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Modern War Institute

Modern War Institute at West Pointmwi.usma.edu
The Modern War Institute Podcast, produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974, is the flagship podcast of the Modern War Institute at West Point. It features discussions with guests including senior military leaders, scholars, and others on the most important issues related to modern military conflict.
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Episodes

Ep. 68 – Deterrence and Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century, with ret. Gen. Bob Kehler

This episode features a conversation with retired US Air Force Gen. Kehler, who finished his military career as commander of US Strategic Command, which oversees America's strategic nuclear arsenal. He talks about how deterrence has changed since the Cold War, and what role he sees for nuclear weapons in the face of new global security challenges.

Jan 10, 201925 min

Ep. 67 – The World Order Under Threat

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Hal Brands, who explains the challenges to the longstanding US-led world order. In a world that looks to most observers like a dynamic and tumultuous place, there are drivers of change that can be identified and patterns to be discerned.

Dec 28, 201828 min

Ep. 66 – How Will Technology Change Future Wars?

In this episode, John Amble is joined by retired Maj. Gen. David Fastabend and Mr. Ian Sullivan. Both have been heavily involved with initiatives to conceptualize the future of warfare for the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, where Sullivan is the assistant G-2 for ISR and futures. They talk through a range of emerging and future technologies and how they will impact the way we fight the wars of tomorrow.

Dec 14, 20181 hr 1 min

Ep. 65 – Dr. Graham Allison: "Are We Destined for War with China?"

In this episode, MWI's Capt. Jake Miraldi speaks to Dr. Graham Allison, author of the book "Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?" In this fascinating conversation, Dr. Allison examines the critical factors that will determine whether war with a rising China will ultimately break out.

Nov 28, 201828 min

Ep. 64 – War Goes to the City, with David Kilcullen

This is a sneak peek at the newest podcast series we're launching at the Modern War Institute: the Urban Warfare Project podcast. Each episode will seek to better understand the challenges cities pose to military forces and examine the ways we can better prepare for them. In this first episode, John Spencer, MWI's Chair of Urban Warfare Studies, speaks to Dr. David Kilcullen, an author, strategist, and former Australian Army officer.

Nov 14, 201850 min

Ep. 63 – Twitter Battles and Facebook Wars, with PW Singer

PW Singer, co-author of the new book LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media , joins for this episode of the MWI Podcast. He explains how a convergence of advancements in web-enabled connectivity and the ongoing evolution of the character of war have brought us to where we are today, with social media tools becoming powerful weapons, as well as battlefields themselves.

Oct 31, 201836 min

Ep. 62 - AI, Robots, and the Future of War

In this episode, MWI's John Amble talks to US Air Force Lt. Col. Jen Snow of USSOCOM's SOFWERX and author and futurist Dr. James Canton. From robotics to AI to autonomy and more, the guests explore what war is most likely to look like in the future—and explain how vital it is for US warfighters to be kept ahead of ever-quickening technological trends.

Oct 16, 201835 min

Ep. 61 – Iraq and Afghanistan Through the Eyes of the Men and Women That Fought There

CJ Chivers, award-winning New York Times journalist and best-selling author, joins for this episode to discuss his new book, The Fighters . In it, Chivers seeks to tell the story of America's post-9/11 wars not from a policy or strategy level, but from the perspective of the junior officers, noncommissioned officers, and soldiers who fought them.

Oct 03, 201827 min

Ep. 60 – The Brain and the Battlefield

In this episode of the MWI Podcast , Maj. Jake Miraldi talks to Dr. Charles Morgan, a forensic psychologist whose work has helped us better understand the nature of stress and psychological responses to it on the battlefield. Dr. Morgan engages with a range of important questions about neurobiology and the unique stress of combat.

Sep 20, 201843 min

Ep. 59 – Turning Soldiers into Warriors, with Matt Larsen

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with Matt Larsen, known in many corners of the Army as the father of the modern combatives. He explains why he thinks combatives training is so important, but he also talks a lot about the notion of a warrior ethos—what it is and why, as he argues, it’s something that needs to exist throughout the entire Army, not just in infantry or other combat arms units.

Sep 05, 201833 min

Ep. 58 – Syria, Ukraine, and the Danger of Forgetting Counterinsurgency, with Max Boot

In this episode of the MWI Podcast we talk to historian and bestselling author Max Boot. He gives his assessment of the current situation in Syria and Ukraine, warns of the dangers of repeating mistakes the US military made after the Vietnam War, and describes what he sees as fundamental threats to the US-led international order.

Aug 23, 201829 min

Ep. 57 – Better Analysts, Humans or Machines?

In the era of big data, the minds of human analysts are no match for the processing power of computers fed with terabytes of data and armed with powerful algorithms. But MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Nicholas Krohley argues in this episode that, far from obviating the need for those human analysts, the incorporation of more and more data into military and intelligence analysis makes human judgment more important than ever.

Aug 07, 201833 min

Ep. 56 – War and the Human Brain, with Dr. James Giordano

In this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast, MWI editorial director John Amble speaks to Dr. James Giordano, the Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program at Georgetown University and Scholar-in-Residence in the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics. Dr. Giordano discusses the rapid pace of advancement in neuroscience and neurotechnology—and what that advancement means for the future of war.

Jul 24, 20181 hr 2 min

Ep. 55 – The Future Urban Battlefield, with Dr. Russell Glenn

In this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast, MWI editorial director John Amble speaks to Dr. Russell Glenn, a senior adviser for plans and policy to the deputy chief of staff, G-2, of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command. Dr. Glenn has spent nearly 25 years studying the city as a battlefield. During this conversation, he discusses the challenges it poses and what the US military should be doing to prepare to operate effectively in dense urban in the future.

Jul 05, 201841 min

Ep. 54 – Blood, Treasure, and the Decision to Go to War

In this episode of the MWI Podcast , Jake Miraldi speaks to Cornell University associate professor and MWI adjunct scholar Dr. Sarah Kreps about her research on how countries go to war, especially democracies where the expenditure of blood and treasure impacts public support for military operations.

Jun 19, 201826 min

Ep. 53 – The Middle East, Russia, and Beyond: A Conversation with Ambassador Doug Lute

In this episode, MWI's Maj. Jake Miraldi speaks with Ambassador Doug Lute. A retired US Army lieutenant general, Lute held key posts in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, including helping to oversee wartime strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, as US ambassador to NATO, he witnessed another set global security challenges. He shares insights on a range of such challenges in this wide-ranging discussion.

Jun 07, 201833 min

Ep. 52 – Human 2.0, with Dr. Amy Kruse

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Amy Kruse, chief scientific officer at the Platypus Institute. She discusses "Human 2.0," a concept she describes a vision of where humans are headed in terms of cognitive performance. She also describes how this concept overlays on what we know about the cognitive demands of war.

May 22, 201823 min

Ep. 51 – The Future Autonomous War, with Paul Scharre

Paul Scharre is the author of Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War . In this episode, he talks about the state of development of artificial intelligence and autonomy, and how it and future advancements will change the way in which we fight wars.

May 08, 201836 min

Ep. 49 – The American Citizens Who Went to Fight Against ISIS

In this episode, we talk to Joseph Young and Jason Fritz of American University's School of Public Affairs about a phenomenon they've been studying: private Americans who traveled to the Middle East to fight ISIS. They interviewed many of these individuals, and they share what they learned about them and why they chose to go and fight in Iraq and Syria.

Apr 11, 201832 min

Ep. 48 – China and its Quest for Enhanced Military Technology

In this episode, we speak to Elsa Kania, whose research is at the forefront of efforts to better understand the way China approaches innovation and military technology. From artificial intelligence to automation to railgun technology, we discuss Chinese technological priorities and how they overlay on its strategic objectives.

Mar 29, 201831 min

Ep. 47 – The Army's Future, with Secretary of the Army Mark Esper

Secretary of the Army Mark Esper has an important set of priorities for the Army. In this episode of the MWI Podcast, he discusses those priorities, and explains how his experience as an Army officer on active duty and in the reserve components informs the perspective he brings to his job as the senior civilian overseeing the US military's largest branch.

Mar 14, 201823 min

Ep. 46 – What is Virtual War?

In this episode, retired US Army Col. Steve Banach talks about "virtual war," which he argues is transforming the way conflict plays out. He discusses the hallmarks of the concept, and explains why it requires us to fundamentally rethink the mental models we use to understand war.

Feb 28, 201834 min

Ep. 45 – The Battle for Mosul, with Col. Pat Work

Last summer, Iraq's prime minister declared victory in the long battle to retake Mosul from ISIS. The Iraqi security forces who fought there did so with the help of a US brigade commanded by Col. Pat Work. In this episode, he talks about the battle, what he learned from it, and how it should inform the way we fight in the future.

Feb 13, 201840 min

Ep. 44 – Technology and the Future of Warfare

In this episode, John Amble is joined by retired Maj. Gen. David Fastabend and Mr. Ian Sullivan. Both have been heavily involved with initiatives to conceptualize the future of warfare for the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, where Sullivan is the assistant G-2 for ISR and futures. They talk through a range of emerging and future technologies and how they will impact the way we fight the wars of tomorrow.

Feb 01, 20181 hr 1 min

Ep. 43 – Writing on War, with Journalist and Best-selling Author Sean Naylor

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, we talk to Sean Naylor, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Not a Good Day to Die and Relentless Strike . The conversation covers everything from the reporter's role in war zones to the sometimes tricky aspects of writing about security, intelligence, and secretive military organizations.

Jan 17, 201839 min

Ep. 41 – "Are We Destined for War with China?" – Dr. Graham Allison

In this episode, MWI's Capt. Jake Miraldi speaks to Dr. Graham Allison, author of the book "Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?" In this fascinating conversation, Dr. Allison examines the critical factors that will determine whether war with a rising China will ultimately break out.

Dec 20, 201728 min

Ep. 40 – The Future Multi-Domain Battlespace, with Gen. David Perkins

In this episode, Gen. David Perkins, commander of US Army Training and Doctrine Command, joins to talk about Multi-Domain Battle, the new concept by which the military will fight its future wars, deploying power dynamically across multiple domains: air, land, and sea, but also space, and cyberspace.

Dec 05, 201731 min

Ep. 39 – Surveying the Threat Landscape, with Gen. David Petraeus

Gen. David Petraeus had a remarkable military career—including commanding the 101st Airborne Division at the beginning of the Iraq War and later commanding all forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as commander of CENTCOM and, after retiring from the Army, as director of the CIA. In this conversation, he assesses the global operating environment and the trends that will define the future threat landscape.

Nov 21, 201736 min
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