The Strategy Bridge

Nate Finney joins the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about how the Council of Defense in North Carolina managed military and resource mobilization during the First World War. Finney is the author of "Orchestrating Power: The American Associational State in the First World War."

In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast, we are joined by Brian Kerg to talk about the School of Advanced Warfighting and the training of operational planners. Kerg is a Lt. Col. in the Marine Corps and the author of "Dare to Know: Pursuing the Path of the Operational Planner" in the August 2025 issue of the US Naval Institute's "Proceedings."

In this episode we talk with Dina Fainberg about the Cold War ideologies that shaped how Soviet and American foreign correspondents reported on each other's countries and how their reporting influenced the views of policy makers, commentators, and citizens. Fainberg is an assistant professor of modern history at City University of London and the author of "Cold War Correspondents: Soviet and American Reporters on the Ideological Front Lines."

In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast, we talk with Jason Shaffer about the role of theater during the American Revolution and in 18th Century Anglo-American culture. We look at how theater portrayed the military, expressed the principles of Revolutionary ideology, and the role of propaganda plays during the Revolutionary War. Shaffer is the author of "Performing Patriotism: National Identity in the Colonial and Revolutionary American Theater" and is an Associate Professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy.

During the Second World War, Canadian soldiers fought fascism in Europe alongside British and American troops. In this episode, we talk with historian Mark Zuehlke about the Canadian Army's fight for Juno Beach on D-Day. Zuehlke is the author of "Juno Beach: Canada's D-Day Victory, June 6, 1944."

In the years after independence, military coups overthrew civilian governments in many new African countries and tried to transform their societies into martial utopias. In this episode of the Strategy Bridge podcast, we talk with Samuel Fury Childs Daly about the ideology of militarism, military dictatorships, and how law both enabled and challenged them. Daly is Associate Professor of History at the University of Chicago and is the author of "Soldier's Paradise: Militarism in Africa after Empire."

Nicholas Lambert joins the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about Alfred Thayer Mahan, his concept of sea power, and the ideas and events that shaped his worldview. Lambert is the author of "The Neptune Factor: Alfred Thayer Mahan and the Concept of Sea Power."

In 1943, the book "Makers of Modern Strategy" was released and was an immediate success. The editor, Edward Mead Earle, had hoped to offer the public a historical lens through which to understand a world in the midst of a global war. Joining us to talk about the book, its intellectual history, and legacy is Michael Finch. Finch is the author of "Making Makers: The Past, The Present, and the Study of War."

From June 3-30, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac moved from their positions along the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, VA north to Pennsylvania where they met in battle at Gettysburg. In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast, we talk with Scott Mingus and Eric Wittenberg about some of the key events of this movement. They are the authors of the two-volume series: "If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania": The Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac March to Gettysburg - Volume 1: June 3–21, 1863 & Volume 2: June 22 - June 30, 1863.

Between September and November of 1777, the Continental Army and Pennsylvania State Navy fought to deny the British access to the Delaware River to prevent the Royal Navy from supplying British troops in Philadelphia. In this episode, James McIntyre joins the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about the Delaware River Campaign and his book "A Most Gallant Resistance." McIntyre is an associate professor of history at Moraine Valley Community College.

Jeremy Black returns to the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about geographical concepts, mapmaking, strategy, geopolitics and his book "The Geographies of War." Black is Emeritus Professor of History at Exeter University.

In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast, we talk with Wayne Lee about his book "The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800." Lee is Bruce W. Carney Professor of History and the University of North Carolina.

Eileen Bjorkman joins the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about her book "Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat." The book tells the story of how women fought for equality in the armed services and for the right to serve on flight crews in combat. Bjorkman is a retired Air Force colonel and flight test engineer.

In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast, we are joined by Anders Engberg-Pedersen to talk about his book "Martial Aesthetics: How War Became an Art Form." He is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Copenhagen.

Dr. John McManus returns to the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about the final book in his trilogy on the U.S. Army in the Pacific War, "To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945." McManus is the Curator's Distinguished Professor of US military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Sebastian Bae joins the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about wargaming education and design and his new game "Littoral Commander: Indo-Pacific." Bae is the editor of the book "Forging Wargamers: A Framework for Professional Military Education." He works as a research analyst and game designer in the defense industry and serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University, where he teaches a graduate course on designing educational wargames.

During the Vietnam War, a joint Army and Navy unit known as the Mobile Riverine Force (MRF) was established to operate in the maritime environment of the Mekong Delta. In the episode we talk about the Mobile Riverine Force with Erik Villard, the digital military historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History and a historian of the Vietnam War. Villard is the author of "Combat Operations: Staying the Course, October 1967 to September 1968."

National Park Service Ranger Troy Harman joins the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about the role of the location of water, roads, and rail in the decision making during the Gettysburg campaign. We also talk about how symbolism built into the design of the park shapes views of the battle. Harman has served as a ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park since 1989 and he is the author of "All Roads Led to Gettysburg: A New Look at the Civil War's Pivotal Campaign."

Elizabeth Samet joins the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about the mythology surrounding World War II, the literature and film that emerged following the war, and the mythology's effect on our beliefs about the use of American military force. Samet is the author of "Looking for the Good War: American Amnesia and the Violent Pursuit of Happiness" and a professor of English at West Point.

Trent Hone returns to the Strategy Bridge Podcast to talk about his new book "Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific." We talk about how Nimitz organized and reorganized his staff as the war unfolded, his relationship with the Army, the effort to integrate the British Pacific Fleet into American operations and more. Trent Hone is a Vice President with ICF and an award-winning naval historian.