Before you decide to volunteer for the Ukraine Foreign Legion, listen to our conversation with Marine veteran and experienced overseas contractor Tim Lynch about what you need to know before making that commitment. There's more at stake than you might realize... --- This Episode is brought to you by Tekto Gear. TEKTO Gear is giving 15% off the entire purchase. Go to Tektogear.com and use discount code, Stripes.
Apr 07, 2022•20 min
The Russian perspective on the war in Ukraine, the Russian army in urban warfare, and can Putin survive a failed invasion? GUESTS Dr. Rita Konaev is an Associate Director of analysis at the Center for Security and Emergent Technology. Twitter: @RitaKonaev Dr. Golfo Alexopoulos, professor at the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies at USF and director of the USF Institute on Russia. Twitter: @GolfoAlexopoulo
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Military Matters hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy talk about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to the U.S. Congress, war tourists, and do YOU think Zelenskyy should have worn a suit? Send your comments to militarymatters@stripes.com or find us on Twitter @stripesmmpod
Mar 24, 2022•17 min
Tanks, Spetsnaz, "Little Green Men" and information warfare. Jack Murphy takes us beyond the headlines and into Russia's military, strategy, and how they envision victory. This is part two of our Future War series on Russia. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.
Mar 17, 2022•48 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Military Matters hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss last week's episode on the Russia/Ukraine crises. How the collapse of the Soviet Union has everything to do with this war, Putin's slipping power, and whether nukes could play a role in this. Subscribe today. Part 2 of our Future War Series on Russia coming soon!
Mar 10, 2022•17 min
The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has sent shockwaves throughout the world resulting in the highest tensions between the East and the West since the Cold War. Russia analyst Nick Trickett and former Russian FSB Officer Jan Neumann explain how Russia got to this point, what this war could mean for Russia's leader Vladimir Putin, and what could happen next. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
Mar 01, 2022•49 min•Season 5Ep. 1
This is our final ICYMI before we kick of season 5! Former U.S. Special Forces service member and current intelligence professional shares an insider's view of the Taliban's takeover of the country, the chaos at the US embassy, and how it all went so wrong. Follow Military Matters on Twitter and Facebook
Feb 24, 2022•42 min
The recent deaths of Army Delta Force member William J. Lavigne and Army Veteran Timothy Dumas are being investigated as homicides. Their deaths have brought attention back to another fatal shooting Lavigne was involved in, the shooting of his best friend and Special Forces soldier Mark Leshikar. Jack Murphy takes us into the life and death of Mark Leshikar. We talk with his sister and widow, uncovering details never before revealed about this mysterious case. Missing evidence, redacted reports,...
Feb 17, 2022•56 min
We are revisiting our Qanon episode, in which we explored the murky world of QAnon, the far-right conspiracy theory that falsely claims President Donald Trump is fighting a shadowy cabal of Satanist pedophiles. To find out how child pedophilia rings, Pizzagate, and the existence of a deep state made their way into the mainstream consciousness, and also to learn about the conspiracy theory’s links to the military and veteran community, we talk with QAnon Anonymous podcast co-host and Washington P...
Feb 10, 2022•29 min
The story of Vanessa Guillen rocked the military and lead to drastic changes not only at Fort Hood but throughout the DOD. The passing of the Vanessa Guillen bill was one of those major changes that came out of this tragedy. Stars and Stripes reporter Rose Thayer walks us through what the Vanessa Guillen bill is and an update to the Vanessa Guillen case. Then we're revisiting our Season 2 episode, "What Really Happened to Vanessa Guillen?" Email us at militarymatters@stripes.com and follow us on...
Feb 03, 2022•45 min
It's our season 4 wrap-up! Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the stories covered this season from the Afghan evacuation to our "woke" military story. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and send us your thoughts and story suggestions to militarymatters@stripes.com
Jan 13, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Mick Mulroy is a former CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for the Middle East. In this interview with Jack Murphy, Mick discusses the CIA's efforts to rescue Afghan allies as the Taliban reseized the country and why it was so important to the agency to do so.
Jan 06, 2022•29 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Retired Special Forces officer Scott Mann shares the incredible story of veterans helping their Afghan partners find their way out of Afghanistan as the Taliban retake the country. These veterans accomplished this harrowing task from their kitchens, cars, and front rooms! Find out how in this episode of Military Matters! For more information on Task Force Pineapple go to www.taskforcepinapple.org Also, check out SOFcast's episode "Reflecting on 9/11 and Afghanistan" , available everywhere you li...
Dec 30, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss last week's episode about the broken State Department visa program that foreshadowed the debacle that was their NEO operation. Also, the Tim Kennedy situation and why did the military need civilians to do their job for them? Share your ideas or hit us up with a tip at MilitaryMatters@Stripes.com.
Dec 16, 2021•33 min
With the Taliban now in control and U.S. forces withdrawing, Afghans desperate to find a way out turned to U.S. veterans they had served alongside for help. Some of those veterans heeded their call and went to their rescue. Save Our Allies Coalition's Chad Robichaux, Nick Palmisciano, and The Diplomat's Catherine Putz take us into the story of a broken immigrant visa program, a high stakes rescue mission, and the tragic story of how busloads of orphans were left behind......
Dec 09, 2021•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 9
In order to tell the next story about the recent Afghan evacuations, we need a little more production time, so we won't have a new episode for you this week. In the meantime, I highly recommend you check out our previous episodes The Battle for Kunduz and its accompanying Fast Take: Kabul Embassy, the Taliban, and the Fall of Afghanistan . Thank you for your patience!...
Dec 02, 2021•2 min
Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez discuss what Great Power Competition or GPC means to the military outside of SOF and why this will matter to you! Follow us on Twitter @stripesmmpod or send us your feedback to militarymatters@stripes.com
Nov 16, 2021•21 min
The withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan has signaled a new era in military operations and presence, but we aren't alone. "Great Power Competition" or GPC isn't just some new set of buzzwords, it's a shift in how the DOD will do business in a world of near-peer adversaries. What does GPC mean for today's military? How will it affect SOF operations? What will tomorrow's war really look like?
Nov 09, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy talk about the listeners' ghost stories from last episode, talk about their own experiences with the supernatural, and we share three more stories from our listeners! From lights in the sky to deadly phantoms! Subscribe today!
Oct 28, 2021•32 min
It's that time again for another Haunted Military Matters! In this episode, we bring you three real ghost stories from our listeners. From roaming spirits of Japan to a ghostly melody from beyond the veil, listen if you dare... Follow Military Matters on Twitter @stripesmmpod and visit stripes.com for your daily dose of news!
Oct 21, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Military Matters hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the previous episode, an interview with Dr. Eric Kurlander about the Nazi fascination with the occult. Could the desire to live in a fantasy world happen again? Subscribe today and share this podcast!
Oct 12, 2021•26 min
What do vampires, werewolves and Nazis have in common? Jack Murphy talks with Dr. Eric Kurlander, author of "Hitler's Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich" about the Nazi obsession with the occult and how Hitler convinced a country to abandon science for the allure of mysticism. Subscribe today and never miss an episode!
Sep 30, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the three-part Future War: China series and how the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan might have changed the game. Does this generation have what it takes to take on a near-peer adversary like China? How will cyberwarfare play into this? All that and more on this Fast Take.
Sep 21, 2021•47 min
We return to the third of our three-part future war series on China. Jack Murphy talks with Roger Cliff, a research professor of Indo-Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Army War College and the author of "China's Military Power: Assessing Current and Future Capabilities." You can find Cliff's book on Amazon and everywhere you purchase books. Follow Military Matters on Twitter @stripesmmpod
Sep 14, 2021•51 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Former U.S. Special Forces service member and current intelligence professional, Daniel, was recently evacuated from Afghanistan. Daniel shares an insider's view of the Taliban's take-over of the country, the chaos at the US embassy, and how it all went so wrong. Follow Military Matters on Twitter and Facebook You can follow Rod Rodriguez on Twitter @rodpodrod and Jack Murphy at @jackmurphyrgr
Aug 31, 2021•40 min
Jack Murphy brings us the story of the battle to save Kunduz from the Taliban and why a Doctors Without Borders hospital was destroyed. Jack talks with Special Forces Medical Sgt. Joshua Middleton about the heroic efforts of the Afghan Commandos and the dismal failures of the Afghan National Army that were the precursor to the recent fall of the Afghan government back into the hands of the Taliban. This story was inspired by the book "Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War"...
Aug 24, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the recent events of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. There are some serious tie-ins to any future war with China that can't be ignored. What does a victory over China look like? Is Taiwan the next Iraq or Afghanistan? Follow us on Twitter at @stripesmmpod and shoot us an email at militarymatters@stripes.com
Aug 17, 2021•36 min
This is part 2 of 3 in our Future War series on China. Jack Murphy and the co-author of "Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer," Matthew Brazil, tackle the topic of Chinese spies and how the winner of a future war could be determined by our respective nations' spymasters. You can follow Matthew Brazil on Twitter @matthew_brazil
Aug 10, 2021•46 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez dive a little deeper into last week's episode on the rise of China. Check out "Future War: The Rise of China and US National Security implications". Leave us a comment on social media! Like, Listen, Subscribe, and Share!
Aug 03, 2021•29 min
In our first of three episodes on China, Jack Murphy and our guest, former CIA analyst and China expert Gail Helt, discuss how today's China came to be, why Taiwan is so important, and how the coming years of relations with China will decide whether or not we go to war. Follow Gail Helt on Twitter @ghelt and Miltary Matters @stripesmmpod Email us with you questions or comments at militarymatters@stripes.com
Jul 27, 2021•54 min•Season 4Ep. 2
