Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative, joins the show to talk about the state of U.S. deterrence of Russia, Iran, and China—and what Washington could be doing better. ▪️ Times • 01:42 Introduction • 02:18 Conventional and strategic deterrence • 04:06 A failure of strategic deterrence • 09:38 Integrated deterrence • 13:33 Putin is committed to the bit • 15:36 If Russia wins, what’s it to the US? • 19:16 Options if Russia uses...
Mar 05, 2024•44 min
Paul Scharre, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at CNAS and author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, joins the show to talk about how AI will change the battlefield. ▪️ Times • 01:38 Introduction • 01:54 Becoming a Ranger • 03:48 A defining moment • 07:25 A historical parallel for AI • 11:16 Hardware • 14:10 “Taiwan is the Saudi Arabia of chips” • 16:20 Military applications • 19:37 Battle damage assessment and AI tracking • 22:50 Autonomous weapo...
Feb 27, 2024•50 min
Prit Buttar, historian and author of To Besiege a City: Leningrad 1941–42, joins the show to talk about the siege of Leningrad and about the nature of war on the Eastern Front. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 02:10 A familiar story • 06:09 Themes of the Eastern Front • 13:19 From Tsar to Stalin to Putin • 11:10 Barbarosa • 19:45 An immense scale • 27:29 Doctrinal failure • 33:17 Inside the Russian mindset • 37:21 The myth of the “Clean Wehrmacht” • 40:20 The siege • 49:15 Who stays? • 51:18 How ...
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Thomas Mahnken, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, joins the show to talk about net assessment and the future of war. ▪️ Times • 01:39 Introduction • 02:02 An interesting journey • 03:33 The Office of Net Assessment • 09:49 A tool, not a solution • 13:19 Both quantity and quality matter • 15:05 Soviet thinking • 19:20 Leveraging insight • 23:11 Potential outcomes • 28:35 “The Houthis have friends.” • 33:19 Danger and opportunity • 37:20 T...
Feb 13, 2024•47 min
John Noonan, senior advisor at POLARIS National Security, joins the show to talk about all things nuclear; the life of a missileer, the current U.S. arsenal and its production problems, the strategy of deterrence, and how Congressional oversight helps/hinders good government. ▪️ Times • 01:34 Introduction • 02:04 VMI and the Air Force • 05:13 Missileers • 11:25 Targets of significance • 16:33 Atrophy • 22:18 Production problems • 27:46 Congressional oversight • 34:30 An unfocused military • 44:1...
Feb 06, 2024•55 min
Donald L. Miller, historian and author of Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, the book behind Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, joins the show to talk about the air war over Europe during WWII. ▪️ Times • 01 :41 Introduction • 02:12 Growing up “surrounded by the war” • 15:35 Both sides are losing • 25:23 Highest percentage of casualties • 34:36 Mass vs mass • 37:20 A new battlefield • 42:49 “Almost nothing held up.” • 44:46 Robert Rosenthal • 48:5...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 11 min
John Orloff, creator, writer and co-executive producer of Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, joins Aaron to talk about the new show highlighting the WWII experiences of the men of the 100th Bomb Group, a part of the 8th Air Force’s strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Masters of the Air streams January 26th only on Apple TV+. ▪️ Times 02:25 Introduction 03:00 Getting started 05:45 Band of Brothers 12:56 Finding the story 19:44 Masters of the Air 24:37 Core characters 30:12 Group level 32:11 Infl...
Jan 23, 2024•52 min
John McManus, author of To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945 and host of the We Have Ways of Making You Talk in the USA podcast, joins the show to talk about why the U.S. Army’s war in the Pacific during WWII merit deeper study and recognition. ▪️ Times • 02:12 Introduction • 03:57 Lessons to be learned • 05:32 The Army from Pearl to Tokyo • 08:50 Winds of change • 14:07 Europe first • 21:16 Taiwan or the Philippines? • 27:55 Battleground Manila • 30:48 Bleeding t...
Jan 16, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Dmitry Filipoff, head of online content at the Center for International Maritime Security, joins the show to talk about modern naval tactics and the readiness of the U.S. Navy for a surface engagement with the PLA Navy. ▪️ Times • 01:26 Introduction • 02:48 Evolution in naval warfare • 05:46 Historical comps • 08:01 Lessons from the Red Sea • 09:37 Anti-ship missiles • 12:16 DMO - Distributed Maritime Operations • 15:00 What is the surface Navy’s purpose? • 20:00 Massing fires • 22:33 Defeating ...
Jan 09, 2024•53 min
Peter Feaver, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University and author of Thanks For Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military, joins the show to talk about the state of civil-military relations in America, and to call for a truce on the issue of “wokism.” ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 2:40 Precedents • 4:18 Citizen soldier to today • 11:40 Expanding fissures • 18:46 Downsides to a high approval rating • 25:04 Isolationism and “woke...
Jan 02, 2024•1 hr
Sean Mirski, author of We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus, joins the show to talk about how the United States came to its global position and China’s attempts to match it. ▪️ Times • 01:40 Introduction • 2:22 An accidental project • 6:41 The view from Washington • 13:18 American paranoia • 16:43 Post Civil War Mexico • 22:04 Smedley Butler • 24:46 The problem of order • 31:12 After WWI • 33:04 Strategic vulnerabilities • 38:32 Regional hegemony • ...
Dec 19, 2023•52 min
Paul Edgar, Executive Director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin, a veteran of the U.S. Army, and a scholar of ancient Near Eastern warfare, joins the show to talk about war and peace in the old days—the very old days. ▪️ Times • 02:58 Introduction • 10:07 Olmsted • 16:00 The Bronze Age • 22:07 Verifying history • 27:12 Idrimi • 35:03 How did they fight? • 39:46 Tactics of the time • 42:34 Continuities in geopolitics Here is a link to the article disc...
Dec 12, 2023•48 min
Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at SAIS’s Kissinger Center and author of Planning for Protraction: A Historically Informed Approach to Great-power War and Sino-US Competition, joins the show to talk about how future wars might be more a test of national endurance than expected. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 04:01 Sharp and short wars • 09:07 After the first salvo • 12:33 Geography as a predictor • 15:21 Will nuclear deterrence work? • 21:16 “An informationized local war” • 25:13 What ma...
Dec 05, 2023•50 min
Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History and Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University and author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History, joins the show to talk about director Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. ▪️ Times • 02:54 Introduction • 04:52 First reactions • 08:18 Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon • 15:12 Propaganda of the time • 17:14 No invention needed • 21:22 Wellington and Talleyrand • 23:24 Napoleon: Master Tactician • 27:35 Waterloo • 33:45 Josephine and Elba • 35:44 More...
Nov 28, 2023•46 min
Nicholas Morton, associate professor of history at Nottingham Trent University and author of The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East, joins the show to talk about the Mongol invasions. ▪️ Times • 01:40 Introduction • 02:15 Central Asia before the Mongols • 04:15 Mongol methods • 09:15 Sailing the Eurasian Steppe • 13:54 Temujin • 18:38 A dearth of sources • 21:50 Khwarazmian Empire • 26:40 The Mongol secret • 32:03 Selective savagery • 36:30 The Near East • 40:15 ...
Nov 21, 2023•49 min
Matthew Waxman, Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, joins the show to talk about what’s lawful on the battlefield, what’s not, and how the laws of war apply to Israel and Hamas. ▪️ Times • 01:49 Introduction • 02:25 What is the law of war? • 05:05 How does it all work? • 08:15 What does it matter? • 11:06 A rule of law society • 12:16 10/7 • 15:14 Military necessity vs humanitarian interest • 19:54 Bright line rules • 25:23 Reasonableness • 28:07 Sieges • 32:30 Weaponizing th...
Nov 14, 2023•42 min
Edward Luttwak, strategist and co-author of The Art of Military Innovation: Lessons from the Israel Defense Forces, joins the show to talk about the research and development methods of the IDF and events on the ground in Israel. ▪️ Times • 01:51 Introduction • 03:05 R&D the IDF way • 21:30 Evaluating Israel’s strategy • 25:30 Stopping the clock • 29:51 Downside of discipline • 34:07 Macro-innovation • 39:26 Iran • 43:21 Qatar Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on ...
Nov 07, 2023•46 min
Vincent O’Hara and Trent Hone, naval historians and co-editors of Fighting in the Dark: Naval Combat at Night, 1904-1944, join the show to talk about how naval warfare was transformed by technology that made possible night combat at sea. ▪️ Times • 02:01 Introduction • 03:35 Night combat pre-19th century • 06:02 Why do we fight at night? • 09:30 Getting close in • 13:47 Different approaches • 19:28 German naval thinking pre-WWI • 22:05 Jutland and after • 27:09 Theory vs. experience • 32:04 Japa...
Oct 31, 2023•56 min
Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and co-host of Jewish Insider’s Limited Liability podcast, joins the show to talk about the war in Israel, Iran’s objectives, and America’s. ▪️ Times • 01:41 Introduction • 02:22 Sit Rep 10/23 • 12:05 Confused messaging from Washington • 20:21 Too clever by half • 24:54 Owner operated proxies? • 32:40 What does Iran want • 35:51 Volatile Israeli politics • 40:52 Dancing to the enemy tune • 42:51 The cost of being America’s al...
Oct 24, 2023•47 min
Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the state of the war in Israel, the history of Hamas and its campaign to eradicate the Jewish state, and Israel’s plans to end the cycle forever. ▪️ Times • 01:41 Introduction • 02:24 The situation today • 04:55 Gaza’s terrain • 09:27 Focusing on the north • 12:51 Gaza in Arab politics • 18:41 Iranian support • 25:41 Walls can work both ways • 29:00 Israeli objectives • 35...
Oct 17, 2023•52 min
Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, joins the show to talk about Iran-backed Hamas’ savage attack on Israel, how we can expect Israel to act in Gaza, prospects for escalation, and the echoes of 1973. ▪️ Times • 02:33 Introduction • 03:16 10/7 • 08:51 Potential Israeli objectives in Gaza • 20:18 A regional war? • 27:20 Iranian objectives • 34:28 Intelligence failures, operational catastrophes • 42:11 Redeployme...
Oct 10, 2023•54 min
Cliff May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the neo-imperialism of America’s adversaries and what defending democracy requires. ▪️ Times • 02:22 Introduction • 02:39 Taking on Jon Stewart • 06:50 Starting in the Soviet Union • 12:26 Policy activism • 20:11 Foundation for Defense of Democracies • 26:31 Ending tyranny • 34:53 The people have to want it • 41:05 Are we misleading ourselves? • 43:23 Cracks in the Axis of Tyrannies • 47:2...
Oct 03, 2023•56 min
Paul Rahe, Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale College, and author of Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 418-413 BC, joins the show to talk about proxy wars, the strategy of Sparta, and the role of regimes in the shaping of foreign policy. ▪️ Times • 01:37 Introduction • 06:43 Donald Kagan • 08:32 The Spartan point of view • 11:59 Why change the perspective? • 17:30 Sparta’s goals • 24:59 Why does Sparta matter? • 31:56 “P...
Sep 26, 2023•52 min
Andrew Krepinevich, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers, joins the show to talk about how to interpret and think about military revolutions of the past and how that can help us forecast the shape of war in the future. ▪️ Times • 01:35 Introduction • 02:50 Andy Marshall • 07:45 A diagnostic outlook • 10:11 The military technical revolution • 19:14 How do military revolutions work? • 24:...
Sep 19, 2023•48 min
Mick Ryan, Major General (retired) in the Australian Army and author of White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, joins the show to talk about the war today in Ukraine, the potential war in Taiwan, and the changing character of war itself. ▪️ Times • 02:22 Introduction • 05:49 China on Australia’s radar • 11:56 Ukrainian progress • 17:26 Timeframe • 24:00 “We’re helping them tread water. We’re not helping them swim.” • 27:37 What is China learning from Ukraine? • 35:20 Can China pull off its own O...
Sep 12, 2023•54 min
John H. Maurer, the Alfred Thayer Mahan Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy at the Naval War College and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about Mahan and his relevance today. ▪️ Times • 01:30 Introduction • 02:06 Mahan struck from the syllabus • 06:30 Early writings • 09:19 Looking out at the world • 12:17 Six elements of seapower • 15:01 Arming for peace • 20:35 Corbett • 22:54 The 18th century • 29:49 A political scientist • 35:10 Where might one go wr...
Sep 05, 2023•45 min
Wayne Lee, Bruce W. Carney Distinguished Professor of History at UNC and author of The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800, joins the show to talk about war in the ‘Eastern Woodlands’, both before and after European contact. ▪️ Times • 01:48 Introduction • 02:50 Coincidences • 07:19 “Woods and rivers, deer and rabbits, corn and beans” • 12:51 Unused land • 19:29 Sacred spaces • 21:56 Strategic objectives • 28:35 Why not occupy? • 32:50 Logistics • 41:57 The ro...
Aug 29, 2023•1 hr 2 min
David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King’s College London, joins the show to talk about what the status of the Ukrainian counteroffensive has to teach us about the enduring relevance of fortifications and the defense as a form of war. ▪️ Times • 02:02 Introduction • 02:16 Modern War • 03:36 Counteroffensive progress • 06:08 Tracking events • 11:08 Russia’s defensive scheme • 23:07 Fortified strategic complex • 32:9 Maginot reconsidered • 40:47 The pendulum • 48:07 What if… To rea...
Aug 22, 2023•56 min
Antulio J. Echevarria, General Douglas MacArthur Chair of Research at the U.S. Army War College and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the most influential military thinkers of the modern age, Antoine-Henri Jomini. ▪️ Times • 01:55 Introduction • 02:22 Who was Jomini? • 06:13 A charlatan? • 08:57 Summary of the Art of War • 11:50 Clausewitz vs Jomini • 14:26 The center of gravity • 16:03 Lines of operation • 21:21 Regard for the enemy • 24:44 Inte...
Aug 15, 2023•36 min
Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district and Chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, joins the show to talk about why the Korean War should be front-of-mind for American policymakers and strategists. ▪️ Times • 02:06 Introduction • 04:05 Wolf-warrior diplomacy • 10:42 A new Cold War • 13:05 T.R. Fehrenbach • 22:25 “This stuff matters” • 25:25 Task Force Smith • 29:44 Route cleara...
Aug 08, 2023•44 min
