School of War

Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and co-author of No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy, joins the show to discuss Beijing-Moscow cooperation and the prospects of the U.S. driving a wedge between them. ▪️ Times • 02:05 Introduction • 02:21 Sino-Soviet split • 06:20 Spheres of influence • 09:17 Domination • 13:20 Stabilizing effect • 22:15 Xi & Putin • 28:19 Pacific expansion • 35:20 More resources • 41:06 America in, Russians out, Germans down Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Walter Russell Mead, Alexander Hamilton Professor of Strategy and Statecraft at the University of Florida's Hamilton Center and columnist for The Wall Street Journal, joins the show to talk about the role of economic issues in Trump’s strategic views. ▪️ Times • 01:34 Introduction • 04:09 Mercantilism & physiocracy • 08:50 Silicon Valley • 14:01 Coalitions • 16:26 How things worked • 22:52 Post-war policy & China • 33:17 Tariffs • 42:50 Executive overreach • 45:53 The dollar Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Lara Burns, retired FBI Special Agent and head of terrorism research at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, joins the show to talk about how Islamist groups operate in the United States. ▪️ Watch the interview on YouTube - Ep 185: Lara Burns on the Hamas Threat in America ▪️ Times • 01:32 Introduction • 01:48 Terrorism squad • 03:10 The Muslim Brotherhood • 06:20 Hamas • 14:26 The money • 26:03 Oppressors • 32:39 American Muslims for Palestine • 35:18 All connected • 43:07 Information campaign • 50:19 Understanding • 55:01 Fighting back Follow along on Instagram and on X @schoolofwarpod Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Alexander Burns, Assistant Professor of History at Franciscan University and author of Infantry in Battle 1733-1783 (From Reason to Revolution), joins the show to talk about how combat evolved in the decades between Marlborough and Napoleon. ▪️ Times • 01:45 Introduction • 02:19 1733 • 06:20 Infantry in battle • 10:54 Achieving results • 14:19 Tactical effectivness • 18:40 Prussia • 24:17 More than fear • 29:45 Early nationalism • 33:12 American evolution • 38:50 Drones and prestige Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Tom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas and author of Seven Things You Can't Say About China, joins the show to talk about the CCP’s global designs. ▪️ Times • 01:48 Introduction • 02:30 Paying attention • 05:38 Bipartisan • 08:38 Early days • 13:54 Strategic delays • 16:13 An evil empire • 18:45 “What’s it to us?” • 22:04 Lynchpin • 25:24 Splitting the axis • 28:39 China and Ukraine • 34:00 More dangerous Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Sean McMeekin, Professor of European History and Culture at Bard College and author of To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism, joins the show to talk about Communist approaches to foreign policy and war. ▪️ Times • 01:35 Introduction • 02:39 Communism and war • 11:02 Giving history a shove • 16:41 Lenin’s vision • 20:55 A united front • 25:54 Infiltration • 28:45 Stalin at the helm • 34:51 Ups and downs • 41:10 Driving a wedge • 43:37 “We resemble them more than they resemble us…” Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Michael Cook, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and author of A History of the Muslim World: From Its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity, joins the show to discuss the sudden, explosive Arab expansion of the 7th century. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 03:05 Sources • 04:42 War and politics • 07:32 Grass and sand • 09:30 Self-defense • 12:21 Ibn Khaldun • 16:11 An Arab identity • 18:45 Knock on effects • 26:40 Two targets • 28:32 The Arab way of war • 34:50 Coming out of the desert • 38:48 Civil war • 42:27 Jihad Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Stephen Kotkin, Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins the show to discuss how both sides have lost the Ukraine War, and the risks of various routes to peace. ▪️ Times • 02:47 Pressuring Putin • 12:50 A new path • 17:07 Avoiding a debacle • 32:43 Friends • 38:30 Realignment • 46:58 Articulating strategy Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Phillips O’Brien, chair of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews and author of The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler--How War Made Them and How They Made War, joins the show to discuss the nature of strategic decision making in World War II and beyond. ▪️ Times • 01:50 Introduction • 02:48 Germany 1st debunked • 06:50 A matter of choices • 08:20 Management styles • 11:23 FDR the navalist • 14:42 Strategic balance • 16:52 The British Empire • 18:58 Churchill the shapeshifter • 26:42 Britain’s place • 29:22 Casablanca • 33:54 Making Hitler • 38:43 Firepower + racial superiority • 42:41 Delaying defeat • 44:55 A childish view of war • 46:50 Human decisions • 48:28 Stalin the survivor • 51:30 “Not nice people” Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD and retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, joins the show to discuss how prepared (or ill-prepared) the U.S. is for cyber warfare. ▪️ Times • 03:24 Introduction • 04:20 America: A Target Rich Environment • 05:59 Cyber and mobilization • 08:35 What actually happens? • 11:36 Automation • 16:18 Salt and volt typhoon • 22:04 Continuity of the economy • 28:33 Offense • 35:05 Cyber responses • 38:43 Public opinion • 41:43 Defense of the homeland • 49:30 A new kind of leader Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Christopher Kolakowski, director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and editor of Tenth Army Commander: The World War II Diary of Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., joins the show to discuss the most senior U.S. officer killed by enemy action in WWII, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. ▪️ Times • 01:44 Introduction • 02:15 In the shadows • 03:53 Fathers and sons • 06:28 Childhood • 09:30 West Point Commandant of Cadets • 16:03 Alaska ’41 • 20:18 The Japanese threat • 24:20 10th Army • 29:03 Notes for an unwritten memoir • 31:02 Operation Causeway • 35:47 Okinawa • 41:52 Attrition • 43:50 Another Anzio? • 50:57 Homeward bound Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King’s College London and author of The Guarded Age: Fortification in the Twenty-First Century, joins the show to discuss how fortification is alive, well, and everywhere. ▪️ Times • 01:22 Introduction • 01:53 A default condition • 13:20 Why is that there? • 22:13 Alexandrian foundations • 28:50 Security and mobility • 39:53 The pendulum swings • 48:54 Intrigue Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army and author of War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, joins the show to discuss future-war fiction and the possible futures of current wars. ▪️ Times • 01:23 Introduction • 02:10 Tom Clancy • 05:40 Accessibility • 07:14 The Battle of Dorking • 09:57 White Sun War • 13:39 Diplomatic failures • 15:40 Friction • 18:50 Israel transformed • 23:00 Existential threats • 25:25 Ukraine • 32:31 Pressuring Putin • 35:01 Taiwan and Japan Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, joins the show to discuss the continued relevance of geopolitics. ▪️ Times • 01:29 Introduction • 01:54 Twentieth century • 03:29 Advent of geopolitical theory • 07:08 Land versus sea • 13:09 Authoritarianism • 17:40 Struggle for power • 20:30 Burdens of defense • 23:25 Eurasia • 27:50 Different politics • 36:09 “…a kind of American realism” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Tom Karako, Senior Fellow and Director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, joins the show to discuss what President Trump’s executive order on missile defense portends. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 02:08 Dawn of missile defense • 05:50 Ups and downs • 10:40 Arguments against • 14:50 Capabilities • 18:45 A layered defense • 22:20 Cost • 26:42 Tried and tested • 28:21 A “Pearl Harbor” Pearl Harbor Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Eric Chewning and Thomas Moore of HII join the show to discuss America’s military shipbuilding challenges, and their potential solutions. ▪️ Times • 01:32 Introduction • 01:55 Origins • 07:08 An eroded defense industrial base • 10:20 Shipbuilding in 2025 • 17:11 Deindustrialization • 21:46 Learning curves • 27:00 Contract economics • 32:26 Japan and South Korea • 37:39 Thinking about the whole problem • 39:03 Manned and unmanned • 42:25 Force protection • 45:06 Soft kills and hard kills Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Diana Mara Henry and Gabe Scheinmann join the show to discuss the new book I Am André: German Jew, French Resistance Fighter, British Spy, which charts the astonishing, brave, and tragic World War II career of ‘André’ Joseph Scheinmann. ▪️ Times • 01:50 Introduction • 03:01 The story of a fighter • 09:26 Born in Munich • 11:87 Citizen without a country • 17:08 Liaison to the High Command • 21:46 MI6 • 25:20 Spycraft • 30:27 London and capture • 36:31 Interrogation • 42:52 Max and Regina • 46:40 Natzweiler • 52:29 Dachau • 55:30 America • 01:01:17 “Jews as fighters” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Evan Mawdsley, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and author of Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory, joins the show to discuss the successful 1944 U.S. naval campaign through the Central Pacific in World War II. ▪️ Times • 01:36 Introduction • 02:27 The Central Pacific • 11:15 Carrier air power • 14:31 Embracing the task force • 20:00 Replenishment at sea • 24:28 A campaign for airbases • 27:56 Limiting loss • 33:38 Spruance & Mitscher • 38:36 Japanese defense doctrine • 45:58 Parallels today Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Dmitry Filipoff, associate research analyst at the Center for Navy Analyses, joins the show to discuss the U.S. Navy surface component and the grave challenges it faces. ▪️ Times • 01:19 Introduction • 02:09 Lessons from the Red Sea • 06:35 Friendly fire • 10:55 Depletion • 13:45 2027 • 18:07 How do fleets fight? • 21:47 Scope and scale • 24:57 “Catastrophic destruction” • 29:00 The first few hours • 34:30 Scripted exercises • 37:15 Managing the chaos • 41:34 Failing constructively Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow, China Studies, at the National Bureau of Asian Research and author of Mapping China's Strategic Space, joins the show to discuss how to better understand the geopolitical premises of China’s strategic elites. ▪️ Times • 01:36 Introduction • 02:04 Strategic space • 05:05 Mao’s strategic vision • 11:12 Origin points • 17:10 Geopolitical dimensions • 20:25 Finding answers • 26:35 Encirclement • 33:55 Core interests • 38:56 China’s end goal • 45:37 Multilateralism • 49:04 Risk and overextension Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Dan Blumenthal and Kyle Balzer, co-authors of The True Aims of China’s Nuclear Buildup for Foreign Affairs, join the show to discuss the geopolitical implications of China’s increasing and diversifying nuclear arsenal. ▪️ Times • 01:24 Introduction • 02:40 China’s buildup • 05:05 American perception • 07:28 What is nuclear strategy? • 11:49 Geopolitical vision • 16:28 Shaping the world order • 18:41 Restoring American credibility • 25:10 Imagining failure • 30:24 Prospects Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Rachel Kousser, professor of Classics and Art History at the City University of New York and author of Alexander at the End of the World, joins the show to talk about the violent, brilliant, complex career of Alexander the Great. ▪️ Times • 01:27 Introduction • 01:59 Early years and conquest • 05:45 Pragmatic opportunist • 09:20 Persepolis burning • 11:48 Darius • 14:36 Alexander in the field • 19:30 Understanding the geography • 25:56 Dreamer • 29:50 “A war of choice…” • 32:57 Building something new • 34:36 Breaking point • 38:00 King with consent • 41:48 Harnessing strength Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies, joins the show to explain the broken Defense Department acquisition process and how he believes it can be fixed. ▪️ Times • 01:24 Introduction • 01:39 Employee #13 • 03:14 Palantir • 06:22 Monopsony • 11:18 Messy and chaotic • 14:40 Dual purpose companies • 17:18 The buying process • 23:50 Pushback • 25:59 Competing efforts • 27:37 Heretics and heroes • 31:22 Thinking about future war • 35:05 A changing selection criteria • 36:47 “The future is software defined” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Dubowitz, chief executive officer of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to break down the collapse of the Assad regime and the implications for Israel, Turkey, and Iran. ▪️ Times • 01:23 Introduction • 02:49 What happened? • 05:04 Rebels • 08:17 Risk assessment • 11:30 Factions • 17:10 Extremists and radicals • 19:15 “Our enemies lie to us…” • 24:19 Defensive reshuffle • 29:11 Nuclear Iran • 34:59 A powerful message • 42:40 Striking power • 47:27 A new “Ring of Fire” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Host Aaron MacLean recently embedded with the Israeli Defense Forces and saw firsthand Israel’s war with Iranian proxy groups Hezbollah and Hamas. What lessons can Americans learn from Israel’s year of fighting for its survival? ▪️ Times • 03:28 The North • 04:26 Metula • 07:45 Yishai • 10:00 Realities and misconceptions • 18:06 Stalemate • 22:33 Shaping the fight • 40:00 Reconnaissance-strike complex • 46:38 Dotan Razili • 50:50 Iron Dome in action • 54:43 Sarit Zehavi • 1:11:01 Hezbollah defeated • 1:12:58 “Knowing but not understanding” Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Michael Leggiere, Professor of Humanities at the University of Florida and editor of War Studies Journal 1, joins the show to discuss the sad state of military history in higher education. ▪️ Times • 01:17 Introduction • 02:48 Military history in academia • 03:53 PME • 05:22 What is “new” military history? • 11:55 “History shouldn’t be a mystery” • 17:55 The Journal • 20:45 Suggested pieces • 24:32 Napoleon • 26:58 Lee Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow at AEI and author of Keeping Up with the Pacing Threat: Unveiling the True Size of Beijing’s Military Spending, joins the show to discuss the dire situation the U.S. defense budget is in. ▪️ Times • 01:22 Introduction • 02:48 Keeping up • 05:26 China’s spending • 10:01 Equipment costs • 13:46 “Stealing our stuff” • 18:25 5 alarm fire • 20:32 U.S. budget truths • 24:50 BCA 101 • 31:32 Today or tomorrow • 39:23 Defense is cheaper, not better • 43:21 Solutions Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Thomas Barfield, Professor and Chairman of the Anthropology Department at Boston University and author of Shadow Empires: An Alternative Imperial History, joins the show to discuss empire. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 03:20 Understanding Afghanistan • 05:15 Classifying empires • 09:59 Failures and features • 12:24 Borders • 15:30 Exogenous empires • 21:36 Brits and Athenians • 26:40 Vulture empires • 32:21 Taking responsibility • 37:15 Empires of nostalgia • 44:50 Vacuum empires • 51:05 American/Athenian policy • 54:53 China and empire today Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of Duty to Deter: American Nuclear Deterrence and the Just War Doctrine, joins the show to make the moral argument for why the United States should modernize and grow its nuclear arsenal. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 01:48 A net good • 04:50 Tactical nuclear weapons • 10:25 The argument of disarmament • 14:03 Cold War strategy • 19:53 Capability and will • 26:06 Downside of “no first use” • 32:03 The nuclear triad • 37:20 Russia and China • 40:56 The moral argument Watch today’s episode on YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Randall Schriver, Chairman of the Board at The Project 2049 Institute, and Dan Blumenthal, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, join the show to discuss a road map for economic competition—and warfare—between the U.S. and China. ▪️ Times • 01:55 Introduction • 02:30 Planning for economic warfare • 06:27 Endstate • 10:18 Leadership • 12:21 NSDD • 14:59 Starting points • 17:10 Decoupling • 20:03 Where is the stuff coming from? • 23:50 Degrading the Chinese economy • 27:33 A dream of cooperation • 32:17 Slow the growth • 36:08 Wargaming • 41:41 Protraction • 44:49 International and Congressional concerns Click the link to read the report - DEFEATING THE CCP A RUNNING START Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Watch this episode on YouTube. Frank Cohn joins the show to talk about his life: fleeing Hitler’s Germany, his return as a U.S. soldier tasked with hunting Nazi’s, his service in Vietnam, and more. ▪️ Times • 01:55 Introduction • 02:15 A Nazi in the classroom • 05:47 Martin and Ruth • 17:35 Leaving Germany • 19:22 New York City • 22:50 Pearl Harbor • 30:47 Back to Europe • 35:30 Nazi Hunter • 39:48 POW for a moment • 42:32 The Dutch lady • 50:40 Camps • 52:30 Crossing the Elbe • 59:20 Interrogations • 01:05:40 Paying back the country • 01:08:51 Paula • 01:14:50 Military Police and Vietnam • 01:18:40 Angus • 01:21:12 Lessons Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, joins the show to discuss the North Korean regime and the geopolitical impact of its decision to send troops to support Russia in Ukraine. ▪️ Times • 01:36 Introduction • 01:49 Finding North Korea • 04:00 The Sung dynasty • 09:24 Beijing and Moscow • 14:43 Kim Jong Il • 22:14 Mackinder’s World-Island • 26:29 Interconnected • 33:18 Why commit to Russia? • 36:55 Limited imaginations • 39:03 New differences Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Nick Lloyd, Professor of Modern Warfare in the Defence Studies at King’s College London and author of The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918, joins the show to discuss the critical role of the eastern front in World War I. ▪️ Times • 01:43 Introduction • 02:09 “The soul of the war” • 04:00 Before the fighting • 05:59 War aims • 10:51 Tannenberg • 15:54 Hindenburg and Ludendorff • 19:57 Scale • 22:40 Combat • 27:14 Munitions scarcity • 32:10 Russian collapse • 36:45 Lenin returns • 40:42 Brest-Litovsk • 44:16 Proto-lebensraum • 47:20 The West • 52:30 War as a way out Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Ben Noon of the Vandenberg Coalition writes about US-China rivalry and geopolitics. He joins the show to discuss the critical fight for semiconductor dominance. ▪️ Times • 01:38 Introduction • 02:15 Semiconductors • 05:49 Legacy and advanced chips • 09:47 China’s chip script • 14:21 What’s the big deal? • 19:20 Trade policy • 25:11 Containment • 28:10 Ratcheting up tensions Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Scott Hartwig, author ofI Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and the End of the Maryland Campaign, joins the show to discuss the single bloodiest day in American military history, the Battle of Antietam. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 02:19 Why Antietam? • 09:09 Sourcing history • 12:45 Limited to total war • 21:24 McClellan • 28:00 Lee in Maryland • 34:57 Geography • 46:20 South Mountain to Antietam • 55:49 The fighting • 01:02:12 Mass and maneuver • 01:04:44 Lee escapes Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Jacqueline Deal, President and CEO of the Long Term Strategy Group and recently the author of the article Competing against Ourselves: How U.S. Policy Strengthens China, joins the show to discuss U.S.-China competition. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 01:53 Net assessment • 04:32 China’s view • 08:20 Is entanglement the goal? • 14:34 Changing the global balance • 21:45 Communism • 25:47 “Their own worst enemy” • 30:12 CCP & manipulation • 35:06 Weaponized supply chains • 39:12 Getting their attention Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Nicholas Morton, Senior Lecturer in History, Nottingham Trent University and author of The Crusader States and their Neighbours: A Military History, 1099-1187, joins the show to discuss the Crusades. ▪️ Times • 01:25 Introduction • 02:21 What were the Crusades? • 07:30 Franks and Turks • 09:57 Combat • 14:01 50/50 • 19:48 Sieges • 23:47 Others • 31:31 Seljuks • 36:50 Crusader States • 41:28 Why did they fail? • 45:19 Continuity and complexity • 49:45 Fluidity Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Katherine Kuzminski, Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at CNAS, joins the show to discuss recruiting and mass mobilization in the event of war. ▪️ Times • 01:33 Introduction • 02:08 Why worry about mobilization? • 03:54 Meeting the threshold • 06:58 Low yield • 11:37 A loss of identity • 15:42 Aging up • 21:38 The Russian model • 23:55 Israeli lessons • 26:38 Working with what we have • 32:05 Infantry concerns • 35:05 Women in the draft • 39:12 Deterrent value • 41:20 Sustaining industry • 43:45 An “I” society Back to the Drafting Board Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to help us understand breaking developments in the war between Israel, Iran, and Iran’s regional proxies. ▪️ Times • 01:41 Introduction • 02:24 Iran’s missile attack • 03:56 Iranian intentions • 06:34 Options • 11:27 Iranian concerns • 14:59 Ring of fire • 19:10 Near term calculus • 23:49 Regime change • 28:52 Reagan strategy • 32:55 A “good” deal Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Alex Miller, Senior Advisor for Science and Technology and the CTO to the Chief of Staff of the Army, joins the show to talk about how we are preparing to fight on the battlefields of the future—which are here today. ▪️ Times • 01:17 Introduction • 01:32 CTO • 04:48 Scale/E.W./drones • 09:06 How we buy • 13:07 Transforming in Contact • 18:15 Electronic warfare • 22:37 Defensive spectrum • 25:20 An invisible world • 28:12 Drone warfare • 35:05 Humans and machines • 37:49 What does the Army need? Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Frank Ledwidge, Senior Fellow in Air Power and International Security at the Royal Air Force College and author of Aerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies, joins the show to talk about warfare’s next frontier, space. ▪️ Times • 01:40 Introduction • 03:24 Thinking about space • 09:09 More than a conduit • 14:15 ASAT • 19:55 Space domain awareness • 26:20 Directed energy and nuclear weapons • 31:16 Congested/competitive/contested • 39:44 36,000 earths • 42:15 Commercial incentives • 45:05 Who has the advantage? Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Eric Edelman and Thomas Mahnken of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments join the show to talk about what our defense establishment has gotten right, and wrong, in planning for the next war. ▪️ Times • 02:10 Introduction • 02:43 National Defense Strategy • 06:58 Continuity between administrations • 08:55 Multiple theater force construct • 17:31 “A flawed net assessment” • 28:30 An imbalance of power • 34:46 Favoring the defense • 38:42 Resources and cost Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Christopher Lynch, Professor of Political Science at Missouri State University and author of Machiavelli on War, joins the show to talk about renaissance warfare and Niccolò Machiavelli. ▪️ Times • 01:20 Introduction • 01:56 Machiavelli’s world • 03:52 French invasion • 07:08 Republicanism • 13:42 Mercenary armies • 22:50 Time in office • 27:30 Battle • 33:17 Resurrecting Rome and Greece • 38:00 Catastrophic endings • 41:31 Exile and writings • 45:54 Good guy or bad guy? Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD and contributor to The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan, joins the show to talk about Taiwan, tensions in the South China Sea, and more. ▪️ Times • 01:27 Introduction • 02:00 Why the Navy? • 04:05 PACOM • 06:53 Working with Senator McCain • 10:51 Resource prioritization • 15:19 Shortsighted decisions • 19:56 Sink China’s Navy • 25:30 Is Taiwan ready? • 30:35 Imitate Estonia • 33:31 Sensor complexes • 37:26 Missile defense • 43:30 Nuclear escalation Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Sabin Howard, sculptor of A Soldier’s Journey, the central feature of the new World War I Memorial in Washington, DC, joins the show to talk about his work and the art of memorializing war and honoring veterans. ▪️ Times • 01:50 Introduction • 02:07 Becoming an artist • 07:03 Spiritually classical • 10:04 WWI • 14:24 Getting it right • 18:35 Daughter and father • 21:37 The ordeal • 25:00 The charging man • 28:18 Modern methods • 33:52 Aftermath • 41:11 Return • 51:00 Excite and engage Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny, joins the show to give his thoughts on Tucker Carlson’s controversial guest Darryl Cooper. ▪️ Times • 01:25 Introduction • 02:34 Churchill the villain • 05:20 Pat Buchanan • 08:57 Dragging America into war • 14:50 Barbarossa • 20:06 “Mr. Cooper simply can’t have read Mein Kampf…” • 21:37 Terror bombings • 24:19 Dog whistles • 26:11 Founding mythology Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Matt Pottinger, distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Chairman of FDD’s China Program, and author of The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan, joins the show to talk about how a war over Taiwan might start and how it may be prevented. ▪️ Times • 01:13 Introduction • 03:11 The Boiling Moat • 04:54 Is Xi serious? • 11:35 How to deter China • 17:40 Out with the old, in with the new • 24:30 Mapping the scenarios • 30:14 No such thing as an accidental war • 35:44 A cognitive trap • 39:22 Left with no choice Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joins the show to discuss his plan to spend five percent of America’s GDP on defense. Click the link to read more Peace through Strength: A Generational Investment in the U.S. Military ▪️ Times • 01:31 Introduction • 01:40 Service years • 04:39 3% vs 5% • 9:00 Peace through Strength • 12:50 More money, more problems? • 16:40 “Let’s get some more shipyards…” • 19:37 Modernizing the nuclear arsenal • 23:14 Force Design 2030 Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

General Kenneth F. McKenzie, USMC, retired as the fourteenth commander of U.S. Central Command in 2022 and is the author of The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century (https://a.co/d/a2RmIDK). He joins the show to talk about the strategic significance of the Middle East. ▪️ Times • 01:16 Introduction • 01:38 The Citadel • 04:15 The humanities • 10:00 Central Command • 13:43 Thinking globally • 17:53 Iran pushes back • 23:05 Pursuing peace • 26:15 Afghanistan • 32:01 Collapse • 37:58 A regional war Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Joshua S. Treviño, Chief of Intelligence and Research and the Director for Texas Identity at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, joins the show to talk about the crisis on the U.S. southern border. ▪️ Times • 01:28 Introduction • 02:03 “The border itself is insecure…” • 06:06 Immigration is not the issue • 08:58 Texas remembers • 21:44 The Mexican side • 31:34 WWI in Mexico • 32:25 PRC and cartels • 39:24 DoD and the border • 44:01 “A sincere security partner…” • 46:03 The Caroline affair Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack