at Urumqi. According to Nicholas Roerich, this memorial was paid for with forced contributions 'from the grateful population'; by all accounts the statue was in execrable taste . While the NRA was marching upon Beijing in June of 1928, Yang ordered the KMT flag to be raised in Xinjiang. This gesture indicated to all, Yang was about to depart the province. One of Yang's most dissident subordinates, a Han named Fan Yaonan decided to act. Fan Yaonan was an ambitious modernist who received his education in Japan and someone Yang distruste from day one. Fan was appointed the post of Taoyin of Aksu by the Beijing government, an appointment Yang could have easily ingored, but was grudgingly impressd by Fans abilities. Fan proved himself very useful to Yang and was soon promoted to the Taoyin of Urumqi alongside becoming the Xinjiang Provincial Commissioner for Foreign Affairs. It seems Fan and Yang mutually disliked each other. At some point in 1926 Fan got together with a small group of like minded officials, such as the engineer at Urumqi's telegraph station and the Dean of the local school of Law, and Fan told them he wanted to assasinate Yang. Some believe Fan sought to gain favor with the KMT as motivation. Regardless on July 7th of 1928, 6 days after Yang took the post of Chairman of the Xinjiang Provincial Government under the KMT, Fan attacked. On that day, Yang was invited to a banquet to celebrate a graduation ceremony at the Urumqi law school. Fan had arranged the banquet, with 18 soldiers present, disguised as waiters wearing “red bands around their arms and Browning pistols in their sleeves”. During the meal, Fan proposed a toast to the health of Yang at which time “shots rang outsimultaneously, all aimed at the Governor. Seven bulletsin all were fired, and all reached their mark. Yang, mortally wounded, but superb in death, glared an angry defiance at his foes, 'who dares do this?' he questioned in the loud voice which had commanded instant obedience for so many years. Then he fell slowly forward, his last glance resting upon the face of the trusted Yen, as though to ask forgiveness that he had not listened to the advice so often given to him”. According to Yan Tingshan who was also wounded, Fan Yaonan finished Yang Zengxin off with two shots personally. After the assassination, whereupon 16 people were killed or wounded, Fan went to Yang official residence and seized the seals of office. He then sent a letter summonig Jin Shujen, the Commissioner for Civil Affairs in Xinjiang and Yang's second in command. Jin called Fan's bluff and refusing to come, instead sending soldiers to arrest the assassin. It seems Fan greatly miscalculated his personal support as a short gun battle broke out and he was arrested by Jin and shortly thereafter executed with his complices on July 8th. And thus, Jin Shujen found himself succeeding Yang, a less able man to the job. Jin Shujen was a Han Chinese from Gansu. He graduated from the Gansu provincial academy and served for a time as the Principal of a Provincial normal school. He then entered the Imperial Civil Service, where he came to the attention of Yang, then working as the district Magistrate at Hozhou. Yang took him on as district magistrate and Jin rose through the ranks. By 1927 Jin became the Provincial Commissioner for Civil Affairs at Urumqi. After executing Fan, Jin sent a telegram to Nanjing seeking the KMT's official recognition of his new role. Nanjing had no real options, it was fait accompli, they confirmed Jin into office and under the new KMT terminology he was appointed Provincial Chairman and commander-in-chief. In other words an official warlord.  Following his seizure of power, Jin immediately took steps to secure his newfound power. His first step was to double the salaries of the secret police and army. He also expanded the military and acquired new weaponry for them. Politically, Jin maintained the same old Qing policies Yang did, pretty much unchanged. Jin did however replace many of the Yunnanese followers under Yang with Han CHinese from Gansu. Jins younger brother, Jin Shuxin was appointed Provincial Commissioner for military affairs at Urumqi and his other brother Jin Shuqi was given the senior military post at Kashgar. His personal bodyguard member Zu Chaoqi was promoted to Brigade Commander at Urumqi. Jin maintained and expanded upon Yang's system of internal surveillance and censorship, like any good dictator would. According to H. French Ridley of the China Inland Mission at Urumqi “people were executed for 'merely making indiscreet remarks in the street during ordinary conversation”. Jin also introduced a system of internal passports so that any journey performing with Xinjiang required an official passport validation by the Provincial Chairman's personal seal, tightening his security grip and of course increasing his official revenue. Travel outside Xinjiang became nearly impossible, especially for Han officials and merchants seeking trade with China proper.  Under Jin Xinjiang's economy deteriorated while his fortune accumulated. Yang had introduced an unbacked paper currency that obviously fell victim to inflation and Jin upted the anty. Within a process of several stages, he expanded the currency, causing further inflation. Under Yang the land taxes had been a serious source of the provincial revenue, but Yang was not foolish enough to squeeze the Turkic peasantry too hard, he certainly was intelligent enough to thwart peasant revolts. Jin however, not so smart, he tossed caution to the win and doubled the land taxes, way past what would be considered the legal amount. Jin also emulated Ma Fuxiang, by establishing government monopolies over various profitable enterprises, notably the gold mine at Keriya and Jade mine at Khotan. He also monopolized the wool and pelt industry, using his police and army to force the sale of lambskins at a mere 10% of their market value. Just as with Yang's regime, wealth flowed out of the province in a continuous stream, straight into banks within China proper. According to George Vasel, a German engineer and Nazi agent hired to construct airfields in Gansu during the early 1930s, he knew a German pilot named Rathje who was secretly employed by Jin to fly a million dollars worth of gold bullion from Urumqi to Beijing. Jin did his best to keep all foreign influence out of Xinjiang and this extended also to KMT officials from China proper. Jin also of course did his best to conceal his corrupt regime from Nanjing. For all intensive purposes Jin treated Xinjiang like a feudal, medieval society. He tried to limit external trade to only be through long distance caravans. All was fine and dandy until Feng Yuxiang occupied Gansu and thus disrupted the traditional trade routes. Alongside this the Soviets had just constructed a new railroad linking Frunze, the capital of Kirghiz with Semipalatinsk in western siberia. This railroad known as the Turksib was aimed primarily to develop western Turkstan, integrating it within the new soviet system. The railroad was constructed 400 miles away from the Xinjiang frontier, on purpose to limit any activities with capitalists. When the railway was completed in 1930 it virtually strangled Xinjiang. China's share of Xinjiang's market dropped by 13% and the value of trade with the Soviets which had dropped to zero since the Russian civil war was not rising past 32 million roubles by 1930. The Soviet trade gradually was seizing a monopoly over Xinjiang and this of course affected the merchants and workers who were unable to compete. The revenue of the merchants and workers declined as new taxes were levied against them. Meanwhile alongside an increase in Soviet trade, the new railway also increased Soviet political influence over Xinjiang. It was also much faster and easier to travel from China proper to Xinjiang via Vladivostok, the trans-siberian railway and Turksib than across the North-West roads of China. For the Turkic speaking Muslims of Xinjiang, it was quite impressive and many wanted to do business and mingle with the Soviets. However to do so required a visa, and thus KMT officials in Nanjing held the keys. Jin's policies towards the Turkic Muslims, Tungans and Mongols were extremely poor from the very beginning. It seems Jin held prejudice against Muslims, some citing bad experiences with them in Gansu. Whatever the case may be, Jin rapidly antagonized both his Turkic speaking and Tungan Muslim citizens by introducing a tax on the butchering of all animals in Xinjiang and forbidding Muslims to perform the Hajj to Mecca. Some point out he did that second part to thwart a loophole on leaving Xinjiang for trade. Obviously the Muslim majority of Xinjiang and the military powerhouse of Torgut Mongols in the Tien Shan bitterly resented Jin. Despite wide scale hostility against him, the first challenges at his autocratic rule came not from various minority groups, but some ambitious Han officers under his command. Palpatin would say it was ironic.  In May of 1929 the Taoyin of Altai attempted a coup against Jin, but he was forewarned and able to confine the fighting to the Shara Sume area. In the spring of 1931 troubles broke out in Urumqi as discontented Han officers and soldiers attacked Jin's yamen. The attack failed, and the instigators of the plot were all executed. The same year, Jin annexed the Kumul Khanate, known to the Chinese as Hami, finally pushing the Turkic speaking Muslims into open rebellion. Going back in time, after Zuo Zengtangs reconquest of Xinjiang in the 1870s, a few local principalities were permitted to survive on a semi-autonomous basis. Of these Kumul was the most important and was ruled by a royal family dating back to the Ming Dynasty and descended from the Chaghatay Khans. The Khanate of Kumul dominated the chief road from Xinjiang to China proper and was therefore of strategic importance to the Chinese. It extended from Iwanquan northwards to the Barkul Tagh and along the mountains to Bai and south to Xingxingxia along the Xinjiang-Gansu border. During the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, Maqsud Shah was sitting on the throne of Kumul. He was known to the Chinese as the Hami Wang, to his subjects as Khan Maqsud or Sultan Maqsud and to Europeans as the King of the Gobi. He was the last independent Khan of Central Asia as the rest were tossing their lot in with the progress of the times. During Yangs regime he was content with allowing Kumul to train its semi autonomous status, mostly because Maqsud Shah was very friendly towards the Chinese. He spoke Turkic with a marked Chinese accent and wore Chinese clothes. On the other hand he had a long whit beard and always wore a turban or Uyghur cap. He was a staunch Muslim ruling a petty oasis kingdom from an ancient and ramshackle palace in Kumul proper, one of three towns making up the capital of Kumul, known to the Chinese as Huicheng. He had a bodyguard consisting of 40 Chinese soldiers armed with mausers and had a Chinese garrison billeted in fortified Chinese town. The third city in his domain was known as New City or Xincheng, populated by a mix of Chinese and Turkic peoples. By 1928, shortly after the assassination of Yang, it was estimated Maqsud Shah ruled over roughly 25,000-30,000 Kumulliks. He was responsible for levying taxes, dispensing justice and so forth. His administration rested upon 21 Begs, 4 of whom were responsible for Kumul itself, 5 others over plains villages and the other 12 over mountain regions of Barkul and Karlik Tagh. Maqsud Shah also maintained a Uyghur militia who had a reputation as being better trained than its Chinese counterpart at Old City. Throughout Yangs regime, Kumul remained relatively peaceful and prosperous. Maqsud Shah paid a small annual tribute to Urumqi and in return the Xinjiang government paid him a formal subsidy of 1200 silver taels a year. Basically this was Yang paying for the Sultans compliance when it came to moving through his strategic Khanate. For the Uyghurs of Kumul, they were free from the typical persecution under Chinese officials. The only tax paid by citizens of Kumul was in livestock, generally sheep or goats, given annually to the Khan. The soil of the oasis was rich and well cultivated. Everything was pretty fine and dandy under Yang, but now was the time of Jin. In March of 1930, Maqsud Shah died of old age. His eldest son Nasir should have inherited the throne of Kumul, but Jin and his Han subordinates stationed in Kumul Old City had other plans. Shortly after Maqsud Shah's death, Nasir traveled to Urumqi, most likely to legitimize his rise upon the throne. Nasir was not very popular amongst his people, thus it seemed he needed Jin's aid to bolster him. However there also was the story that it was Jin who ordered Nasir to come to Urumqi to perform a formal submission. Now at the time of Maqsud Shah's death, Li Xizeng, a Han Chinese divisional commander stationed in Kumul suggested to Jin that the Khanate should be abolished and annexed officially. There was of course a great rationale for this, if Jin took control over Kumul it would offer increased revenue and new positions for his Han Chinese officials. Thus Jin ordered a resolution be drawn up by his ministers to abolish the Khanate, dividing Kumul into three separate administrative districts, Hami centered around the capital, I-ho and I-wu. When Nasir arrived in Urumqi he was given the new position of Senior Advisor to the provincial government, but forbidden to return to Kumul. Basically it was the age old government via hostage taking. Meanwhile another official named Yulbars was sent back to Kumul with a group of Chinese officials to set up the new administration.  While the people of Kumul had no love for Nasir and were taxed pretty heavily by his father, this did not mean that they wanted the Khanate to end. For the Turkic Muslims the Khanate held a religious significance. For Uyghurs there was a question of national pride associated with it. Of course there were economic issues. Within Xinjiang Han were allowed to settle, but in the Khanate there were restrictions. In the words of the Nanjing Wu Aichen on the situation “subject peoples obstinately prefer self-government to good government”. Well Jin's government was definitely not good, so what outcome does that give? The newly appointed Han administration upset the people of Kumul from the very minute of its installation. When it was announced the privilege of being except from direct taxation by Urumqi was to be abolished, ompf. To add insult to injury, one years arrears of taxes were to be collected from the Uyghurs. On top of that, Kumul was tossed wide open to Han settlers who were incentivized to settle by giving them a tax exemption for two years. Yeah that be some wild policies. To add even more misery, Kumul being situated on the chief road from northwestern Gansu to Xinjiang saw an enormous flow of refugees from famine and warfare going on in Gansu. A column of these refugees were seen by Berger Bohlin of the Sino-Swedish Expedition of 1931. His account is as follows “During my stay at Hua-hai-tze I witnessed a curious spectacle. The Chen-fan region had for a number of years been visited by failure of the crops and famine, and large numbers of people therefore emigrated to more prosperous tracts. Such an emigration-wave now passed Hua-hai-tze. It consisted of a caravan of 100 camels, transporting 150 persons with all their baggage to Sinkiang, where it was said that land was being thrown open”. It seemed to Bohlin that the refugees looked carefree and happy and that the ruler of Xinjiang, Jin Shujen, a Gansu man himself was enthusiastic to have them come settle his province. Jin had his official in charge of I-ho district Lung Xulin provide land for the would-be settlers coming from Gansu. Lung Xulin responded by forcing his Uyghur population to leave their cultivated land and simply handed it over to the refugees. The expropriated Uyghurs were compensated for their land by being given untilled lands on the fringe of the desert where most soil was barren. The Uyghurs were also assessed for their land tax based on their old holdings. To make this even worse hear this, untilled land was exempt from taxation for two years, so they didn't even get that, while the Gansu refugees were excused from tax payments for three years. So yeah the Kumul people quickly organized a petition and sent it to the yamen in Urumqi. There was zero acknowledgement from the yamen it was received and nothing was done to address the long list of grievances, especially from the Uyghurs. Instead the Gansu settlers kept flooding in and with them the price of food skyrocketed, largely because of the enormous amount of provincial troops sent in to watch over everybody. Now for the moment the Turkic speaking Muslims in the region remained relatively peaceful, and this perhaps lulled Jin into a false sense of security. But according to Sven Hedin of the Sino-Swedish Expedition “Discontent increased; the people clenched their teeth and bided their time; the atmosphere was tense and gloomy. Inflammable matter accumulated, and only a spark was needed to fire the powder magazine.”  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The history of Xinjiang is unbelievably bizarre, complicated and quite frankly really fun. Before researching this I had no idea about anything and am really enjoying this as I write it. The next episode is going to be on the Kumul Rebellion, so buckle up buckaroo. 

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by Tom Deierlein, a West Point graduate, serial entrepreneur, Wounded Warrior, and Angel Investor. Deierlein shares his extraordinary journey from being an Airborne Ranger and Bronze Star recipient to becoming the CEO of Thundercat Technology. He recounts his return to active duty at age 38, being critically wounded in Iraq, and his inspiring recovery at Walter Reed. Focused on the theme of grit, Deierlein discusses the importance of persistence, resilience, and long-term goals in overcoming obstacles, using examples from his life and referencing Angela Duckworth's studies on grit. This episode is a powerful testament to the strength of character and determination needed to achieve greatness despite adversity.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESConnect and learn more about Tom Deierlein:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomdeierlein/Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT[00:03:53] Tom's Early Career and Sales Background[00:05:59] Transition to PTC and the Dot-Com Era[00:10:22] The Call Back to Military Service[00:16:15] Deployment and Civil Affairs in Iraq[00:20:33] The Sniper Attack and Aftermath[00:30:09] The Body's Healing Process[00:30:35] The Challenge of Standing Up[00:31:46] Facing Dark Days[00:32:01] Defining Grit[00:33:29] The Power of Persistence[00:37:12] Rehabilitation Journey[00:38:45] Discovering Grit[00:42:17] Early Examples of Grit[00:45:05] Ranger School Challenges[00:48:21] Teaching Grit[00:58:15] The Stockwell ParadoxHIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:53:17] "Excellence is not an act, but a habit."[00:53:46] "Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."[00:59:58] "Confront the facts, have the discipline to acknowledge the harsh realities of your current situation, but maintain faith. Have an unwavering faith that you will prevail no matter how long it takes."

-CHAPTERS- 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:04 Family Influence and Military Legacy 06:13 Father's Role in AIDS Care and Compassion 12:12 Struggles with Faith and Church Disillusionment 18:49 Teenage Identity and Social Acceptance 29:58 Military Decision and Internal Conflict 36:06 Training and Preparation for War 44:47 Facing Reality: The Moment of Arrival 52:02 Beliefs and Misconceptions: Understanding the Mission 58:29 Cultural Shock: From Curiosity to Disillusionment 01:01:52 The Weight of Loss: Remembering Kyle 01:10:39 The Struggle with Purpose: Transitioning Home 01:22:02 Faith and Philosophy: Questioning Existence 01:27:22 Finding Connection: The Role of Father Rocheford 01:29:45 The Weight of War and Personal Struggles 01:38:28 The Impact of Relationships on Mental Health 01:46:39 Facing the Consequences of Past Actions 01:57:33 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing 02:08:27 The Importance of Sharing Veteran Stories -SUMMARY- In this conversation, Benjamin Sledge shares his journey from a challenging upbringing in Oklahoma to becoming a decorated combat veteran and author. He discusses the profound influence of his family, particularly his parents, on his values and choices, including his decision to join the military. Sledge reflects on his father's pioneering work as an AIDS nurse during a time of stigma and fear, and how this shaped his understanding of compassion and empathy. He also delves into his struggles with faith, identity, and the pressures of social acceptance during his teenage years, ultimately leading to a conflict between his desire for a carefree college life and the responsibilities of military service. The conversation culminates in a discussion about the importance of training and preparation for the realities of war, highlighting the internal conflicts faced by soldiers. In this segment of the conversation, the speaker reflects on their experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, detailing the emotional and psychological challenges faced upon arrival, the disillusionment with the mission, and the impact of loss on their perspective. They explore the complexities of cultural understanding, the struggle with purpose after returning home, and the philosophical questions that arise from witnessing the brutality of war. The discussion also touches on the importance of connection and mentorship, particularly through the figure of Father Rocheford, who offers a different perspective on faith and purpose. In this conversation, Benjamin Sledge shares his profound experiences as a veteran, exploring the weight of war, the impact of relationships on mental health, and the journey of self-discovery and healing. He reflects on the importance of sharing veteran stories and the struggles of reconciling his past actions with his present self. Through candid discussions about faith, personal growth, and the challenges of life after combat, Sledge emphasizes the need for community and understanding in the healing process. -TAKEAWAYS- Philosophical reflections on the human condition arise from war experiences. The search for purpose can lead to self-destructive behavior. Mentorship plays a crucial role in navigating trauma. Faith can be questioned in the face of war's brutality. War can leave deep emotional scars that affect personal relationships. The importance of having someone to talk to about one's struggles cannot be overstated. Self-reflection is crucial in understanding one's role in past relationships. Healing often requires facing uncomfortable truths about oneself. Community support is vital for veterans dealing with trauma. Sharing stories can help bridge the gap between veterans and civilians. Faith can be a source of strength during difficult times. Acknowledging one's flaws is the first step towards personal growth. Writing can be a therapeutic outlet for processing trauma. Understanding moral injury is essential for veterans' mental health.

-CHAPTERS- 00:00 Introduction to the Harding Project Fellowship 02:50 Major Emily Lopez's Journey and Role 06:06 The Importance of Storytelling in the Military 08:53 Bridging the Civilian-Military Divide 12:13 Modernizing Military Communication 15:08 The Future of the Special Warfare Journal 18:01 Encouraging Writing and Sharing Stories -SUMMARY- In this episode of the DTD podcast, Major Emily Lopez discusses her role as an editor for the Special Warfare Journal and the significance of storytelling within the military community. She emphasizes the importance of sharing personal experiences and insights to foster professional dialogue and bridge the gap between military and civilian perspectives. The conversation also highlights the modernization of military communication and the initiatives being implemented to encourage writing and sharing of stories among service members. -TAKEAWAYS- The Harding Project Fellowship aims to enhance military storytelling. Only individuals can share their unique experiences. Storytelling fosters authenticity and understanding in the military. Modernizing communication is essential for reaching wider audiences. The Special Warfare Journal will focus on relevant topics and stories. Encouraging writing can help bridge the civilian-military divide. The new website will facilitate access to military journals. Storytelling is crucial for recruitment and public perception. The journal will include contributions from both active and reserve forces. Engagement with the community is vital for the journal's success. Stay connected and never miss an episode by subscribing to our podcast on your favorite platform! Don't forget to hit that notification bell to be the first to know when a new episode drops. For exclusive full interviews and behind-the-scenes content, visit our official website: https://www.dtdpodcast.net/ Follow us on social media for updates, sneak peeks, and more engaging content:

Welcome to One CA Podcast.  As we go into the holidays, the One CA brings on the show's founder, John McElligott, to talk with Brian Hancock and Jack Gaines about the show's beginnings, current updates and goals for the future. So, stay tuned.  --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/podcast --- Episode list: Past Episodes: 202 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part II)  201 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part I)  200 Jörg Grössl on the NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence  199 Jeffrey Fiddler and the U.S. Gaza Relief Mission  198 David Luna, State-sponsored criminality in strategic competition  197 Scott Mann "Nobody is Coming to Save You"  196 Jeffrey Fiddler on the DOD response to COVID 19  195 Cleo Paskal on PRC operations in Guam  194 Doug Stevens on faith-based diplomacy  193 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part II)  192 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part I)  191 Drew Biemer on Energy Sector Civil Affairs  190 Pavlo Kuktha on Ukraine Reconstruction  189 Phillip Smith in discussion with Brian Hancock  188 Part II, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  187 Part I, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  186 Major Gustavo Ferreira testifies at the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission.  185 Scott Mann, Life After Afghanistan  184 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger on Information Operations. Part II.  183 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger. Leading Information Operations and Influence. Part I  182 Natacha Ciezki, from Zaire to America  181 Proxy Wars, by Pawel Bernat, Juneyt Gurer, and Cyprian Kozera  180 Sandor Fabian: Europe is Learning the wrong lessons from the conflict in Ukraine  179 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part II  178 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part I  177 Patrick Passewitz on the Sicilian Model  176 Part II, interview with J. David Thompson  175 Part I interview with J. David Thompson  174 Direct Commissions with Heater Cotter  173 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.2)  172 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.1)  171 Civil Military What?  170 Combat First Aid in Ukraine by Michael Baker  169 Part II, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  168 Part I, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  167 Electronic Warfare with Michael Gudmundson  166 On Alexei Navalny and Political Dissent  165 Part II of the Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph interview  164 Part I, Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph on the book "Backpack to Rucksack"  163 Sam Cooper on China political and Economic Warfare  162 Rob Boudreau and Joel Searls  161 Curtis Fox, Part II on Russian Hybrid Warfare  160 Curtis Fox: Part I, Russian Hybrid Warfare  159 Albert Augustine and V Corps CA  158 Introducing the 1st CAG Human Dimension Podcast  157 Part II Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  156 Part I, Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  155 Gen (R) David Petraeus at Carnegie  154 Angie Smith, Environmental Science and Foreign Policy  153 One CA Classic. John visits AUSA  152 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  151 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  150 The WestPoint Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations  149 Part II. Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  148 Part I.Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  147 Jack's first year hosting the One CA Podcast  146 Jess Langerud talks on medical diplomacy in Poland  145 Courtney Mulhern. Three tools to improve local public outreach  144 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  143 Richard Messick. Advising partner nations on Rule of Law and anti-corruption  142 Scott DeJesse and the new Monuments Men and Women  141 Paul Hutchinson on the film ”Sound of Freedom” and human trafficking  140 Brian Hancock interview Col. Rachael Sherrer discuss Army Europe and Africa  139 John Cassara on China's Criminal Economy  138 Part II. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  137 Part I. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  136 Joe Pastorek and the 95th CA Advanced Skills Detachment  135 Jack Gaines interview with Global Integrity  134 Calvin Chrustie on conflict and hostage negotiation  133 Part II: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  132 Part I: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  131 Climate and Security  130 Chris Hyslop on human rights and diplomacy  129 Special Episode: Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  128 128 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments Part II  127 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments, Part I  126 Juan Quiroz on CA leading in Competition  125 Chris Hyslop: The Peace Corps  124 Special episode. Jordan Harbinger interviews H.R. McMaster on his book ”Battlegrounds”  123 Part II 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  122 Part I 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  121 Korea Reunification by David Maxwell  120 Special episode. IWP: The Columbia Plan  119 Discussing the USMC, 31st MEU CA Marines  118 Part II. Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy, by former Under-Secretary, Michael Patrick Mulroy  117 Part I. former DASD, Michael Patrick Mulroy on Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy  116 Assad Raza talk-back on the Frank Sobchak interview  115 Frank Sobchak on advising and training partner nation forces  114 Special Episode from the IW Podcast: Slow Burn: How Security Cooperation shapes operational environments  113 Jodi Harman and the HillVets Foundation  112 David Maxwell on grand strategy  111 Civil Affairs and Security Cooperation with Chris Stockel  110 CSM Riccio Christmas Day Concert  109 John Hutcheson on Hiring our Heroes  108 Advertisement for the CSM Riccio holiday concert  107 Operation Joint Endeavor  106 Special episode: John McElligott passes the mic  105 Major John Burns on Ghost Team at NTC  104 Stanislava Mladenova on Civ-Mil Relationships in Low-Intensity Conflict and State Fragility  103 Benjamin Ordiway and Anthony Pfaff  102 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 2  101 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 1  100 Episode 100 of the One CA Podcast  99 Theater Information Advantage Element 98 Brig Gen Chris Dziubek of the 351st CACOM  97 Mark Delaney on Civil Affairs Skills for Post Military Life  96 Colonel Marco Bongioanni on Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers  95 Maj Gen Jeff Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  94 Operation Allies Refuge: Lessons on Interagency and Multinational Collaboration  93 Vish Odedra on COVID-19 Vaccinations in the UK  92 LTC Greg Banner on Training for Unconventional Warfare  91 Chris Bryant on Social Media for CA  90 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 3  89 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 2  88 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 1  87 USACAPOC(A) Command Strategic Initiatives  86 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 2  85 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 1  84 Zach Hyleman and Kevin Chapla on FAO and CA  83 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 2  82 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 1  81 SFC Josh Spiers on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  80 Major Lauren Holl on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  79 Josh Bedingfield on Human Network Analysis  78 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 2  77 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 1  76 Maj Gen Hugh Van Roosen on a Career in SF, CA, and PSYOP  75 Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  74 Colonel Mattia Zuzzi of the Multinational CIMIC Group  73 Jonathan Papoulidis on Country Coordination Platforms  72 Colonel Frank van Boxmeer of NATO CCOE  71 LTC Matthias Wasinger of the Austrian Armed Forces  70 Request for Capabilities Brief Guests and Show Hosts  69 Lt Col Jahn Olson and Lt Col Korvin Kraics on III Marine Expeditionary Force  68 LTC Albert Augustine on CA Missions in Africa  67 Justin Constantine  66 John Steed of Tesla Government on GIS  65 65 Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  64 Joe Pastorek on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade's Advanced Skills Detachment  63 Lauren Ladenson, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Holmes, and Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Kouri on Defense Support to Stabilization (DSS)  62 CPT Al Oh and SGM Chris Melendez discuss Civil Reconnaissance  61 Dr. E. Casey Wardynski, ASA (M&RA) on Talent Management  60 LTC Scott Dickerson on the Army CA Force Modernization Assessment  59 MAJ Ashley Holzmann on the History of US Propaganda and Psychological Operations  58 Doowan Lee on Innovating Influence Intelligence  57 LTC Marco Bongioanni on the International Visitor Leadership Program  56 Paul Giannone on CA in Vietnam and his Career in Public Health  55 LTC Jeff Uherka and COL Steve Barry of Joint Task Force - Bravo  54 John Barsa, Acting Administrator of USAID  53 Dr. Ajit Maan - Narrative Warfare  52 Karen Walsh and Bron Morrison of Dexis Consulting  51 Intergrating Civil Affairs, with MAJ Brian Hancock and Dr. Timothy Darr  50 COL Steve Battle on CA Support for the COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea  49 LTC Rachel Sullivan and MAJ Mike Karlson on CA during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea  48 Dr. Lynn Copeland on the Future of Civil Information Management  47 Letting the CAT out of the Bag Part 2  46 Letting the CAT out of the Bag, Part 1  45 MAJ Ian Duke on the need for a Civil Knowledge Battalion  44 MAJ James Ontiveros discusses Civil Affairs and Megacities  43 Captains Chapla, Micciche, and Staron on Storyboards as the TPS Reports of the Army  42 LTC Sue Gannon on Leading the 450th CA Battalion  41 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 2  40 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 1  39 Abubakr Elnoor on Darfur and Terrorist Recruitment  38 Devin Conley on the National Training Center  37 General Anthony Zinni on a Unified, Interagency Command  36 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  35 Justin Richmond on the Impl. Project  34 Alexandra Lamarche on Internally Displaced People in Cameroon  33 Jamie Schwandt on Swarm Intelligence, Swarm Learning, and Red Teams  32 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on the CA Force Modernization Assessment  31 Narayan Khadka on Nepal, castes, and community trauma  30 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on CA in Large Scale Combat Operations  29 Giancarlo Newsome and Jesse Elmore on Military Government Specialists  28 Nicholas Krohley on Human Terrain and CA Integration  27 Dale Yeager with Travel Safety Tips  26 Cori Wegener on Cultural Heritage Preservation  25 Major General Darrell Guthrie of USACAPOC(A)  24 Kwadjo Owusu-Sarfo on Ghana and Boko Haram  23 Manya Dotson on Life in the NGO Community  22 Wyatt Hughes Trains the Central Readiness Force of Japan  21 Bonus episode with Ryan McCannell of USAID  20 Ryan McCannell of USAID on the Evolution of CA in Sub-Saharan African  19 Arnel David on Strategy in the 21st Century  18 Michael Coates and Mark Grimes, Startup Radio Network  17 Max Steiner and Mazi Markel, CA Issue Paper  16 Diana Parzik, USAID Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation  15 Will Ibrahim, S-9 of 2/1 CAV  14 What is Civil Affairs - AUSA Answers  13 Scott Fisher and Information Operations  12 Aleks Nesic and James Patrick Christian of Valka-Mir  11 Norm Cotton of the Institute for Defense Analyses  10 Kevin Melton, USAID Office of Transition Initiatives  9 Dr. Larry Hufford discusses the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland  8 Valor Breez and Jarrett Redman on "Beyond Hearts and Minds"  7 John Stefula and PKSOI  6 Michael Schwille, Iraq and Djibouti and RAND  5 Gonul Tol, Middle East Institute, on Turkey  4 Roberto Carmack, PhD, on Russian actions  3 Sean Acosta, Instructor, USAJFKSWCS  2 Valerie Jackson, 4th CA Group, USMC  1 Jon May: Artificial Intelligence for HA/DR Operations - LORELEI  --- Special thanks to Cool Jazz Hot Bassa for sampling music in their  album, Energy Jazz Playlist. Retrieved at: https://youtu.be/bdWUj2NYDYQ?si=00ylFfJ6DhGCwPsO

Welcome to One CA Podcast.  As we go into the holidays, the One CA brings on the show's founder, John McElligott, to talk with Brian Hancock and Jack Gaines about the show's beginnings, current updates and goals for the future. So, stay tuned.  --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org   --- Past Episodes: 202 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part II)  201 Andrew Gonzalez on Marine Civil Affairs in the Pacific (Part I)  200 Jörg Grössl on the NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence  199 Jeffrey Fiddler and the U.S. Gaza Relief Mission  198 David Luna, State-sponsored criminality in strategic competition  197 Scott Mann "Nobody is Coming to Save You"  196 Jeffrey Fiddler on the DOD response to COVID 19  195 Cleo Paskal on PRC operations in Guam  194 Doug Stevens on faith-based diplomacy  193 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part II)  192 Patrick Alley on Global Influence (Part I)  191 Drew Biemer on Energy Sector Civil Affairs  190 Pavlo Kuktha on Ukraine Reconstruction  189 Phillip Smith in discussion with Brian Hancock  188 Part II, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  187 Part I, Mickey Bergman on Diplomacy in the Shadows  186 Major Gustavo Ferreira testifies at the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission.  185 Scott Mann, Life After Afghanistan  184 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger on Information Operations. Part II.  183 Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger. Leading Information Operations and Influence. Part I  182 Natacha Ciezki, from Zaire to America  181 Proxy Wars, by Pawel Bernat, Juneyt Gurer, and Cyprian Kozera  180 Sandor Fabian: Europe is Learning the wrong lessons from the conflict in Ukraine  179 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part II  178 Civil Affairs Innovation with Colonel Brad Hughes, part I  177 Patrick Passewitz on the Sicilian Model  176 Part II, interview with J. David Thompson  175 Part I interview with J. David Thompson  174 Direct Commissions with Heater Cotter  173 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.2)  172 Achieving post conflict stabilization with Prof. Beatrice Heuser (Pt.1)  171 Civil Military What?  170 Combat First Aid in Ukraine by Michael Baker  169 Part II, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  168 Part I, Bas Wouters on Influence and Persuasion  167 Electronic Warfare with Michael Gudmundson  166 On Alexei Navalny and Political Dissent  165 Part II of the Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph interview  164 Part I, Courtney Mulhern and Dan Joseph on the book "Backpack to Rucksack"  163 Sam Cooper on China political and Economic Warfare  162 Rob Boudreau and Joel Searls  161 Curtis Fox, Part II on Russian Hybrid Warfare  160 Curtis Fox: Part I, Russian Hybrid Warfare  159 Albert Augustine and V Corps CA  158 Introducing the 1st CAG Human Dimension Podcast  157 Part II Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  156 Part I, Robert Curris on Psychological Operations integration with CA and SOF  155 Gen (R) David Petraeus at Carnegie  154 Angie Smith, Environmental Science and Foreign Policy  153 One CA Classic. John visits AUSA  152 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  151 Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan  150 The WestPoint Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations  149 Part II. Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  148 Part I.Tony Vacha on Civil Affairs in Europe and Africa  147 Jack's first year hosting the One CA Podcast  146 Jess Langerud talks on medical diplomacy in Poland  145 Courtney Mulhern. Three tools to improve local public outreach  144 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  143 Richard Messick. Advising partner nations on Rule of Law and anti-corruption  142 Scott DeJesse and the new Monuments Men and Women  141 Paul Hutchinson on the film ”Sound of Freedom” and human trafficking  140 Brian Hancock interview Col. Rachael Sherrer discuss Army Europe and Africa  139 John Cassara on China's Criminal Economy  138 Part II. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  137 Part I. Joseph Long on relational leadership and military diplomacy  136 Joe Pastorek and the 95th CA Advanced Skills Detachment  135 Jack Gaines interview with Global Integrity  134 Calvin Chrustie on conflict and hostage negotiation  133 Part II: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  132 Part I: Afghan resettlement in the U.S.  131 Climate and Security  130 Chris Hyslop on human rights and diplomacy  129 Special Episode: Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  128 128 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments Part II  127 Josh Bedingfield on Shadow Governments, Part I  126 Juan Quiroz on CA leading in Competition  125 Chris Hyslop: The Peace Corps  124 Special episode. Jordan Harbinger interviews H.R. McMaster on his book ”Battlegrounds”  123 Part II 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  122 Part I 38G: Agriculture and foreign policy  121 Korea Reunification by David Maxwell  120 Special episode. IWP: The Columbia Plan  119 Discussing the USMC, 31st MEU CA Marines  118 Part II. Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy, by former Under-Secretary, Michael Patrick Mulroy  117 Part I. former DASD, Michael Patrick Mulroy on Integrating Civil Affairs, field operations and diplomacy  116 Assad Raza talk-back on the Frank Sobchak interview  115 Frank Sobchak on advising and training partner nation forces  114 Special Episode from the IW Podcast: Slow Burn: How Security Cooperation shapes operational environments  113 Jodi Harman and the HillVets Foundation  112 David Maxwell on grand strategy  111 Civil Affairs and Security Cooperation with Chris Stockel  110 CSM Riccio Christmas Day Concert  109 John Hutcheson on Hiring our Heroes  108 Advertisement for the CSM Riccio holiday concert  107 Operation Joint Endeavor  106 Special episode: John McElligott passes the mic  105 Major John Burns on Ghost Team at NTC  104 Stanislava Mladenova on Civ-Mil Relationships in Low-Intensity Conflict and State Fragility  103 Benjamin Ordiway and Anthony Pfaff  102 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 2  101 Nick Krohley and Lt Col Stefan Muehlich on Doctrinal Comparison, Part 1  100 Episode 100 of the One CA Podcast  99 Theater Information Advantage Element 98 Brig Gen Chris Dziubek of the 351st CACOM  97 Mark Delaney on Civil Affairs Skills for Post Military Life  96 Colonel Marco Bongioanni on Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers  95 Maj Gen Jeff Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  94 Operation Allies Refuge: Lessons on Interagency and Multinational Collaboration  93 Vish Odedra on COVID-19 Vaccinations in the UK  92 LTC Greg Banner on Training for Unconventional Warfare  91 Chris Bryant on Social Media for CA  90 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 3  89 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 2  88 CA Issue Papers 2021 - Part 1  87 USACAPOC(A) Command Strategic Initiatives  86 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 2  85 Civil Affairs Interagency Panel - Part 1  84 Zach Hyleman and Kevin Chapla on FAO and CA  83 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 2  82 Civil Affairs in Regional Competition for Influence - Part 1  81 SFC Josh Spiers on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  80 Major Lauren Holl on San Pedro Sula, Honduras  79 Josh Bedingfield on Human Network Analysis  78 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 2  77 Lieutenant General Eric Wesley on Civil Competition - Part 1  76 Maj Gen Hugh Van Roosen on a Career in SF, CA, and PSYOP  75 Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Coggin of USACAPOC(A)  74 Colonel Mattia Zuzzi of the Multinational CIMIC Group  73 Jonathan Papoulidis on Country Coordination Platforms  72 Colonel Frank van Boxmeer of NATO CCOE  71 LTC Matthias Wasinger of the Austrian Armed Forces  70 Request for Capabilities Brief Guests and Show Hosts  69 Lt Col Jahn Olson and Lt Col Korvin Kraics on III Marine Expeditionary Force  68 LTC Albert Augustine on CA Missions in Africa  67 Justin Constantine  66 John Steed of Tesla Government on GIS  65 65 Digital Civil Reconnaissance with Carrick Longley and Stephen Hunnewell  64 Joe Pastorek on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade's Advanced Skills Detachment  63 Lauren Ladenson, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Holmes, and Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Kouri on Defense Support to Stabilization (DSS)  62 CPT Al Oh and SGM Chris Melendez discuss Civil Reconnaissance  61 Dr. E. Casey Wardynski, ASA (M&RA) on Talent Management  60 LTC Scott Dickerson on the Army CA Force Modernization Assessment  59 MAJ Ashley Holzmann on the History of US Propaganda and Psychological Operations  58 Doowan Lee on Innovating Influence Intelligence  57 LTC Marco Bongioanni on the International Visitor Leadership Program  56 Paul Giannone on CA in Vietnam and his Career in Public Health  55 LTC Jeff Uherka and COL Steve Barry of Joint Task Force - Bravo  54 John Barsa, Acting Administrator of USAID  53 Dr. Ajit Maan - Narrative Warfare  52 Karen Walsh and Bron Morrison of Dexis Consulting  51 Intergrating Civil Affairs, with MAJ Brian Hancock and Dr. Timothy Darr  50 COL Steve Battle on CA Support for the COVID-19 Outbreak in Korea  49 LTC Rachel Sullivan and MAJ Mike Karlson on CA during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea  48 Dr. Lynn Copeland on the Future of Civil Information Management  47 Letting the CAT out of the Bag Part 2  46 Letting the CAT out of the Bag, Part 1  45 MAJ Ian Duke on the need for a Civil Knowledge Battalion  44 MAJ James Ontiveros discusses Civil Affairs and Megacities  43 Captains Chapla, Micciche, and Staron on Storyboards as the TPS Reports of the Army  42 LTC Sue Gannon on Leading the 450th CA Battalion  41 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 2  40 Sean McFate on the New Rules of War, Part 1  39 Abubakr Elnoor on Darfur and Terrorist Recruitment  38 Devin Conley on the National Training Center  37 General Anthony Zinni on a Unified, Interagency Command  36 Garric Banfield on the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade  35 Justin Richmond on the Impl. Project  34 Alexandra Lamarche on Internally Displaced People in Cameroon  33 Jamie Schwandt on Swarm Intelligence, Swarm Learning, and Red Teams  32 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on the CA Force Modernization Assessment  31 Narayan Khadka on Nepal, castes, and community trauma  30 Jay Liddick and Scott Dickerson on CA in Large Scale Combat Operations  29 Giancarlo Newsome and Jesse Elmore on Military Government Specialists  28 Nicholas Krohley on Human Terrain and CA Integration  27 Dale Yeager with Travel Safety Tips  26 Cori Wegener on Cultural Heritage Preservation  25 Major General Darrell Guthrie of USACAPOC(A)  24 Kwadjo Owusu-Sarfo on Ghana and Boko Haram  23 Manya Dotson on Life in the NGO Community  22 Wyatt Hughes Trains the Central Readiness Force of Japan  21 Bonus episode with Ryan McCannell of USAID  20 Ryan McCannell of USAID on the Evolution of CA in Sub-Saharan African  19 Arnel David on Strategy in the 21st Century  18 Michael Coates and Mark Grimes, Startup Radio Network  17 Max Steiner and Mazi Markel, CA Issue Paper  16 Diana Parzik, USAID Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation  15 Will Ibrahim, S-9 of 2/1 CAV  14 What is Civil Affairs - AUSA Answers  13 Scott Fisher and Information Operations  12 Aleks Nesic and James Patrick Christian of Valka-Mir  11 Norm Cotton of the Institute for Defense Analyses  10 Kevin Melton, USAID Office of Transition Initiatives  9 Dr. Larry Hufford discusses the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland  8 Valor Breez and Jarrett Redman on "Beyond Hearts and Minds"  7 John Stefula and PKSOI  6 Michael Schwille, Iraq and Djibouti and RAND  5 Gonul Tol, Middle East Institute, on Turkey  4 Roberto Carmack, PhD, on Russian actions  3 Sean Acosta, Instructor, USAJFKSWCS  2 Valerie Jackson, 4th CA Group, USMC  1 Jon May: Artificial Intelligence for HA/DR Operations - LORELEI  --- Special thanks to Cool Jazz Hot Bassa for sampling music in their  album, Energy Jazz Playlist. Retrieved at: https://youtu.be/bdWUj2NYDYQ?si=00ylFfJ6DhGCwPsO

Did you know we can trace the Psychological Operations Regiment to a single person?Did you know PSYOP played a role in the Office of Strategic Services?They were there at the landings of Normandy, in the planning for Desert Storm, and remain a critical component to military victory in the modern age.Join us as we host Dr. Jared Tracy, the Army Special Operations Forces' Deputy Command Historian, as he dives deep with us on the nuances and facts of the PSYOP Regiment and its history. About the guest:Dr. Jared M. Tracy, PhD served six years in the U.S. Army, and became a historian at the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) in December 2010. He earned an MA in History from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MDiv in Theology from Liberty University, and a PhD in History from Kansas State University. Dr. Tracy is now the deputy command historian for USASOC at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. He previously concentrated on PSYOP history, but now he researches and writes on a wide range of ARSOF-related topics. His writing has appeared in Military Review, NCO Journal, Southern Historian, and Veritas: Journal of Army Special Operations History. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer who served within the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. He is now transitioning to attend grad school at Arizona State University with a follow-on assignment at West Point's Army Cyber Institute where he will research misinformation.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:Victory Through Influence (Dr. Tracy's first book):https://www.tamupress.com/book/9781648430343/victory-through-influence/The ARSOC History website:https://arsof-history.org/about.html#tracyDr. Tracy's dissertation is publicly available here:https://krex.k-state.edu/items/333a90d2-6c98-4ac2-aa90-0e33a46c9e3fHis writing on the history of PSYOP and PSYWAR has even been posted to the main army website:https://www.army.mil/article/199431/100_years_of_subterfuge_the_history_of_army_psychological_operations Article on rebuilding the PSYWAR capability:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v7n2_intro_page_1.htmlIs Taylor Swift a PSYOP (featuring Dr. Tracy)?https://www.wired.com/story/taylor-swift-psyop-conspiracy/The Guardian article referenced about Panama (featuring Dr. Tracy):https://www.theguardian.com/music/audio/2021/feb/03/reverberate-episode-2-rick-astley-versus-the-dictator-of-panama-podcastWhat did PSYOP do during Operation Just Cause in Panama. Ash disappointedly was not able to find the interview of the captain, but the ARSOF Historians have covered this exact operation in detail:https://arsof-history.org/articles/21feb_psyop_just_cause_page_1.htmlFrom that article:"Then, LTG Stiner (with Thurman's approval) ordered a PSYOP-led “sound barrier” around the Nunciature after Christmas to prevent media eavesdropping on negotiations between MG Marc A. Cisneros, Commander, USARSO, and José Sebastían Laboa, the Papal Nuncio (Vatican diplomatic representative). Deafening, round-the-clock music from cassette tapes and local radio stations blared through 450-watt loudspeakers mounted on HMMWVs."The art and science of PSYOP has been written about at length:https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA030140Heber Blankenhorn's story is even more interesting in detail:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6563.1983.tb01579.xThe ARSOF Historian's office has also covered multiple articles that mention Blankenhorn:https://arsof-history.org/icons/blankenhorn.htmlThe Committee on Public Information (CPI) is a rabbit hole unto itself:https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/the-great-war-master-of-american-propaganda/Lippmann wrote the first book on Public Opinion:https://www.amazon.com/Public-Opinion-Walter-Lippmann/dp/B099G6S24P/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uCSJpfoI3vI2Iv8MR449ZCjuaVyRTA3QZ-grEOo-5EOiZYbL8mci1OiMEfmyOzPHFC6acuxTTevKTq2jjgkeGWXccFMnkYkRIHJEOyJOR6OGTB4x9r0YHHP5CjNSJzgHhkQDDHzHOJOIRwlXyZhFPGROmrUxCD-aKDmRwK0SdzQoBq-9vRTUhziliA6pq0OvmaG-bHwQBnBlWyaTUjORLX4SFN-Tizrr5V8c_vWKqd8.5U0CbgjyyhXy9E5E_bJnGfS21HAxqUiQwc-I-2W6NDU&dib_tag=se&keywords=public+opinion&qid=1729801247&sr=8-3Bernays re-wrote the book on Public Opinion:https://www.amazon.com/Crystallizing-Public-Opinion-Edward-Bernays/dp/107827326X/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uCSJpfoI3vI2Iv8MR449ZCjuaVyRTA3QZ-grEOo-5EOiZYbL8mci1OiMEfmyOzPHFC6acuxTTevKTq2jjgkeGWXccFMnkYkRIHJEOyJOR6OGTB4x9r0YHHP5CjNSJzgHhkQDDHzHOJOIRwlXyZhFPGROmrUxCD-aKDmRwK0SdzQoBq-9vRTUhziliA6pq0OvmaG-bHwQBnBlWyaTUjORLX4SFN-Tizrr5V8c_vWKqd8.5U0CbgjyyhXy9E5E_bJnGfS21HAxqUiQwc-I-2W6NDU&dib_tag=se&keywords=public+opinion&qid=1729801247&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1Book - The Averaged American:https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674027428The modern definition of PSYOP:https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/specialty-careers/special-ops/psychological-operationsThe Smith-Mundt Act:https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/5736Morale Operations within the Office of Strategic Services (OSS):https://arsof-history.org/articles/v3n4_oss_primer_page_1.htmlPublic Records on the Office of War Information:https://www.archives.gov/research/foreign-policy/related-records/rg-208Declassified records regarding The Psychological Warfare Division of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (PWD SHAEF) from the CIA's website:https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78-01634R000400120001-4.pdfThe First Motion Picture Unit:https://www.archives.gov/files/calendar/know-your-records/handouts-presentations/sept19-presentation.pdfRazzle Dazzles ships:https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/episode-65-razzle-dazzle/The Ghost Army of World War II:https://ghostarmy.org/A book on the history of the Information Control Division:https://nonstopsystems.com/radio/pdf-hell/article-hell-rwnlst.pdfThe United States Information Agency:https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/united-states-information-agencyGen Schwarzkopf and PSYOP:https://arsof-history.org/articles/21oct_psyop_in_operation_ds_pt1_page_1.html Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you enjoyed this, join the underground by sharing it with someone else. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Tristan Irwin is a nine-year veteran of the United States Army, where she served as a special operations Civil Affairs Officer. As a CA Team Chief, she led a four-person team in Moldova, conducting community-level development assistance to strengthen Moldova's resilience and support its partnership with the US. She graduated from Yale University with a dual Master of Forestry and Public Policy degree. In 2012, she graduated from the United States Military Academy with a bachelor's degree in International Relations and another in German. Tristan serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for The Valkyrie Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on optimizing health and human performance for military women through advocacy, research, education, and physical training programming.https://www.thevalkyrieproject.org/Timestamps:00:00:25 Intro to Tristan Irwin00:01:12 Tristan Irwin's Career00:01:48 Why is the U.S. Interested in Moldova?00:02:53 What Does a Mission in Moldova Look Like?00:04:49 What Skills Are Being Taught on Missions in Moldova?00:05:32 Missions That Stand Out in Tristan's Memory00:07:05 Sustainability of What's Implemented on Missions00:08:46 How to Get the Locals to Commit to Outreach00:11:08 Lifestyle in an Eastern Bloc Village00;13:04 Establishing a Cleaning Routine to Keep Your Food Safe00:14:01 Civil Affairs Selection/Recruitment Process00:15:53 What Kinds of Cognitive Testing Occurs?00:17:09 What is the Turnout in Selection00:17:57 How to Receive an NTR (Not-to-Return)00:19:17 Qualification Process After Selection00:20:43 Languages Spoken in Moldova00:21:49 Differentiating Factor When You're on the Cusp of Being Selected 00:23:36 Physical Prep Before and After Selection00:26:38 Pack Weight for the 12 Mile Run00:27:01 Arbitrary Fitness Standards for the Military00:34:22 Military Morale Issues00:36:57 How the Measurement of Something Determines its Success Criteria00:40:26 Tristan's Valkyrie Project Story00:41:28 How Do You Determine Your Own Successfulness?00:43:27 What Specific Policies Does Tristan Hopes Will Change in the Military?00:44:52 How Women Can Get Involved with Valkyrie00:46:26 Best and Worst Advice Ever Received00:48:01 Outro

Welcome to One CA Podcast. Today, Brian Hancock talks with Master Sergeant Andrew Gonzalez about how the Marine Corps modernization is shifting Civil Affairs' roles and duties in the force and how those changes impact their work in the Pacific. MSgt Andrew Gonzalez joined the USMC-CA community in October 2015 as an E7. CA activations of note include OCT 2017 CJTF-OIR, clear and hold Mosul after displacing ISIS, DEC 2021 in support of Operation Allies Welcome operating out of Fort Pickett, VA, a rare opportunity to support a Defense Support of Civil Authorities mission. MSgt Gonzalez was most recently activated in support of JTF-Red Hill, the safe and expedient refueling of the underground fuel storage facility on the island of Oahu. Allowed to meet with the Waianae Kupuna Council to discuss the transition from JTF-Red Hill leadership and mission to the Red Hill – Navy Closure Task Force. MSgt Gonzalez has supported 1st Civil Affairs Group for nearly 10 years and continues to drive USA-USMC CA collaborative efforts, civil information management best practice, and USMC - Civil Military Operations training standards in direct response to OSD/INDOPACOM/MARFORPAC/IMEF demand for CA and Civic Action Team support. --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Special Thanks to "Cool Jazz Hot Bossa" for the sample of Energy Jazz Music Playlist - Jazz Instrumental Upbeat - High Energy Jazz Music Mix. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/bdWUj2NYDYQ?si=_bLf2fdTw6Ba93oh

President Xi Jinping has called for enhancing inclusive and fundamental livelihood initiatives, as China prioritizes addressing pressing public concerns as part of a broader effort to advance the high-quality development of civil affairs work.The directives from Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, were conveyed to participants at the 15th National Civil Affairs Conference, held in Beijing on Friday and Saturday.Lauding the new progress achieved in all aspects of civil affairs in recent years, Xi emphasized the paramount importance of the people's well-being in China's modernization drive. He also urged Party committees and governments at all levels to adopt a people-centered approach in resolving the most practical problems that are of the greatest and most direct concern to the people.In addition, he called for more efforts to implement a proactive national strategy to address issues of aging, and to improve work in social assistance, social welfare, social affairs and social governance.Xi also emphasized the need for civil affairs departments to take the initiative in enhancing benefits for the people, meeting their needs and helping them overcome difficulties.While addressing the conference, Premier Li Qiang said that advancing Chinese modernization requires a continuous enhancement of civil affairs work. This includes effectively safeguarding and promoting the interests of various groups, such as disadvantaged populations and individuals with disabilities.At the 20th National Congress of the CPC in 2022, the Party reaffirmed its commitment to achieving basic socialist modernization by 2035 and building China by midcentury into a modern nation that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful, via the Chinese path to modernization.The endeavor to modernize China, a nation of 1.4 billion people, presents a unique challenge that no other industrialized nation has ever faced, and civil affairs work will play a crucial role in this drive toward modernization, experts said.Such work encompasses a range of services, including child welfare, elderly care, social welfare, social assistance, marriage registration, charitable programs and funeral arrangements.The modernization task is further complicated by the aging population.As of 2023, nearly 300 million Chinese were age 60 or above. Official projections indicate that by 2050, this demographic group is expected to make up one-third of the population, leading to a substantial increase in demand for elderly care services."The Ministry of Civil Affairs has strengthened its policy framework, diversified care options and enhanced regulatory measures, resulting in significant improvements in elderly care services," said Li Yongxin, a deputy director of the ministry's elderly care services department, earlier this month.Li noted that the number of elderly care centers and facilities in China had risen to over 410,000 by June, with 369,000 of them being community-based. This marked a 100 percent increase in elderly care facilities and a 120 percent increase in community-based facilities since 2019.Despite the growing number of caregiving facilities, China is still grappling with a shortage of caregivers, with only 500,000 available in 2021 to meet the nation's needs.To address this shortfall, authorities have advocated home-based care, enabling seniors to remain in their residences while receiving regular visits from community workers and medical professionals.According to ministry data, since 2021, around 350,000 seniors have benefited from home-based care.In addition, authorities are increasing the supply of caregivers through creation of more caregiving majors in higher education, with around 100,000 students having been enrolled each year as of the end of 2023.

Welcome to One CA Podcast. Today, Brian Hancock talks with Master Sergeant Andrew Gonzalez about how the Marine Corps' modernization is shifting Civil Affairs' roles and duties in the force and how those changes impact their work in the Pacific. MSgt Andrew Gonzalez joined the USMC-CA community in October 2015 as an E7. CA activations of note include OCT 2017 CJTF-OIR, clear and hold Mosul after displacing ISIS, DEC 2021 in support of Operation Allies Welcome operating out of Fort Pickett, VA, a rare opportunity to support a Defense Support of Civil Authorities mission. MSgt Gonzalez was most recently activated in support of JTF-Red Hill, the safe and expedient refueling of the underground fuel storage facility on the island of Oahu. Allowed to meet with the Waianae Kupuna Council to discuss the transition from JTF-Red Hill leadership and mission to the Red Hill – Navy Closure Task Force. MSgt Gonzalez has supported 1st Civil Affairs Group for nearly 10 years and continues to drive USA-USMC CA collaborative efforts, civil information management best practice, and USMC - Civil Military Operations training standards in direct response to OSD/INDOPACOM/MARFORPAC/IMEF demand for CA and Civic Action Team support. --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Special Thanks to "Cool Jazz Hot Bossa" for the sample of Energy Jazz Music Playlist - Jazz Instrumental Upbeat - High Energy Jazz Music Mix. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/bdWUj2NYDYQ?si=_bLf2fdTw6Ba93oh

"Without sustainment, you're just camping with guns."Did you know it takes quite a lot to sustain an organization like the Special Warfare Center & School? Join us as we discuss sustainment for the organization, sustainment for Special Operations, and how logistics wins wars. About the guest:Lt. Col. Pete Van Howe served as the G4 for SWCS and previously served as executive officer of the 407th BSB, 82nd Airborne Division. He holds a bachelor's degree from Purdue University and a master's degree from Troy University. He is a graduate of the Theater Sustainment Planner's Course, Joint Operation Planning and Execution System Action Officer and Support Personnel Courses, Air Assault School, and Jumpmaster School. He is the current Brigade Support Battalion Commander within the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer who served within the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. He is now transitioning to attend grad school at Arizona State University with a follow-on assignment at West Point's Army Cyber Institute where he will research mis/disinformation.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. Bull Halsey quote (on page 16):https://www.moore.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2005/SEP-OCT/pdfs/SEP-OCT2005.pdfBaltimore Bridge Collapse:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/26/us/key-bridge-collapse-baltimore-what-to-know.htmlShip stuck in the Panama Canal:https://www.businessinsider.com/traffic-jam-outside-panama-canal-hundreds-ships-2023-8The cost of the Suez Canal obstruction in 2021:https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56559073Setting a Theater: https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/May-June-2018/Setting-the-Theater-Effective-Resourcing-at-the-Theater-Army-Level/Talent management for Special Operations logistics:https://www.army.mil/article/179943/joint_special_operations_forces_logistics_talent_management Additional Reading:Lt. Col. Van Howe has been previously published (page 51):https://alu.army.mil/alog/ARCHIVE/PB700201902FULL.pdf Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you enjoyed this, join the underground by sharing it with someone else. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

President Xi Jinping extended greetings to the elderly ahead of the country's Seniors' Day, which falls on Friday, and he called on the silver-haired group nationwide to continue their pursuits to live a fulfilling life.He also called for efforts to address the pressing concerns of the elderly, improve relevant policies and measures, ensure the protection of their rights and well-being, and enable them to effectively contribute to society.Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a reply letter, dated Wednesday, to representatives of seniors who participate in a national volunteer initiative.The Silver Age Action initiative was launched in 2003 with the goal of leveraging the expertise of senior professionals across various domains to assist in improving underdeveloped areas.More than 7 million elderly volunteers have participated in the initiative, undertaking over 4,000 assistance projects. It has become one of the key platforms for promoting the active engagement of elderly people in social activities.In his letter, Xi commended the participants in the initiative who have taken part in volunteer activities in recent years and applied their knowledge and skills to serve the public. This embodies the fine spirit of the Chinese elderly in the new era, he said.Noting that the seniors are a valuable asset to both the Party and the country, Xi expressed the hope that more seniors would maintain an enterprising spirit to contribute to the advancement of Chinese modernization.He urged Party committees and governments at all levels to prioritize work related to the elderly in order to address their concerns.The president also underlined the need to improve policies and measures to foster a favorable social environment for the elderly.Seniors' Day, also known as Chongyang Festival or Double Ninth Festival in China, falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. It is an occasion to care for and send blessings to the elderly throughout the nation.China's population age 60 and above approached 300 million by the end of 2023, accounting for 21.1 percent of the total population, according to statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Among them, the number of people age 65 and above was more than 217 million, representing 15.4 percent of the total population.Ensuring that elderly people can live happy and fulfilling lives is something that Xi always bears in mind. He has expressed his personal care on many occasions, including during his inspection tours nationwide, about the well-being of seniors in the country, particularly those who live alone.Under Xi's leadership, China has pursued a proactive national strategy in response to an aging population, and it strives to develop elderly care programs and services. The goal of ensuring that all elderly people can be well provided for, have access to elderly care and enjoy fulfilling lives is becoming a reality.As of the end of 2023, more than 43 million elderly people nationwide have benefited from various elderly subsidies, highlighting the high level of attention the country pays to the welfare of the elderly, according to a report released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in September.

“You're too much of an asset to let go.” In this episode, we speak with former Army heavy equipment operator, Mr. Lucas Velmer. We discuss life as a Yooper, his career as an Engineer before and after changing to Civil Affairs, his rocky transition into retirement, and how the Top Gun volleyball scene made him the man he is today. In the Free Fire Area, Czar Baker decides which US state should be cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. We need your support: - Like, share, comment, and subscribe. Any interaction helps the show. - Go to our website and buy some swag or click on the “donate now” button at the bottom.- Support us and another great veteran-owned company by going to https://aerialresupplycoffee.com and buying some coffee. Make sure you use coupon code tracerburnout at checkout.Our site: https://www.TracerBurnout.comTheme song by The Mountain via Pixabay.https://tracerburnout.com/

Did you know the Special Forces Operation Detachment Alpha hasn't always had twelve people in it?Did you know only 1% of the first official Special Forces organization was made up of members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)?The history of Special Forces is a tapestry, weaving together organizations like Merrill's Marauders (or Unit Galahad), the Philippine resistance movements in WWII, the original PSYWAR School, and the Ranger Regiment's early days.Join us as we host Dr. Troy J. Sacquety, the Army Special Operations Forces' Command Historian, as he dives deep with us on the nuances and facts of the impetus and history of the Special Forces Regiment.And listen through the end to hear the controversial history of the green beret! About the guest:Dr. Sacquety earned an MA from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a PhD in Military History from Texas A&M University. Prior to joining the USASOC History Office staff in August 2006, he worked several years for the Central Intelligence Agency. His research interests include Army and Office of Strategic Services special operations during World War II, and U.S. Army Civil Affairs. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer who served within the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. He is now transitioning to attend grad school at Arizona State University with a follow-on assignment at West Point's Army Cyber Institute where he will research mis/disinformation.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:Brief biography of Brig. Gen. Evans Carlson:https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/People/Whos-Who-in-Marine-Corps-History/Abrell-Cushman/Brigadier-General-Evans-F-Carlson/All Special Forces Groups in the 1st Special Forces Regiment trace their official U.S. Army lineage and honors to the FSSF activation on 9 July 1942:https://arsof-history.org/first_special_service_force/legacy.htmlThe Coordinator of Information (COI), which became the Office of Strategic Services (OSS):https://www.soc.mil/OSS/the-beginning.htmlThe origins of the OSS and its relationship with modern Army Special Operations:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v3n4_oss_primer_page_1.htmlBritish Special Operations Executive:https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/SOEThe French Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action (BCRA):https://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/en/bcra-dgseThe OSS also required immense amounts of coordination and logistics to be successful:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v3n1_supplying_resistance_page_1.htmlJedburghs (including their epically great patch):https://www.soc.mil/OSS/jedburghs.htmlThe Green Berets, written by Robin Moore, was the book mentioned from the Vietnam era: https://www.specialforceshistory.info/books/the-green-berets-robin-moore.htmlDetachment 101:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v4n3_myitkyina_part_2_page_1.htmlSpecial Forces in the Korean War:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v2n2_catch_as_catch_page_1.htmlSpecial Operations in the Korean War:https://www.army.mil/article/268487/army_special_operations_in_the_forgotten_war_commemorating_the_70th_anniversary_of_the_korean_armisticeThe Alamo Scouts:https://www.army.mil/article/214389/the_alamo_scoutsThe Alamo Scouts have been recognized as Distinguished Members of the Special Forces Regiment:https://www.swcs.mil/Portals/111/sf_alamo-scouts.pdfA diary of the Alamo Scouts:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v4n3_alamo_scouts_page_1.html Maj. Gen. McClure:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v7n2_mcclure_page_1.htmlBrig. Gen. Russel Volckmann:https://arsof-history.org/icons/volckmann.htmlCol. Wendell Fertig:https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/MR-Book-Reviews/January-2017/Book-Review-011/Lt. Col. Melvin R. Blair:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v7n1_smoke_bomb_hill_page_1.htmlLt. Martin Waters:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v4n1_myitkyina_part_1_page_1.htmlCol. Aaron Bank:https://arsof-history.org/icons/bank.htmlColombian Lanceros:https://arsof-history.org/articles/pdf/v2n4_colombian_sof.pdf8240:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v3n3_wolfpack_donkeys_page_1.htmlFormation of the Rangers:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v2n3_rangers_wwii_page_1.htmlThe history of Special Operations Command (not to be confused with 1st SOCOM):https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/1800521/The history of 1st SOCOM:https://arsof-history.org/1stsocom/index.htmlThe Lodge Act:https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP57-00384R001000010010-1.pdfProgram of Instruction (POI) is essentially the syllabus for Army instruction.The Special Forces tab was approved in 1983:https://web.archive.org/web/20000510192433/http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/airborne/sf_tab.htmHistory of the ODA and its size over time:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v19n1_evolution_of_the_special_forces_oda_page_1.htmlThe history of the green beret:https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2023/10/10/how-the-green-beret-became-the-symbol-of-us-army-special-forces/Edson Raff's involvement:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-22-me-passings22.1-story.html95th Civil Affairs patch:https://www.shopmyexchange.com/army-unit-patch-95th-civil-affairs-brigade-ocp-/7048045Want a deeper dive on the conflict in Burma? Dr. Sacquety did another interview at the following link:https://www.fpri.org/multimedia/2024/06/an-american-irregular-warfare-success-story-oss-detachment-101-in-burma-during-wwii/Detachment 101 and John Ford:http://www.easaul.com/oss-detachment-101.htmlThe Range of Military Operations (ROMO): https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/concepts/joc_deterrence.pdf?ver=2017-12-28-162015-337 Recommended Civil Affairs reading:The Hunt Report:https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/post/2018/05/08/civil-affairs-centennial-ca100-the-hunt-reportCivil Affairs articles from the ARSOF Historian's Office:https://arsof-history.org/pdf/handbook_civil_affairs.pdf Recommended Special Forces reading from the episode:The Green Berets by Robin Moore:https://www.amazon.com/Green-Berets-Robin-Moore/dp/0312984928From OSS to Green Berets:https://www.amazon.com/Oss-Green-Berets-Special-Forces/dp/0891412719Dr. Sacquety is also the author of the book The OSS in Burma: Jungle War against the Japanese:https://us.amazon.com/OSS-Burma-against-Japanese-Studies/dp/0700619097/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you enjoyed this, join the underground by sharing it with someone else. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Corie Weathers is a licensed professional counselor, speaker, consultant, and author focusing her career for the last 20 years as a clinician specializing in marriage, military and first responders, the service culture, and its impact on families. We sat down with her to speak about the challenges of communication within military families and relationships, returning home after conflict, retention, recruitment, and more. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer who served within the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. He is now transitioning to attend grad school at Arizona State University with a follow-on assignment at West Point's Army Cyber Institute where he will research mis/disinformation.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:Ms. Corrie Weathers has been featured on a variety of media platforms. You can learn more about her work by visiting her website:https://www.corieweathers.com/The Socrates quote mentioned: (469–399 B.C. ) "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households."The quote, "was crafted by a student, Kenneth John Freeman, for his Cambridge dissertation published in 1907." You can read more about it here: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/01/misbehave/Most service members are the children of veterans:https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2022-demographics-report.pdf  Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! And if you enjoyed this, become a member of the underground by sharing with at least one other person. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Did you know Civil Affairs Soldiers were on the beaches of Normandy and tasked with addressing the cattle killed from the combat operations so that disease outbreaks could be mitigated? Or that Civil Affairs prevented cholera outbreaks during the Korean War?Combat is only one aspect of conflict and war.We dive deep in this episode where we cover the history of Civil Affairs.The Civil Affairs Branch predates the Psychological Operations and Special Forces branches, and even predates the Army Aviation and Military Intelligence branches. The history of Civil Affairs is important for Special Operations practitioners and leaders throughout the military to learn.Join us as we host Dr. Troy J. Sacquety, the Army Special Operations Forces' Command Historian, and recently named Honorary Member of the Civil Affairs Regiment. About the guest:Dr. Sacquety earned an MA from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a PhD in Military History from Texas A&M University. Prior to joining the USASOC History Office staff in August 2006, he worked several years for the Central Intelligence Agency. His research interests include Army and Office of Strategic Services special operations during World War II, and U.S. Army Civil Affairs. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer who served within the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. He is now transitioning to attend grad school at Arizona State University with a follow-on assignment at West Point's Army Cyber Institute where he will research mis/disinformation.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:Brief biography of Col. Irwin L. Hunt, author of the Hunt Report:https://arsof-history.org/icons/hunt.htmlDerek mentioned the famous General, Gen. Lucius D. Clay:https://www.army.mil/article/216006/gen_lucius_d_clay_a_brilliant_administratorInformation on the European Civil Affairs Division and Civil Affairs history:https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D101-PURL-gpo128986/pdf/GOVPUB-D101-PURL-gpo128986.pdfCol. Charles R. Munske, who began his career as Coast Artillery:https://arsof-history.org/icons/munske.html Brigadier General Crawford F. Sams:https://arsof-history.org/articles/v6n1_crawford_sams_page_1.htmlCORDS:https://www.archives.gov/research/military/vietnam-war/civil-operations.htmlThe Ring Road of Afghanistan:https://www.vox.com/world/2018/1/11/16878056/afghanistan-us-fail-war-taliban Recommended reading from the episode:The Hunt Report:https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/post/2018/05/08/civil-affairs-centennial-ca100-the-hunt-reportAmerican Military Government of Occupied Germany:https://arsof-history.org/icons/pdf/american_military_government_of_occupied_germany_1918-1920.pdfDr. Sacquety is also the author of the book The OSS in Burma: Jungle War against the Japanese:https://us.amazon.com/OSS-Burma-against-Japanese-Studies/dp/0700619097/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you enjoyed this, join the underground by sharing it with someone else. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Preserving and capturing the lessons learned from the Global War on Terror; what is keeping the newest generation of Army Special Operations Forces (SOF) up at night; how can we continue to develop professional military writing in Army SOF; how to we modernize such efforts? We tackle all of that and more in this episode with two great Special Operations practitioners and recent graduates of the National Defense University.Spread the word! We have two (the very first!) Harding Project Fellows who will now be leading the Special Warfare Magazine. P.S. -- We have a new season! Fear not, Ash is in a better place and will still be featured in several episodes, as we recorded a ton of content prior to his departure. We will have a future transition episode to discuss the end of "Season 2". About the guests:Sgt. 1st Class Ben Latigue. Ben is originally from Apex, North Carolina and enlisted in 2012. He completed the Special Force Qualification Course in 2013 as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Master of Arts in International Strategic Security Studies from the National Defense University.Maj. Emily Lopez. Emily enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2008 and was commissioned from Oklahoma State University as an Ordnance officer in 2013. In 2019, Lopez graduated from the Civil Affairs Qualification Course. Lopez holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Education and Promotion from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Arts in Strategic Security Studies from the National Defense University. About the hosts:Lt. Col. Bobby Tuttle is a Green Beret and co-founder of the Pineland Underground. A proven leader who is currently serving as the Special Warfare Center & School's Strategic Communicator. He is a graduate of both Texas A&M and the Naval Postgraduate School.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:What is the Harding Project:https://www.hardingproject.com/p/welcome-to-the-harding-projectThe Harding Project Fellowship Program:https://www.army.mil/article/278222/first_harding_fellows_strengthen_the_armys_professional_journalsHow to submit an article to the Special Warfare Magazine:https://www.swcs.mil/Special-Warfare/Article-Submissions/How to write a book review from Military Review:https://www.armyupress.army.mil/journals/military-review/online-exclusive/2024-ole/how-to-write-a-book-review/ Recommended reading from the episode:The Special Warfare Magazine Archive:https://www.swcs.mil/Special-Warfare/Special-Warfare-Archive/More information about SWCS's involvement in the Harding Project:https://www.swcs.mil/Special-Warfare/Harding-Project/And keep an eye out for Line of Depature! Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you enjoyed this, join the underground by sharing it with someone else. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Today, Assad Raza interviews Drew Biemer, an energy outreach strategist and senior advisor to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. Drew has experience leading domestic and international campaigns to support energy sector projects and came on the show to discuss how Civil and Public Affairs are key to building positive relationships between projects and the population.  --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Special Thanks to Sahraoui and Fadela for providing the sample of "Mani" from the album Arabic Groove. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCJI52eWDLw&list=PLloxRkIwt8TNujJnQFxjH7kJ0yjKJkpeg&index=7 --- Credits: Host: Assad Raza Showrunner: Jack Gaines  

Did you know the entire Joint Force engages in Irregular Warfare? Often defined differently depending on the individual or organization you speak to, we have Doug Livermore on to help define and discuss Irregular Warfare, the nature of conflict, and how our named adversaries also apply it across the globe. Listen in to learn how Irregular Warfare is not only a job for Special Operations. About the guest:Doug Livermore formerly served as the Director of Special Operations, Irregular Warfare, Special Programs, and Sensitive Activities for the Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy. He is also a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard serving as the Deputy Commander of Special Operations Detachment – X. Previously, Doug served as a sensitive activities advisor to both the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict and the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. Multiple international affairs and security studies journals have distributed Doug's works, including many publications in War on the Rocks, Small Wars Journal, and the Military Times. Doug is the National Director for External Communications for the Special Forces Association and is also the Director of Communications with West Point's Irregular Warfare Initiative. Additionally, he is on the Board of Directors for both No One Left Behind and the Special Operations Association of America where he has been instrumental in the ongoing evacuation and resettlement of Afghan interpreters and their families. Doug earned his undergraduate degree in Military History at West Point, his graduate degree in International Security Affairs from Georgetown University; he excelled in the Army Command and General Staff Officer Course. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer serving in the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:To read more about Irregular Warfare, visit the following websites and articles:https://irregularwarfarecenter.org/Did you know Congress authorized the development of the Irregular Warfare Center?https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2022/11/the-congressionally-authorized-irregular-warfare-functional.htmlHere's the Irregular Warfare Annex to the National Defense Strategy:https://media.defense.gov/2020/Oct/02/2002510472/-1/-1/0/Irregular-Warfare-Annex-to-the-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.PDFThe Joint Definition of Irregular Warfare:https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/concepts/joc_iw_v2.pdf?ver=2017-12-28-162021-510The definition has been discussed by many:https://mwi.westpoint.edu/redefining-irregular-warfare-legitimacy-coercion-and-power/Pirates vs. Privateers:https://www.nps.gov/articles/privateers-in-the-american-revolution.htmThe Peninsular War:https://www.britannica.com/event/Peninsular-WarKorean War White Tigers:https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac-books/9781574886054/Doug's article It's Time for Special Operations to Dump ‘Unconventional Warfare':https://warontherocks.com/2017/10/its-time-for-special-operations-to-dump-unconventional-warfare/National Security Presidential Memorandum - 3: Presidential Memorandum Plan to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syriahttps://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-plan-defeat-islamic-state-iraq-syria/The instruments of national power (aka, DIME):https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2106566/putting-the-fil-into-dime-growing-joint-understanding-of-the-instruments-of-pow/China's Three Warfares:https://warontherocks.com/2018/01/chinas-three-warfares-perspective/Russia's Six Phases of New Generation Warfare:https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/September-October-2020/Derleth-New-Generation-War/Iran's military doctrine:https://www.mei.edu/publications/upgrading-irans-military-doctrine-offensive-forward-defenseSecurity Cooperation:https://www.dsca.mil/foreign-customer-guide/security-cooperation-overviewNational Guard State Partnership Program:https://www.nationalguard.mil/leadership/joint-staff/j-5/international-affairs-division/state-partnership-program/ Recommended reading from the episode:Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare:https://www.amazon.com/Ministry-Ungentlemanly-Warfare-Churchills-Warriors/dp/1681443929Wild Bill Donnovan:https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Bill-Donovan-Spymaster-Espionage-ebook/dp/B003UV8TF4?ref_=ast_author_mpbWhite Tigers:https://www.amazon.com/White-Tigers-Secret-North-Memories-ebook/dp/B01HFUS53G?ref_=ast_author_mpbThe Secret War Against Hanoi:https://www.amazon.com/Secret-War-Against-Hanoi-Saboteurs/dp/0060932538/ref=sr_1_1?Special Forces Berlin:https://www.amazon.com/Special-Forces-Berlin-Clandestine-Operations/dp/1612008437/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you enjoyed this, join the underground by sharing it with someone else. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Welcome to One CA Podcast. Today, Brian Hancock talks with Phillip Smith about his experience as commander of the 451 Civil Affairs Brigade, his time as a student at the Army War College and his work designing how Civil Affairs can respond to domestic crises and disasters.  --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Special thanks to "Traveller" for the sample of Federico Abuele's "Contigo." Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-AL7q5mDSc

Lethality, audacity and creativity. That's the culture of the Special Forces Regiment and the values each Special Operator is expected to live by. They're also the foundation of what it takes to be the premier partnered irregular warfare force in the arsenal of the United States Military. Our nation's Green Berets, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations soldiers are led by Major General Gil Ferguson; the Commanding General of 1st Special Forces Command. For the final interview of our Fort Liberty series, Fran Racioppi sat down with General Ferguson for a conversation on what it takes to man, train and equip our Special Forces units. They dug into his goal to enhance the culture of the Regiment, how the Special Forces Groups are preparing for regional conflicts with unknown enemies, at unknown times; and just how Green Berets are solidifying themselves as the go-to option in the deep sensor fight against our peer adversaries.General Ferguson also explains the SOF-Space-Cyber Triad, where he sees Special Forces in a decade, and as our units evolve, what needs to stay the same. Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with America's top Green Beret, then head over to our YouTube channel to watch General Ferguson share the lineage of America's first Special Forces in the Jedburgh Media Channel's first documentary, Unknown Heroes, Behind Enemy Lines at D-Day, the story of Operation Jedburgh. Highlights:0:00 Welcome to the JFK Special Warfare Museum4:04 The premier partnered irregular warfare force7:18 Man, train, equip for any theater9:40 The culture of 1st SFC13:52 The misperceptions of Special Forces18:50 SOF in the Peer-to-Peer Fight27:16 How is SOF keeping people first?34:07 SOF, Space Cyber Triad39:43 Where are Special Forces in 5-10 years?42:14 How are Civil Affairs and PsyOps integrating into the SOF battlefield?50:47 What has to stay the same in SOF?54:32 Daily Foundations For SuccessQuotes: “The United States fights coalition warfare. We don't ever want to fight by ourselves.” “We don't know where the next fight's going to be, we don't know who it's gonna be with, and we don't know when it's gonna start.”“The guys we are running the Columbian military were all folks that were captains with me when I was a 7th Group Commander.”“Technology is not going to win the next fight. The side that most effectively and audaciously employs technology is going to win.”“18x make up more than 50% of our force now; and that is a good thing.”“I don't want to spend time in my office. That is not where I'm effective.” The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Did you know the nation's oldest and largest continuously held ultramarathon was launched as a national challenge by President John F. Kennedy? On today's podcast, we are fortunate enough to have Mike Spinnler as our guest and SWCS's very own Command Sergeant Major, Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Strong.It is the only remaining 50-mile event of several held around the country as part of President John F. Kennedy's push to bring the country back to physical fitness. After the Kennedy assassination, many of these events were never held again, but the JFK 50 lived on. About the guests:The JFK 50 was founded in 1963 by William Joseph “Buzz” Sawyer Jr. (1928-2019). In 1993, he passed the duties of directing the race to Mike Spinnler, who had well-earned his position. Spinnler had participated in the race from 1971 (when he was 12 years old) until 1990 and won in 1982 and 1983.Command Sergeant Major Lionel A. Strong is a native of Fort Myers, Florida, and enlisted in the United States Army on July 9, 1998, as a 63B Light-Wheel Vehicle Mechanic. Upon completing Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, Command Sgt. Maj. Strong was assigned to Schofield Barracks Hawaii from December 1998 through March 2001. Command Sgt. Maj. Strong attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection in September 2000 and the Special Forces Qualification Course from June 2001 through December 2002.Sergeant First Class Anthony “Tony” Camps is our bonus guest. He has served in multiple Special Forces Groups, as well as within the Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the Special Warfare Center & School. He is a champion of the JFK 50, having competed and completed the event. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer serving in the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:Although open to the public, the JFK 50 Mile is, in spirit, a military race. The initial inspiration behind the event came from then President John F. Kennedy challenging his military officers to meet the requirements that Teddy Roosevelt had set for his military officers at the dawn of the 20th Century. Roosevelt's requirement was for all military officers to be able to cover 50 miles on foot in 20 hours to maintain their commissions. When word got out about the “Kennedy Challenge,” non-commissioned military personnel also wanted to take the test themselves, as did certain robust members of the civilian population.Of the many awards presented at the JFK 50 Mile each year, the most prestigious is the Kennedy Cup, awarded to the top-finishing military team. Each military team can have a maximum of 10 participants, and the finishing times from the top five finishers are combined for the team time.Mike Spinnler is a national treasure and has been at the forefront of distance running for most of his life. To read more about him, visit the following websites and articles:https://www.outsideonline.com/%22https:/www.outsideonline.com/running/racing/races/jfk-50-ultra-legacy/Mike has done many other interviews over the years. To include this interview on the official JFK 50 website:https://www.jfk50mile.org/meaning/mike-spinnler/Hayden Hawks (5:18:40) for men and Sarah Biehl (6:05:42) for women hold the current course records.To register for the race, go here:https://www.jfk50mile.org/details/registration/ Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! If you enjoyed this, join the underground by sharing it with someone else. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Today, we welcome back Major Gustavo Ferreira, a Civil Affairs agriculturalist.   Gus originally came on episode 123 to discuss agriculture's impacts on foreign policy.  Gus has published two articles,  "Does China Have Enough Food to Go to War?" and  "Taiwan's Food Resiliency—or Not—in a Conflict with China." After publishing, Gus was interviewed on this show, which resulted in an interview with the Economist, a session at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,  and now resulting in a congressional testimony with the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission.   Gus was joined by two others but for this episode, I will only focus on his testimony and discussion with the commission. I'll include links for the full testimony and papers in the show notes.  ---- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Links: Commission link: https://www.uscc.gov/hearings/chinas-stockpiling-and-mobilization-measures-competition-and-conflict Does China Have Enough Food to Go to War? https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/PDF-UA-docs/Ferreira-UA.pdf Taiwan's Food Resiliency—or Not—in a Conflict with China https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol53/iss2/10/   Special Thanks to Joyful Jamboree · CM BGM Room Bossa Nova In The Café ℗ Cloud Media Released on: 2023-05-16 Producer: CM BGM Room Composer: CM BGM Room Music Publisher: CM BGM Room.  Retrieved from https://youtube.com/watch?v=YCTzOnKNaSQ&si=v2hajnhu77yw3FzU   --- Showrunner: Jack Gaines

United States Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant (or 18D) has an amazing back story. From his trials and tribulations at his first adventure trying to become an EOD Soldier to his time in Civil Affairs, to his successful completion of the Army's Special Forces Pipeline. Chris lays out his struggles, trials, tribulations and lessons on this episode of the Ones Ready Podcast! If you want more content like this early, please consider subscribing and joining the team! Hit the link below. Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9aFBBZoBcQk8UUN_pO7nDA/joinChapters00:00 Introduction and Friendship07:12 Joining the Army and Choosing EOD10:07 EOD Selection and Joint Military Environment13:04 Arriving at Eglin Air Force Base20:28 The Intensity of EOD School27:26 Navigating False Accusations36:22 The Importance of Supportive Leaders50:02 Living in the Seattle Tacoma Area52:03 The Antenna Farm and Incognito GI Joe55:42 The Food Quality at TGI Fridays58:49 Personnel Drops at Bagram01:02:13 Chris's Time in CA and Socom (Continued)01:05:45 Making Fun of Friends and Chris's Desire to be a Medic01:08:23 Chris's Original Calling and Going to the Premier Medical Course01:11:34 Language Skills in Military Operations01:13:36 Promotions and Leadership Positions01:19:53 Experiences in Specific Locations01:25:29 Desire for Middle East Deployment01:29:44 Returning to Familiar Ground01:34:54 Personal Preferences and Special Operations Units01:39:03 From EOD to Special Forces: A Journey of Growth and Leadership01:41:34 Speaking Out: Using Digital Content Creation to Make a Difference01:53:18 Taking Responsibility: Proactive Action for a Better FutureJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9aFBBZoBcQk8UUN_pO7nDA/joinCollabs:Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: 1ReadyAlpha Brew Coffee Company - Promo Code: ONESREADYATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLeteCardoMax - Promo Code: ONESREADYDread River - Promo Code: ONESREADY Eberlestock - Promo Code: OR10Hoist - Promo Code: ONESREADYTrench Coffee Company - Promo Code: ONESREADYThe content provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The host, guests, and affiliated entities do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided. The use of this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship, and the...

Dr. Allison Brager is an Army neuroscientist, CrossFit Games athlete, and sleep specialist. Her career bridges the gap between rigorous scientific research and high-level athletic performance.Dr. Brager is currently a GHOST fellow at the US Special Operations Command headquarters. Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Chief Science Officer at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, where she worked on evaluation and R&D projects focused on the assessment and selection courses for Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psy Ops. She has received two NIH National Research Service Awards and a National Academies of Sciences fellowship, which recognize her groundbreaking work on physiological resilience to extreme stress.Her PhD focus was around sleep science, and she now sits on fatigue management and neuroenhancement working groups through NATO, US Special Operations Command, the Office of the Army Surgeon General, and inter-government (DoD, NASA, FAA, NHTSA, NIH) collaborations. Allison's expertise in sleep, particularly under extreme conditions, and her unique ability to apply her scientific knowledge to enhance athletic performance make her a valuable asset to the military and the broader scientific community. She is also the author of Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain, which explores the intersection of neuroscience and athleticism.As a final note, Allison squeezed in this call between a two-day human performance conference and a trip to NASA, and she works all day in a highly secure building where she can't do phone calls, so we had to do this call with her outside. So, there might be a bit of background noise.Dr. Brager's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/docjockzzzOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-brager-80a58210/Timestamps:00:00:21 Introduction to Allison Brager00:02:06 NASA Assessment and Selection00:03:06 Checklist of Skill Sets Necessary for NASA Selection00:05:40 Significance of Working With People on the Worst Days of Their Lives00:09:02 What Does Allison's Career Look Like?00:12:32 Allison's Role at Walter Reed00:14:20 What Could Someone Currently on Deployment Learn From Allison's Studies?00:15:54 Is the Time You Wake Up or the Time You Go to Sleep More Impactful?00:16:45 Importance of Early Morning Sunlight Exposure00:17:47 Studies Done on Circadian Rhythm in Caves Without Daylight Cues00:18:38 Shifts in Circadian Rhythm Without Sunset Exposure00:19:53 Artificial Light in a Subterranean Setting00:21:03 What is Something Critical About Sleep That Most People Get Wrong?00:24:06 Sponsor Note: Coaching Mentoring Program00:24:52 How to Use Caffeine Strategically Throughout the Day00:29:25 How to Know Your Caffeine Metabolizer Type Without Testing00:32:49 Genetic Set Points with Variability00:34:26 Why Does LSU Have So Many Good Football Players?00:36:43 Recruiting SOF Candidates With the Moneyball Approach00:37:47 Military Recruiting Crisis00:38:24 How Does Alcohol Affect Sleep?00:40:41 Consequences of Disruptive Sleep From Alcohol00:41:37 Shift Work Effects On the Body and What You Can Do About It00:42:30 Mitigating the Negative Impact of Shift Work00:43:23 Simulating the Circadian Rhythm Cues Artificially00:43:54 Sleep Aids Other Than Pharmaceuticals 00:44:54 How to Use Valerian Root Effectively for Sleep00:45:25 Melatonin On Testosterone Production and Uses for Sleep00:47:27 Negative Effects of Over-Use of Melatonin Supplements00:48:08 Outro

Trailblazer does not begin to define Brigadier General Sara Dudley, who is truly undefinable. Finance officer by trade, Brig. Gen. Dudley is the Counter Threat Finance expert currently serving within the United States Army. From deployments in the Middle East to serving within the Special Operations Command, Brig. Gen. Dudley is a true testament to dedication to service, a true voice within the Department of Defense, and an absolute innovator. About our guest:Brigadier General Sara Dudley was commissioned in 1998 as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Finance Corps. Prior to her current assignment in U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS), she served in the Army Budget Office as the Director, Operations and Support within the Army Secretariat. Before heading to that position in the Pentagon, she held the position of Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). Also within USASOC, she held the position as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller. About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer serving in the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Non-commissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:Brig. Gen. Dudley's official bio:https://www.swcs.mil/Portals/111/DUDLEY_bios_Current_JAN2024.pdfRead more about the Money As A Weapon System (MAAWS) Concept:https://www.dau.edu/sites/default/files/Migrated/CopDocuments/MAAWS%20CJTF%20OIR%20Final%2010202017.pdfRead more about Army Financial Management and Comptrollers:https://www.asafm.army.mil/North Korea may have sub-contracted with multiple animation studios:https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-koreans-may-have-helped-create-western-cartoons-report-says-2024-04-22/Joint Knowledge Online Courses for Counter Threat Finance (for those with Common Access Card):https://jkosupport.jten.mil/html/COI.xhtml?identifier=SOC-CTFShe has written about the application of Counter Threat Finance in her article about engaging in conflict beyond Direct Action approaches:https://www.thekcis.org/publications/insight-13She has also been featured in other discussions on other podcasts discussing digital assets and national security:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47zJEqsnFq4She has also been interviewed throughout her career. Here is an article from when she was still a Lt. Col., making an impact wherever she was assigned:https://www.army.mil/article/185720/finance_officer_recounts_how_life_lessons_have_made_a_difference Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! And if you enjoyed this, become a member of the underground by sharing with at least one other person. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Welcome to the ONE CA Podcast. I'm LTC Brian Hancock, and I will be your host for this session. Today, we have Major Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger with us to discuss Civil Affairs, Information Operations, and the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). MAJ Schlesinger, welcome to the show!   Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger is an Information Advantage practitioner. She has served in the Nevada National Guard medical detachment, the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East in various capacities from the Army Medical Department to civil affairs planner and leader with special operations. In her downtime she volunteered with Team Rubicon assisting with disaster relief in the Mid West and COVID vaccine events. As a student at the command and general staff officer college she studied Defense Support to Civil Authorities and Homeland Security at the University of Kansas  School of Law. She went on to study the impacts of automation on the Army and applying emerging concepts in multi-domain operations to large scale military exercises.    Disclaimer: A quick reminder for the audience that all remarks are solely those of the presenters. One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org ---- Special thanks to BluntedBeatz for the sample “Summer Breeze.” Retrieved from https://youtu.be/3P8Xz71BLes?si=r4-xvwcG21cLMWrO ----Credits---- Host: Brian Hancock Production: Jack Gaines

Welcome to the ONE CA Podcast. I'm LTC Brian Hancock, and I will be your host for this session. Today, we have Major Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger with us to discuss Civil Affairs, Information Operations, and the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). MAJ Schlesinger, welcome to the show!   Megan O'Keefe-Schlesinger is an Information Advantage practitioner. She has served in the Nevada National Guard medical detachment, the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East in various capacities from the Army Medical Department to civil affairs planner and leader with special operations. In her downtime she volunteered with Team Rubicon assisting with disaster relief in the Mid West and COVID vaccine events. As a student at the command and general staff officer college she studied Defense Support to Civil Authorities and Homeland Security at the University of Kansas  School of Law. She went on to study the impacts of automation on the Army and applying emerging concepts in multi-domain operations to large scale military exercises.    Disclaimer: A quick reminder for the audience that all remarks are solely those of the presenters. One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail dot com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org ---- Special thanks to BluntedBeatz for the sample “Summer Breeze.” Retrieved from https://youtu.be/3P8Xz71BLes?si=r4-xvwcG21cLMWrO ----Credits---- Host: Brian Hancock Production: Jack Gaines

Today we welcome Natasha Zieski and discuss her journey from growing up in Zaire to becoming a US citizen and joining Civil Affairs and the State Department's Office of Conflict Stabilization. This episode is a little different, but there is a lot of good stuff in it. Enjoy. One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail dot com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org ---- Special Thanks to the Cafe Music BGM channel for sampling Hip Hop Jazz & Chill Jazz Summer Beach Mix - Instrumental Cafe Music. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YROyrBBf9WQ ----- Credits Sponsor: Civil Affairs Association Host: Jack Gaines

It's not every day you get to interview your boss's boss's boss. We review the main mission of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, how the organization has continued to evolve and uphold standards through the past two years, and what is on the horizon. About the guests:Brigadier General Guillaume “Will” Beaurpere has served for the last two years as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, the Special Operations Center of Excellence. He previously served as the Deputy Commanding General for Operations at Army Space and Missile Defense Command; and before that as Commanding General for Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Command Sergeant Major Lionel A. Strong is a native of Fort Myers, Florida and enlisted in the United States Army July 9, 1998 as a 63B Light-Wheel Vehicle Mechanic. Upon completion of Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, Command Sgt. Maj. Strong was assigned to Schofield Barracks Hawaii from December 1998 thru March 2001. Command Sgt. Maj. Strong attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection in September 2000 and the Special Forces Qualification Course from June 2001 through December 2002.Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Ostrander was the Command Chief Warrant Officer for 2nd Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School from 2021 to 2023. He most recently served as chief operations warrant at the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) from 2020 to 2021.For more about the command team, visit: https://www.swcs.mil/About-Us/Command-Group/ About the hosts:Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer serving in the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School.Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Noncommissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:The CG mentioned "continuous transformation"; you can read more about the Army's efforts here:https://www.army.mil/article/275040/army_futures_command_general_lays_out_continuous_transformation_planFM 3-0: Operations:https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN36290-FM_3-0-000-WEB-2.pdfThe tenants of Army modernization:https://www.ausa.org/publications/tenets-army-modernizationThe re-establishment of the PSYWAR School and PSYOP Commandant:https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-psywar-school/The establishment of the Irregular Warfare Academy:https://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/special-warfare-magazine-january-2024-psywar-school-and-irregular-warfare-academyInformation Advantage:https://www.army.mil/article/271932/army_publishes_first_doctrinal_manual_dedicated_to_informationIf you want to learn more about the Robotics Unmanned Systems Integrator Course (RUSIC), check out our episode covering the course: https://pineland-underground.simplecast.com/episodes/rusic-NNFqsUWnThe Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center (JSOMTC), previously known as Special Warfare Medical Group (SWMG):https://www.swcs.mil/Schools/SWMG-A/The SWCS Language Center is the 2nd largest in the DoD:https://www.army.mil/article/275805/starting_from_beginning_part_3_second_largest_language_school_in_dod_strengthen_foreign_partnershipsMoving the Total Army School System's 6th Brigade to Fort Liberty and co-locating them with SWCS:https://www.swcs.mil/SWCS-2030/SWCS's Heritage Week is an annual event:https://www.army.mil/article/275724/swcs_celebrates_2nd_annual_heritage_week_honoring_past_present_futureSWCS partnered with National Defense University's College of International Security Affairs (CISA), and the Irregular Warfare Center to host the Spring Symposium Irregular Warfare (IW) Forum in May:https://www.dvidshub.net/news/471706/do-you-do-with-idea-swcs-cisa-co-host-irregular-warfare-forumThe SWCS Newcomer's Guide mentioned information about CAC-SOD:https://www.swcs.mil/Portals/111/NewcomersGuide.pdfNational Defense University, a fully funded Master's program for officers (which is Intermediate Level Education qualifying) and NCOs:https://cisa.ndu.edu/jsoma/ Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! And if you enjoyed this, become a member of the underground by sharing with at least one other person. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

Maj. Ashley "Ash" Holzmann is an experienced Psychological Operations Officer serving in the re-established PSYWAR School at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. Sgt. Maj. Derek Riley is one of the most experienced Civil Affairs Noncommissioned Officers in the Army Special Operations Regiment. He has incredible deployment experience and serves within the Civil Affairs Proponent at the United States Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School. From the episode:An article from SOCOM on the Special Operations Liaison Officer (SOLO) program:https://www.socom.mil/spec-ops-liaison-program-evolves-to-further-strengthen-partner-nation-relationsA paper on the utility and recommended way forward for the SOLO program by then Col. Paul J. Schmitt while attending the U.S. Army War College:https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA590755.pdf The U.S. National Guard State Partnership Program:https://www.nationalguard.mil/leadership/joint-staff/j-5/international-affairs-division/state-partnership-program/  U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization (SATMO):https://www.army.mil/article/48921/the_u_s_army_security_assistance_training_management_organization Special Operations Support Team (SOST):https://keystone.ndu.edu/Portals/86/10_%20SOF%20Interagency%20Reference%20Guide.pdf Army Special Operations Recruiting:SOF Recruiting Page (soc.mil)https://www.soc.mil/USASOCHQ/recruiting.html GoArmySOF Site:https://www.goarmysof.army.mil/ The Official Podcast of the United States Army Special Warfare Center and School!USAJFKSWCS selects and trains all Army Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations soldiers. Please visit our website at: https://www.swcs.milBe sure to check us out and follow us at:https://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschoolhttps://www.instagram.com/u.s.armyswcs/https://www.youtube.com/c/USAJFKSWCS/videosPlease like, subscribe, and leave a review! And if you enjoyed this, become a member of the underground by sharing with at least one other person. Word-of-mouth is how movements like this spread.

One hundred men will test today. But only three win the Green Beret. Developing America's Green Berets takes a vision for the future, knowledge of the past, and an understanding of the present. The John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School is the home of both training Green Berets and developing the policy and doctrine our Special Forces operate by. To share the mission of SWCS, Fran Racioppi sat down with Commanding General Brigadier General Will Beaurpere and Command Sergeant Major Lee Strong from the JFK Special Warfare Museum at Fort Liberty, NC. BG Beaurpere and CSM Strong explained how SWCS 2030 will develop a more prepared Special Forces Regiment through the establishment of three Branch Schools for Green Berets, Civil Affairs and Psyops, each under their own O-6 level command. They also break down irregular warfare, why it's important, and how it's complemented by psychological operations; another school being developed through SWCS 2030. Finally they talk recruiting as the GWOT generation of soldiers is retiring and SOF was directed to cut personnel, while enforcing the standard, continuously improving professionalism, and integrating technology and automation into the force. Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation about the past, present and future of SWCS. Then head over to our YouTube channel to watch BG Beaurpere and CSM Strong share the importance of the Jedburghs in the Jedburgh Media Channel's first documentary, Unknown Heroes, Behind Enemy Lines at D-Day, the story of Operation Jedburgh. The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube. Highlights:0:00 Welcome to the Special Warfare Museum 2:27 The SWCS mission8:42 SWCS 203012:03 Commandants, Irregular Warfare & the Psywar School22:00 SOF's role in Strategic Disruption30:33 How do you maintain the Special Forces Standard?36:08 Integrating technology but building leaders first49:08 The 3 Keys to Daily SuccessQuotes: “We watch the battlefield of the modern era and we draw that into our doctrine.” (5:02)“The cadre is where you really achieve mastery.” (8:04)“Psychological Warfare is something we've conducted for the preponderance of our history as a military.” 17:01“That's what SOF does…conduct operations and activities forward, before conflict.” (20:06)“The one place we will not assume risk, and cannot assume is risk, is in the production of world class special forces, civil affairs and psyops soldiers.” (28:37)“What is the one or two percent we can do to improve to ultimately make this better, myself better, the team better.” (34:45)“You're only as hard as your last hard thing.” (53:04)Special thanks to Roxanne Merritt and the JFK Special Warfare Museum for graciously hosting this series.

Brian Hancock hosts Brad Hughes in a two-part discussion on how Civil Affairs and the 38G civil society programs are helping the U.S. in its foreign policy outreach in the Pacific. This is part one of two.    Brad Hughes Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfordhughes/ Brian Hancock Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-j-hancock/ One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail dot com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org   Special thanks to DrSaxLove for the sample of "Nearness of You." Found on Cocktail Party - 40s Music. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvH-nbindvk

Brian Hancock hosts Brad Hughes in a two-part discussion on how Civil Affairs and the 38G civil society programs are helping the U.S. in its foreign policy outreach in the Pacific. This is part one of two.    Brad Hughes Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfordhughes/ Brian Hancock Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-j-hancock/ One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail dot com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org Special thanks for the sample of Maurice Chase covering Lionel Richies, "You are the Love of my Life," retrieved from Dr. Saxlove on his album "Happy Hour, Cocktail Party."   

Brian Hancock hosts J. David Thompson, a Civil Affairs planner out of U.S. Africa Command, to discuss     Special thanks to FeedSpot for ranking One CA Podcast as one of their top 10 foreign policy podcasts. Check it out at: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/ One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail dot com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org Special thanks for SensualMusic4You producing "Hip Hop Jazz & Hip Hop Jazz Instrumental: 10 Hours of Hip Hop Jazz." Sample found at https://youtu.be/XEa0Xn9XAzk?si=eeWyVqE3c1uL6d2Q dependent. How can the military, diplomacy, and development workers manage the process to ensure a successful transition to becoming an independent partner in the international community? Special thanks to Tribal Groove for recording and broadcasting Matt James playing and performing his album Transporta. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSPOuGdk83E

Brian Hancock hosts J. David Thompson, a Civil Affairs planner out of U.S. Africa Command to discuss     Thank you FeedSpot for ranking One CA Podcast as one of their top 10 foreign policy podcasts. Check it out at: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/ One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail dot com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org Special thanks for SensualMusic4You producing "Hip Hop Jazz & Hip Hop Jazz Instrumental: 10 Hours of Hip Hop Jazz." Sample found at https://youtu.be/XEa0Xn9XAzk?si=eeWyVqE3c1uL6d2Q dependent. How can the military, diplomacy, and development workers manage the process to ensure a successful transition to becoming an independent partner in the international community? Special thanks to Tribal Groove for recording and broadcasting Matt James playing and performing his album Transporta. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSPOuGdk83E

Assad Raza hosts Heather Cotter, who recently gained a direct commission into the Army and Civil Affairs. In this episode, she talks about what it's like to go through the process and her first impressions of the Army.    Thank you FeedSpot for ranking One CA Podcast as one of their top 10 foreign policy podcasts. Check it out at: https://podcasts.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/   One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail dot com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org   Special Thanks to KaraokeMedia for sharing Manu Chao's "Me Gustas Tu," instrumental version. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZsSs9aIDqM