MCA Scuttlebutt

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This week, we bring another installment of our new series, Literary Lethality, to the scuttlebutt. In this series, we will be doing a deep dive into the Commandant’s Professional Reading List, exploring various titles and talking with authors about some of the books on the list. Today, we welcome Ian Brown back to the show. Ian has been on a few times, participating in our World of Wargaming series and is one of the most prolific advocates for the benefits of wargaming and robust military education. He is also the author of A New Conception of War: John Boyd, the U.S. Marines, and Maneuver Warfare and Snowmobiles and Grand Ideas: John Boyd’s Vision for Thriving in Chaos. Ian talks to us about A New Conception of War, the genesis of the project, and what it means to him to have his book on the Commandant’s Professional Reading List three years running. And more than anything, why A New Conception of War deserves to be on the Commandant’s Professional Reading List.  Enjoy!  linkedin.com/in/ian-brown-41b2bb94  x.com/ian_tb03  <p>The post #237: Literary Lethality with Ian Brown first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us at the scuttlebutt. This week, the team comes together to form Voltron to recognize this month as the 110th anniversary of the Marine Corps Gazette being in continuous publication. It’s no small feat for any publication to continuously be in circulation for this long, especially in this digital age where literary works, particularly those in pulp, are in decline. But the significance of the Gazette goes beyond the dates. Nancy, William, and I talk about some of the significance, in particular the Gazette’s role in institutionalizing maneuver warfare.    This is a wonderful milestone and it’s awesome that the Marine Corps Association continues to provide a forum for the presentation of ideas and professional discourse. Congratulations to the Gazette staff, past and present.  Enjoy!  <p>The post #236: Celebrating the Gazette’s 110th Anniversary first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and your continued support. This week, we welcome Josh Cannon to the scuttlebutt. Josh is a veteran Marine of OIF and the Director of Research for the Frederick Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the author of Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad, a book that overlays his experience in combat with the themes of the Iliad. This was a fascinating discussion about what it is that the narrative of the Iliad did for the ancient Greeks, and how it applies to us today, especially those who wear the uniform. We joke about the action heroes of the 80s and 90s and how fun those movies were, but how those stories are infamous for being shallow and for having one-dimensional characters. Josh helps us understand that this tradition is actually prevalent throughout history, with the Iliad in particular (a text written around the 8th century BC) as not only one of the oldest surviving literary works, but possibly the first recorded action story, as it is so similar to the action genre of the Schwarzenegger and Stallone films.     Also, we want to recognize that March is the 110th anniversary of the Marine Corps Gazette being in continuous publication. A wonderful milestone and congratulations to the Gazette staff, past and present.    Enjoy!  veteransiliad.com  <p>The post #235: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad with Josh Cannon first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This week, we bring another installment of our new series, Literary Lethality, to the scuttlebutt. In this series, we will be doing a deep dive into the Commandant’s Professional Reading List, exploring various titles and talking to different authors about some of the books on the list. Today, Michael Jerome Plunkett was kind enough come on and talk to us about Karl Marlantes’ novel, Matterhorn. Matterhorn is on the CPRL as part of the Leadership category, and Michael, as the creator of the PBA Abbate Book Club and host of the LitWar podcast, discusses the aspects of this novel that speak to leadership and decision making, some good and some bad, in life-or-death situations. We also discuss the origins of the novel, which actually started as a memoir written in the 70s, who the intended audience is, what Marlantes is trying to communicate with the book, and some of the takeaways for today’s service members. And more than anything, why Matterhorn deserves to be on the Commandant’s Professional Reading List. Enjoy! mca-marines.org/commandants-professional-reading-list-leadership/?pg=2 michaeljeromeplunkett.com Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War <p>The post #234: Literary Lethality – Matterhorn with Michael Jerome Plunkett first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This week, we welcome Editor-in-Chief of Leatherneck and Gazette magazines, Col Chris Woodbridge, to the scuttlebutt to talk about the US’s military operation in Iran. We recorded this episode on day 10 of the war, knowing that by the time you listen, things may have changed dramatically. But we didn’t want to release an episode early in the conflict, given that much of the information, including the actual strategic objectives, was still not publicly known. Now that the campaign is in its second week, we figured we would jump into the fray. Col Woodbridge talks to us about the history of US-Iranian relations and the US’s previous involvement in Iran to give us a better idea of how we got here and what the stated objectives of the conflict are. We also touch on what may be next. Hope is not a course of action, but hopefully you take something away from this that helps shape your impressions of what is going on and at least make some sense of the ever-churning new cycle.   Enjoy!  <p>The post #233: Observation Post – Iran Conflict first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This is an episode that we wanted to do when we first thought up the idea of hosting a podcast, but never really thought we would actually get to do it. This week, it is an honor to welcome the 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen Eric Smith, and the 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, SgtMaj Carlos Ruiz to the scuttlebutt. The Commandant and Sergeant Major talk to us about prioritizing the amphibious ready group and MEUs, their thoughts on what a MEU should like look and the demand signal from the combatant commanders for this capability, how important the quality of life improvement initiatives are to them, their focus on suicide prevention, and the impact seven years of force design has had on the Marine Corps’ role in the Joint Force.  Also, a huge shout-out to Maj Nick Cline and GySgt Jordan Gilbert for their hard work in making this happen.   Enjoy!  <p>The post #232: A Conversation with the Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This week, we welcome Mike LeBlanc to the scuttlebutt. Mike is a veteran Marine ground intelligence officer who is now the co-founder of Foundation, a company that specializes in robotics. He is also the author of the book, What If Anger is the Answer?, due out in June of this year, that touches on the transformational aspects of anger and aggression. Mike talks to us about his journey as Marine ground intel bubba, how he navigated transitioning out of the Marine Corps, and how the lessons and attributes he learned in the Corps have helped him succeed in a world that, on its surface, has nothing to do with the Marine Corps, especially Marine operators. Mike insists that the leadership training he learned in the Marine Corps, especially the way Marines cultivate an aggressive attitude, has made him successful. Mike is all about helping Marines, so please feel free to reach out to him. His email is below.   Enjoy!  [email protected]  mikejleblanc.com  <p>The post #231: What If Anger is the Answer with Mike LeBlanc first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us at the scuttlebutt. This week, we welcome retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Adam Walker back to the show. Adam is on deck to talk with us about the Marine Corps’ new E-8 Redesignation pilot program, which gives master sergeants and first sergeants a one-time option to “lat move” between the E-8 designations. Adam helps us understand the career progression for senior enlisted Marines, namely what happens when a gunnery sergeant is promoted, the differences between a first sergeant and master sergeant, how the Marine Corps views its E-8s differently from the other Services, and the significance of this policy change. Talking with Adam is always a lot of fun and super informative. This is a unique opportunity to see behind the curtain on how Marines are promoted and how this program addresses two of the primary things Marines are opposed to: how things are and change.   You can also catch more of Adam’s wit and insight in his recurring segment, Lessons from the Smoke Pit, in Leatherneck magazine. Shameless plug, but it’s definitely worth checking out. Enjoy!  <p>The post #230: Thoughts on the E-8 Redesignation Board Pilot Program with MGySgt Adam Walker (Ret) first appeared on Marine Corps Association.</p>