Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) based out of Djibouti is playing the long game with the nations of east Africa, our allies, governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and other concerned parties to not only help build a better future for the nations in that corner of the continent, but to ensure the security of the American homeland. Our guest to discuss their role and more will be Major General Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., United States Army - Commander CJTF-HOA....
Feb 08, 2015•32 min
For those who have seen the Great Carrier Debate between Jerry Hendrix and Bryan McGrath, one thing was clear - both gentlemen had only scratched the surface of their thoughts on the topic. At about the same time, the concept of "distributed lethality" had seeped its way in to the conversation. To examine both topics and to review the national security issues you should expect to see in 2015 will be returning guest, Bryan McGrath. Bryan McGrath is the founding Managing Director of The FerryBridg...
Feb 01, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Well inside an officer's career arch, we saw the American Navy move from the Great White Fleet, The Spanish American War to the age of the Dreadnought. Our Army, from ad-hoc volunteer units to a professional army going head-to-head with the finest professional army on the planet. How did our military and our Navy build up to WWI, and how did that experience inform the evolution of our national defense infrastructure. Our guest for the full hour will be Dr. John T. Kuehn , the General William Sto...
Jan 25, 2015•1 hr 10 min
The War Between the States, the American Civil War - whichever description you prefer - this crucible on which our nation was re-formed has legion of books, movies, and rhetoric dedicated to it. Most of the history that people know involves the war on land, but what of the war at sea? What are details behind some of the major Naval leaders of both sides that are the least known, but are the most interesting? What challenges and accomplishments were made by the belligerents in their navies, and h...
Jan 18, 2015•1 hr
Recently, when one hears of disease and Africa, if you only listened to the media, then what would come to mind would be Ebola. That is not the real challenge in Africa. There is a disease that not only kills, it impedes economic growth, interferes with good governance, and as a result is just another catalyst to conflict there and in South Asia. To give a better understanding of the ongoing impact of malaria and the fight against it, our guest will be Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, USN (Ret.) Rear Ad...
Jan 11, 2015•1 hr 4 min
This Sunday join EagleOne and myself for our 5th Anniversary Show. No guests, no agendas - just us talking about what 2014 had to teach us, and looking towards what 2015 may have in store for everyone in the national security arena. This is a great time if you ever wanted to call in to ask either one of us a question on a topic you wish we would address ... or just to say "hi." Just be warned, we might ask you a question back. It's what we do.
Jan 04, 2015•1 hr 3 min
What is real, and what is a mirage? Can something be a cost effective strategic option, or a fool's errand? As outlined by our guests U.S. Naval War College Associate Professors James R. Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara in their latest work in the periodical Asian Security: An Ocean Too Far: Offshore Balancing in the Indian Ocean; the United States is beset by war weariness after over a decade of war and a half century plus of global commitments. It is seductive to think of retiring from continental E...
Dec 28, 2014•59 min
The Islamic State, ISIL/ISIS/Daesh - whatever people may call them - are not a flash in the pan. Not quite insurgency, not quiet terrorist organization, not quite nation state - what they are is a presence that has resilience, trans-national support, and has a long range plan. What is their background, how have they evolved, and how do they view the world? Our guest for the full hour to discuss this and more will be Craig Whiteside, LTC USA (Ret.), Associate Professor of Theater Security Decisio...
Dec 21, 2014•1 hr 7 min
With the coming of the new year, some things have not changes and the old challenges are still with us; most waxing - only a few waning. This Sunday we have returning guest Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., Major General, USAF (Ret.), Professor of the Practice of Law, and Executive Director, Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke University. We will cover the board spectrum of the evolution of Counter Insurgency, warfare in the cyber domain, and the ever-present impact of law on the conduct o...
Dec 14, 2014•1 hr 8 min
He is quoted often, correctly and incorrectly, but few have actually read his works in full - and even fewer know much about the man himself, Major General Carl von Clausewitz, Kingdom of Prussia. Out guest for the full hour will be Donald Stoker, author of the new book, Clausewitz: His Life and Work. Stoker is a Professor of Strategy and Policy for the U.S. Naval War College's program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His previous book, The Grand Design: Strategy and the...
Dec 07, 2014•1 hr 1 min
The US Civil War saw innovation and concepts that echoed in every naval war since - and teaches the lessons of innovation. This Sunday's show will focus on that part - the role of both the United States and Confederate States Navy in this great conflict. Our guest for the first hour is author, lecturer, and Civil War expert William Connery. For the second half of the show we will have Matthew Eng, an Educator at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.
Nov 30, 2014•1 hr
How do we build the future surface fleet to ensure our forces maintain the ability to access to all regions of the world's oceans that our vital to our national interests? Our guest to discuss this and the broader issues related to our surface forces will be Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow at Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). A basis for our conversation will be his recent study for CSBA, Commanding the Seas: A Plan to reinvigorate U.S. Navy Surface Warfare, where he articulates ...
Nov 23, 2014•1 hr 4 min
13 years in to a the long war, what have re relearned, mastered, forgotten, and retained for future use? What have we learned about ourselves, the nature of our latest enemy, and the role of our nation? What have those who have served learned about their nation, their world, and themselves? Iraq, Afghanistan, the Islamic State, and the ever changing global national security ecosystem, how are we now, and where are we going? Our guest for the full hour to discuss this and more will be returning g...
Nov 16, 2014•1 hr 4 min
What is the proper fleet structure for the USN as we design our Navy that will serve its nation in mid-Century? Join us for a broad ranging discussion on this topic and more with returning guest, Henry J. Hendrix, Jr, CAPT USN (Ret.), PhD. Fresh off his recent retirement from active duty, Jerry is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). A Naval Flight Officer by training, his staff assignments include to...
Nov 09, 2014•1 hr 7 min
Where do senior uniformed leaders draw the line between acknowledging the primacy of civilian leadership to make policy, and maintaining enough distance from the politics to retain their independence of the politics and the politicians? Is there a point where someone can pass from being a "good soldier" to simply becoming a useful tool of ambitious politicians. Our guest this Sunday to discuss this and more will be J.D. Gordon, CDR USN (Ret.) We will be using his latest article, "Obama's top mil...
Nov 02, 2014•1 hr 1 min
A special time and format this week with two different topics and guests. Moving for just this week to a 6:30pm Eastern start time, our guest for the first 30-minutes will be Lieutenant Ben Kohlmann, USN – Founder of Disruptive Thinkers, F/A-18 pilot, member of the CNO’s Rapid Innovation Cell, and Co-Founder Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. He will be on to give us an overview of DEF2014 that ends this weekend. For the following hour our, guest will be Major Carl "Skin" Forsling, USMC. He will be on...
Oct 26, 2014•1 hr 32 min
Believe it or not, this week is our 250th Episode of Midrats. In celebration, we're clearing the intellectual table, going to open the mic and see where it takes us. From Kobane, to Coastal Defense, to Ebola and everything in between and sideways that's been in the national security news as of late, plus whatever else breaks above the ambient noise - we'll be covering it. As with all Midrats Free For Alls, we are also opening the phone lines for our regular listeners who want to throw a topic ou...
Oct 19, 2014•1 hr 31 min
A great episode from 2.5 years ago. The last decade has brought two aspects of the law and its interaction with the U.S. military in to sharp focus: first "Lawfare" in the application of force overseas, and second the proper constitutional role of the U.S. military internal to the United States and towards its civilian population. What has changed, where do we stand today, and where are are we headed? Our guest will be Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., Major General, USAF (Ret.), the Executive Director, C...
Oct 12, 2014•1 hr
Power projection, sea control, access denial, and the ability to impose your will on the enemy from the sea; or depending on your perspective, prevent them from doing the same. If the comparative advantage of American military power includes the use of the world's oceans as a basing area from projecting power and national will, how can other nations design systems and tactics to trump that advantage? What are in place now, and what can we expect to see in the near future? Our guest for the full ...
Oct 05, 2014•1 hr 11 min
A pre-recorded best of with three of the authors we interviewed James S. Robbins, Senior Editorial Writer for Foreign Affairs at the Washington Times on his book, "This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive." David Sears' book on Navy Air in the Korean war with, "Such Men as These." United States Naval Academy Professor Bruce Fleming's new book on one part of the culture battle, "Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide: What Each Side Must Know About the Other - And About Itself."
Sep 28, 2014•1 hr 15 min
As we once again face the promise of a conflict with a limited mission and a strangely ill-defined Strategic and Operational design - what do we need to keep in mind not just from recent history, but the longer term record? History shows us that military and political leaders either over or under appreciate changing technology, outmoded doctrine, and the imperfect correlation between past experience and present requirements. From the national psyche to stockpiled war reserves - what happens when...
Sep 21, 2014•1 hr 6 min
In a time of budgetary pressure, a shrinking fleet, and an ongoing discussion of their relevance, how are we keeping out legacy Aircraft Carrier's in shape for the regular demands for extended deployments while at the same time bringing the new FORD Class CVN online? What are some of the lessons we have learned in our decades of operating nuclear powered aircraft carriers that we are bring forward to serve the Fleet in the coming decades so we always have an answer to the question, "Where are th...
Sep 14, 2014•1 hr 2 min
If you fell asleep on Memorial Day and woke up on Labor Day, your head is probably swimming. The situation in the Muslim world from Libya to the Iranian border has turned in to some strange chaos if you have not been paying attention - but when you look at the details and trendlines, the logic is a lot clearer. The long war has not gone anywhere, like a field untended, the weeds have returned and are prospering. To help us understand developments over the summer, coming back to Midrats for the f...
Sep 07, 2014•1 hr 3 min
A best of this weekend from last year when now Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work was between jobs. When one hangs up the uniform after decades of service, but still wants to contribute to their nations national security needs, what paths can that take and what are the keys to success? In a budgetary challenge not seen by the US military in two decades, what are the important "must haves" that need to be kept at full strength, and what "nice to haves" may have to be put in to the side? What ar...
Aug 31, 2014•1 hr
A hundred years on, in 2014 what insights can we gain from the war that started 100 years ago in August of 2014? What are some of the lessons we need to remember in all four levers of national power; diplomatic, informational, military, and economic - in order to help steer our future course as a nation, and to better understand developing events? Using his article in The National Interest, World War I: Five Ways Germany Could Have Won the First Battle of the Atlantic as a starting point for an ...
Aug 24, 2014•1 hr 3 min
How does policy shape, limit, or empower the effectiveness of command at the unit level? Which policies are a net positive, and which ones are counter productive? Are there things we can do to better balance larger Navy goals with the requirement to give leaders the room they need to be effective leaders? In times of austere budgets, can you both reduce end-strength while at the same time retain your best personnel? Are we a learning institution that can adjust policy that answers the bell from ...
Aug 17, 2014•1 hr 3 min
The large standing Army and active duty military we have known in our lifetime may seem the norm - but it isn't. Is there a way to maintain a strong military capability - available and scaleable if needed - without the structure we have become accustomed to? Is there a better way to balance our Reserve and National Guard forces that is better in line with our economic, national security, and yes - Constitutional requirements? Join us with our guest, General Ron Fogleman, USAF (Ret) for the full ...
Aug 10, 2014•53 min
I want to return to our first Midrats from this year to keep the focus one more week on the eastern part of Africa with a returning guest Alex Martin who will give us a first hand report from a personal and professional perspective. Alex graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and went on to lead infantry, reconnaissance and special operations units in multiple combat deployments. Upon leaving active duty, Alex started a private maritime security company that served commercial shi...
Aug 03, 2014•56 min
A special time this week, 2pm Eastern, in order to have a reasonable time for our guest on the other side of the world. This week we are going to visit an AOR that may have dropped of a lot of people's scan, but in the Long War - it is still the front lines; the Horn of Africa. Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the waters around the Arabian Peninsular - from terrorism to piracy - America and her allies and partners are at work every day to keep the beast over there, and not here. Our guest ...
Jul 27, 2014•1 hr 2 min
When it comes to all things maritime, sometimes one Sal is not enough. Whatever confession of maritime strategy you adhere to, there is one linchpin that all will survive or fail on - the Military Sealift Command. Our guest for the full hour to discuss the entire spectrum of issues with the MSC will be Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History at Campbell University. Sal is a 1989 graduate of SUNY Maritime College, with a BS in Marine Transportation. He sailed on the USNS N...
Jul 20, 2014•1 hr 5 min
