Podcasts about Military Cross

Livestream with Jonathan MS Pearce. ----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

Livestream with Yuri Rashkin----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

2025-12-16 | UPDATES #080 | A post on X caught my eye, the gist of which was “Only a Russian official can invade and bomb you while simultaneously calling themselves a peacemaker and the victim a warmonger.” The author is referring to Kiril Dmitriev, one of the key so-called ‘negotiators' from the Russian side, and it highlights the absurdity of trying to build a peace process with the same regime that initiated the aggression and committed untold war crimes in Ukraine. Any such process pre-supposes that the aggressor has seen the error of their ways, in some sense recanted for their mistakes, even if not admitting culpability for the crimes themselves or any contrition. But the reality is so far from this. Russia seems to want a temporary “ceasefire,” because it is exhausted, and needs time to rearm and internalise the lessons of failure – the failure of its military strategy, that is, so it can come back again with greater lethality and success. As we'll see in this episode, Russia has disavowed none of its maximalist aims, and indeed keeps adding to the list of demands, and when the regime minions are honest with us, they are clearly saying that they do not want peace, but the capitulation and humiliation of Ukraine. ----------SOURCES: Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/european-leaders-agree-ukraine-security-guarantees-should-include-european-led-2025-12-15/Financial Times - https://www.ft.com/content/24b9f90f-ee39-4fde-9efb-559c0cc8596cThe Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/16/ukraine-russia-peace-plans-zelenskyy-berlin-talks-putinReuters - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/vast-majority-ukrainians-reject-major-peace-concessions-poll-finds-2025-12-15/Reuters - https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-foreign-ministers-adopt-sanctions-targeting-russian-shadow-fleet-eu-official-2025-12-15/AP News - https://apnews.com/article/d80d64aa719ddc60575866f2c29e868eAP News - https://apnews.com/article/6a4c78360c51021bdb8c251bc230de38----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

2025-12-15 | UPDATES #079 | “Pax Americana is over.” We've known this for a while, but Chancellor Merz's speech still dropped like a bomb going off. And it was a warning flare from the centre of Europe's security architecture. In this episode we cover Chancellor Merz's speech, the Berlin peace push, and the emerging European fear that Washington is no longer an ally — possibly even adversary.This weekend, Chancellor Friedrich Merz told a party congress in Munich that Europe must brace for a fundamental shift in its relationship with the United States — because the American-guaranteed peace that defined Europe's postwar order is, in his words, “largely over.” (Reuters)----------SOURCES: Reuters (Dec 13–14, 2025): Merz “Pax Americana” quote; Berlin ceasefire talks; U.S. plan terms.Reuters (Dec 9, 2025): U.S. NSS attack on European democracies; “cultivating resistance” inside EU; Merz response. Reuters (Dec 14, 2025): AfD lawmaker calls for U.S.–German nationalist alliance at MAGA gala.The Guardian (Dec 15, 2025): Berlin summit framing; European fears U.S. plan favours Russia. Ulrich Speck (Substack, Dec 14, 2025): European reaction, “shock” and hostility perception.----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

2025-12-14 | UPDATES #078 | A Russian drone hits Turkish cargo vessel VIVA in the Black Sea. This matters for Turkey, maritime security, and Ukraine's campaign against Russia's “shadow fleet.” We look at the increased risk for shipping in the black sea, both those that serve Ukraine's legitimate and legal export needs, and those that form part of Russia grey fleet trading illegally in oil. Ukraine says Russia hit a Turkish civilian cargo ship with a drone — a vessel carrying sunflower oil to Egypt — inside what Ukraine describes as a protected coastal “grain corridor.” And it happened within hours of Erdoğan raising port strikes with Putin. On Saturday, 13 December 2025, Ukraine's navy accused Russia of a deliberate drone strike on the Turkish vessel VIVA, describing it as a “targeted strike” on a civilian ship heading to Egypt with sunflower oil. (Reuters)----------SOURCES: Reuters (Dec 13, 2025): Ukraine says Russian drone attack hit civilian Turkish vessel The Moscow Times / AFP (Dec 14, 2025): Ukraine says Russian drone hit Turkish cargo vessel VIVAReuters (Dec 12, 2025): Vessel on fire after Russian attack on Ukraine's Odesa region, sources sayReuters (Dec 13, 2025): Erdoğan comments after Putin meeting; calls to protect ports/energy facilities Turkey MFA statement (Dec 12, 2025): Chornomorsk port attack; maritime security/freedom of navigation Ukrinform (Dec 13, 2025): Turkey urges halt to attacks on energy and port infrastructureKyiv Independent (Dec 14, 2025): Mentions *VIVA* incident amid broader strikes Ukrainian Pravda (Dec 13, 2025): Ukraine Navy statement on “targeted strike” against VIVAReuters (Dec 10, 2025) background: Ukraine disables “shadow fleet” tanker Dashan with sea dronesBackground (outside 48h): Beşiktaş Shipping halts Russia-linked voyages after explosions----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

Sir Richard Shirreff is Co-founder and Managing Partner at Strategia Worldwide. After graduating from Oxford, he served in the British Army for 37 years commanding soldiers on operations or in combat at every level from platoon to division and rising to the highest rank before retiring from the Army as NATO's Deputy Supreme Commander Europe. In 2016 his novel ‘2017: War with Russia' was published in the UK, USA, and Poland. He is an honorary Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.----------LINKS:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Shirreff https://twitter.com/RichardShirreff https://www.strategiaworldwide.com/our-people/sir-richard-shirreffhttps://www.globsec.org/who-we-are/our-people/gen-ret-sir-richard-shirreff https://www.brookings.edu/events/is-armed-conflict-with-russia-a-real-possibility/ ----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------DESCRIPTION:Critical Analysis: European Security in the Face of Rising Russian AggressionIn this episode, co-founder and managing partner at Worldwide and former NATO Deputy Supreme Commander Europe, Sir Richard Shirreff, discusses the evolving geopolitical landscape with host Jonathan. The conversation dives into Russian strategies and the apparent shift in the U.S. stance on European security under Trump's administration. Shirreff and Jonathan analyse the recently released U.S. National Security Strategy, highlighting its lack of emphasis on China and Russia as threats and its focus on European institutions. They discuss how Trump's policies may be inadvertently aiding Putin's objectives by decoupling U.S. support from European security and undermining NATO. The episode underscores the need for Europe to bolster its resilience and unity independently. Shirreff emphasizes the necessity of leadership and clear strategies to face these challenges. They also delve into the implications of cognitive warfare, societal resilience, and the broader necessity for Europe to mobilize and prepare for potential threats. In the concluding segment, they highlight a fundraiser aimed at supporting Ukrainian soldiers by providing crucially needed vehicles.----------CHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction and Guest Background01:21 Russian Strategy and US National Security Policy03:36 NATO's Current State and Challenges06:09 Europe's Need for Self-Reliance10:07 Resilience and National Defense13:37 Potential Future Scenarios28:54 Call to Action and Conclusion----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

2025-12-12 | UPDATES #076 | The financial battlefield is intensifying — the hidden front where the Kremlin is taking blow after blow, and where Europe may finally, belatedly, be rediscovering its spine. Talk about leaving it to the last minute as well. We must ask whether it's Ukraine's financial issues, their budgetary gap, that spurred Europe on, or the prospect of Trump getting his hands on the Russian Central Bank assets. Because this week, the European Union has done something extraordinary — something that has Vladimir Putin rattled. The EU has triggered emergency powers to permanently immobilize Russian state assets, edging toward using them to arm and rebuild Ukraine. Meanwhile, Moscow's central bank is screaming “illegal!”, Russia threatens to sue Euroclear, Japan backs away, France hesitates, Orbán obstructs, and Washington quietly manoeuvres for leverage. Meanwhile Moscow is activating all its embedded assets, agents and useful idiots to try and fight the permanent seizure of its former assets. ----------SOURCES: https://kyivindependent.com/https://www.kyivpost.com/https://meduza.io/enhttps://www.themoscowtimes.com/https://www.theguardian.com/ukhttps://theins.ru/enPublic statements by:European Commission, Russian Central Bank, Vladimir Putin, EuroclearAdditional reporting from:Politico EU, Reuters, Bloomberg (paraphrased references)----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

Today I'm speaking with Operator Starsky, a former Ukrainian National Guardian, blogger, and inspiration for everyone who is following the war, and supporting a Ukrainian victory. He has created one of the most popular and original YouTube channels dedicated to the international community. I'm not sure you need an introduction – I'm sure most people watching this channel will have seen your videos! ----------LINKS:https://www.youtube.com/@PropagandaStudyInstitutehttp://psi-eu.org/https://www.youtube.com/@StarskyUA----------The Steel Porcupine https://www.thesteelporcupine.com/I'm proud to say that this series of ‘Ukrainian advent' interviews is supported by The Steel Porcupine – a unique and powerful film about a country that refuses to lie down, a people who turned themselves into a fortress of needles when Russian tanks rolled in. The Steel Porcupine is an unforgettable cinematic experience that exposes Russia's campaign of extermination in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people's spirit to resist and prevail. It follows soldiers, volunteers and people who decided that survival meant resistance, not submission.Created by the makers of the acclaimed To the Zero Line, this is another film about humanity, that clearly states there is no such thing as neutrality when war crimes are being committed systematically by Russia, and on a scale in Europe only comparable to World War Two. Set to a haunting soundtrack featuring music by Philip Glass, and blending rare archival footage with original material, it is an impactful work of art and storytelling, as well as being informative.----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur first live events this year in Lviv and Kyiv were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. We may add more venues to the program, depending on the success of the fundraising campaign. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

2025-12-11 | DAILY UPDATES #075 | Russia's war economy is running out of road. It helps explains why such pressure is coming from the Kremlin, via Donald Trump, to find a deal that can be sold as a humiliation of Ukraine that temporarily gets Putin off the hook. Are they intent on a stable and sustainable peace? Has the Kremlin disavowed its ambitions of hegemony over Europe and initiating more wars? Absolutely not. But they need a breather to regroup, rearm and replenish their war chest, stabilise their teetering economy and war industries, as well as reinflate the army. And Trump is dutifully obliging to try and enforce this ‘so-called' peace deal on Ukraine and Europe. Today's theme is simple and brutal: examining the impending crisis within the Russian economy, which one regime friendly economist has said will be ‘huge and inevitable.”So, these dire warning are not coming from “Western propagandists”, or the usual pro-Ukraine “Russophobes”, but is a true reflection of the looming crisis according to pro-Kremlin economists, Z-patriots, state bankers and regime-adjacent think tanks who are now openly talking about a big, inevitable crisis in 2026.----------SOURCES: Майкл Наки – YouTube & Telegram: “«КРИЗИС БУДЕТ БОЛЬШОЙ И НЕИЗБЕЖНЫЙ». Экономисты в России фиксируют обвал. И боятся 2026го”, and posts on Z-economists and war economy.Free Russia Foundation / Vladimir Milov – “Russia's Budget Crisis, Explained”. The Moscow Times – “Pro-Kremlin Economists Warn of Banking Crisis by 2026” & coverage of wage arrears and tax hikes.CMACP / Expert.ru – analysis of systemic banking-crisis risks in 2026.Reuters – reporting on Russia's industrial slowdown, fuel crisis, oil revenues, interest rates and tax proposals. Meduza – “Long lines and empty pumps. Russia's gasoline crisis in photos”; coverage of wage-debt crisis and Saratov recruitment payments. Kyiv Independent – coverage of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries and resulting fuel shortages. Wikipedia & aggregated sources – “2025 Russian fuel crisis” (for chronology and refs to Reuters, BBC, Forbes). FT – “Russia's coal miners buckle under sanctions, weak prices and war”. Jamestown Foundation – “Russian Firms Rapidly Falling Behind in Paying Workers”. UDF – “«Продолжать в 2026-м смертельно опасно». Z-патриот анонсировал скорое сворачивание «СВО»” (Maxim Kalashnikov).----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------

Glen Grant worked as a defence and reform expert in Ukraine working for the Ukrainian Institute for the Future. He is also a Senior Fellow in the UK Institute for Statecraft on Building Integrity Initiative countering Russian influence. Glen graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Junior Staff Course Warminster and the Joint Staff Defence College at the Royal Naval College Greenwich. ----------LINKS:https://balticsecurity.eu/https://defence-blog.com/ukraines-defense-gaps-threaten-war-effort-says-expert/https://glenhoward.substack.com/p/episode-16-ukraine-at-war-military ----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------DESCRIPTION:Glenn Grant on Ukraine's War: An In-Depth Analysis of Current Geopolitical DynamicsIn this episode, we revisit a conversation with Glen Grant, a defense and reform expert in Ukraine. The discussion highlights the current critical juncture in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, exploring the perceived flip-flopping of U.S. policy favoring Russia under the Trump administration. Glen shares insights on Trump's consistent pro-Russian stance, the potential oligarchic influences guiding global politics, and the effectiveness of Zelensky's leadership. The conversation delves into the operational and strategic challenges facing Ukraine, including issues in human resources, technology adoption, and military procurement. The episode emphasizes the role of civic society in Ukraine's defense efforts and the broader implications for Western defense strategies. Finally, the video includes a segment encouraging donations for purchasing life-saving vehicles for Ukrainian forces.----------CHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction and Guest Background01:12 Current State of the War and US Policy02:16 Trump's Influence and Russian Strategy05:52 Global Oligarchy and Political Manipulation20:19 Ukraine's Internal Challenges25:48 Western Military Preparedness and Drone Warfare37:18 Conclusion and Fundraising Appeal----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------

Keir Giles has spent his career watching, studying, and explaining Russia. Keir's work has appeared in a wide range of academic and military publications across Europe and in North America, and he is a regular contributor and commentator on Russian affairs for international print and broadcast media. He is a Senior Consulting Fellow at the UK's Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and also works with the Conflict Studies Research Centre (CSRC), a group of deep subject matter experts on Eurasian security formerly attached to the British Ministry of Defence. He is a regular contributor to research projects on Russian security issues in the U.S., UK, and Europe.----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------BOOKS:Who Will Defend Europe? An Awakened Russia and a Sleeping Continent (2024)Order Keir's new book: https://amzn.to/4cFI1b6Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You (2022)Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia to Confront the West (2019)The Turning Point for Russian Foreign Policy (2017)The State of the NATO-Russia Reset (2011)Potential Challenges to Public Order and Social Stability in the Russian Federation (2011)----------LINKS:Order Keir's new book: https://amzn.to/4cFI1b6https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/keir-gileshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keir_Gileshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/keir-giles-499a489/https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/our-people/keir-gileshttps://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=7Bs89WMAAAAJhttps://bsky.app/profile/keirgiles.bsky.social----------DESCRIPTION:Understanding the Russia-West Geopolitical Conflict with Keir GilesIn this insightful episode, Keir delves into his extensive experience studying Russia, sharing knowledge from his academic and military publications. He discusses the persistent misunderstandings regarding Russia's intentions by Western diplomats, driven by a cycle of short-term postings and differing diplomatic experiences. Johnson also highlights the ideological alignments between Russian and current U.S. policies, underscoring the troubling implications for Europe. The conversation touches on the complexities of international relations, the failures of economic appeasement with authoritarian regimes, and the stark realities of Russia's long-standing messianic geopolitical behavior. The episode concludes with a call to support Ukrainian armed forces in their epic battle for survival, reflecting on the tangible impact of international solidarity.----------

Ben Hodges is a retired United States Army officer, who became commander of United States Army Europe in November 2014, and held that position for three years until retiring from the United States Army in January 2018. Until recently he was the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies, at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, specialising in NATO, Transatlantic relationship and international security. ----------Silicon Curtain is a part of the Christmas Tree Trucks 2025 campaign - an ambitious fundraiser led by a group of our wonderful team of information warriors raising 110,000 EUR for the Ukrainian army. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtainThe Goal of the Campaign for the Silicon Curtain community:- 1 armoured battle-ready pickupWe are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2017 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-silicon-curtain- The 38th Marine Brigade, who alone held Krynki for 124 days, receiving the Military Cross of Honour.- The 1027th Anti-aircraft and artillery regiment. Honoured by NATO as Defender of the Year 2024 and recipient of the Military Cross of Honour.- 104th Separate Brigade, Infantry, who alone held Kherson for 100 days, establishing conditions for the liberation of the city.- 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalion ----------DESCRIPTION: ----------CHAPTERS:----------LINKS:https://twitter.com/general_benhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hodges https://cepa.org/author/ben-hodges/ https://warsawsecurityforum.org/speaker/hodges-ben-lt-gen/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-hodges-1674b1172/ ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------

In this second Bonus Episode to end Season 8 of the podcast we look at the subject of Great War veterans and in particular Malcolm Vyvyan who served as a Siege Battery officer in the Royal Garrison Artillery on the Somme, Arras and Flanders, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1917. Sign up for the free podcast newsletter here: Old Front Line Bulletin.Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.Send us a textSupport the show

This episode contains discussions of trauma, war, and emotional challenges faced by those in the military. If you or someone you know is affected by anything mentioned in this podcast and needs support, please search for "British Army Ask for Help." Listener discretion is advised. In this special two-parter, we're thrilled to welcome Brian Wood MC, a decorated British Army veteran, bestselling author, and motivational speaker. In part one, Brian shares his powerful journey through the British Army, offering a candid look at his time on operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Known for his heroic actions during the Battle of Danny Boy in Iraq in 2004, Brian's exceptional leadership and courage earned him the Military Cross. He takes us through key moments in combat, detailing the values and lessons he learned while leading his team under extreme pressure, and how those experiences shaped him as a leader. His reflections on his military service highlight the importance of doing the basics well, maintaining composure in chaos, and leading by example. Brian's service spans multiple operational tours, where he quickly rose to leadership roles, becoming a trusted figure among his peers. In this episode, he talks about how his upbringing and his family's influence shaped his approach to leadership and the early mentors who guided him. His memoir, Double Crossed, delves deeper into these experiences, including his involvement in the public inquiry following the Iraq conflict and his personal journey through resilience. In part two, Brian will dive into life after the Army, including his work with veterans, mental health awareness, and the impact of the Al-Sweady Inquiry on his life. But for now, join us as we explore his incredible military career and the leadership lessons that continue to inspire him today.

The Tibble family are in Faenza, Italy commemorating their ancestor Te Rauwhiro Tibble, who received a Military Cross for bravery with his platoon of men from Rongowhakaata and Te Aitanga a Mahaki. He took a single shot to his body to stop a tiger tank and get his men to safety across the river. Thirteen members of his family over five generations are there for Anzac Day, including Paora Tibble, who speaks with Mihi.

fWotD Episode 2906: Edgar Towner Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 19 April 2025 is Edgar Towner.Edgar Thomas Towner, VC, MC (19 April 1890 – 18 August 1972) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. A lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, Towner was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 1 September 1918, during an attack on Mont St. Quentin on the Western Front.Born in Queensland to a farming family, Towner enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915. Posted to the transport section of the 25th Battalion, he served in Egypt until his unit was sent to the Western Front. He then transferred to the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion where he was commissioned as a lieutenant and twice mentioned in despatches for his leadership. During June 1918, Towner led a machine gun section in attack near Morlancourt and assisted the infantry in reaching its objectives under heavy fire, for which he was awarded the Military Cross. In September, again commanding a machine gun section, he was involved in the Allied counteroffensive that broke the German lines at Mont St. Quentin and Péronne. Fighting for thirty hours after being wounded, his "conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty" earned him the Victoria Cross, which was presented by King George V in April 1919.Discharged in August, Towner returned to Australia. He was appointed a director of the Russleigh Pastoral Company, and briefly re-enlisted during the Second World War, when he was promoted to major. A keen geographer, he was awarded the Dr Thomson Foundation Gold Medal in 1956 for his geographical work. Unmarried, he died in 1972 at the age of 82.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:30 UTC on Saturday, 19 April 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Edgar Towner on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Kajal.

fWotD Episode 2862: Les Holden Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 6 March 2025 is Les Holden.Leslie Hubert Holden, MC, AFC (6 March 1895 – 18 September 1932) was an Australian fighter ace of World War I and later a commercial aviator. A South Australian, he joined the Light Horse in May 1915, serving in Egypt and France. In December 1916, he volunteered for the Australian Flying Corps and qualified as a pilot. As a member of No. 2 Squadron on the Western Front, he gained the sobriquets "Lucky Les" and "the homing pigeon" after a series of incidents that saw him limping back to base in bullet-riddled aircraft. He was awarded the Military Cross, and went on to achieve five aerial victories flying Airco DH.5s and Royal Aircraft Factory S. E.5s.Promoted to captain, Holden finished the war as an instructor with No. 6 (Training) Squadron in England, where his work earned him the Air Force Cross. After leaving the Australian Flying Corps in 1919, he became a manager at the family firm of Holden's Motor Body Builders and joined the part-time Citizen Air Force, before setting up as a commercial pilot and establishing his own air service. In 1929, he located Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm in the north-west Australian desert after the pair were reported missing on a flight to England in the Southern Cross. Holden began transport operations in New Guinea in 1931. He was killed the following year in a passenger plane crash in Australia.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:45 UTC on Thursday, 6 March 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Les Holden on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Patrick.

The complete audiobook is available for purchase at Audible.com: https://n9.cl/wtk33 The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon Read by Denis Daly Unlike his more famous fellow war poets, Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon survived the First World War. In this collection of 64 poems, first published in 1920, Sassoon portrays the dehumanizing horror of modern warfare with its staggering death toll, while also satirizing the jingoistic fervour of politicians and armchair strategists. Sassoon's own war service fell into two distinct periods. The first was marked by a number of heroic actions on the battlefield which earned him the Military Cross. However, after a period of convalescence in 1917, Sasson became a pacifist and refused to return to active duty. This change of attitude was diagnosed as a psychological disorder and he was posted to Ireland where he trained new recruits. By the end of the war he had been promoted to captain. For the rest of his long life he remained staunchly anti-war.

This episode is the second of a two part interview with retired LTCOL Gary McKay, who was a Platoon Commander in Vietnam, in D Coy, 4 RAR.  He fought in Op Ivanhoe at the battle of Nui Le, where he was wounded.  For his awarded the Military Cross for his performance during the battle.  He was later the Commanding Officer of 8/9 RAR between 1988 and 1990. This episode continues our Kokoda Campaign Podcast series. The training, doctrine and tactics used in Vietnam are a legacy of the expensive lessons learnt in the jungles of New Guinea. Gary discusses the Battle of Nui Le, a part of Op Ivanhoe.  Gary shares his reflections on leadership, with some excellent thoughts for Junior Officers and SNCOs. Check out the  show notes for the podcast for all of the information that we cover in this episode as well as the images and other details that didn't make it into the podcast.

This episode is the first of a two part interview with retired LTCOL Gary McKay, who was a Platoon Commander in Vietnam, in D Coy, 4 RAR.  He fought in Op Ivanhoe at the battle of Nui Le, where he was wounded.  For his awarded the Military Cross for his performance during the battle.  He was later the Commanding Officer of 8/9 RAR between 1988 and 1990. This episode continues our Kokoda Campaign Podcast series. It specifically looks at how Australian soldiers were prepared for combat in the jungle and also looks at what makes jungle combat one of the most difficult types of terrain to fight in. As you are listening to Gary's story, compare that with the soldiers from the Second World War fighting the early jungle battles.  The legacy of those hard won lessons on the Kokoda Track can clearly be heard in Gary's story. Check out the  show notes for the podcast for all of the information that we cover in this episode as well as the images and other details that didn't make it into the podcast.

NATO's first Secretary General, Hastings Ismay, profoundly shaped today's Alliance. Join us to discuss his legacy with his latest biographer, Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely. Hastings (Pug) Ismay was a general who never commanded beyond lieutenant colonel, rising through the ranks as a staff officer. This brought him into contact with politicians, like Churchill, and senior military commanders such as General Eisenhower, with whom he formed an enduring friendship. After retirement from the Army, Ismay briefly became a minister before serving as NATO Secretary General, 1952-1957. His time in office saw many challenges - the Soviet invasion of Hungary, Suez, the Cyprus Crisis of 1963-64 and the death of Stalin. Steering NATO through these crises required judgement, patience and humility. His legacy is that of NATO with a strong central headquarters connecting its political and military dimensions, and organisation with a global security perspective and a Secretary General who remains the servant of the Alliance. Our guest this episode, Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely , served in the British Army for 40 years, including in the 1982 Falklands War for which he was awarded the Military Cross, in Bosnia and Iraq. His book ‘Anatomy of a Campaign: The British Fiasco in Norway 1940' won RUSI's inaugural Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History. His latest book, ‘General Hastings ‘Pug' Ismay: Soldier, Statesman, Diplomat' was published in 2024.

Rabia is a criminal and human rights lawyer, a retired British Army officer, a former terrorism and war crimes prosecutor. She has even written about her experiences in her book “Equal Justice”. In a terrifying ordeal that garnered worldwide attention, Rabia assisted with the rescue of two SAS soldiers from Iraqi insurgents in Basra. Her male colleague received a Military Cross for outstanding bravery, while Rabia's part in the incident was covered up by the British Army and Government. In a fight for justice, she brought a landmark discrimination case against the UK Ministry of Defence, and won.  Tune in as she shares with Clayton her remarkable story of courage, resilience and determination.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

>Join Jocko Underground< former soldier in the Princess of Wale's Royal Regiment who was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in the Battle of Danny Boy.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jocko-podcast/exclusive-content

Grant Soletski is a recruiter for the U.S. Army and he joins Jim and John to talk a bit about who might be perfect to join the military, and the changes in who the military is looking for. He was also Maino's cross fit coach, so cross fit is intermingled into the conversation. Then it's "Moving With The Malcores". This week Rochelle Jordan from Dominion Title and Exchange sits in for Ben and Deanna. They discuss the importance of a good title company. Maino and the Mayor is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-9 am on WGBW in Green Bay and on WISS in Oshkosh. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with Maino and the Mayor! Guests: Grant Soletski, Rochelle Jordan

fWotD Episode 2569: Raymond Brownell Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.The featured article for Friday, 17 May 2024 is Raymond Brownell.Air Commodore Raymond James Brownell, (17 May 1894 – 12 April 1974) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a First World War flying ace. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Brownell was working as a clerk with a firm of accountants when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on the outbreak of the First World War. He served during the Gallipoli Campaign before transferring to the Western Front. Awarded the Military Medal for his actions during the Battle of Pozières, he was accepted for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. After flight training in the United Kingdom, Brownell was commissioned as a second lieutenant and posted for operational service over the Western Front in September 1917. Moving with his squadron to Italy, he was awarded the Military Cross and credited with shooting down 12 aircraft by war's end. Taking his discharge in 1919, Brownell returned to Australia.Commissioned in the RAAF in 1921, Brownell had risen to the rank of group captain by the beginning of the Second World War. Establishing the RAAF base in Singapore, he returned to Australia in 1941 as an air commodore and was appointed to lead No. 1 Training Group. He was Air Officer Commanding Western Area from January 1943 until July 1945, when he took charge of the recently formed No. 11 Group on Morotai. Retiring from the Air Force in 1947, Brownell assumed a partnership in a stockbroking firm. He died in 1974 aged 79; his autobiography, From Khaki to Blue, was published posthumously.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 10:08 UTC on Friday, 17 May 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Raymond Brownell on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm Arthur Neural.

How did the East India Company come about and how did it become the largest corporation in the world? How did the English compare to the Spanish and Dutch as a naval power, and how did they manage to gain a foothold in the Indian subcontinent? What were the obstacles to success, and what motivated the mercantile adventurers who risked their lives on the high seas? How did the British Empire in India emerge from the foundations set by the Company? And at what cost? How should we look back at our highly controversial colonial role on the global stage? Historian and Emeritus Professor David Howarth helps to answer these questions at a time when imperialism is under the spotlight like never before. Drawing on his book Adventurers: The Improbable Rise of the East India Company, he takes us back to the 17th and 18th centuries as the English began to establish themselves as a major world force. And he reveals the influence on his career of his own father, Tom Howarth, who was friends with Field Marshal Montgomery and won the Military Cross for bravery in World War II. What was it like being shown round Rommel's caravan by 'Monty' as a young boy? An unmissable insight into the importance of history, which, as Howarth says, is very far from dead. 

Like most small towns and villages around Australia, Emmaville has its war memorial, complete with the names of those who volunteered from this area. But the name of Emmaville's most remarkable son is not here, for by the time he enlisted, he had long moved away — Tom Richards.Richards' grew up to be an athletic young man, and his speed, strength and intelligent play led to his selection in the Queensland team in 1905 as a breakaway. His light brown hair led to the nickname of ‘Rusty', and over the next thirty-five years, Richards would become the only man to represent both Australia and the United Kingdom in Rugby Union, and eventually the trophy for Wallaby-British Lions contests would be named after him. He would win a gold medal at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, and then be awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry on the battlefields of France. 

Tommo is joined Decorated member of the Royal Air Force Regiment Roy "Doc" Geddes MC. Who received his Military Cross for Gallantry during the famous "Battle of Bastion" this is what happened in his own words. @kent_CBD  PROMO CODE: GRANITEZERO 10% off Green Beret Coffee @greenberetcoffeeco PROMO CODE: GZPODCAST10 10% OFF

A member of the Intelligence Corp, there is remarkably little information available on Lt. HE Stewart, despite receiving an Military Cross. In fact, this escape appears to be the only publicly available evidence he even existed... Well worth a listen! For You The War Is Over is a podcast that looks at the real life stories of Prisoner-of-War escapes from the the Second World War. Hosted by Dave Robertson and Tony Hoskins, each episode looks at a new escape.  If you would like to follow us on Twitter we can be found @FYTWIO we can also be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FYTWIO/ or if you would prefer to send a more long form message we can also be reached via email at FYTWIOpodcast@gmail.com

Sachin Latti is the heart of Sachinmotion. With a growing team of supporters around him, his goal is to raise money and awareness for veterans & first responders in need of help as they heal from PTSD & mental health illnesses, as these issues have been a part of his life. Sachin comes from a Sikh community that has been in military service for hundreds of years, as well as a family with a history in the armed forces. He runs for veterans because it's in his blood. Lieutenant Gurbux Singh, Sachin's great-grandfather, served in WWI under the British Indian Army with great distinction, and his son, Sachin's great uncle, Lieutenant Colonel Bhag Singh, was awarded the Military Cross fighting in WWII. Sachin's grandfather, Bhajan Singh, served in the Punjab Police for many years, retiring at the rank of Superintendent of Police. Continuing Sachin's family's dedication to service, Bhajan Singh was awarded the President of India Meritorious Police Medal. After 18 years of law enforcement service, Sachin came to the realization that he'd experienced situations that he didn't know how to cope with mentally. Now, as he learns how to deal with his own mental health, he wants to honour the memories of his forefathers and those that paved the way for him and advocate for those that have been in similar situations. Sachin recently completed 22 marathons in 22 days in British Columbia Canada in support of Honour House, a tranquil retreat, a place of education and personal growth. Here, members of our Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans, Emergency Services Personnel, and their families can discover cutting-edge strategies in the treatment of operational stress injuries including anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The goal: empower these heroes so they are better equipped to navigate the often debilitating emotional and physical stresses of selfless commitment to service. @sach.in.motion https://www.sachinmotion.ca/ https://www.honourhouse.ca/ Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy Editing: @bradshea Marketing: @premiummixmarketingco Administration: @haileyfirefit

In the summer of 2022, coin expert Brian Iseman stumbled on a trove of long-forgotten personal military possessions belonging to the family of Lt. Myer Tutzer Cohen. Cohen, from Toronto, was the first Canadian Jewish soldier to win the Military Cross for bravery in the Great War—and possibly the first in Canadian history to do so. Iseman quickly realized he needed to buy the collection to save it from being sold off, even though at the time, he didn't know who Cohen was, nor was he aware of the young soldier's remarkable achievements fighting against the Germans on the western front during the First World War. Cohen was the son of one of the founders of Toronto's Holy Blossom Temple, and attended Harbord Collegiate high school. He was killed holding the line and badly outnumbered on the rain-soaked, muddy battlefields at Passchendaele on Nov. 3, 1917. His death came just a few weeks after he had been awarded the British Commonwealth's second-highest military medal, the Military Cross, for taking out two German patrols in no man's land in France, then capturing the rest as prisoners. Iseman has rescued an important piece of Canadian history, and connected with Cohen's surviving family in Israel while documenting the young officer's life. Now, he is looking for suggestions on where he can best share Cohen's colourful story with the world. As we approach Remembrance Day this Saturday Nov. 11, The CJN Daily host Ellin Bessner visited Iseman at his Richmond Hill office to see the lost Lt. Myer Tutzer Cohen collection. What we talked about Learn more about Lt. Myer Tutzer Cohen in The CJN archives. See a display about Lt. Myer Tutzer Cohen in the lobby of Beth Tzedec synagogue in Toronto until the end of this week. How Canadian Jews contributed to the country's military history, in The CJN's “Northern Lights” book. Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

In today's episode, we visit the communal cemetery and extension at Mazengarbe on the Loos battlefield and discover the stories of some of the men who lie buried within.We begin by reminiscing on an encounter in a cemetery on All Souls Day, hear the story of a Scottish VC winner who performed two remarkable acts of heroism on the battlefield at Hill 70, and meet one of the lesser-known poets of the Great War, the idealistic Canadian Bernard Trotter.  We meet a man of the cloth who was awarded a Military Cross for bravery, hear the stories of some of the men who were shot at dawn and lie buried in the cemetery, and discover how the Mayor of Laventie and a parish priest ended up brawling in a British dugout, having tried to take on the Germans single-handed armed only with a bottle of eau de vie and stolen British rifle.Support the podcast:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsbloghttps://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallen

Steve Davies Joined the junior leaders and was sent to Shorncliffe in Kent. He passed out there having completed his initial training, and was sent to Winchester to complete his training.He joined his battalion- 3rd Royal Green Jackets in Berlin and began his life in West Germany. During this time he's guarded Rudolf Hess and enjoyed the lifestyle.He was posted to Caterham in Surrey and undertook ceremonial duties at Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. Steve was medically discharged from the army after developing pneumonia which affected his breathing.After leaving the military Steve travelled the world and ran his own business. He finally returned to the UK.Steve maintained his passion for the military, albeit quietly. His life changed when he attended a family members wedding. It was during this he saw the grave of a young rifleman.The Rifleman had died 6 weeks before armistice, his grave was in a state of disrepair. Steve took it upon himself to tidy the area around the grave. This was the catalyst to his passion for restoring graves.Steve then undertook formal training in headstone restoration to ensure he could continue his great work.He attended a war cemetery in Dover which was within a civilian cemetery and as he left, he saw a grave which appeared to belong to a recipient of the Military Cross. However, it was the grave of colour Sgt Mcweeny, he was with the 44th Regt which became the Royal Anglians and had won the VC.Steve tidied up this grave and now looks after 57 VC graves in the Southeast. One of his restorations was the grave of the Rear Admiral Lucas Davies who is buried in Merryworth. He was the first gazetted recipient of the VC.The oldest grave he restored is from 1667 where 3 children had been laid to rest. The Most distinguished was Major General Sir Wilbraham Oakes Leonard VC who is buried in Brighton.The Remembrance trust are great supporters of Steve and as a result he has rubbed shoulders with the Princesses Royal.Listen to his great story! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Battle In The Desert, features Brian Wood MC. Brian was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in combat, for courageous leadership in Iraq. He was later summoned for unfound war crimes, which eventually led to full vindication. His story is now the subject of a BBC2 film, Danny Boy and he has been open about his struggles with PTSD. . Socials: https://instagram.com/chris.thrall https://youtube.com/christhrall https://christhrall.com . Support the podcast at: patreon.com/christhrall (£2 per month plus perks) https://gofundme.com/christhrall https://paypal.me/teamthrall ' Mailing list: https://christhrall.com/mailing-list/

On this episode on the Zero Limits Podcast I chat with Wes Masters former Royal Army Medical Corps combat medic and recipient of the Military Cross.Wes Masters was awarded the Military Cross by Her Majesty The Queen for his actions on the battlefield in Afghanistan on the 4th of July 2013.The two men were among 12 British soldiers taking part in a pre-dawn raid on the Taliban in their stronghold of Yakshal in Helmand province.Wes ran hundreds of metres across dangerous ground surrounded by Taliban firing points, carrying heavy equipment, in stifling heat to tend to his comrade who had taken a shot in the throat from a Taliban sharp-shooter.  His actions kept the wounded soldier in the fight. That wounded soldier was a sniper, who then went on to have a significant impact on the battle, and undoubtedly preserved the lives of many of his teammates, whilst reducing the threat and capability of the enemy they were fighting.That injured comrade was Simon Moloney, who was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his actions on that same day. Simon has told his side of the story in a previous episode of the podcast.Support the show - https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=9LG48GC49TW38Website - www.zerolimitspodcast.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/zero.limits.podcast/?hl=en

The fires in Manipur aren't going to subside for a while. Inter-Service cooperation is the only way to overcome it—and cross postings is a step to inculcate that spirit.

First, Indian Express' Nihal Koshie joins us to talk about the protesting wrestlers in Delhi being detained and being charged with rioting and unlawful assembly.Next, Indian Express' Anonna Dutt tells us why the recommendations made by the National Medical Commission for persons with disabilities are receiving a mixed response (09:06).And in the end, Indian Express' Amrita Nayak Dutta explains why 40 Army officers are being posted to the Air Force and Navy establishments (21:16).Hosted by Shashank BhargavaProduced by Shashank Bhargava and Utsa SarminEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Government urged to restock the military, Cross Question & how do we better help victims of domestic violence? Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron, Conservative MP Duncan Baker, political commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and former editor of the Sunday Telegraph Baroness Wheatcroft.

Trevor Coult MC is a veteran of the Royal Irish Regiment and has served all over the world. Reaching the rank of Colour-Sergeant, he was awarded the Military Cross for fighting off enemy who had ambushed his convoy in Baghdad. Trevor survived eight bomb blasts and 76 enemy engagements during just three of his ten operational tours. He also provided security for the then Prince Harry, but after being diagnosed with PTSD, he was eventually forced to leave the British Army. His nine service medals include the US Presidential Seal. Read all about Trevor's tumultuous life in his book, First Into Sangin. Read 'Eating Smoke: One Man's Descent into Crystal Meth Psychosis in Hong Kong's Triad Heartland.' Paperback UK: https://amzn.to/2YoeaPx Paperback US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0993543944 Support the podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/christhrall (£2 per month plus perks) https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-veterans-to-tell-their-story https://paypal.me/TeamThrall Sign up for my NON-SPAM newsletter and FREE books: https://christhrall.com/mailing-list/ Social media Links: https://facebook.com/christhrall https://twitter.com/christhrall https://instagram.com/chris.thrall https://linkedin.com/in/christhrall https://youtube.com/christhrall https://discord.gg/yqvHRUN https://christhrall.com 

Brigadier General Sydney Radley-Walters was a tank commander in the Canadian Army and was the Western Allies leading tank killer during WWII.  In the final part of his interview, Radley-Walters finishes his recount of the D-Day invasion, including the battle of Buron, Operation Totalize, and capturing Caen, and more. He also talks about the booby traps he encountered, air support, the smell of death, his tactics as a tank commander, and how he, without knowing it, killed Michael Wittmann, the Black Baron, an infamous German tank commander and tank Ace.  Radley-Walters is credited with destroying 18 German tanks and many other armored vehicles, and he was awarded an Order of Military Merit, the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross, and a Canadian Forces Decoration.   During the episode, Radley-Walters describes the aftermath of death inside the tanks: “The smell of death, it sticks on you. And if you take a body and bury it or pick up a person who's dead and move them around, it gets on your hands, it gets on your clothes. You can't get rid of it. And it gets on a tank. Even though they took the tank back, they wash it all out, they repaint the inside with white paint and it's glistening, you get that horrible smell. The men, they called a ‘Jonah' and they said, ‘We won't get back in that bloody Jonah, like the belly of a whale. We're we're going to get the new tank.'"

BGen Radley-Walters was a tank commander in the Canadian Army and was the Western Allies leading tank killer during WWII.  He's credited with destroying 18 German tanks and many other armored vehicles, and he was awarded an Order of Military Merit, the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross, an a Canadian Forces Decoration.  

On RunPod we discuss the feelgood of running, why we do it, how it makes us feel and what it is that keeps bringing us back for more. We all have our own reasons to run and in this episode, Jenni is joined by someone who is quite simply incredible, inspiring and an absolute action man. Colour Sergeant Brian Wood MC is a former soldier in the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. During his service in Iraq he led the first bayonet charge in 25 years and for his gallantry, he was awarded the Military Cross. Woody now has set himself a new mission, to help drive and motivate others, to encourage us all to step outside our comfort zone by running a bit further or faster and by pushing ourselves a little more than we're used to. If you need a boost to get you out the door and on that run today, then this is absolutely the episode you need. Happy running.

19-year-old Gary McKay was determined to avoid being sent to Vietnam, so he enlisted in the Citizen Military Forces for six years instead. But as fate would have it, Gary wound up in Vietnam anyway and earned a Military Cross for extraordinary bravery under fire. He tells his amazing story. Learn more about Gary's book at:https://livinghistorytv.com and http://garymckay.com.au/Like the show? Go to https://heraldsun.ccom.au/ibaw for moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our very special guests are global business guru Pepyn Dinandt and Military Cross holder, ex-army Colonel, Richard Westley OBE. They teamed up and wrote the book Business Leadership Under Fire. This is such a compelling show, packed full of hacks and lessons including: Why establishing leadership can stop your platform burning The “Who Dares Wins” approach to strategy and tactics Building and managing an excellent leadership team Team and organization structure to maximize business impact Join our Tribe at https://leadership-hacker.com Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA Transcript: Thanks to Jermaine Pinto at JRP Transcribing for being our Partner. Contact Jermaine via LinkedIn or via his site JRP Transcribing Services Find out more about Pepyn and Richard below: Website: https://businessleadershipunderfire.com Pepyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pepyn-dinandt/ Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-westley-obe-mc-66875216/   Full Transcript Below ----more---- Steve Rush: Some call me Steve, dad, husband, or friend. Others might call me boss, coach, or mentor. Today you can call me The Leadership Hacker.   Thanks for listening in. I really appreciate it. My job as The Leadership Hacker is to hack into the minds, experiences, habits and learning of great leaders, C-Suite executives, authors, and development experts so that I can assist you developing your understanding and awareness of leadership. I am Steve Rush, and I am your host today. I am the author of Leadership Cake. I am a transformation consultant and leadership coach. I cannot wait to start sharing all things leadership with you   What do you get when you smudge one of the world's global business leaders and one of the UK's top Army Colonels? The answer, Business Leadership Under Fire, our special guest today are Pepyn Dinandt and Richard Westley OBE, and they wrote the book, Business Leadership Under Fire, but before we dive in with Pepyn and Richard, it's The Leadership Hacker News. The Leadership Hacker News Steve Rush: Have you ever heard, focus takes you where it takes you? Inspired by a blog by Seth Godin many years ago, he had a focus of depth of field, and I'll share a story with you around how and why focus is so important. Picture the scene. There are two runners, both have exactly the same capability, exactly the same pace and the same injury, an injured left toe. The runner who's concentrating on how much their left toe hurts will be left in a dust by the one who's focused on winning. Even if the winner's toe hurts just as much. Hurt of course is a matter of perception. Most of what we think about is, we had a choice about where to aim that focus, aim that lens of our attention. We can relieve past injustices, settled old grudges, nurse festering sorts. We can imagine failure build up its potential for destruction and calculate its odds. Or we can imagine generous outcomes that we're working on. Feel gratitude, feel compassion for those that got us here and revel in the possibilities of what's next, we have an automatic focus are instinctive and cultural choices, and that focus isn't the only ones that are available to us. Of course, those are somewhat difficult to change, which is why so few people manage to do so, but there's no work that pays off better in the long run than focusing on positive and progressive outcomes. Remember the stories that you tell yourself, your story is your story, but you don't have to keep reminding yourself of the story you've told yourself before. If that story doesn't help you change positively for the future, it's probably not the right story in the first place. So, focus on the future stories that you want to tell yourself, and guess what? Those stories become a reality. That's been The Leadership Hacker New. Really looking forward to our conversation with Richard and with Pepyn. Let's dive into the show. Start of Podcast Steve Rush: I'm joined by two very special guests on today's show. Pepyn Dinandt is a business executive with 30 years' experience successfully leading and restructuring companies in challenging situations as CEO and Chairman. Or in Amsterdam, Pepyn has lived in a number of countries over the years, including Turkey, Ireland, Switzerland, South America, and UK, where he attended University and now lives with his family in Germany. And he's joined by Richard Westley, a military cross holder, who's commanded soldiers and operations at every rank from Lieutenant through to Colonel and environments of desperate situations, including Albania, Afghanistan, Balkans. He retired from the army in 2010, having been responsible for pre-deployment training for forces bound for Iraq and Afghanistan. Between them, they teamed up and wrote the book Business Leadership Under Fire: Nine Steps to Rescue and Transform Organizations, Pepyn and Richard, welcome to The Leadership Hacker Podcast. Pepyn Dinandt: Hi Steve. Yeah, good morning. Happy to be with you. Steve Rush: Me too. Hi Richard. Ricard Westley: Hi Steve. Steve Rush: So, a little bit about your backstory independently, and then we maybe find out how you kind of collided to come together to write the book. So, Pepyn, a little bit about your backstory? Pepyn Dinandt: Well, after leaving University, I somehow ended up in Germany and after spending three years at McKinsey, which was my paid business school, as I like to say, I landed my first CEO role in Eastern Germany, which was then just, you know, unified with Western Germany. And I ran a company which had a revenue of 50 million euros, but also losses of 50 million euros. So that was my first contact with the challenge of rescuing and transforming businesses and challenging situations. And I had so much fun. I mean, obviously it was very tough at the time, but I had so much fun doing that, that I have kind of never left that type of challenge. Steve Rush: Brilliant. And I guess it's the thrive of being able to rescue those firms that has kept you in that space, right? Pepyn Dinandt: That, plus the fact that you know, these are environments where you need to learn, because if you're not willing to listen and learn, you know, you're going to fail. These are always very, let's say complex situations, they're fast moving, they're fluid. And you know, it really kind of sharpens your skills and obviously, you know, some cases have been more successful than others. You never have only just big successes, but I thoroughly enjoy helping teams be the best version of themselves and you know, rescue these companies, rescue these organizations. Steve Rush: Yeah, and Richard, before what you do now, have you always been a military man? Ricard Westley: Yes, I joined the military pretty much straight after school and spent 25 years as an infantry officer serving around the world. Almost exclusively in operations and training roles. I managed to avoid the major staff roles and the ministry of defense for my 25 years. And then I left earlier than I, perhaps needed to, but I was ready to move. And I spent the last 12 years working in a number of appointments in commercial companies and now run my own consulting business. Steve Rush: Great. So, when did the stars align for you to both meet? Pepyn Dinandt: Well, I have been always interested in the application of military best practices in business. And I had met about four years ago, a gentleman called Tim Collins. The famous Tim Collins and you know, I had been discussing these ideas that I had about this crossover between the military and business. And he introduced me to Richard, that's how the two of us met. Steve Rush: And then Richard, from your perspective, what was the moment you thought, how we are going to do some business together, we're going to write a book. How did that come about? Ricard Westley: Yeah, so Tim. I was working with Tim at the time, and he mentioned Pepyn. So, he would you be interested in a conversation. I said, well, I'm always interested in conversations, and I generally like meeting new and successful people. So, you know, Pepyn and I had initial discussions and then some supplementary conversations and started looking at some sort of solution for leaders. It was a discussion over a number of months really. And then the book was a nice fallout because at that time we were in lockdown, and I think Pepyn, and I were both looking for something else to occupy our minds. And hence the hence the book, Steve Rush: Of course, when you think of the role that the military play versus the role that the commercial enterprises play, there's such a lot of crossovers in this sphere of leadership isn't there? Pepyn Dinandt: Yeah, I think, you know, when we sat down and this is interesting because as Richard just said, you know, we started working together without actually having physically met each other. We were basically, you know, we got to know each other digitally and spend a lot of our early relationship on Zoom. So, you know, we used these experiences, both Richards and myself to kind of look at our learnings, our insights, you know, from good and bad experiences, as well as insights from research we did on successful leadership cases, as well as fade leadership cases and developed from that, the concept for, you know, the book, including obviously the nine steps and Richard being, you know, a very hands on guy than me. So ultimately being somebody who's you know, a hands-on executive, I think developed a book, which is very much rooted in real life experience, has a down to earth approach. We believe is straightforward to understand because it's nine steps, with which we try to really cover all angles that we believe is important for leaderships facing transformation challenges. And ultimately, we produced, we believe a very practical guide for leadership when transforming organizations. Steve Rush: Yeah. It's a very chronological approach to how leaders can really consider how to transform and continue to grow their business, which we're going to dive into a moment. But I want to come to you first, Richard, just to explore the parallels from military leadership to commercial leadership, we've been very fortunate to have a number of major generals appear on the show already. And the one thing that's been really consistent from them is that leadership as a behavioral almost has been drilled from the very moment you join an organization, but actually that's often learned in the commercial organization. Been interested in your spin on things. Ricard Westley: Very much so. I mean, the military has the luxury of being able to devote time and resource to training and developing their people. And officers go through the RMA Military Academy Sandhurst. Mottos, serve to lead and behaviors are really focused from the get-go. So, you know, a young graduate who spent three or four years at university in quite a selfish sort of environment is suddenly thrust into a very pressurized, initial six weeks of a yearlong course where they're put under significant amount of pressure and strain to behave in the right way. And doesn't matter how good or well prepared they think they are, or how fit and robust, or how intellectually gifted they are by about day 10 of the RMA Military Academy Sandhurst. You are so stretched physically, emotionally, mentally, you are quite exhausted, and you have to reach out left and right, and grab people and say, look, we need to work together here. This is not about me. This is about us. And so that team bonding which then translates into the leadership of that team you know progresses and then going through your military career, you know, you are prepared for every new role you go. You are course trained and you are developed. And then at the collective level, you know, units or battalions or regiments will prepare for operations, deploy on operations, recover from operations, then start that circle again, that cycle, of course, in the real world, in the commercial world, companies don't have that luxury. You know, they are on operations 24/7. And so, it becomes really important at that stage that the leaders make time to develop their people and to nurture their talent. So, I think there are things that both can learn from each other. The final point I would say is that business find themselves in very, very volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous circumstances most of the time, and certainly now, and the military is designed for that voker, uncertain world. And so, to me, it's a natural progression for the military to talk to business because they're comfortable and are designed for that voker world. Steve Rush: Yeah, Pepyn, I wonder from your expense of being chairman and CEO on a number of businesses, whether or not there's room for that preparation to take leaders out of the operation space and really immerse them into some intense training and support. Pepyn Dinandt: Well, look, the practice in most corporations is unfortunately completely different to what Richard has described. In other words, people are not really prepared systematically for leadership. And in the book, we talk about the so-called career X point, which is an interesting phenomenon we've seen with many failed leadership examples where people, you know, over time, they do learn initially, and they advance in their career. But when you get to a certain level in organizations, you suddenly believe your now CEO, head of big division, have been successful in the past that you don't need to learn anymore. When the learning line crosses the career line, which keeps going up and the learning line flattens, we talk about the career X points, and that's when people basically start making mistakes in business. Steve Rush: Yeah. Pepyn Dinandt: And that's why it's fascinating to look at the crossover because especially the British military, you know, very, very actively train their leaders to be good, not many businesses do it that way. It's more always, you know, advancement by chance, advancement by opportunities, but not those systematic. Steve Rush: Yeah, that makes those sense. So, let's dive into the book and the nine steps and maybe get some perspective from you as to how the steps within that book can help us and Pepyn we start with you. The first step in the book is that building platform, you call it establishing leadership. Tell us about that? Pepyn Dinandt: So, Steve, you know, you coach leaders, you coach people that run businesses, you know, so you're seeing a situation where there is an obvious problem with the business. Steve Rush: Right. Pepyn Dinandt: Financials are declining, for me, for us. When we define the steps, especially the first step, we said, you know, this is an environment. This is an opportunity. This is a window where you take that situation, and you call out a burning platform. And with that burning platform, you basically achieve two things. First of all, you establish yourself as the leader, that's going to take charge of this situation. You know, that's about conveying the fact that you are safe of hands, having simple messages on, you know, what's happening and what's going to happen and projecting certainty as a leader, in a sense of conveying to people. You have a plan; you're going to get this done. You're going to save the situation. So that's the establishing leadership part. The other part, and this is very often something that you see with formally successful businesses. You know, the organization, which is ultimately the people that work there are in the comfort zone. That's very often the reason why the business in trouble in the first place. And one of the things you need to really focus on is to galvanize the organization into action, into a change mode by explaining why they need to change. And that's why it's so important to do that in the very first step. If you don't get people in a mentally ready for small or big change, you're going to have trouble later on with the other steps. Steve Rush: Yeah. Complacency is a real killer in most organizations, but often people don't even realize they're in that comfort zone until others like you or I, or other people on their team pointed out to them and go, this is a problem [laugh]. So, step two, Richard, you call in the book analysis and determination of mission targets. So very much a military focus. Tell us how that translates? Ricard Westley: Yeah, so the military has a command philosophy called mission command. What we would call you know, empowerment and it really centers around telling your people what you want them to do and why, but not telling them how to do it because they should have the technical skills and they may well be considerably more able than you to actually do the, what. What this chapter is about is really making sure that you understand the intent of your boss or bosses or board or shareholders at whatever level, making sure that everything you do and all the direction that you give to your subordinates is in line with that. And what's required here is real clarity, real clarity of vision to make sure you've got it right. And then clarity of expression to make sure that everybody, you know, from other board members down to the people on the shop floor, really understand what you are about and why you are doing this, so that's what it is. And chapter two really digs into that idea of getting the big idea, right. And then conveying the message as simply as possible to your people. Steve Rush: And it's that simplicity that often gets lost in translation, because my experience tells me that the more simple people can align to a common goal, purpose, mission, vision, the more likely they're going to achieve it, the more complex it becomes, then people lose that through a bit of diffusion. Pepyn Dinandt: Yeah, you know, Richard and I, we had a discussion about step one and two in the sense of what comes first, but we like to use the following analogy. I think, you know, if you're going to be the new chef of a restaurant before you actually get told, you know, what the goal is, what the mission is, it's good. That's step one, to get to know the kitchen and the team before you do that discussion. Why step one first and then step two. Steve Rush: Yeah. It makes sense. There's been lots of debate about which comes first. And I think I concur with you that you have to, what if you just think of the chronological order, you get hired first before you decide what you're going to do exactly. And it follows that same principle, doesn't it? Pepyn Dinandt: Yeah. Steve Rush: And in step three, you talk about the evaluation of the environment. I kind like this theater of operations. Tell us about that? Pepyn Dinandt: You know, steps three is, ultimately very big step, but we like to keep it simple and practical. It's the moment when you look as a leader closely at your competition or in the military term, your enemy, as well as your, you know, your customers, your market that you are serving, or in the military term, the environment that you're operating in. And we've seen my own experience, learnings, you know, good and bad, but also from the research we did, we've seen a truly great business leaders, never underestimate their competition. Everything they do is centered around staying ahead of the competition. And, you know, I talk about the degree of skill and business acumen. So, what's important is to know your business very well from both an inside perspective and from an outside perspective, know your strengths and weaknesses and those of your competition, because very often when people develop strategies and we'll talk about that in step four, you know, they overestimate their own strengths, and they underestimate the strengths of their competition. And interesting under step three is the fact that you may find things. You may find out things about your business, about the competition, where the mission you've been set under step two becomes maybe not even only just difficult, but maybe even impossible. So, you know, we do write in the book that after step three, it may be necessary to revisit step two, depending on what you find out. Steve Rush: Is it fair to say that there will be a continual revisiting of step two as their business and their firm or their mission if you like starts to evolve? Pepyn Dinandt: No, I think if you do it properly, and there's a great Chinese general called Sun Tzu who wrote a book, The Art of War two and a half thousand years ago, you know, and in my experience, as he says, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of one hundred battles, but if you know, neither of the enemy, nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. So, in other words, if you do your homework properly and you really know your business well, and you really know your competition, well, I think you can then move on to the next steps. I think could be that instant that instant where you need to go back once to step two. Yeah, but at some point, you just need to have done your homework. Otherwise, you're in trouble as a leader. Anyway, Steve Rush: I suppose it plays to the philosophy of having no plan B. Pepyn Dinandt: Yes, exactly. Steve Rush: Yeah [laugh] like it. Yeah, so in step four, I love title of step four, who dears wins. It's a very common used phrase in the military. I think this comes from the SAS, if my memory is correct. And this is about strategy and tactics, Richard. Ricard Westley: Yeah, and step four. I mean, I guess the theme that runs through step four is that simplicity rules. The military uses the acronym kiss, keep it simple, stupid, or keep it short and simple. But that strategy for me is about getting the big ideas, right. Giving clear instructions to your people as to what you want them to do. Supervising the execution, but not getting too close. And then having a good process for lessons identified in order to inform best practice. And the chapter actually draws on some work by Michael Porter, where he talks about cost leadership, differentiation and focus in niche markets in order to ensure that, you know, you can deal with your competitors, but stay on track. And as Pepyn says, it builds on, you know, you build on your strength and you attack your competitor's weakness, which is very much in keeping with the military maneuvers approach, which is, you know, find the enemy's weak point and exploit it whilst defending you know, your center of gravity. Step four, gets into an idea about risk taking and how you manage risk, how you mitigate risk and accepting the fact that you can never rule out risk. So, it leads on to stuff that we talk about later, such as contingency planning. And it also indicates that occasionally you have to go back to your mission and say, okay, something's happened. Something's changed. Is the mission still valid in its format at the moment? And therefore, you know, am I okay to crack on, or do I need a little bit of work here so that I can get on with the other steps? Steve Rush: It's an interesting spin on risk too. Because research has provided loads of evidence over the years that those organizations and entrepreneurs and business leaders who avoid risk actually prevent growth and stifle innovation. Ricard Westley: Absolutely, absolutely right. Steve Rush: Yeah. Ricard Westley: You know, from a military perspective, I always encourage my junior commanders to take risk. You know, my mantra was, go now with a 75% solution and tweak it. Because if you wait for the hundred percent solution, somebody will get there first. Steve Rush: Yeah. And I guess that spins then into step five Pepyn in the book, which is around determining the best course of action. And I guess the question I had was, is there ever a best course of action? Pepyn Dinandt: Well, that's a good question, Steve, but if we take a step back, one of the fascinating things for me, you know, looking at the crossover between military and business is that. Step five is something which in the military, in the best practice cases of the military is always done very, very, very well, but in business, not done very often. And the reason it's the following, you know, in business, a situation is typically where the leadership and the let's say top team develop a plan and then basically give the plan to the organization to get done. But what we say in step five is that, you know, if you want to do it properly, what you do is, you sit down as the planning group with the execution group and you get, you know, you brief them on what you want to happen, and they are allowed to give their feedback. And you know, you have to take the time to get that feedback. You, you know, you really have to also be open for a reality check of your plan. And the SES here is brilliant because, you know, in their mission success cycle, which is plan, brief, execute, debrief. The brief part is so important where the guys that have planned go to the guys that are going to execute, present the plan, but get feedback from the people that will be executing the operators and then maybe even change the plan because they see that from an execution perspective, things that are not well thought through maybe even unrealistic. And this reality check, that's step five. Entails is something whereas a leader, as a CEO, you need a healthy ego, you know, to be able to deal with that. Because it means that somebody may criticize your plan. You know, one of the people that you are going to be hiring or that you're going to be entrusting with opening the French office of a company that is up to now only sat in Britain. You know, he may be telling you, well, this plan's not going to work because ABC and you have to be able to accept that criticism and go back and redo the plan. So that's why step five is critical. And it's unfortunately not seen so often in business, you know, not well done in business. Steve Rush: And I love the notion of healthy ego. Again, similarly, there's been a lot of research that, and in fact, to be fair, there's been lots of publicity and things written, ego is a bad thing, and it is if it's overplayed and it's not helpful, but having a healthy ego gives you confidence, direction and purpose. And I wondered what your spin on that would? Pepyn Dinandt: Every leader need ego. By definition, a leader has ego, but the problem that we have, and we saw this when we did the research, especially for the bad leadership cases, you know, many of these leaders are egocentric. And we see this, for example, again, in the military, the special air services I think is very, is a great example here. You know, you can have great leaders that haven't healthy ego that are, let's say, aware of their own limitations, are open to criticism. And basically, as you, in that podcast mentioned, you know, they don't have a centric ego, but rather a healthy ego. And I believe that that you know, good business managers, good business leaders, not necessarily founders entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos, but the people that are entrusted to lead these businesses in the second-generation. Key is for them to have a good, healthy ego, because it's so important to creating a learning organization. Steve Rush: Yeah. Pepyn Dinandt: And that stops you from, at some point in the future, getting into a problem where you need to do transformation. Steve Rush: And that also will help you find other people around you who bring additional strengths and characteristics, which is leading into step six, which is about building and managing that excellent leadership team. Richard, this is essential in the military as well as in the corporate world, isn't it? Ricard Westley: Yeah, it is. And you know, this, whole idea of pulling together and then maintaining a high-performance team is absolutely crucial to mission success, as is, you know, spotting and nurturing potential. And we've already mentioned you know, committing time and resource to developing your people to make sure that team that you've selected is then maintained and developing your team to make sure, you know, they've got clear aligned, you know objectives and values. Those teams need to be encouraged to communicate frequently and effectively, they need to be collaborative, you know, that sort of collaboration breaks down the silos that can often slow up business. And that team needs to build trust through relationships, but it also needs to be able to learn and adapt. And we get onto that in step nine, but it is, it's about making sure that you get the right people and that you don't default to just people, you know, but actually getting the right people and the right job, and then giving them the responsibility Steve Rush: And step seven plays into that lovely, doesn't it? As part of that whole organizational structure in order to get the right people in the right place to get the best results. Pepyn, what's your experience of making sure that in that space you've got the right people? Pepyn Dinandt: Yeah. Look, I think, in my own experience, very often you come into a company that is in trouble and you have to very quickly, you know, go through your steps and act. So, one of the key questions is to look at the culture of the organization and to try to understand, because often, as I said before, these companies have been successful. So for example, find a customer centric culture in this company, or is a very technical culture. It's important to understand, you know, what you're dealing with because ultimately, as I said before, the organization is, another way of saying, you know, five thousand people, ten thousand people, you know, whatever the size of the company is, you need to get them to do something different. So, is it a dynamic organization or is it a company that is clearly in the comfort zone? You need to understand this because then you have to organize yourself to take that plan and make sure you develop the structure that has maximizing the business impact from what you're trying to achieve. My own experience, Steve is that in general, smaller units are much more effective than large units. But the thing that ultimately guides, you know, the structure that you're going to be implementing is, what you are facing in the market. In other words, are you competing against smaller competitors who are organized in smaller entities? Is it a local market? So, you know, once you have all this information, you can then develop and define the structure that you believe. Steve Rush: Yeah. Pepyn Dinandt: Is going to be most effective. But what you need to do is, change it, only for the sake of getting it out of its comfort zone. So typically, I find larger structures, more functional organizations, and typically I define them smaller. And I like to call these business units that have, you know, delegated responsibility, or as Richard said before, you know, where the people leading these smaller entities take responsibility and have freedom. Steve Rush: Yeah. Pepyn Dinandt: And degree of decision making. Steve Rush: That makes load of sense. So, step eight, Richard, there's two words in there that have really interesting connotations. Campaign delivery. So, for me, when I read that, the first thing I thought of is, oh, this is wrapped up in a campaign strategy at IE. There's a start and end. There's lots of moving parts all in the right places. And of course, the one thing that's essential in every business is you have to deliver, what does it speak to? Ricard Westley: Yeah. So, you've got your plan and you're probably feeling quite proud of your plan. But how can you stress test it? And how's it going to survive contact with a competitive arena. And that's absolutely based on the military assertion that, you know, no plan survives contact with the enemy because your competitors or your opponents on a sports field for that matter, they have a vote. And have you contingency planned against their likely responses you know, what is the market going to do when you introduce some new product or service in there, which disrupts, what is their default setting going to be? And how do you plan against that? And this whole idea of contingency planning is that, of course you can't plan against every possible contingency. And I always in the military planned against the worst case and the most likely case, because if you've got a contingency plan for those two, anything else happens in between, you can sort of tweak it, but it is about war gaming and red teaming. And this is not confined to the military or to business. One of the examples we cite in step eight was the way that the British Olympic Committee approached their metal chances and the matrix that was created by the likes of John Steele and Peter Keen in the committee that they would go and pour over, you know, twice a week to make sure that actually they weren't missing something. And if they need a contingency plan against, you know, an outbreak of, you know, foot and mouth in the country just before, what were they going to do? So, war gaming and red teaming, you know, which businesses should do, but often pay lip service to become really important. And finally, it comes down to accountability. Yeah, it's the leader's responsibility. You know, you take the credit when things go well, I'm afraid if they don't, then you've got to be held accountable. And it's all down to you at the last at the last count. Steve Rush: When you start to get people to think about plan for the end planned. The mindset will take you to what you know, or broadly what you can anticipate. But I bet that's changed in the last two years. Me included by the way, got caught out big time with how the pandemic through that perspective to us. And I wonder if in the future organizations will be more thoughtful to that because of what's happened in the last few years. Pepyn Dinandt: I think Steve, you know, step eight is, obviously, it's the execution of the plan, but it's so much more than that. And, you know, I learned for example, an interesting military term, which I believe is also very applicable to business, which is UDA. You know, this is something developed, I think during the Korean war where they saw that the inferior U.S. jets were winning against superior Russian jets flown by the North Koreans. And somebody figured out that the reason was because the pilots flying those American jets were much more in tune in what was going on in the world, let's say, applying a concept that was later called UDA, which is observe, orientate, decide and act. In other words, they were, you know, able to adjust to what was going on in the field. So as Mr. Von Moltke a famous I think Prussian General once said, you know, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. And that's why we also emphasize in step eight that a leader needs to be close to the action. Needs to see what's going on in the field with his plan so that he can adjust real time. You know, as Richard just said, have a contingency plan, but make sure the leader is leading that change of plan together with this team. Steve Rush: Which is why step nine is also then so important, which is that final after-action review. Pepyn Dinandt: Yeah, and the after-action review is something for me personally, that was completely new. I learned this from Richard, you know, Richard can maybe add to this because he was very instrumental in bringing that to the British military, but this is a very interesting concept. And this is by the way for the SAS, their last step in their four-step model. So, you know, when you have finished your transformation program, be it, you know, a cost take out exercise or a relaunch of a growth initiative. You know, you sit down with everybody which includes the boss, but also the people that have been, you know, executing parts of the plan and you have an open and frank and honest discussion as to what went right, what was good, but also what did not go right? And what can we learn for the next time? So, it's seldom a business leader. I have to say that is, you know, able to sit there in the room and take constructive feedback, open bracket, maybe sometimes criticism, you know, of their plan and then take that and think about it and, you know, change things for the next time. But as I said before, this is something which is so important to do, right. Because you create with it, the ultimate learning organization. And I, myself, you know, as I said, this has been a great, interesting learning for me personally. I have seen it in very successful organizations where this is practiced. Maybe not so systematically as we describe it here in step nine, but it's definitely something I would recommend for all companies to do because it's so powerful. Steve Rush: Yeah, and it stops repeating mistakes in the past and focuses you on building on the strengths that you've achieved as well. Pepyn Dinandt: But also, you know, just a signal from leadership to do this, to you know, sit there and take criticism. I think it's so powerful for the organization because it just sends a signal. You know that there is a culture of openness where if it's constructive, if it objective, you know, people can step up and say, look boss, I don't think this is the right way. I think we need to do it differently because 1, 2, 3. Steve Rush: It's a really pragmatic nine steps. I'm really delighted that we were able to dive into them and get into them and we'll allow our listeners an opportunity to find out how they can get a copy and dive to learn a bit more about your work later on. But first I'm going to turn the tables a little bit. And this is part of the show where our listeners have become accustomed to where we get to hack into your leadership minds. So, I'm going to come in turn and quick fire, top three leadership hacks from you both. Pepyn kick us off? Pepyn Dinandt: My top three leadership hacks. One, you know, as I said before, absolutely paramount to get your first step right in a transformation situation. If you don't get that right, you're in trouble. Second, the plan is nothing. The planning is everything, you know. So, I love that saying from Benjamin Franklin, fail to prepare and prepare to fail. And three, if you want to be a really good leader, then you need to have a healthy ego because that is a key to being very impactful and leading a learning organization. Steve Rush: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, Love it. Richard, what about your top three leadership hacks? Ricard Westley: First thing I'd say. Two leaders is a need to learn to listen and really listen. Not, listen to respond, but to really listen, to understand their people because otherwise they'll miss so much more than just the technicalities and the practicalities. They will miss stuff that involves culture and culture is important. Second one is, you know, whatever you do, issue clear instructions, let people know the intent, the why, and empower them to get on with it. And thirdly, you are there to make decisions. And as my first colour sergeant said to me, you know, at the end of the day, Mr. Westley, you have to make a decision, good decision, great. Bad decision, regrettable. No decision, unforgivable. Steve Rush: Yeah. And bad decisions lead to learning as well [Laugh] you know. Ricard Westley: Indeed. Yeah, yeah. You've got to fail to learn and thrive. Steve Rush: That's it, yeah. So, the next part of the show we call it Hack to Attack. So, this is where we ask our guests to share an event, a story or experience where something has particularly not gone well for them in their work or their life, but as a result of it, they've learned. And it's now a force of good in what they do. What would be your Hack to Attack Pepyn? Pepyn Dinandt: Yeah, look. First was when I was a, you know, first time CEO I had come from McKinsey, and I thought as many McKinsey do, that I could walk on water and do it all alone. But I was lucky because through fortunate circumstances, I very quickly learned that it's individuals that may play the game, but teams that beat the odds. And that's been one of my mantras ever since. And the other one is that later on in life, I learned the hard way that not every mission is accomplishable, yeah. So as a leader, you need to be brave enough to stand up to your board, sponsor, owner, and explain that this mission that you have been set is impossible and will not work as envisaged, you know, and not many leaders are brave enough to do that. Steve Rush: That's very important lessons learned there, and I can particularly resonate with the last, because there comes with a fear of particularly if you're leading somebody else's strategy, letting them know that they've also screwed up in the process. Pepyn Dinandt: Yep. Steve Rush: Yeah. Richard, how about you? Ricard Westley: Yeah, I'd harp back to a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia that very nearly failed. I mean, very nearly failed. It nearly brought down the UN and the British Prime Minister, John Major offered his position up to the cabinet because of what had happened to us. And we managed to model through and the town that we were defending did not fall unlike Srebrenica just up the valley and sadly but I would say what I learned from that is, you know, the depth of mine and other people's resilience and how you have to keep working at that and keep topping up their resilience banks when times are tight. I learn to never give up, to keep thinking, keep moving, and again, keep contingency planning at every level, Steve Rush: Really powerful lessons, particularly in times of crisis like that as well. You can rely on those foundations to help you through, can't you? Ricard Westley: Indeed. Steve Rush: So, the last part of the show is you get to do a bit of time travel and all the years of wisdom you've been able to attain in your more mature days, you get a chance to bump into yourselves at 21 and give yourselves some advice. What would Pepyn advice to Pepyn at 21 be? Pepyn Dinandt: Well, by the way, I wrote the book or we wrote the book or the idea for the book came about of providing my younger self, something useful and practical to work with. But to answer your question directly, I think for me, knowledge and experience, you know, the realization that these are greatest weapons in times of trouble that, you know, the good and experienced people that have trained it and done it a hundred times before. They are so valuable to you as a young person. And as a young man, I would advise myself to adopt the scout mindset. So be curious, be open, be grounded and learn. So, to listen and learn from those more experience around you, because typically, you know, young you, does not know at all, even if you think you do. Steve Rush: And the scout and soldier mindset are those kinds of different perspectives. And we can use a metaphor of almost a kind a growth and curious mindset versus a fixed and closed mindset, right? Pepyn Dinandt: Yes, exactly. Steve Rush: Yeah. Richard, 21. I guess you were heading off at Sandhurst, weren't you? Ricard Westley: I was pretty much passing out at Sandhurst at 21. Steve Rush: Oh, yeah [Laugh] Ricard Westley: What I would say to myself there is, the one thing I really learned is the most, for a military commander, but also in business, I guess that one of the most important information requirements you have is time. How much time have I got and when do I have to achieve this by? And so, I would say to young RJ Westley at 21 or 19, get better at time management. Because I don't think I was terribly good at it. And of course, I was fueled with the mindset of most young infantry officers that wanted to go and earn their spurs, go and prove themselves and yeah, and go into violent situations and win. And I guess what I would say to that young person is be careful what you wish for. Steve Rush: Yeah, very good advice, indeed. So, I've had a ball talking, I could spend the rest of the day diving into these subjects because as you probably already know, I'm a bit of a leadership geek and you have an enormous amount of lessons that we can learn from. So firstly, thank you for sharing them so far, but if our listeners did want to get a copy of the book, learn a bit more about the work that you both do now. Where's the best place for us to send them? Pepyn Dinandt: Well [laugh], there is a website, www.businessleadershipunderfire.com where they can learn more about the book. And then there is a link on the website to go directly to Amazon where they can then order it. I think that would be the recommendation for your listeners. Pepyn Dinandt: Perfect. And we'll include that link along with any social media links that you have in our show notes. So as soon as people listen to this, they can dive straight in and find a bit more about what you do. It just goes without saying, to say, thank you ever so much for coming on our show, joining our community here on The Leadership Hacker Podcast. Pepyn, Richard, thanks very much. Pepyn Dinandt: Steve. Thank you very much. Ricard Westley: Absolute pleasure. Thanks.   Closing Steve Rush: I want to sign off by saying thank you to you for joining us on the show too. We recognize without you, there is no show. So please continue to share, subscribe, and like, and continue to get in touch with us with the great new stories that we share every week. And so that we can continue to bring you great stories. Please make sure you give us a five-star review where you can and share this podcast with your friends, your teams, and communities. You want to find us on social media. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter @leadershiphacker, Leadership Hacker on YouTube and on Instagram, the_leadership_hacker and if that wasn't enough, you can also find us on our website leadership-hacker.com. Tune into next episode to find out what great hacks and stories are coming your way. That's me signing off. I'm Steve rush, and I've been your Leadership Hacker.  

Episode 124 of A Runner's Life podcast is sponsored by Tracksmith, who actively represent and support the development of a runner's life in the running community. If your looking for a new challenge your invited to join Molly Bryan and myself in a six-week Tracksmith Amateur Mile program designed by Nick Willis, capped off with a mile race with us in London, New York, Boston or a time trial in your hometown. Sign up for the Tracksmith Amateur Mile Newsletter below. https://www.tracksmith.com/journal/article/tracksmith-amateur-mile-2022 In this episode I speak with Brian Wood MC, former Colour Sergeant, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. He was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in combat for courageous leadership in Iraq but was later summoned for unfound war crimes which eventually led to full vindication but took him on a 5 year journey of life's brutality. Brian had the idea of The Ultimate Sacrifice Challenge. On the 1st November 2021 Brian Wood MC paid tribute to our fallen from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict by running a minimum of 26 miles per day for 25 days- a total of 635 miles! As testament to Brian's experience he founded Keep Attacking, it has inspired thousands of people to remain resilient in the face of adversity and keep pushing to achieve their goals. The business has apparel and adventure event business. The next Keep Attacking event is 23rd April 2022 for both 4.5 or 9 mile distances. Click the link below to sign up. https://www.keepattacking.co.uk/pages/events If there's any guests or stories you want me to cover in the future do reach out to me via my email: themarathonmarcus@gmail.com ————————————————————— Thank you to my patreons your help pays for editing, equipment and much more. If you value the content I deliver, please consider becoming a supporter of my podcast by donating via my patreon page. This helps me provide quality content. https://www.patreon.com/ARunnersLife --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marcus-brown9/support

Ed Caesar joins Dan on the podcast to tell the extraordinary but largely forgotten story of World War I veteran Maurice Wilson, Britain's most mysterious mountaineering legend. Wilson served with distinction during the First World War winning the Military Cross in April 1918. However, after the war, he struggled to reintegrate into society and became severely ill. Whilst recuperating he became fascinated with the idea of climbing Mount Everest. His plan was to fly to Tibet before crashing his plane on the slopes of Everest and beginning his ascent from there. This was especially bold as at the time he could neither fly nor had any mountaineering experience. This was the beginning of an amazing but ultimately ill-fated journey as Wilson battled against the resistance of the authorities, the extremes of the Himalayas and his own inexperience in his attempt to reach the summit of Everest.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joining us is soldier, lawyer, writer and literary agent Roger Field. This episode is more or less a book report about 'Rogue Male: Sabotage and seduction behind German lines with Geoffrey Gordon-Creed DSO, MC' which Roger wrote using the man's memoirs. Definitely one of the best books I've read so was a great pleasure to talk to Roger about it. Geoffrey Gordon-Creed joined the Army straight from school in 1939 and saw action in North Africa (he won the Military Cross on his first day in battle). From there on to Greece to scupper the Germans' plans as a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) which was the UK's early Special Forces . He was a top level operator on the battlefield AND in the bedroom - and in this book he does not spare the details. Roger is a natural storyteller and we also discuss his latest book 'Scimitar into Stanley' about his memoirs from the Falklands War. Great guy, great subject.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rogue-Male-Sabotage-seduction-Gordon-Creed/dp/1444706357/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GYA9XA6NGZSA&keywords=geoffrey+gordon+creed&qid=1648132463&sprefix=geoffrey+gordon+creed%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Scimitar-into-Stanley-Hardback/p/21207Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/misterkindness_pod and Mis ter Kindness on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/njohn.kindness.9onhttps://www.misterkindness.com

In Season 2, Episode 10, we find ourselves heading straight back to the battlefields of Normandy in June 1944, as today I am joined by battlefield guide Ben Mayne as we discuss the 1st East Riding Yeomanry and their experiences fighting alongside the men of the 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles during the opening stages of the battle for Cambes-en-Plaine on D+1. As well as this, Ben also highlights the actions of Tank and Troop Commander Lt. Jenkin who was awarded the Military Cross for his actions here at Cambes on that afternoon of the 7th June 1944... Support the Show (Patreon - WW2 Nation) Discover more about WW2 Nation. Music Featured: 1940S Newsreel Movie March (Nostalgia, Retro, Cinematic) by IkonikMusik (Pond5) *Please note this episode may contain some explicit language / content, parental guidance advised.*

In episode 64 we speak to British Military Veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts Lawrence Kayser. We discuss his relationship between contemporary military service and WW2 Reenacting, his passion for Military Vehicles, earning and wearing the Military Cross and his thoughts on public / immersive battles and much much more.

"I WASN'T WORRIED ABOUT STANDING OUT... I KNEW I WASNT THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE, AND I KNEW I WASN'T ORDINARY, SO I WAS LIKE 'IM GONNA BE EXTRA-ORDINARY" In part 1, Kojo speaks of growing up as the only coloured person in a white-dominated area, and tells a great story of how it was to attend his first Ghanaian party with his dad's side of the family.  We also cover:- how being looked at for being different to the other kids acted as a fuel of motivation for him to, as he describes it, give them a real reason to want to stare at him.- the importance of role models in his upbringing- the immense competition in the performance and modelling industry- meeting his idol, Mohammed Ali ... and much much more ____________________________________ "My mother and my grandma brought me up. My mum was born in Rio de Janeiro, and at the age of 6 my mother moved to the Black Isle in the Highlands with her brother, mother and Father Hector Macdonald, who was a Highlander through and through and won the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry in the 1st World War." Kojo Agyei is a renowned lifestyle and wellbeing coach who has worked with Beyoncé, David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Emma Bunton, Tony and Cherie Blair and coached for adidas, Nike and Lululemon, plus Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion Football Clubs. In 2004 he was chosen to be the face of the BBC's ground breaking Athens' Olympic Legends campaign and they cast Kojo alongside Louie Spence as a celebrity fitness trainer on the hugely successful teen TV show Bump and Grind. In 2004 Kojo set up his own production company under the Beyond brand which was nominated for ‘Sports Event of the Year'. When he closed the company to move to Scotland in 2011 it was turning over £1 million a year. But why did it close? Listen to Kojo's fascinating story, where some pivotal moments completely shifted the trajectory of his life, and it wasn't smooth sailing by any means. Get in touch with Kojo on Instagram @kojoopuniagyei _____________ JOIN THE THIRD CULTURE TRIBE Third Culture Talks will spotlights the perspectives of third culture individuals around the world, by providing a platform where they can share these expertise and key opinions to an audience, much like TEDx talks. To find and more and how you can be a part of the growing tribe, check out podcast.thejourneyonwards.com/tribe