Podcasts about urban warfare project

John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, joins guest host Casey Kustin, AJC's Chief Impact and Operations Officer, to break down Israel's high-stakes strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure and the U.S. decision to enter the fight. With Iran's terror proxy network reportedly dismantled and its nuclear program set back by years, Spencer explains how Israel achieved total air superiority, why a wider regional war never materialized, and whether the fragile ceasefire will hold. He also critiques the international media's coverage and warns of the global consequences if Iran's ambitions are left unchecked. Take Action: Take 15 seconds and urge your elected leaders to send a clear, united message: We stand with Israel. Take action now. Resources and Analysis: Israel, Iran, and a Reshaped Middle East: AJC Global Experts on What Comes Next AJC Advocacy Anywhere - U.S. Strikes in Iran and What Comes Next  Iranian Regime's War on America: Four Decades of Targeting U.S. Forces and Citizens AJC Global Forum 2025: John Spencer Breaks Down Israel's War and Media Misinformation Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  Iran's Secret Nuclear Program and What Comes Next in the Iranian Regime vs. Israel War Why Israel Had No Choice: Inside the Defensive Strike That Shook Iran's Nuclear Program Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Casey Kustin:   Hi, I'm Casey Kustin, AJC's Chief Impact and Operations Officer, and I have the pleasure of guest hosting this week's episode. As of the start of this recording on Wednesday, June 25, it's been 13 days since Israel launched precision airstrikes aimed at dismantling the Iranian regime's nuclear infrastructure and degrading its ballistic missile capabilities to help us understand what transpired and where we are now, I'm here with John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, co-director of the Urban Warfare Project and Executive Director of the Urban Warfare Institute.  John, welcome to People of the Pod. John Spencer:   Hey, Casey, it's good to see you again.  Casey Kustin:   Thanks so much for joining us. John, you described Israel's campaign as one of the most sophisticated preemptive strike campaigns in modern history, and certainly the scope and precision was impressive. What specific operational capabilities enabled Israel to dominate the Iranian airspace so completely? John Spencer:   Yeah, that's a great question, and I do believe it basically rewrote the book, much like after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where Israel did the unthinkable, the United States military conducted 27 different studies, and it fundamentally changed the way we fight warfare. It's called Air-Land Battle. I think similarly with Operation Rising Lion, just the opening campaign rewrote what we would call, you know, Shock and Awe, Joint Forcible Entry, things like that. And the capabilities that enabled it, of course, were years of planning and preparation. Just the deep intelligence infiltration that Israel did before the first round was dropped. The Mossad agents texting the high command of the IRGC to have a meeting, all of them believing the texts. And it was a meeting about Israel. They all coming together. And then Israel blew up that meeting and killed, you know, in the opening 72 hours, killed over 25 senior commanders, nine nuclear scientists, all of that before the first bomb was dropped.  But even in the opening campaign, Israel put up over 200 aircrafts, almost the entire Israeli air force in the sky over Iran, dominating and immediately achieving what we call air supremacy. Again, through years of work, almost like a science fiction story, infiltrating drone parts and short range missiles into Iran, then having agents put those next to air defense radars and ballistic air defense missile systems. So that as soon as this was about to begin, those drones lost low cost drones and short range missiles attacked Iranian air defense capabilities to give the window for all of the Israeli F-35 Eyes that they've improved for the US military since October 7 and other aircraft.  Doing one of the longest operations, seconded only to one other mission that Israel has done in their history, to do this just paralyzing operation in the opening moment, and then they didn't stop. So it was a combination of the infiltration intelligence, the low-tech, like the drones, high-tech, advanced radar, missiles, things like that. And it was all put together and synchronized, right? So this is the really important thing that people kind of miss in military operations, is how hard it is to synchronize every bit of that, right? So the attack on the generals, the attack on the air defenses, all of that synchronized. Hundreds of assets in a matter of minutes, all working together. There's so much chance for error, but this was perfection. Casey Kustin:   So this wasn't just an operational success, it was really strategic dominance, and given that Iran failed to down a single Israeli Aircraft or cause any significant damage to any of Israel's assets. What does that tell us about the effectiveness of Iran's military capabilities, their Russian built air defenses that they have touted for so long? John Spencer:   Absolutely. And some people say, I over emphasize tactics. But of course, there's some famous sayings about this. At the strategic level, Israel, one, demonstrated their military superiority. A small nation going against a Goliath, a David against a Goliath. It penetrated the Iranian myth of invincibility. And I also failed to mention about how Israel, during this opening of the campaign, weakened Iran's ability to respond. So they targeted ballistic missile launchers and ballistic missile storages, so Iran was really weakened Iran's ability to respond. But you're right, this sent a signal around the Middle East that this paper tiger could be, not just hit, it could be dominated. And from the opening moments of the operation until the ceasefire was agreed to, Israel eventually achieved air supremacy and could dominate the skies, like you said, without losing a single aircraft, with his really historic as well. And hit what they wanted with what they wanted, all the military infrastructure, all the senior leaders. I mean, eventually they assigned a new commander of the IRGC, and Israel found that guy, despite him running around in caves and things.  It definitely had a strategic impact on the signal to the world on Israel's capabilities. And this isn't just about aircraft and airstrikes. Israel's complete dominance of Iran and the weakness, like you said. Although Israel also taught the world back when they responded to Iran's attack in April of last year, and in October of last year, is that you probably shouldn't be buying Russian air defense systems like S-300s. But Iran still, that was the backbone of their air defense capabilities, and Israel showed that that's a really bad idea. Casey Kustin:   You mentioned the component of this that was not just about going after infrastructure sites, but targeting Iranian military leadership and over 20 senior military and nuclear figures, according to public reporting. This was really a central part of this campaign as well. How does this kind of decapitation strategy alter the regime's military capability now, both in this immediate short term, but also in the long term, when you take out that kind of leadership? John Spencer:   Yeah, absolutely. I mean, much like when the United States took out Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, who had been decades of leadership of the Quds Force, the terror proxies, which I'm sure we'll talk about, overseeing those to include the ones in Iraq, killing my soldiers. It had a ripple effect that was, it's hard to measure, but that's decades of relationships and leadership, and people following them. So there is that aspect of all of these. Now we know over 25 senior IRGC and Iranian basically leadership, because they killed a police chief in Tehran and others. Yet that, of course, will ripple across.  It paralyzed the leadership in many ways during the operation, which is the psychological element of this, right? The psychological warfare, to do that on the opening day and then keep it up. That no general could trust, much like Hezbollah, like nobody's volunteering to be the next guy, because Israel finds him and kills him. On the nuclear though, right, which all wars the pursuit of political goals. We can never forget what Israel said the political goals were – to roll back Iran's imminent breakout of a nuclear weapon, which would not only serve to destroy Israel, because that's what they said they wanted to do with it, but it also gives a nuclear umbrella, which is what they want, to their exporting of terrorism, and the Ring of Fire, the proxy networks that have all been defanged thanks to Israel. That's the reason they wanted. So in taking out these scientists.So now it's up to 15 named nuclear scientists. On top of the nuclear infrastructure and all the weaponization components. So it's not just about the three nuclear enrichment sites that we all talked about in the news, you know, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. It's about that complete, decades-long architecture of the scientists, the senior scientists at each of the factories and things like that, that does send about, and I know we're in right now, as we're talking, they're debating about how far the program was set back. It holistically sets back that definitely the timeline.  Just like they destroyed the Tehran clock. I'm sure you've heard this, which was the doomsday clock that Iran had in Tehran, which is the countdown to the destruction of Israel. Israel stopped that clock, both literally and figuratively. Could they find another clock and restart it? Absolutely. But for now, that damage to all those personnel sets everything back. Of course, they'll find new commanders. I argue that you can't find those same level of you know, an Oppenheimer or the Kahn guy in Pakistan. Like some of those guys are irreplaceable. Casey Kustin:   So a hallmark of Israeli defense policy has always been that Israel will take care of itself by itself. It never asks the United States to get involved on its behalf. And before President Trump decided to undertake US strikes, there was considerable public discussion, debate as to whether the US should transfer B2s or 30,000 pound bunker busters to Israel. From purely a military perspective, can you help us understand the calculus that would go into why the US would decide to take the action itself, rather than, say, transfer these assets to Israel to take the action? John Spencer:   Sure. It's a complex political question, but actually, from the military perspective, it's very straightforward. The B2 stealth fire fighter, one of our most advanced, only long range bomber that can do this mission right, safely under radar, all this stuff. Nobody else has it. Nobody else has a pilot that could do it. So you couldn't just loan this to Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East, and let them do the operation. As well as the bomb. This is the only aircraft with the fuselage capable of carrying this side. Even the B-52 stratomaster doesn't have the ability to carry this one, although it can push big things out the back of it. So just from a logistics perspective, it wouldn't work.  And then there's the classification. And there's many issues with, like, the somebody thinking that would have been the easiest, and even if it was possible, there's no way to train an Israeli pilot, all the logistics to it, to do it. The Israel Begin Doctrine about, you know, taking into their own hands like they did in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007, is still in full effect, and was shown to be literally, a part of Israel's survival is this ability to, look, I understand that allies are important. And I argue strongly that Israel can never go at it alone, and we should never want it to. The strength of any nation is its allies.  And the fact that even during this operation, you saw immense amounts of American military resources pushed into the Middle East to help defend Israel and US bases but Patriot systems on the ground before this operation, THAAD systems on the ground before the system. These are the advanced US army air defense systems that can take down ballistic missiles. You had Jordan knocking down drones. You had the new Assad replacement guy, it's complex, agreeing to shoot things down over their airspace. That is part of Israel's strength, is its allies.  I mean, the fact that you have, you know, all the Arab nations that have been helping and defending Israel is, I think, can't be underscored under Israel doesn't, shouldn't need to go it alone, and it will act. And that's the Begin Doctrine like this case. And I do believe that the United States had the only weapon, the only capability to deliver something that the entire world can get behind, which is nuclear proliferation, not, you know, stopping it.  So we don't want a terror regime like the Islamic regime, for so many different reasons, to have a nuclear weapon close to breakout. So United States, even the G7, the United Nations, all agree, like, you can't have a nuclear weapon. So the United States doing that limited strike and midnight hammer, I think, was more than just about capabilities. It was about leadership in saying, look, Iran's double play that the economic sanctions, or whatever, the JCPOA agreement, like all these things, have failed. Conclusively, not just the IAEA statement that they're 20 years that now they're in violation of enrichment to all the different intelligence sources. It was not working. So this operation was vital to Israel's survival, but also vital for the world and that too, really won in this operation. Casey Kustin:   Vital both in this operation, in the defense of Israel, back in April 2024 when Iran was firing missiles and we saw other countries in the region assist in shooting them down. How vital is Israel's integration into CENTCOM to making that all work? John Spencer:   Oh, I mean, it's life saving. And General Carrillo, the CENTCOM Commander, has visited Israel so much in. The last 20 months, you might as well have an apartment in Tel Aviv. It's vital, because, again, Israel is a small nation that does spend exponential amounts of its GDP in its defense. But Iran, you know this, 90 million much greater resources, just with the ballistic missile program. Why that, and why that was so critical to set that back, could overwhelm Israel's air defense systems. Could. There's so much to this, but that coordination. And from a military to military perspective, and this is where I come and get involved, like I know, it's decades long, it's very strong. It's apolitical on purpose. It's hidden. Most people don't know it, but it's vital to the survival of our greatest ally in the Middle East. So it meets American interest, and, of course, meets Israel's interest. Casey Kustin:   Can you help us understand the Iranian response targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, because this seemed like a very deliberate way for the regime to save face and then de-escalate. But if the ceasefire falls apart, what are the vulnerabilities for us, troops and assets in the region. How well positioned are our bases in Qatar, Al Dhafra in the UAE, our naval assets in Bahrain, our bases in Iraq? How well positioned are we to absorb and deter a real retaliatory response? John Spencer:   Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, first and foremost, you know, there is a bit of active defense. So, of course, all of our US bases are heavily defended. A lot of times, you can see things are about to happen, and you can, just like they did, they moved to naval aircraft that would have been even vulnerable in some of these locations, out to sea, so they can't be touched. Heavily defended. But really, active defense is absolutely important, but really deterrence is the greatest protection. So that has to be demonstrated by the capability, right? So the capability to defend, but also the capability to attack and the willingness to use it.  This is why I think that supposedly symbolic to the 14 bunker busters that the United States dropped during Operation Midnight Hammer. Iran sent 14 missiles. President Trump says, thanks for the heads up. You know, all of it was evacuated, very symbolic, clearly, to save face and they had a parade, I guess, to say they won something. It's ludicrous, but sometimes you can't get inside the heads of irrational actors who are just doing things for their own population.  Our bases, the force protection is heavy. I mean, there's never 100% just like we saw with all the air defenses of Israel, still about 5% or if not less, of the ballistic missiles got through one one drone out of 1000 got through. You can never be 100% but it is the deterrence, and I think that's what people miss in this operation. It set a new doctrine for everyone, for the United States, that we will use force with limited objectives, to send an immense amount of strength.  And when somebody says there's a red line now that you should believe that, like if you would have injured a single American in the Middle East, Iran would have felt immense amount of American power against that, and they were very careful not to so clearly, they're deterred. This also sent a new red line for Israel, like Israel will act just like it did in other cases against even Iran, if they start to rebuild the program. War is the pursuit of political objectives, but you always have to look at the strategic on down. Casey Kustin:   On that last point, do you think we have entered a new phase in Israeli military doctrine, where, instead of sort of a more covert shadow war with Iran, we will now see open confrontation going forward, if necessary? John Spencer:   Well, you always hope that it will not be necessary, but absolutely this event will create, creates a new doctrine. You can see, see almost everything since October 7, and really there were just things that were unconceivable. Having studied and talked to Israeil senior leaders from the beginning of this. Everybody thought, if you attacked Hezbollah, Iran, was going to attack and cause immense amounts of destruction in Israel. Even when Israel started this operation, their estimates of what the damage they would incur was immense. And that it didn't is a miracle, but it's a miracle built in alliances and friendships with the United States and capabilities built in Israel.  Of course, Israel has learned a lot since October 7 that will fundamentally change everything about not just the military doctrine, but also intelligence services and many aspects that are still happening as they're fighting, still to this day in Gaza to achieve the realistic, measurable goal there. Yes, it absolutely has set forth that the old ways of doing things are gone, the you know, having these terror armies, the ring of fire that Israel has defanged, if not for Hamas dismantled and destroyed.  It sets a new complete peace in the Middle East. But also a doctrine of, Israel is adapting. I mean, there's still some elements about the reserve forces, the reigning doctrine, that are evolving based on the magnitude of the war since October 7. But absolutely you're right about they will, which has been the doctrine, but now they've demonstrated the capability to do it to any threat, to include the great, you know, myth of Iran. Casey Kustin:   So when you talk about this defanging of the Iranian proxy network obviously, Israel undertook significant operations against Hezbollah. Over the last year, they've been in active conflict with the Houthis. How does this operation now alter the way that Iran interacts with those proxies and its capacity to wage war against Israel through these proxies? John Spencer:   Yeah, cripples it, right? So Iran's nuclear ambition and its terror campaign are literally in ruins right now, both literally and figuratively. Hezbollah was defanged, the leadership, even taking out Nasrallah was believed to have caused catastrophic consequences, and it didn't. So, absolutely for Iran, also during this operation, is sniffing because all of his proxies were silent. I think the Houthis launched two missiles because thanks to Israel and the United States, the Houthi capabilities that should never have been allowed to amass, you know, this pirate terror empire. They didn't make those greatest shore to sea arsenal out of falafels. It got it straight from Iran, and that pipeline has already been cut off, let alone the capabilities.  Same thing with Hezbollah, which relied heavily on pipelines and infrastructure of missiles and everything being fed to it by Iran. That's been cut. The Assad regime being the drug empire, support of Hezbollah to rule basically, in Lebanon, has been cut. Hezbollah couldn't come to the aid of Assad. All of these variables. And of course, Hamas will never be able to do anything again, period. It all causes Iran to have to rethink everything. From, you know, not only their own national defense, right air defense capabilities and all this, but their terror campaign, it isn't just in ruins. There's a new doctrine, like it's not acceptable.  Now, of course, that's going to be hard to fully reign in. You have Shia backed groups in Iraq, you have a lot of bad things going on, but the Quds Force, which is its job, it's all shattered. Of course, they'll try to rebuild it. But the fact that these terror proxies were already so weakened by Israel that they couldn't do anything and remain silent. Hezbollah just was silent basically during this, is very significant to the peace going forward. I mean, there, there's still a lot of war here, but Israel and the United States have rewritten the map of the Middle East. Casey Kustin:   in the hours days that followed the US deciding to engage here. A lot of the conversation focused on the possibility of triggering now broader regional escalation, but we didn't see that, and it sort of shattered that myth that if Israel or the US were to go after Iran, that it would spiral into a broader Middle East conflict. Why did we not see that happen? Why did this remain so controlled? John Spencer:   So many reasons that really go back a few months, if not years? Mean going back to the first the Abraham Accords, President Trump's recent tour of the Gulf states and his story. Turic financial deals Israel's like we talked about with the Arab nations that were part of protecting it, the fact that the so on, that very geopolitical aspect. And we saw Iran turn to Russia, because there's always geopolitical considerations. Iran turned to Russia. Said, you're going to help us out. We signed this security agreement last year. We've been helping you in Ukraine do the awful things you're doing there.  And Russia said, No, that's not what we said. And it called called President Trump. President Trump says, how about you worry about mediating a ceasefire in Ukraine? And well, so they turned to China and the fact that there was nobody again, and that all the work that had been done with all the people that also disagree, nation states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, all those others. Those are many of the contributing factors.  But war also, I wrote this piece about, this isn't Iraq, this isn't Afghanistan, this isn't Libya. I really hate the lazy comparisons. This was contained and not able to spill out by constant communication from day one of what the goals were. Limited objective to roll back a threat to the world nuclear program and the ballistic program as well. That prevents the ability for even the Islamic regime to say, you know, my survival is at risk, I need to escalate this, right? So, being clear, having strategic clarity from Israel, and when the United States assisted, from the United States. You know, war is a contest of wills, not just between the military is fighting it, but the political element and the population element. So, you know, being able to communicate to the population in Israel and like, what's the goal here? Like, how long are we gonna have to do this? And to the United States. Like, what are our interests? Keeping it the goal limited, which all parties did.  And even, in fact, you had the G7 meeting during this and they signed an agreement, we agree Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That is a big part of how you permit the spill out. But it does have many contextual elements of the broader, this isn't black and white between Israel and Iran. It's much bigger than that. And that, and we saw all that work that has been done to show strength through peace, or peace through strength, in all the forms of national power that have been rallied against what is chaos that the Islamic regime wants in the Middle East. Casey Kustin:   So now that we've had a few days to begin to assess the impact of both the US and the Israeli strikes based on what's publicly available. I think you wrote that the nuclear timeline has been pushed back years. We saw some reporting in the New York Times yesterday saying it's only set back months. It seems this morning, the US is concurring with the Israeli assessment that it's been set back years. A lot of talk about where certain Where did certain stockpiles of enriched uranium, and how confident can we be at this point in any of these assessments? John Spencer:   So yes, as we're talking, people are trying to make it political. This should be a non partisan, non political issue. I'm an objective analyst of war. If you just write down all the things that Israel destroyed, validated by satellite imagery. then the fact that somebody And even the spinning of words where like we saw with that leaked report, which was the preliminary thoughts about something, it isn't comprehensive, right?  So one, BDA has never come that fast. Two, we do know, and Iran has validated, like all these scientists dead, all these generals dead, all these components of the nuclear program, damaged or destroyed. The idea that somebody would say, well, you only set it back a couple months to me, it's just anti-intellectual. Look, Natanz, Esfahan, Fordo, we can debate about how much stuff is inside of that mountain that was destroyed, although 14 of the world's best bunker buster munitions, 30,000 pounds punching through.  I just think, it's not a silly argument, because this is very serious. And yes, there could be, you know, hundreds of pounds of enriched uranium up there, a certain percentage that got floated around. That's not the, the things that set the timeline of breakout. Breakout included all the components of the knowledge and capability to reach breakout and then weaponization of a nuclear bomb. There's nobody, I think, who can comprehensively, without nuancing the words say that Israel wasn't very effective, and the United States assistance in only what the United States could do, at setting this program back and actually stopping the immediate danger. Of course, Iran is still a danger. The program is still a danger, but I just think it's so political that they're trying to say that, well, you only said it back a couple months. That's like, that's ridiculous. Casey Kustin:   So as an objective analyst of war, but also as someone who's really been a voice of moral clarity and has called out the international media over the last 18 months for a lot of this disinformation, misinformation, bias reporting. Before we go, John, what is one consequence of this operation that the international media is just missing? John Spencer:   One is that, I think the international media who are debating whether Iran was literally using an opposing opinion against global thought that Iran was close to a nuclear bomb, they missed that completely and tried to politicize it to where, just giving disinformation agents that tidbit of a headline that they need. I do believe in journalistic standards, fact checking, those elements and holding those people accountable. I live in the world of experts. People on the platform X who think they're experts.  But when you have national media running headlines for sensationalism, for clicks, for you know, struggling for opposition to just political administration, we should learn to really question a single report as valid when there's overwhelming opposition. I don't know how to put that succinctly, but you think we would learn over the last, you know, 20 months of this lies, disinformation, statistical warfare, the things like that that, yeah, it's just crazy that that somebody would think in any way this wasn't an overwhelming success for the world, that this program was set back and a new doctrine for treating the program was established. Casey Kustin:   Finally, John, before we wrap up here, the question on everyone's mind: can the ceasefire really hold? John Spencer:   So, you know, I don't do predictions, because I understand wars uncertainty. It's human. It's political. It looks by all signs, because of how Iran was dominated, and how the United States showed that if it isn't contained, then immense amounts of force and of course, Israel's superiority, I believe that the ceasefire will hold. It was normal. And I made some some posts about the historical examples of wars coming to an end, from the Korean War, to the Yom Kippur war, Bosnia War, where you had this transition period where you're rolling back forces and everything. But the by the fact that Iran has said, Yeah, we agreed. We have stopped our operation. All signs for me are saying that this ceasefire will hold, and now the world's in a better place. Casey Kustin:   John, thank you so much for the insight, for, as I said, your moral clarity that you bring to this conversation. We appreciate you joining us today on People of the Pod. John Spencer:   Thank you so much.   

John Spencer is the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point. He joined Rep. Crenshaw to explore the historical evolution of urban combat and analyze modern strategies for conquering and defending cities. John discusses how urban warfare is playing out in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Ukraine. And he envisions the most likely scenarios for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, along with potential U.S.-Mexico counterinsurgency efforts against the cartels. •    The evolution of urban warfare •    Regime change and chaos in Syria •    Why willpower often trumps raw numbers •    Hezbollah's decimation and its implications •    Israeli airstrikes in post-Assad Syria •    “The way you take a city is psychologically.” •    Russia's miscalculation in Kiev and Ukraine's resistance •    How Gaza's conflict was unlike any other •    Why banning missiles could result in more civilian casualties •    Debunking the “Zero Dark Thirty” Fallacy •    “Is that Batman??” •    Why the pager operation wouldn't have worked in Gaza •    More common misconceptions: The Abacus, Vampire, and Peace Table Fallacies •    Taiwan's defenses and civilian preparation for invasion •    U.S.-Mexico counterinsurgency strategies to combat cartels John Spencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He also serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum, a New York based think-tank. He is a founding member of the International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare. He is the author of three books: Understanding Urban Warfare, (Howgate Publishing, 2022), Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War (Potomac Books, 2022; Winner of the 2023 Gold Medal Award, Best Military History Memoir, Military Writers Society of America), The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender (John Spencer, 2022). Follow him on X at @SpencerGuard.

John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, co-director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast, discusses Israel's ongoing war against Hamas, including the unique challenges presented by the extensive tunnel network in Gaza and its unprecedented and misunderstood efforts to minimize civilian harm.The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entrepreneurs, policymakers, scholars, and thinkers on the issues and challenges that will shape Canada's future at home and abroad.If you like what you are hearing on Hub Dialogues consider subscribing to The Hub's free weekly email newsletter featuring our insights and analysis on key public policy issues. Sign up here: https://thehub.ca/join/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#GAZA: Urban warfare Italy 1943-44:  Gaza 2023-24. 2:15 PM - John Spencer is a retired United States Army officer, researcher of urban warfare, and author. He currently serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, co-director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast, at West Point. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/israel-winning 1910 Jerusalem

GOOD EVENING: The show begins in Japan, asking what the change in national leadershp means for the defense of Taiwan and the Philippines from the PLA predators... CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR FIRST HOUR 9-915 #JAPAN: Doubts continue about the Taiwan Policy in the event of war. Grant Newsham, WHEN CHINA ATTACKS. 915-930 #AFGHANISTAN: The withdrawal gave away Central Asia to Beijing and Moscow. Cliff May FDD 930-945 #SCALAREPORT: China unemployment for the well-to-do and desperate. Chris Riegel, #Stratacache. Chris Riegel CEO, Scala.com @Stratacache. 945-1000 #Econ102: In praise of "price-gouging" John Cochrane, Hoover Institution SECOND HOUR 10-1015 ISRAEL: Iran loses face. John Hannah is the Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at JINSA's Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy. He served in senior foreign policy positions for both Democratic and Republican administrations. 1015-1030 #ANTISEMITISM: Decentering and other bullying. Dr. Mika Hackner is Senior Research Associate at the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values. 1030-1045 #SYRIA: Darkness visible. Andrew Tabler is the Martin J. Gross Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the Levant. 1045-1100 #GAZA: Urban warfare Italy 1943-44: Gaza 2023-24. 2:15 PM - John Spencer is a retired United States Army officer, researcher of urban warfare, and author. He currently serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, co-director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast, at West Point. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 #MEXICO: AMLO vs the Courts. Mary Anastasia O'Grady WSJ 1115-1130 #RUSSIA: All banks are fearful of secondary sanctions, even China's. Michael Bernstam, Hoover. 1130-1145 #ENERGY: Baseload power and the necessity for natural gas far into the century. Bud Weinstein, RealClearEnergy. 1145-1200 #TEXAS: Brittle distribution counting of wooden poles that fall down. Bud Weinstein, RealClearEnergy. FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 #MRMarket: Republicrats on trade, industrial policy, spending. Veronique de Rugy, Mercatus Center 1215-1230 #CANADA: Does Ottawa support freedom of speech? Conrad Black, National Post 1230-1245 #HotelMars: China selling war satellites to Iran? Rick Fisher, David Livingston 1245-100 am #HOTELMARS: China and cislunar supremacy. Rick Fisher, David Livingston

John is considered one of the world's leading experts in Urban and Subterranean Warfare. Drawing from personal experiences as a 25-year US Army veteran, he served as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy. His is a unique voice, helping to break down conflicts like the Israel/Hamas War. In this episode, he helps us understand the complexities that urban warfare presents.- https://www.johnspenceronline.com- Urban Warfare Project PodcastYouTube Version: www.youtube.com/RadicalLifestyleChaim Malespin, Terror Tunnels - https://youtu.be/0dAAqqKMACE?si=nYjnf4FJzA_ViyJc- Radical Lifestyle Instagram Click Here- X: Click Here- TikTok: Click Here- Telegram channel and discussion: Click HereYou can also follow Andrew and Daphne on their social media platforms:Andrew Kirk: Facebook | InstagramDaphne Kirk: Facebook | InstagramTo support the channel: Click Here- UK only Donations here: Click Here

Send us a Text Message.John Spencer is one of the world's leading experts on urban warfare. He currently serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, codirects the Urban Warfare Project, and hosts the Urban Warfare Project Podcast at West Point.In addition to personal experiences from 25 years as an infantry soldier and officer in the US Army, including urban battles in Iraq in 2003 and the Battle of Sadr City in 2008, he has spent over a decade researching, publishing, and lecturing on all facets of urban warfare.  In the last five years, he has conducted research in India, Israel, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine. He has served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy. He has also trained multiple militaries in urban operations. His research focuses on all military operations in dense urban areas, megacities, and urban and subterranean warfare.In February 2022, Spencer wrote a guide, The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender, for Ukrainian citizens on how to defend their cities. The manual was translated into Ukrainian and spread widely across Ukraine. It is now available in sixteen separate languages, with many other translations in the works.In this episode, we'll talk with John about the difficulties of urban warfare, his time in Ukraine, his recent trip into Gaza, and much more. More about John:Website: JohnSpencerOnline.comX: https://x.com/SpencerGuardInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerguardTimestamps:00:00:21 Intro to John Spencer00:01:53 What is The Modern Warfare Institute?00:03:56 Leading Academics Pushing Propaganda for Terrorist Organizations 00:05:29 Why is Urban Warfare so Hard?00:09:21 The Battle of Stalingrad 00:10:50 Urban Legends/Myths about Modern Warfare00:12:55 What's Changed in Subterranean Warfare?00:16:41 What is so Challenging About Subterranean Warfare?00:21:25 Will People's Perception of Russia Change?00:25:40 General Sun-Tzu00:26:10 Defeat Your Enemy Without Fighting00:29:08 What Happens if Russia Wins the Propaganda War?00:32:01 Gaza and Hamas00:34:33 How Many Civilians are Killed in the Crossfire?00:42:53 What if We Just Let Hamas Go?00:48:04 Proxy Groups of Iran00:50:12 Extreme Misogyny in Iran 00:53:15 The Spread of an Ideology00:56:03 Eradicating Extremist Ideologies Efficiently01:02:00 “Pay for Slay” Program01:03:04 Independence of Gaza in 200501:04:00 Responsibilities of Israel for the Conditions in Gaza01:05:11 Hamas Leadership Using Economic Oppression 01:07:55 Outro

John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute and host of the Urban Warfare Project, joins the show to talk about urban combat and how Israel is fighting an unprecedented war against Hamas with justice and humanity. ▪️ Times      •      01:50 Introduction      •      02:08 Fighting and teaching     •      09:31 Changes in urban warfare     •      17:14 Terrain still matters     •      21:54 Israel's unprecedented war       •      26:11 Learning on the ground      •      33:24 Genocide         •      43:57 The battle of Manila     •      49:41 Suffering is the strategic aim      •      51:04 Tunnels         •      55:51 Outthinking the enemy Follow along  on Instagram Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack

When Hamas attacked Israel eight months ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's war goals were threefold: one, destroy Hamas; two, free all of the hostages; and three, ensure that Gaza can never threaten Israel again. More than 250 days later, some 120 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, both dead and alive. Two Hamas battalions remain, consisting of somewhere between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters. More than 300 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza and thousands wounded, 135,000 Israeli civilians are still displaced, and the war seems to have no end in sight. Why? Israel is supposed to be the greatest military force in the Middle East. So why haven't they achieved their war goals? Are their war goals even viable? And, can Israel win this war? Here to help answer these questions today are Seth Frantzman and John Spencer. Seth Frantzman is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post. He has reported on the war against ISIS, several Gaza wars, and the conflict in Ukraine. And, he is an Adjunct Fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He thinks Israel can and should win this war, but he thinks the past eight months have been dismal and that Israel is at risk of losing and losing disastrously. John Spencer is a military expert who has served in the army for 25 years, including two combat tours in Iraq. He is now chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He was recently asked if the war was winnable for the IDF, and he said: one hundred percent. But he thinks it is contingent on a total defeat of Hamas. Today, we discuss what has actually been accomplished by the IDF in the last eight months, why they haven't achieved “total victory” yet and if that's even possible, the fate of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, how the U.S. has restrained Israel and if that restraint has been good or bad for Israel, what hope there is for the remaining hostages, whether the idea of Hamas can be defeated, what a “day after” plan could look like, the war with Hezbollah heating up in the north, and, most importantly: why October 7 did not wake up the West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/366-urban-warfare-2-0 Sam Harris speaks with John Spencer about the reality of urban warfare and Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. They discuss the nature of the Hamas attacks on October 7th, what was most surprising about the Hamas videos, the difficulty in distinguishing Hamas from the rest of the population, combatants as a reflection of a society's values, how many people have been killed in Gaza, the proportion of combatants and noncombatants, the double standards to which the IDF is held, the worst criticism that can be made of Israel and the IDF, intentions vs results, what is unique about the war in Gaza, Hamas's use of human shields, what it would mean to defeat Hamas, what the IDF has accomplished so far, the destruction of the Gaza tunnel system, the details of underground warfare, the rescue of hostages, how noncombatants become combatants, how difficult it is to interpret videos of combat, what victory would look like, the likely aftermath of the war, war with Hezbollah, Iran's attack on Israel, what to do about Iran, and other topics. John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, and combat veteran. He currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He is also a founding member of the International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare. John served 25 years in the U.S. Army, having held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major. He was an active duty Army officer during two combat tours in Iraq. His research focuses on military operations in dense urban areas, megacities, and urban and subterranean warfare. Spencer holds a Master of Policy Management from Georgetown University, and his writings have appeared in the Time magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and many other publications. He is considered one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare and has served as an advisor to everyone from top four-star generals to world leaders. He is the coauthor of Understanding Urban Warfare. Website: www.johnspenceronline.com Twitter: @SpencerGuard Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

It's nearly impossible to get accurate information from government controlled media these days. For those who prefer truth over propaganda, our Auxiliary has assumed great risk infiltrating John Spencer from the Urban Warfare Project back into Pineland to provide an update on what's been happening in Gaza. Join us, as John provides his expertise on how the IDF is attempting to degrade Hamas' ability to wage terrorism within Israel while simultaneously defending itself from their arch nemesis, Persia.

John Amble is the Editorial Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point and Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project. He is also a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Before assuming his current role, John served as managing editor of War on the Rocks, a digital media outlet featuring commentary on global security, foreign affairs, and strategy. He holds a BA from the University of Minnesota and an MA in Intelligence and International Security from King's College London, where he also conducted PhD research in the Middle Eastern Studies program. He has been featured in print and broadcast media in the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, and his work has appeared in various academic journals and other outlets. He also is the co-editor of Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict, which was released by Potomac Books in 2018. He researches and writes primarily on terrorism, intelligence, the Middle East, and the military. We should note, the views that John shares with us today are his alone and do not necessarily represent West Point, the U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense.

John Spencer from the Urban Warfare Project joins Paul in the G-Base to discuss a 21st century version of the Battle of Thermopylae; how 200 Ukrainian Guardsmen, defending the Hostomel Airfield, saved Kiev from falling into the hands of elite Russian paratroopers on the morning of 24 February 2022. Time and again, history informs us how a few determined warriors are able to overcome insurmountable odds and defeat an overwhelming adversary. 

This Week on Ukraine 2 4 2: Urban Warfare and other Battle Knowledge – US Major John SpencerTRT: 29 minutesUS Major John Spencer is considered the world's leading expert on urban warfare. In February 2022, he wrote The Mini-Manuel for The Urban Defender, a guidebook for everyday people to defend their territory against military aggressors. The manual was posted online by the Ukrainian military and went viral, enabling Ukrainians to help their military to defeat the February 24 attack by Russia on Kyiv and other major cities.Spencer discusses the concepts in his booklet and answers many questions about the war in Ukraine from the point of view of a military expert. He discusses why Russians bomb civilian targets, the purpose of F-16 planes that have just been granted to Ukraine, NATO, threats to Poland, nuclear weapons, the current character of this war and how warfare has changed, and more. He speculates about possible outcomes for Ukraine and Russia. Above all, he reminds us that war is ultimately a matter of politics, not weaponry.  Major John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military related topics to four-star generals and other senior leaders in the U.S. He currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. He recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He served as a Colonel in the California State Guard with an assignment to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard as the Director of Urban Warfare Training.Music: Hey Hey Rise Up by Pink Floyd featuring Andriy Khlyvnyuk of BoomboxUkraine 2 4 2 features interviews with experts, key people on the ground in Ukraine and many others affected, who can give direct and personal accounts of the unfolding of the war in Ukraine, how people of diverse backgrounds and professional skills rally in the fight for freedom and the historical context of Russia's invasion.  

What does living a life with values look like to you? " Values can be told to somebody or they can be embodied. If you would have checked in on me, like, four years into the military, I would have been like, yeah, that's the values. I'm supposed to be doing these things. Really?.” - John Spencer (Want to read a full written for reading transcript version of this episode? Download it here.) Who is John Spencer? Our guest this week, John Spencer, is a retired United States army officer, researcher of urban warfare, and author on the same subject. He's also a podcaster, with his own show the Urban Warfare Project which you can find on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  During the Russia invasion of Ukraine, John became notorious for his selfless act of offering advice to those impacted by the event. John explains more about this during the episode. John Spencer's military experience and how it speaks about leadership John Spencer's spent a large chunk of his life dealing with the military. Even though he's now retired from active duty, the military is still very much a part of his life due to his wife being in active service. This leaves John with the responsibility of being almost like a pseudo lone parent. John explains how he's had to find stoicism as part of that parental journey. Understanding wider identity after being a soldier During his conversation with Sope, John shares how a lot of soldiers struggle with identity in life after service in the armed forces. He explains how important his kids have become when it comes to his own identity. There's also some real vulnerability shared around the role that the military played when it came to his own paternal needs. The importance of values in John's story Obviously, given the title, this episode is all about values. And values play a very central role in John Spencer's story. Not only with his origin story of joining the military and following their values around leadership. But also the joining of his wife and her values, and applying those values to their children. He shares how ultimately, family values and military values are not that different both in terms of their impact and their importance.   Key leadership learning moments   01m37s - John's start in the military 05m12s - Identity outside of the military  09m22s - The military's part in teaching fatherhood 15m40s - Technology and its connection with the military 19m17s - Growing as a leader within the military frameworks 24m14s - The military's version of 'hybrid working'? 29m25s - Developing self-actualisation and self-awareness 35m18s - The process of writing a book 44m03s - Staying grounded outside of the military 50m00s - Growth and development in the face of adversity 51m01s - John's definition of leadership     Useful links and shout outs in the episode John Spencer's website John Spencer's LinkedIn John Spencer's Twitter Flow - The Psychology of Happiness on Amazon Follow the podcast   If you've just stumbled across this podcast episode by chance, please do click here to follow it so you never miss a future episode. If you want to learn more about this podcast, and myself, Sope Agbelusi, you can do so using any of the below links. Connect with Me Website Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter  Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk I am always keen to hear your thoughts and connect with the community of listeners. If you have any comments, feedback or thoughts, please drop me an email at https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything  

What does living a life with values look like to you? " Values can be told to somebody or they can be embodied. If you would have checked in on me, like, four years into the military, I would have been like, yeah, that's the values. I'm supposed to be doing these things. Really?. - John Spencer (Want to read a full written for reading transcript version of this episode? Download it here.) Who is John Spencer? Our guest this week, John Spencer, is a retired United States army officer, researcher of urban warfare, and author on the same subject. He's also a podcaster, with his own show the Urban Warfare Project which you can find on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. During the Russia invasion of Ukraine, John became notorious for his selfless act of offering advice to those impacted by the event. John explains more about this during the episode. John Spencer's military experience and how it speaks about leadership John Spencer's spent a large chunk of his life dealing with the military. Even though he's now retired from active duty, the military is still very much a part of his life due to his wife being in active service. This leaves John with the responsibility of being almost like a pseudo lone parent. John explains how he's had to find stoicism as part of that parental journey. Understanding wider identity after being a soldier During his conversation with Sope, John shares how a lot of soldiers struggle with identity in life after service in the armed forces. He explains how important his kids have become when it comes to his own identity. There's also some real vulnerability shared around the role that the military played when it came to his own paternal needs. The importance of values in John's story Obviously, given the title, this episode is all about values. And values play a very central role in John Spencer's story. Not only with his origin story of joining the military and following their values around leadership. But also the joining of his wife and her values, and applying those values to their children. He shares how ultimately, family values and military values are not that different both in terms of their impact and their importance. Key leadership learning moments 01m37s - John's start in the military 05m12s - Identity outside of the military 09m22s - The military's part in teaching fatherhood 15m40s - Technology and its connection with the military 19m17s - Growing as a leader within the military frameworks 24m14s - The military's version of 'hybrid working'? 29m25s - Developing self-actualisation and self-awareness 35m18s - The process of writing a book 44m03s - Staying grounded outside of the military 50m00s - Growth and development in the face of adversity 51m01s - John's definition of leadership Useful links and shout outs in the episode John Spencer's website John Spencer's LinkedIn John Spencer's Twitter Flow - The Psychology of Happiness on Amazon Follow the podcast If you've just stumbled across this podcast episode by chance, please do click here to follow it so you never miss a future episode. If you want to learn more about this podcast, and myself, Sope Agbelusi, you can do so using any of the below links. Connect with Me Website Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk I am always keen to hear your thoughts and connect with the community of listeners. If you have any comments, feedback or thoughts, please drop me an email at https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

What does living a life with values look like to you? " Values can be told to somebody or they can be embodied. If you would have checked in on me, like, four years into the military, I would have been like, yeah, that's the values. I'm supposed to be doing these things. Really?.” - John Spencer (Want to read a full written for reading transcript version of this episode? Download it here.) Who is John Spencer? Our guest this week, John Spencer, is a retired United States army officer, researcher of urban warfare, and author on the same subject. He's also a podcaster, with his own show the Urban Warfare Project which you can find on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  During the Russia invasion of Ukraine, John became notorious for his selfless act of offering advice to those impacted by the event. John explains more about this during the episode. John Spencer's military experience and how it speaks about leadership John Spencer's spent a large chunk of his life dealing with the military. Even though he's now retired from active duty, the military is still very much a part of his life due to his wife being in active service. This leaves John with the responsibility of being almost like a pseudo lone parent. John explains how he's had to find stoicism as part of that parental journey. Understanding wider identity after being a soldier During his conversation with Sope, John shares how a lot of soldiers struggle with identity in life after service in the armed forces. He explains how important his kids have become when it comes to his own identity. There's also some real vulnerability shared around the role that the military played when it came to his own paternal needs. The importance of values in John's story Obviously, given the title, this episode is all about values. And values play a very central role in John Spencer's story. Not only with his origin story of joining the military and following their values around leadership. But also the joining of his wife and her values, and applying those values to their children. He shares how ultimately, family values and military values are not that different both in terms of their impact and their importance.   Key leadership learning moments   01m37s - John's start in the military 05m12s - Identity outside of the military  09m22s - The military's part in teaching fatherhood 15m40s - Technology and its connection with the military 19m17s - Growing as a leader within the military frameworks 24m14s - The military's version of 'hybrid working'? 29m25s - Developing self-actualisation and self-awareness 35m18s - The process of writing a book 44m03s - Staying grounded outside of the military 50m00s - Growth and development in the face of adversity 51m01s - John's definition of leadership     Useful links and shout outs in the episode John Spencer's website John Spencer's LinkedIn John Spencer's Twitter Flow - The Psychology of Happiness on Amazon Follow the podcast   If you've just stumbled across this podcast episode by chance, please do click here to follow it so you never miss a future episode. If you want to learn more about this podcast, and myself, Sope Agbelusi, you can do so using any of the below links. Connect with Me Website Instagram  LinkedIn  Twitter  Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk I am always keen to hear your thoughts and connect with the community of listeners. If you have any comments, feedback or thoughts, please drop me an email at https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything  

On November 9, 1989, the Cold War began to thaw with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.  Then on February 24, 2022, Russia once again invaded Ukraine. Assuming things would go the same way it did in February and March 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. But it didn't go that way. Many worry about the implications of that war and whether we should just butt out. Is this war different than what we've seen before? If so, why?  According to our guest, a good part of the answer is "Urban Warfare" and "meaning." He believes that Urban Warfare can teach us much about modern leadership.  John Spencer is considered by many to be the world's leading expert on urban warfare. He is also a radical thought leader, experienced war veteran, team builder, and creative mind. John is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military-related topics. He currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. John recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He is the author of several books, Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War and Understanding Urban Warfare. The second was written for Ukraine civilians. That book went viral and has helped hundreds of thousands of civilians defeat the world's second-biggest military. Website https://www.johnspenceronline.com Social Media https://www.facebook.com/JohnSpencerOnline https://twitter.com/SpencerGuard https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwspencer2018 https://www.instagram.com/spencerguard Part 2) Soulless Orcs vs. Soulful Warriors Who Will Win and Why Fact Not Opinions of What's Really Happening Exposing The Truth about The Butchers of Bucha Excuse Me, China, Can You Lend Us Some Supplies Taking Out 80% of The Attack Weapons The Impact of Russian and Ukrainian Conscription Soulless Orcs Vs Soulful Warriors Why Leadership is Urban Warfare What Truly Defines Winning and Losing Why Ukraine Already Won the War Back in April 2022 Curious to discover how tapping into the Anatomy of Meaning can #actualize your #business, #culture, #Leadership and #tribe DovBaron.com  "Those Who Control Meaning for The Tribe, Also Control The Movement of That Tribe" #videopodcast #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #emotionsourcecode #neuroscience #emotional #meaning #emotional #logic #culture #curiosity #humanbehavior #purpose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On November 9, 1989, the Cold War began to thaw with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.  Then on February 24, 2022, Russia once again invaded Ukraine. Assuming things would go the same way it did in February and March 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. But it didn't go that way. Many worry about the implications of that war and whether we should just butt out. Is this war different than what we've seen before? If so, why?  According to our guest, a good part of the answer is "Urban Warfare" and "meaning." He believes that Urban Warfare can teach us much about modern leadership.  John Spencer is considered by many to be the world's leading expert on urban warfare. He is also a radical thought leader, experienced war veteran, team builder, and creative mind. John is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military-related topics. He currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. John recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He is the author of several books, Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War and Understanding Urban Warfare. The second was written for Ukraine civilians. That book went viral and has helped hundreds of thousands of civilians defeat the world's second-biggest military. Website https://www.johnspenceronline.com Social Media https://www.facebook.com/JohnSpencerOnline https://twitter.com/SpencerGuard https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwspencer2018 https://www.instagram.com/spencerguard Part 1) Winning the War for Meaning Who Are You and What Will You Stand For Why the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is so Different than the 2014 invasion When Grandfather, Young Men, Bankers, and Builders Stand Together Answering The Question: Should the US be Backing Ukraine Is Ukraine Really Russian #Putin, Changing the Rules of #War Re-establishing in The Soviet Union Putin's Emotional Source Code What Beat POWER Every Single Time! When Defence Becomes Offence Curious to discover how tapping into the Anatomy of Meaning can #actualize your #business, #culture, #Leadership and #tribe DovBaron.com  "Those Who Control Meaning for The Tribe, Also Control The Movement of That Tribe" #videopodcast #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #emotionsourcecode #neuroscience #emotional #meaning #emotional #logic #culture #curiosity #humanbehavior #purpose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul & Mike are honored to welcome John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, U.S. Military Academy at West Point into the G Base to discuss the future of warfare and the impact an increasingly urban environment has on military training.  

(Bonus Episode) As the world becomes more urban, planning for conventional and irregular warfare in the city becomes more important. SGM Chuck Ritter goes on the Irregular Warfare Initiative podcast to discuss the intricacies of urban combat with John Spencer, author of Connected Solders and Understanding Urban Warfare. This was previously released on multiple Modern War Institute platforms. We are releasing it on Pineland Underground because the principle discussed directly relates to Amy Special Operations students and those in force. John Spencer tackles the topics from the strategic and operational levels, while SGM Ritter discusses the pragmatic approach for the tactical and operational level practitioner. Irregular Warfare InitiativeThe Great Equalizer: Irregular Warfare in the City - Modern War Institute (usma.edu) Email Us!pinelandunderground@gmail.comUSAJFKSWCS InstagramSpecial Warfare Center (@u.s.armyswcs) • Instagram photos and videosUSAJFKSWCS Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/jfkcenterandschool/YOUTUBE:(1) Pineland Underground Podcast - YouTubeDVIDS:https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USAJFKSWCSContact the Hosts:Sergeant Major Chuck Ritter - Deputy Commandant at the SWCS Noncommissioned  Officer AcademyChuck Ritter InstagramChuck Ritter (@charles.p.ritter) • Instagram photos and videosChuck Ritter LinkedInwww.linkedin.com/in/chuckritterspecialforcesChuck Ritter Facebookcharles.ritter.12Twitter@chuckritter7 Major Bobby Tuttle - Director of the SWCS Language, Regional Education, and Culture officeBobby Tuttle FacebookBobby Tuttle | FacebookBobby Tuttle LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbytuttle Pineland Underground Recording and Editing TeamJason Gambardella#pinelandunderground #bestpodcastinthemilitary #relentlessawesomeness #specialoperation #usajfkswcs #chuckritter #bobbytuttle #community #specialforces #westpoint #irregularwarfare #iwi #irregularwarfareinitiative #modernwarinitiative #princeton #podcast #podcasthost 

How are demographic and economic shifts increasing the importance of urban centers around the globe? What does this mean for military forces? To what extent do the local politics of a city complicate military operations there—specifically irregular warfare activities? When conflict between an insurgency and government forces enters a city, does the terrain inherently favor one side over the other? This special episode addresses these questions as it brings together two of the Modern War Institute's core areas of focus: urban warfare and irregular warfare. Kyle Atwell and Ben Jebb host the episode. You can also hear this and many more insightful explorations of issues related to irregular warfare on the Irregular Warfare Podcast. And don't miss the exceptional written content produced by the Irregular Warfare Initiative. Their guests are Sergeant Major Charles Ritter, deputy commandant of the US Army's JFK Special Warfare Center and School, and John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute. A leading expert on urban warfare, John also leads the Urban Warfare Project and hosts the Urban Warfare Project Podcast, both of which are outstanding resources on urban warfare and its challenges. Intro music: "Unsilenced" by Ketsa Outro music: "Launch" by Ketsa CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military-related topics. Considered one of the world's leading experts on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy. Spencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. He recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He also served as a Colonel in the California State Guard with an assignment to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard as the Director of Urban Warfare Training. Serving over twenty-five years in the active Army as an infantry soldier, Spencer has held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major. His assignments as an Army officer included two combat deployments to Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander, a Ranger Instructor with the Army's Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, a fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army's Strategic Studies Group, and Co-Founder, Strategic Planner, and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. Spencer holds a Master's of Policy Management from Georgetown University. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, NY Daily News, Wired Magazine, Politico, The Hill, Foreign Policy Magazine, Defense One, Army Magazine, and many other publications. Spencer is also a regular military analyst and commentator for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and numerous news and media organizations. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife and three children.

John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognised expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military related topics. Considered one of the world's leading expert on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to four-star generals and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy.We talk about:LeadershipCultureSocial CohesionCommunityTribeTeam DynamicGroup IdentityShared AdversityLiving up to historyCreating the narrativeProximity leadershipArtifactsPrideSpencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. He recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He also served as a Colonel in the California State Guard with assignment to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard as the Director of Urban Warfare Training.Serving over twenty-five years in the active Army as an infantry soldier, Spencer has held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major. His assignments as an Army officer included two combat deployments to Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander, a Ranger Instructor with the Army's Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army's Strategic Studies Group, and Co-Founder, Strategic Planner, and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point.

This Episode of the Podcast was supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation. See http://www.avbstiftung.de/ for more information.   Is the study of urban warfare a science? In this conversation I speak with John W. Spencer, who is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, codirector of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast. The conversation ranges from John's personal experiences leading in war, to his experience on the ground doing research in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, to explanations of many aspects of war. ►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KbRxQ_CGAsU   ►The views expressed in this conversation by John are his own, and he is not acting as a representative of his other affiliations. For more information about John and his work see: https://mwi.usma.edu/staff/john-spencer/ ►Subscribe And Turn On All Notifications To See More: https://www.youtube.com/c/EscapedSapiens?sub_confirmation=1   SOCIAL: ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/EscapedSapiens ► Website: https://www.escapedsapiens.com/ ► Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EscapedSapiens    

Released 21 September, 2022 This podcast explores urban warfare through the lens of modern warfare in  Ukraine. Keywords: Britain, Israel,  Ukraine, urban warfare, modern warfare Episode Transcript: “Urban Warfare”  Stephanie Crider (Host) Decisive Point introduces Conversations on Strategy, a US Army War College Press production featuring distinguished authors and contributors who explore timely issues in national security affairs. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army, the US Army War College, or any other agency of the US government. Conversations on Strategy welcomes John Spencer. Spencer currently serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, codirector of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He served over 25 years in the US Army as an infantry soldier, having held the ranks from private to sergeant first class and second lieutenant to major. He also currently serves as a colonel in the California State Guard, assigned to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard, as the director of urban warfare training. His research focuses on military operations in dense urban areas, megacities, urban, and subterranean warfare. Welcome to Conversations on Strategy, John. I'm glad you're here. (John Spencer) Thanks for having me. Host Let's talk about urban warfare. The US Army War College Press has published several pieces on this topic over the years. On a recent Urban Warfare Project podcast, you note urban warfare is the hardest. Can you elaborate on that? (Spencer) Sure. So I'm pretty adamant out of all the places you could ask military units to try to achieve strategic objectives, the urban operating environment is the hardest. Because, one, the physical terrain, right, which is complicated and hard in all areas—high elevation, you know, deep jungles—but the actual element of the urban physical terrain, the three-dimensional, the surface, subsurface, rooftops, the canalizing effect of the buildings, and the architecture of the city that reduce our military's or any military's ability to do what they want to do, right? So to do maneuver warfare, to use (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance or) ISR and long-range strike capabilities—it doesn't get negated; it gets degraded in the urban environment. So I think it is the hardest because of that complexity of that physical terrain. But, by definition, “urban” means there's people present. By our definition, the US military's definition, “urban” means that there's man-made terrain on top of natural terrain. There's a population, and then there's infrastructure to support that population. So with the presence of civilians in the operating environment in which militaries will be told to achieve objectives, the presence of civilians means that there will be a limit on the use of force. Because of the law of war, the international humanitarian law, (law of armed conflict or) LOAC, the different names that we use for it—since World War II and even all the way before World War II—most people think that in urban fights, like Stalingrad and, for us, Manila and Seoul—that was just a free range. There's always a limit on the use of force. So going into it, it's going to be harder for the military to use their form of warfighting because there's gonna be limits on the use of force. Of course, there's the three-block war, where soldiers and commanders will have to be fighting a peer competitor, at the same time dealing with humanitarian approaches and trying to get civilians out of the battle area, trying to save infrastructure. General (Charles) Krulak called it “the three-block war.” And then, of course, we often, when we envision urban warfare in massive operating environments that are urban, we think the civilians are just a hurdle or a concern to protect them.

Preston and Sayre are joined today with John Spencer–one of the world's leading scholars and experts in the field of urban warfare. He has studied, taught, and written about urban warfare for over a decade. John is the creator of The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender and currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. He recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. This was a great conversation coming from a scholar and warrior with first hand experiences on both fronts as Spencer has one of the most infantry resumes possible. Serving over twenty-five years in the active Army as an infantry soldier, Spencer has held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major. His assignments as an Army officer included two combat deployments to Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander, a Ranger Instructor with the Army's Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army's Strategic Studies Group, and Co-Founder, Strategic Planner, and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. We hope you enjoy.

In this episode, Brock talks with John Spencer. John is considered to be the worlds leading expert on urban warfare. He's written about the subject extensively in publications, a book, and his podcast, The Urban Warfare Project. John talks through some points in his mini manual which serves as a field guide for implementing strategies and tactics in a simple and easy to understand way. We discuss why the future of warfare will primarily be urban and how that plays out in the US military approach overseas, particularly in Ukraine with the events taking place currently. The conversation is closed on the subject of his new book, Connected Soldiers, which is a memoir on social connections in war. You can follow along with John on his personal website, on Twitter, and also preorder Connected Soldiers on Amazon. Whether you're in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don't always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214. Join Tim and Brock as they break down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service. Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/. Follow along with us. • Tim: @Mccaurthor, Youtube • Brock: @BrockHBriggs • Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast • Send us an email: scuttlebuttpod1@gmail.com

On today's episode of Innovation Tech Talks, Managing Editor Corey Noles chats with author and Col. John Spencer on his new book “Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War.” Spencer serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare at West Point and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. Today's episode of Innovation Tech Talks is Brought to you by OMRON | A World Leader in Technology  To learn about all the amazing things OMRON does, visit: https://omronhealthcare.com

John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military related topics. Considered the world's leading expert on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy. Spencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and as host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He also serves as a Colonel in the California State Guard with assignment to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard as the Director of Urban Warfare Training. Serving over twenty-five years in the active Army as an infantry soldier, Spencer has held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major. His assignments as an Army officer included two combat deployments to Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander, a Ranger Instructor with the Army's Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army's Strategic Studies Group, and Co-Founder, Strategic Planner, and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point.In his new book, Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War (July 1, 2022, Potomac Books), Col. Spencer delivers lessons learned about effective methods for building teams in a way that overcomes the distractions of home and the outside world, without reducing the benefits gained from connections to family. Spencer holds a Master of Policy Management from Georgetown University. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, NY Daily News, Wired Magazine, Politico, The Hill, Foreign Policy Magazine, Defense One, Army Magazine, and many other publications. Spencer is also a regular military analyst and commentator for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and numerous news and media organizations. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife and three children. He looks forward to connecting via Twitter@SpencerGuard.

The Russian-Ukraine war had raged for over a month now. I asked urban warfare expert, John Spencer, to come on the show to tell us how he would defend a city from a hostile force. If you are not familiar with John, here are some highlights of his bio: -Award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran -Internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military related topics -Considered the world's leading expert on urban warfare -Advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy -Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum -Recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point -Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast -Served over twenty-five years in the active Army as an infantry soldier, Spencer has held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major -His assignments as an Army officer included two combat deployments to Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander, a Ranger Instructor with the Army's Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army's Strategic Studies Group, and Co-Founder, Strategic Planner, and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. -Spencer holds a Master of Policy Management from Georgetown University -Spencer is also a regular military analyst and commentator for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and numerous news and media organizations -Connect via Twitter @SpencerGuard In this episode, he will talk about :  -The power of small groups -Making yourself invisible -Closing the castle gates -Looking down and digging tunnels -How to keep the enemy out -Using surprise to your advantage as the defender -What is more likely to kill you (it's not bombs or bullets) -And much more… Listen to his Urban Warfare Project podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/urban-warfare-project/id1490714950   As you know, we are focused on the topic of Leadership in the Russian-Ukrainian war. I wrote a book focused on Zelenskyy' leadership and you can find it here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Need-Ammunition-Not-Ride-Volodymyr-ebook/dp/B09VVW3NSV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=6YHOEVZ983NQ&keywords=i+need+ammunition%2C+not+a+ride&qid=1647625321&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C4098&sr=1-1 If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing and tell others who might benefit from this podcast. I would like to hear from you. You can leave a comment below.  I would like to hear if this was useful. Contact me on Twitter or Gettr @daringerdes or leave a video message: https://flipgrid.com/leadersmith  Join our FACEBOOK COMMUNITY and continue the discussion there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/learnleadership/ or Join our LinkedIn community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13966891/ WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR? Reach out with a comment or question: https://forms.gle/fJP6ym4LDxJrKX2c8  

The character of warfare has consistently changed over time, with technology evolving from edged weapons, bows and arrows, gunpowder, and battlefield mechanization, to more advanced technologies today, including long-range precision weapons, robotics, and autonomy. However, warfare remains an intrinsic human endeavor, with varied and profound effects felt by Soldiers on the ground. To explore this experience with those engaged in the tactical fight, we spoke with the following combat veterans, frontline reporters, and military training experts for this episode of The Convergence: Denys Antipov is a Ukrainian war veteran who served as a platoon leader and reconnaissance drone operator with the 81st Airborne Brigade in the Ukrainian Army, defending his homeland and fighting Russian paramilitary groups and anti-government separatists in the Donbas in 2015-2016. Heydar Mirza spent 36 days on the frontline as a war reporter in Terter and Agdere during the 44-day Second Nagorno-Karabakh war during the Fall of 2020. He is currently the program author and host of the weekly RADIUS military analysis program on Azerbaijan Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company – ICTIMAI TV and Caliber.az YouTube channel. Nolan Peterson is Senior Editor at Coffee or Die Magazine and The Daily Signal‘s Ukraine-based foreign correspondent. A former U.S. Air Force special operations pilot and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, he was among the first journalists to embed with Ukrainian forces in combat in eastern Ukraine. In Iraq, he embedded with Kurdish peshmerga forces in operations around Mosul and Sinjar. He has reported from throughout Eastern Europe, France, the U.K., and was onboard the USS George H.W. Bush off the Syrian coast to cover the air war against ISIS. John Spencer is the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He served over twenty-five years in the U.S. Army as an infantry Soldier, with two combat tours in Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander. He has also served as a Ranger Instructor with the Army’s Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group, Strategic Planner and then Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute where he was instrumental in the design and formation of the institute. He has just returned from walking the battlefields of Nagorno-Karabakh, gleaning les

What did we learn about modern war in 2021? What issues defined the most important conversations in defense circles? In this special year-end episode of the MWI Podcast, John Amble speaks to the directors of MWI's four themed projects, each aimed at advancing our understanding of a particular aspect of modern war—the Urban Warfare Project, the Irregular Warfare Initiative, Project 6633, and Shield Notes—along with one of the curators of the Full Spectrum series of articles on cyber and information operations that we published this year. They explain the events that were most significant in the past year, the topics that garnered the most attention, and what they expect for 2022.

Urban warfare continued. Joining us today are experts in subterranean operations and urban operations, and of recent U.S. and Israeli urban combat experience. They focus on specific tactical challenges and best practices in urban operations.     Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org.   Guests:  MAJ(R) John W. Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies, Co-Director, Urban Warfare Project, & Host, Urban Warfare Project podcast, Modern War Institute at West Point Dr. Daphné Richemond-Barak, Assistant Professor, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya and Senior Researcher and Head of the International Law Desk, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT)  Dr. Jeremiah Rozman, National Security Analyst, Association of the United States Army and Israel Defense Forces veteran   Host: COL(Ret) Dan Roper, AUSA's Director of National Security Studies   Resources:   Modern War Institute Web: https://mwi.usma.edu/ Facebook: @ModernWarInstitute Twitter: @WarInstitute LinkedIn: @Modern War Institute at West Point Podcast: Urban Warfare Project   Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya Web: https://www.idc.ac.il/en/schools/government Facebook: @IDC.Herzliya Twitter: @Idc LinkedIn: @IDC Herzliya   International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT)  Web: https://www.ict.org.il/Home Facbook: @ICT.org.il Twitter: @ICT_org LinkedIn: @International Institute for Counter Terrorism

Urban warfare. What should the U.S. Army prepare for? Today we welcome thought leaders on urban operations from the DoD and Army to discuss the strategic importance of urban environments and how the U.S. Army trains, organizes and equips the force for this complex operating environment. Recommendations for future topics are welcome via email at podcast@ausa.org. Guests:  MAJ(R) John W. Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies, Co-Director, Urban Warfare Project, & Host, Urban Warfare Project podcast, Modern War Institute at West Point Dr. Russell W. Glenn, Director, Plans and Policy, G-2, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command COL(R) Patrick J. Mahaney, Jr., Senior Advisor, DoD National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), co-founder and Director, National Center for Urban Operations, & Senior Mentor, Army Dense Urban Studies Strategic Broadening Seminar  Host: COL(Ret) Dan Roper, AUSA's Director of National Security Studies   Resources:   Modern War Institute Web: https://mwi.usma.edu/ Facebook: @ModernWarInstitute Twitter: @WarInstitute LinkedIn: @Modern War Institute at West Point Podcast: Urban Warfare Project   U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Web: https://www.tradoc.army.mil/ Facebook: @USArmyTRADOC Twitter: @TRADOC LinkedIn: @US Army TRADOC   National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) Web: https://www.nsin.us/ Facebook: @NSINus Twitter: @NSIN_us LinkedIn: @NSIN – National Security Innovation Network   National Center for Urban Operations Web: https://ncuo.net/ LinkedIn: @National Center for Urban Operations

Maj. (ret) John W. Spencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, NY and Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project. He's instrumental in the design and formation of the institute and a prolific writer specializing in how increased urbanization affects military operations, planning, and... thinking. Find him on Twitter @SpencerGuard. Get bonus content on Patreon Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.