"Innovation adoption is a contact sport." As the chief technology officer of the Department of the Navy, Justin Fanelli is one of the leaders responsible for ensuring warfighters have access to bleeding-edge solutions. Listen to his conversation with Ryan Evans, recorded live at an event in Washington, DC — our first episode of Cogs of War, a new vertical on defense tech and the defense industry brought to you by War on the Rocks and supported by Booz Allen Hamilton. Subscribe to the Cogs of War...
Jun 03, 2025•23 min
Down in Tampa on the sidelines of SOF Week, Ryan spoke with Lt. Gen. Frank Donovan, vice commander of Special Operations Command, in front of a live audience about how America's special operators are leading the way on the the future of warfare, from great power competition to data and AI — or, how our guest puts it, from the seabed to low earth orbit.
May 19, 2025•17 min
We are sharing a free episode of Thinking the Unthinkable with you all due to fast-moving events between India and Pakistan. This episode features host Ankit Panda and guest Sameer Lalwani discussing the risks involved in a military conflict between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. This episode was recorded after the April 22 attack in Kashmir that prompted the current round of tensions and before India launched strikes on Pakistan, and digs into the risks in the event of an attack....
May 07, 2025•41 min
Ryan popped across the Potomac to the Pentagon to speak with Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George about the ambitious Army Transformation Initiative. Following a directive from the secretary of defense, the initiative aims to streamline the Army’s force structure, cut wasteful spending, and rapidly modernize its capabilities.
May 06, 2025•36 min
Michael Kofman and Dara Massicot join Ryan to unpack how the Trump administration's ambitious peace efforts have collided with reality. They dive into how strategic calculations, politics, military conditions, and societal developments have shaped diplomacy, assessing how various pressures and intentions could redefine — or derail — pathways toward ending the war.
May 05, 2025•41 min
In today's world, turbulence isn't temporary — it's the new normal. In this episode, Gen. (ret.) David Berger, former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, shares why adaptability, resilience, and grit are not just desirable but essential traits for leaders in an uncertain and unpredictable age. Successful leaders must embrace disruption rather than waiting for stability to return, he tells Ryan. And after offering insights from his career as a Marine officer, including his experience planning an...
May 01, 2025•24 min
Gen. Michael Claesson, Chief of Defense of the Swedish Armed Forces, joined Ryan during a visit to Washington to share how NATO has changed Sweden's armed forces as well as the details of their modernization, consolidation, and expansion efforts — on land, at sea, and in the air. They also discuss the challenges of mobilization in future wars defined by higher technology systems, training, working with industry, and how Sweden has learned from Russia's war against Ukraine. Claesson ends with his...
Apr 16, 2025•19 min
In this joint episode with the Net Assessment crew, recorded last week on "Liberation Day," Ryan joins Chris, Zack, and Melanie to talk about what's happening in the world as well as the future of Net Assessment , which is moving on to its forever home with the Stimson Center. If you would like to support Net Assessment , please consider donating to this special fund. https://www.stimson.org/support/ We also feature a trailer from a series of panels convened by former Australian Prime Minister M...
Apr 11, 2025•28 min
In this episode, we get into what's driving the Indo-Pacific's security dynamics, from China's threats to Taiwan to AUKUS and the Quad to stability (or lack thereof) on the Korean Peninsula to bases in the Philippines. We also touch on how prepared the United States may be to deliver military power in the Indo-Pacific based on forthcoming resourcing decisions by the Trump administration and Congress. Get ready for a smart, insightful conversation you won't want to miss with Lisa Curtis (CNAS), Z...
Mar 26, 2025•43 min
Last week, a meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine at the White House exploded into acrimony in front of the cameras . Since then, an era-defining drama has been unfolding across the West as Europe prepares for a world where it might not be backed by U.S. military power. U.S. military aid and at least some intelligence support for Ukraine have also been suspended. What happened? And what happens next? To answer these questions, Ryan was joined by Constanze Stelzenmüller (Brookings), Melinda...
Mar 06, 2025•42 min
The Marine general and deputy commandant in charge of installations and logistics was kind enough to join Ryan for a wide-ranging conversation on military service, logistics, and so much more. Whether you are a servicemember or someone interested in how the U.S. military will be able to stay in the fight should a war break out in the Indo-Pacific, this episode is a must-listen. This episode was supported by Onebrief ....
Mar 03, 2025•31 min
Nothing about the war in Ukraine is simple — including the diplomacy, which might be even messier than the battlefield. Michael Kofman, Justin Logan (Cato), and Liana Fix (the Council on Foreign Relations) joined Ryan to help him understand the negotiations underway about Ukraine's fate. From the minerals deal to Zelensky's approach to Trump to the prospects for a European peacekeeping force, they cover it all, and have a few friendly arguments along the way.
Feb 28, 2025•38 min
Member of U.K. Parliament and military veteran Tom Tugendhat was recently in Washington and was kind enough to join Ryan for a short but weighty conversation. Tugendhat chaired the Foreign Affairs Select Committee between 2017 and 2022 and then served in the previous government as minister of state for security. They discussed his time in government as well as the landscape of threats, including (not surprisingly) Russia — and how the war might best end — as well as China, informed by his recent...
Feb 17, 2025•21 min
Will NATO be able to innovate and adapt before a crisis? Adm. Pierre Vandier popped into War on the Rocks HQ for a most interesting chat about this very question. He serves as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. A senior leader in the French navy and career fighter pilot, Vandier is responsible for the transformation of NATO's military structures, forces, capabilities, and doctrines. With Ukraine struggling against Russia, technology advancing at a thunderous pace, and the geopolitical land...
Feb 12, 2025•28 min
Mike Kofman joined Ryan for a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges faced by both Ukraine and Russia this year. They discuss losses on both sides, manpower challenges, the importance of following the discourse in Ukraine, the Russian economy, and whether the Russian pace of operations will clearly slow down. This episode is brought to you by Bedrock Knowledge .
Jan 27, 2025•23 min
On the sidelines of I/ITSEC in Orlando, we hosted a live podcast recording. Our guest for this very special episode was Maj. Gen. Dominique Luzeaux of France, currently championing NATO's digital transformation. This wide-ranging conversation between Ryan and Maj. Gen. Luzeaux covered training with new technologies, lessons from Ukraine, AI and more. They both also discussed what they learned from the best bosses they ever had. Thanks to Metrea for sponsoring the very special party where we reco...
Dec 23, 2024•18 min
Mike Kofman and Ryan have a high-level conversation on strategy in this war, or the lack thereof. From Ukraine's mobilization reluctance to the Biden administration's curious approach to sequencing authorities and capabilities, they review what might ultimately cost Ukraine the war. And make no mistake, that is where the war is trending. Ryan also runs an idea by Mike on how the issue of security guarantees might work in the event of a peace settlement, in a way that doesn't involve NATO directl...
Dec 04, 2024•23 min
We are sharing a free Thanksgiving episode of the Russia Contingency with you all to express our gratitude for your listenership and support. This episode, brought to you by OneBrief , features Michael Kofman and Rob Lee discussing the state of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the role of technology, especially drones. Many of the insights they share are based on their recent research trip to Ukraine.
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Mike Kofman came by WOTR HQ to discuss the state of the front and findings from his most recent research trip to Ukraine. From North Korean troops, to manpower woes, to Donald Trump coming back to the Oval Office, what does it all add up to for Ukraine?
Nov 12, 2024•21 min
Ryan popped over to Quantico to speak with four marines at the forefront of major advances in marksmanship in America's 9-1-1 force. Listen in as Maj. Steve Stephenson, Capt. Phil Williams, Gunner Josh Grayek, and Gunnery Sgt. Jude Stewart of Weapons Training Battalion explain how they are making the Marine Corps more lethal and capable than ever before. And, if you're interested in reading more, check out their article in the Gazette , " Continuously Revolutionizing Small-Arms Lethality ."...
Oct 29, 2024•32 min
Michael Kofman popped into WOTR HQ to speak with Ryan about the war. They discussed territorial losses in the Donbas, the situation in Kursk, manpower challenges on both sides, and how Ukraine is seeing war termination on favorable terms. This episode also features a short preview of the most recent episode of Mike's members-only show, "The Russia Contingency," which featured an extended conversation with Mick Ryan, a retired Australian general and world-renowned expert on military affairs. Beco...
Sep 29, 2024•26 min
Three sharp directors on the National Security Council staff invited Ryan over to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to chat about the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, which is a trilateral partnership between the United States, Canada, and Finland that's aimed at delivering the icebreakers America needs while also jump-starting U.S. competitiveness and power in shipbuilding overall. We also advertise our new members-only podcast hosted by Benjamin Jensen, "Not the AI You're L...
Sep 19, 2024•33 min
Mike Kofman popped into WOTR HQ to speak with Ryan about the state of play in Ukraine. From south to north, they review the situation at the front, with special attention to Ukraine's offensive operation into Russian territory, to include its political implications. They talk about manpower and fortifications and explore how much F-16s might change the skies over Ukraine. This episode was sponsored by Onebrief. Learn more about how they are transforming military planning: onebrief.com...
Aug 21, 2024•24 min
The U.S. Army, from the chief of staff on down, is putting its weight behind getting soldiers to take writing and publishing more seriously as an important part of the profession of arms. From the Harding Project to the revitalization of branch journals to the Line of Departure website (coming this fall) to a special forthcoming issue of Military Review on the topic, there is a lot of energy, action, and momentum behind this. Three soldiers — one non-commissioned officer and two officers — join ...
Aug 15, 2024•35 min
This is part one of a two-parter on Ukraine's operation into the Russian oblast of Kursk and it's from our members-only show, "The Russia Contingency" with Michael Kofman. In this episode Mike discusses this fast developing situation with his colleague at the Carnegie Endowment, Dara Massicot. If you're a member, you can listen to part two. Become member at: https://warontherocks.com/membership.
Aug 10, 2024•24 min
Ryan was joined by Melissa Griffith (SAIS-Johns Hopkins), Anne Marie Schumann (Department of the Navy), Alexis Bonnell (Air Force Research Laboratory), and Tyler Sweatt (Second Front) for a free-wheeling, candid, and thoughtful conversation on the challenges of cyber security in the Defense Department. You won't want to miss this. Please keep in mind that the views expressed by Schumann and Bonnell are their own and do not represent those of their organizations, the Department of the Navy, the D...
Aug 07, 2024•1 hr 9 min
A sailor from a landlocked state and a soldier from a state with the country's second longest coastline are trying to accomplish something transformative for American seapower. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) are leading an important bi-partisan and bi-cameral effort to revitalize American shipbuilding and maritime strategy. They were kind enough join Ryan for a substantive and wide-ranging conversation. You can read their report on national maritime strategy here (pdf)....
Jul 19, 2024•34 min
Mike Kofman dropped by War on the Rocks HQ to update us on the war, drawing on his findings from his recent field study in Ukraine. They discuss the state of the front (and why developments at the front might be less important than before), mobilization, China's role as a gateway and supplier for Russia, the debate over Ukraine using U.S. weapons for deep strike into Russia, and tough choices facing Kyiv.
Jul 13, 2024•29 min
Ryan met with Adm. Rob Bauer of the Royal Netherlands Navy for a conversation in Washington, DC. As chair of the NATO Military Committee, he is the senior-most military officer in the alliance. They discussed many things from Ukraine to why military industrial capacity has become such a defining issue for his tenure. On the eve of the NATO summit in Washington, this is a must-listen episode. Don't forget to check out our membership program: https://warontherocks.com/membership
Jul 07, 2024•34 min
Last year, Rajmund Andrzejczak retired as Poland's chief of the general staff, but he has been busy since. During a recent visit to Washington, he spoke with Ryan about his career, European security, Polish defense, manpower, Ukraine, and what he's been up to, including his podcast "Ground Zero."
Jun 25, 2024•36 min
