Modern War Institute

What are the hallmarks of an adaptable military force? What types of leaders best create cultures of adaptability in their formations? How do such forces employ rapidly changing technologies? And how does doctrine drive or limit adaptation? Dr. Nora Bensahel and retired Lt. Gen. Dave Barno—authors of the book Adaptation Under Fire: How Militaries Change in Wartime—join this episode to discuss these questions and more.

In this episode Ryan Burke—codirector of MWI's Project 6633—visits the Air Force’s Arctic Survival School at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. He speaks with several members of the school’s staff, who describe the unique challenges—matters of life and death—that forces operating in the extreme environment of the Arctic confront. Listen as they also explain how they train students at the school so they are best prepared and equipped to manage and overcome those challenges.

This episode features a discussion with retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges. He served until 2017 as the commanding general of US Army Europe and now holds the pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Listen as he shares his insights on the topic of European defense—including a range of issues that make it especially complex today and will make it even more so in the future. The conversation touches on everything from logistical challenges to interoperability to the nuances of European defense politics to the implications of a rising China on European security.

In this episode, Col. Brian Rauen and Capt. Barrett Martin join to talk about the increasing importance of the Arctic. Col. Rauen is the commander of 10th Special Forces Group, and Capt. Martin is one of the officers assigned to the group. 10th Group has a particular focus on Europe, which means the unit has a natural organizational interest in the Arctic region. As you’ll hear our guests explain, though, that interest is growing. They discuss why that's the case, and they talk about some of the unique challenges posed by such an extreme environment. The episode features a guest host, Dr. Ryan Burke, who is an MWI fellow and co-director of Project 6633, an MWI project focused on polar security. 10th Group and Project 6633 have also partnered to organize an essay contest, inviting submissions that address the question of how American special operations forces can compete with near-peer adversaries in the polar regions. If you’re interested in entering, more details about the contest can be found here.

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Amy Kruse, who was at the time of recording the 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. Note: This episode was originally released in 2018.

This episode features a discussion with Simon Akam, author of the book The Changing of the Guard: The British Army Since 9/11. The book tells the story of nearly two decades of the service's experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Critical of the British Army's leadership at times, it aims to jumpstart an honest conversation about the those wars, the service's performance in them, the relationship between the UK military and the British people, and more. It's an insightful, thought-provoking conversation that brings into focus issues that are important not just in the United Kingdom but in the United States, as well.

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.

Most people know something about the most famous amphibious operations in military history—the D-Day landings and Gallipoli, for example. But what about an amphibious night attack on the shores of Tuscany in 1555? Or a Turkish amphibious assault in response to a coup in Cyprus in 1974? This episode features a conversation with Tim Heck, co-editor of the book On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare, and explores the past, present, and future of amphibious operations.

This episode features a conversation about innovation and the future battlefield and features two guests perfectly suited to discuss those topics. Maj. Gen. John George served as the deputy director of the Futures and Concepts Center and is now the commanding general of the Combat Capabilities Development Command. Mr. Jay Harrison served as Futures Command's first command innovation officer. As they make clear, the ways in which the Army is preparing for the future involve robotics, artificial intelligence, and the high-tech gadgetry, but it’s also about new ways of organizing, new doctrine, new personnel policies, and more.

In an era of renewed great power competition, what are the risks of that competition migrating to the Arctic region and Antarctica? How might it play out? What are states' key interests in the polar regions? How should we conceptualize issues of security and geopolitics in both areas? This episode tackles those questions and more. It features a discussion with Liz Buchanan and Ryan Burke, co-directors of the brand new Project 6633.

The recent decision to withdraw seven hundred US servicemembers from Somalia offers a timely opportunity to explore a few important questions: How does the US military work with partners in pursuit of US objectives? And more specifically, what role does proxy warfare play in US strategy in Africa. Those questions are at the center of the discussion in this episode. (Note: This is a sample episode from the Irregular Warfare Podcast. If you enjoy it, be sure to subscribe to hear a wide range of conversations about subjected related to irregular warfare. Get it wherever you listen to podcasts.)

In this episode, MWI's John Amble speaks to Robert Work, former deputy secretary of defense. He describes his expectations for the future of conflict, including the role unmanned and autonomous systems are likely to play, how the way the military acquires new equipment will change, and more. Note: This episode was originally recorded and released in 2019.

This episode features a conversation with MWI's chair of urban warfare studies, John Spencer. In the conversation, he explores a wide range of questions. Why are cities so challenging for military forces? What steps can be taken to achieve a higher level of preparedness for those challenges? Is it possible to replicate cities’ complexity in a training environment? These are just a few of the topics he offers his keen insights on.

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.

In this episode, Maj. Jake Miraldi talks to Max Brooks, bestselling author of "World War Z" and "The Zombie Survival Guide" about how he uses zombies in his books as a stand-in for the kinds of major crises that transcend borders and require coordinated responses, often with a military component. The conversation also touches on society's civil-military gap, the importance of creative thinking for military leaders, and more.

In this episode Dr. Jack Watling, Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, discusses the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan that has erupted since late September surrounding the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. He examines what we can learn from it about ground combat on the modern battlefield. Among other things, he discusses the saturation of the battlefield with a variety of sensors, challenges associated with electronic warfare, and the importance of camouflage. Collectively, these represent a problem set that the US military and those of its allies largely have not encountered during nearly two decades of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan—which makes the lessons he discusses especially important.

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, John Amble talks to Dr. Moriba Jah, an aerospace engineer who has worked for NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory. He is now an associate professor at the University of Texas, where he monitors space and works to track thousands of objects—a number that continues to grow—orbiting Earth. Note: This episode was originally released in May 2019.

This episode examines how special operations forces are integrating high-tech tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize their operations. Dr. Richard Shultz of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Gen. Richard Clarke, commander of US Special Operations Command, join the podcast to trace the history of US special operations forces' efforts in Iraq to adapt to the counterterrorism fight there, explain how these forces made use of data to enable a remarkably rapid operational tempo, and describe how a program called Project Maven took shape to harness new technological capabilities.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with Dr. Anthony King, author of the book Command: The Twenty-First-Century General. He explains how the way in which military leaders exercise command is now remarkably different from the way they did so in the last century. Note: This episode was originally released in March 2019.

In this episode of the Modern War Institute Podcast, John Amble is joined by Rebecca Lissner and Mira Rapp-Hooper, authors of the new book An Open World: How America Can Win the Contest for Twenty-First-Century Order. Amid global power shifts and a changing world order, as well as tumultuous domestic political dynamics and rapid technological change, they make the case that US success in the decades to come will hinge on policymakers' pursuit of openness as a defining characteristic of American grand strategy.

In this episode, we talk to American University Professor Joseph Young and the Brookings Institution's Jason Fritz about a phenomenon they've been studying: American citizens who traveled independently 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. Note: This episode was originally released in April 2018.

This episode of the Modern War Institute Podcast features a conversation with Dave Stephenson, the director of the Joint Staff’s Office of Irregular Warfare and Competition. The conversation dives deeply into the role of irregular warfare in the current and future global operation environments. How does it fit into the notion of great-power competition? Why is a joint approach to irregular warfare, which brings together the perspectives and accounts for the capabilities of all US armed services, especially important? These are just a few of the questions the discussion covers.

This episode of the Modern War Institute Podcast features a conversation with Col. Curt Taylor, commander of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade. The unit was formally activated in May, and he shares his perspective on everything that goes into creating such a unique organization. He also describes how SFABs recruit and select officers and noncommissioned officers for the advising mission, and what role advising has in an era of great-power competition.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a discussion with Ali Wyne. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute whose recent research has been focused on great-power competition. This has become a framing mechanism within which to think about and plan US interactions with other actors. But is it a strategy? Have we defined what it entails, practically and considering all instruments of national power? The discussion tackles these and several other questions.

In this episode, four remarkably accomplished women in the field of national security join to share their experiences and observations on the evolving dynamics surrounding the vital contributions women make to US security.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with August Cole, coauthor of a new book called Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution. It’s a techno-thriller and a work of fiction, but it is also based on deep research and allows readers to examine the types of technologies that will increasingly characterize the future—from everyday life to the conduct of war.

The Irregular Warfare Podcast is a new collaboration between the Modern War Institute at West Point and Princeton University's Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. In this preview of the inaugural episode, hosts Kyle Atwell and Nick Lopez talk to Jake Shapiro, co-director of ESOC and Col. Pat Howell, director of MWI. The conversation tackles a fundamental question: What are "small wars"? Find the podcast on your favorite podcast app to hear the full conversation and subscribe so you hear future episodes, set to be released every two weeks.

How did ISIS manage to take control of so much territory, imposing its will politically and inflicting an immense amount of damage? How should we make sense of its origins and evolution as an organization? And does a better understanding of the group enable us to anticipate what form it might take in its next evolutionary stage? This episode features a conversation about these and other questions with Craig Whiteside and Haroro Ingram, two of the authors of a recent book, The ISIS Reader.

What's going on in North Korea? Is Kim Jong-Un alive or dead? We don’t actually know—and that's remarkable. The country is in the midst of a situation that could have serious ramifications for the region and for international security. This episode features a conversation with Dr. Van Jackson about just what is happening in the country right now and how prepared—or unprepared—the United States is for a potentially destabilizing event like the death of Kim Jong-Un.

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. Note: This episode was originally released in June 2018.

This episode features a conversation with retired US Air Force Gen. Kehler, former 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. Note: This episode was originally released in January 2019.

In some states, the National Guard has been called on to play a role in the government's efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, and there have also been calls to leverage active-duty forces to further bolster resources and capabilities. But the deployment of the military on US soil has important policy implications and involves questions of law. Dr. Ryan Burke joins the MWI Podcast to talk about the military’s potential role in the response.

Our guest on this episode of the MWI Podcast is Maj. Gen. Patrick Roberson. He is currently the commanding general of the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. Before that, he commanded Special Operations Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve. He discusses SOF's role in the fight against ISIS and looks at the future of US SOF and what these elite units can contribute in an era of competition with peer and near-peer adversaries.

This episode of the Modern War Institute Podcast features a conversation with Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley, deputy commanding general of Army Futures Command and director of the Futures and Concepts Center. The discussion touches on a variety of topics related to the future of war, but focuses most closely on multi-domain operations—from the technologies and weapon systems that will play an important role in the concept to important questions about leadership and service culture.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a discussion with Dr. Bear Braumoeller, a political science professor at the Ohio State University and author of a book called Only the Dead: The Persistence of War in the Modern Age. In writing it, he set out to understand if wars are happening less frequently than they used to. His data-driven examination produced two conclusions: not only is war not on the decline, but it is also not becoming less deadly.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James McConville. He talks new weapons and equipment, bringing the active and reserve components together, a revolutionary new talent management system, and even a couple book recommendations! He took on that role as the seniormost officer in the United States Army in August 2019, and his tenure comes at a time during which the service is in a period of substantial transformation. As he explains, many of the systems the Army uses—especially major weapons systems—were fielded in the late 1970s and early 1980s, another period of major change in the service. That's why the Army is undertaking a massive modernization effort. But that doesn't just mean the weapons and vehicles US soldiers go to war with will change. The doctrine that determines how they fight, the organizational structures of their units, and even the talent management systems that recruit and retain the Army's men and women will be different than those of the past.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a discussion with Mark Mitchell. A career Army officer, he was among the first Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and went on to command 5th Special Forces Group. After retiring he served as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict.

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. (Note: This episode was originally released in 2018.)

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, Maj. Jake Miraldi is joined by Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. He discusses a series of big-picture questions about the Army in an era of major change, particularly as the service focuses increasingly on great-power competition after nearly two decades of counterinsurgency operations in America's post-9/11 wars..

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, John Amble is joined by Dr. Casey Wardynski, the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs. He talks about a range of topics, from how the Army is adapting to recruit and retain the right people in a changing economic and social landscape to the latest developments in the Army's plans for a new talent management system.

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. The episode originally was originally released in 2018.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with Michael Singh, co-chair of the Syria Study Group. The group recently released its final report, and he discusses the report's conclusions about the Syria conflict and US interests in the region.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, the Army G-2. The discussion touches on a range of topics, from how the intelligence function is being modernized to meet the needs of the future battlefield to the way Army counterintelligence can best contribute to protecting sensitive technologies from adversary efforts to steal them.

This episode of the MWI Podcast features a conversation with four guests, all of whom are involved in the Army's space operations enterprise, including the commander of the 1st Space Brigade. They explain the Army's role in the space domain, how they envision the Army's contribution during a future conflict that extends into space, and much more.

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, MWI's John Amble speaks to James Verini. An award-winning journalists, he spent months reporting from Mosul as Iraqi forces, backed by US troops, fought to retake the city from Mosul. That's the subject of his new book, The Will Have to Die Now, and of the conversation in this episode.

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, Maj. Jake Miraldi is joined by Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, commander of US Army Cyber Command. He explains the nuances of the cyber domain and operations in that domain, but also touches on some of the unique challenges associated with developing a force optimized for cyber warfare.

In this episode, MWI's John Amble talks to Martha Wells, author of the four-volume science fiction series The Murderbot Diaries. She discusses how the books' central figure—a hybrid being with living tissue but equipped with artificial intelligence—can help us think about robotics, AI, and manned-unmanned teaming on the future battlefield.

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.

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.

This episode features a conversation about innovation and the future battlefield and features two guests perfectly suited to discuss those topics. Maj. Gen. John George is the deputy director of the Army’s Futures and Concepts Center will soon take over as the commander of the Combat Capabilities Development Command. And Mr. Jay Harrison serves as the command innovation officer at Army Futures Command.