School of War Podcast

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School of War Podcast School of War is a podcast that brings you the lessons of military history.
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30/05/2024

On episode 122, Mike Gallagher and Matt Pottinger join the show to discuss their recent Foreign Affairs essay on the need for a victory strategy in America’s cold war with China.



28/05/2024

On episode 114, Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, joins the show to talk about how nuclear strategic thinking began and how those debates resonate today. Listen to School of War on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.




24/05/2024

This week, historian Shane Brennan explained to Aaron MacLean how Xenophon’s Socratic education formed him into the leader we observe in Anabasis. Listen to School of War wherever you get your podcasts.

22/05/2024

On episode 122, Mike Gallagher and Matt Pottinger join the show to discuss their recent Foreign Affairs essay on the need for a victory strategy in America’s cold war with China. Listen to School of War wherever you get your podcasts.



17/05/2024

On episode 123, Sergey Radchenko, Wilson E. Schmidt Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power, joins the show to talk about the strategic aims of the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War and how the Soviets attempted to run the world.



15/05/2024

H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He was the 26th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.
He is the author of Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World and Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam.

10/05/2024

With China, is Biden giving in to short term wins in exchange for long term victory?

Re-upping this, from two weeks after the war began.
09/05/2024

Re-upping this, from two weeks after the war began.

08/05/2024

Daniel Bolger is a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Army. A graduate of the Citadel, Lt. General Bolger earned five bronze stars during his time in the military. He served as the commander of several units, including the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, as well as the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. He earned a Ph.D. in military history form the University of Chicago and currently teaches at North Carolina State University. Listen to School of War wherever you get your podcasts.

In this weeks episode Matt Pottinger, former U.S. deputy national security advisor, outlined what Mike Gallagher calls t...
08/05/2024

In this weeks episode Matt Pottinger, former U.S. deputy national security advisor, outlined what Mike Gallagher calls the Pottinger Paradox. The principle is simple enough - the more accommodating and deferential a government is towards an adversarial Leninist state the more aggressive and demanding it becomes. Conversely, the more staunch and firm a government is towards that same Leninist state the more likely it will be to buckle and be easier to work with. What do you think is the right diplomatic path when dealing with a Leninist ideology? Wary and strong or friendly and accommodating?



Russian Turtle Tank, are a new development on the battlefields of the Russian-Ukraine War. These modified T-62, T-72, T-...
02/05/2024

Russian Turtle Tank, are a new development on the battlefields of the Russian-Ukraine War. These modified T-62, T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks, are apparently the Russian military’s attempt at dealing with the deadly Ukrainian FPV’s. The small 2lb drones can carry 1lb of explosives and have proven themselves to be efficient killers of both men and machines. The Ukrainians are able to flood the zone with more than 100,00 FPV which has forced Moscow to get creative with how they protect their tanks and equipment. Enter the Turtle Tank - simply a tank that appears to have a layer of metal sheeting around it instead of the standard nets previously employed against FPVs. It remains to be seen if the metal “shell”, paired with a suite of jammers, will prove effective against the FPV and already Ukrainian forces are adapting countermeasures to deal with the threat.

Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, was the adopted son of Augustus and became the second emperor of the Roman Empire. Foll...
29/04/2024

Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, was the adopted son of Augustus and became the second emperor of the Roman Empire. Following the death of Gaius and Lucius, Tiberius became the sole heir even though he was older and had already been a very successful field commander. His victories in Pannonia, Dalmatia, and in areas of Germania expanded the early Empire’s boundaries significantly. A reluctant ruler, Tiberius, proved a very durable diplomat and strategic thinker and was a masterful administrator. His final years were marred by the deaths of his son and nephew and his retirement too Capri is infamous for debauched antics that Tiberius seems to have enjoyed, particularly in the pool. His death in AD 37 led to the succession of Caligula.

26/04/2024

On Episode 120, Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Kissinger Center and author of Iron Imperator: Roman Grand Strategy Under Tiberius, joins the show to talk about the military career and statecraft of the Tiberius and what his career has to teach us today.

26/04/2024

On episode 120, Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Kissinger Center and author of Iron Imperator: Roman Grand Strategy Under Tiberius, joins the show to talk about the military career and statecraft of the Tiberius and what his career has to teach us today.

Few, if any, pre-modern powers could take a punch quite like the Roman Empire. More often than not, particularly in anci...
24/04/2024

Few, if any, pre-modern powers could take a punch quite like the Roman Empire. More often than not, particularly in ancient times, wars were won and lost with only a relatively few number of battles being fought. Typically, the amount of energy and resources that went into fighting meant that even powerful states could not afford to lose even one battle, let alone many. Rome was different. From the days of the Senate through the time of the Empire, Rome had an incredible recuperative capability. Many times in the history of Rome, word would come of some disaster befalling a legion, or many, in some far-off barbarian land. Chaos would ensue but then Rome would recover, rebound, and fight on. Some defeats, however, stopped the Roman steamroller dead. What was Rome’s greatest defeat?

19/04/2024

On episode 119, Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign-affairs correspondent at The Wall Street Journal and author of Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence, joins the show to talk about the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, how the battlefield has evolved, and where the war may be headed.



War is the the ultimate historical ground for asking “What if…”. One or two minor changes; Harold dodges the arrow at Ha...
17/04/2024

War is the the ultimate historical ground for asking “What if…”. One or two minor changes; Harold dodges the arrow at Hastings, Hannibal trips at Cannae, Hi**er is killed instead of injured in WWI, and the course of history changes dramatically. Or it doesn’t. We have no way of knowing what would have happened, either way. Playing around with this idea can help open the mind and imagination which in turn helps our predictive brain process when looking into the future. So, this week at the School of War we have a bit of a scenario for you to noodle about on your own time. Russia has invaded Ukraine and though slow moving and unwieldy the offensive is gaining. Chaos and confusion reign supreme in Kyiv and around much of the country. There is fighting and the Ukrainians are not wilting but the pressure is mounting. President Zelenskyy has been advised to leave the country and form a government in exile like the Poles in WWII. He boards a jet and is whisked away to Paris where he will deliver the same moving and courageous speeches and appeals to fight but from a safe remove from the fighting. Does the Ukrainian resistance continue on or would it have collapsed? Why?

Iran–Iraq War, was an eight year long fight between Iran and Iraq that started in 1980 when Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi force...
15/04/2024

Iran–Iraq War, was an eight year long fight between Iran and Iraq that started in 1980 when Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces invaded Iran. Hussein invaded out of a fear that the theocratic Shia ideology of the Iranian Revolution might find its way to Baghdad and his minority Sunni Ba’athist government could be jeopardized. Iraq hoped for a quick victory against a much depleted and reeling Iranian military but the two sides were evenly matched and traded blows and ground in a long, see-sawing fashion. A brutal war, that saw Iraqi forces use gas on Iranian soldiers and civilians, the fighting eventually ended with a UN brokered ceasefire that called for no reparations or territorial changes. More than a trillion dollars is believed to have been sunk into the war by both countries for no gain. The death toll is impossible to accurately figure but it is estimated that anywhere from one million to two million casualties were suffered by both sides over the almost decade long conflict.


12/04/2024

Michael Doran joined the show this week to talk about who’s winning the Israel-Hamas War and what’s at stake. Is Israel winning? Is the U.S. helping or hindering its ally? And what does it all mean for Iranian interests?



Israel had a tough week in its fight against Hammas; there was the World Central Kitchen tragedy and the pulling back of...
10/04/2024

Israel had a tough week in its fight against Hammas; there was the World Central Kitchen tragedy and the pulling back of its maneuver forces from Rafah indicate that pressure from D.C. might be mounting. Hammas still exists, though much diminished, and if the war ends with Hammas not destroyed it’s a victory for them. As Israel has stated, their victory conditions are the destruction of Hammas and it’s eradication from the Gaza Strip. As international patience wares ever thinner, Israel is running out of time. But, if the IDF attacks Rafah and destroys the four remaining brigades entrenched in the city they likely win the war according to their aims. The U.S. concern is that Israel is pushing Iran ever closer to getting fully involved. Should the U.S. pressure Israel to slow down out of fear of a wider war or help Israel finish Hammas off in the city of Rafah?

M-28 or M-29 Davy Crockett Weapon System, was a tactical nuclear weapons delivery system deployed by the U.S during the ...
08/04/2024

M-28 or M-29 Davy Crockett Weapon System, was a tactical nuclear weapons delivery system deployed by the U.S during the Cold War. A crew of five would carry, load, and fire the 100 to 300 pound smoothbore gun armed with a nuclear warhead equivalent to 20 tonnes of TNT. The limited range, 1.25 to 2.5 miles depending on the variant, meant that the Davy Crockett’s gun crew would have to be tight into its intended target. The weapons shocking inaccuracy and the potential for a small conflict to spiral rapidly into a large one made it more of a liability in the field than an asset. Never used in combat, the Davy Crockett systems were officially retired in 1971

05/04/2024

On episode 117, Rabbi Shlomo Brody, executive director of Ematai and author of Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, joins the show to talk about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the Jewish tradition of military ethics.

“But, say they, the wise man will wage Just Wars. As if he would not all the rather lament the necessity of just wars, i...
03/04/2024

“But, say they, the wise man will wage Just Wars. As if he would not all the rather lament the necessity of just wars, if he remembers that he is a man; for if they were not just he would not wage them, and would therefore be delivered from all wars.” The idea of a “just” war, or having the moral right in war, predates St. Augustine but he was the first to coin the phrase itself. The thinking is that no good nation wants war but there are times when war must be fought and that there is way to fight it rightly. The blending of history, philosophy, psychology, and religion make this murky water to navigate and there is no concrete fact in a world of theory and possibility but it’s an important and healthy knot to work towards untangling. Here is a hypothetical - there is a rapidly growing and bellicose nation on your border, within the decade it will be too formidable to attack or defend against, their people hate yours and will likely commit atrocities, you are not seeking to conquer just to maintain balance. Do you have a “Just” basis to wage war?

02/04/2024

On episode 116, David Stahel, associate professor of history at the University of New South Wales and author of Hi**er's Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and Schmidt Unguarded, joins the show to talk about Heinz Guderian, the myth and the man.

Hi**er had a packed stable of thoroughbred warhorses in command of his armies. Middling command staff in the German mili...
27/03/2024

Hi**er had a packed stable of thoroughbred warhorses in command of his armies. Middling command staff in the German military would have been all-stars in most other countries. If you’ve spent an hour reading anything about WWII you’ve likely come across some of the names; Manstein, Rommel, Reinhardt, Balck, Hoepner, Dietrich, Rundstedt. In some cases, these men earned their reputation for tactical, operational, or strategic brilliance. In others, it was more media savvy maneuvering and myth-making than actual truth in their well-crafted legacies. Who do you think is the greatest German general of World War Two? Why?

The Second Punic War, was the second of a three war cycle between the mighty maritime power that was Carthage and the as...
25/03/2024

The Second Punic War, was the second of a three war cycle between the mighty maritime power that was Carthage and the ascendent Republic of Rome. Some of history’s greatest battles and character took part in the almost two decades long war; Hannibal, Fabius Cunctator, Scipio Africanus, Cannae, Zama, Trebia. The majority of the fighting took place on the ground in mainland Italy but there was fighting seen all over the Mediterranean world, eventually ending on the flat plains of North Africa. The harsh Roman peace treaty stripped Carthage of its many ports and territories and forced it to pay a massive indemnity, the goal was to keep Carthage under a constant weight therefore making it impossible for the city to ever rise again to challenge Rome.

21/03/2024

On episode 114, Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, joins the show to talk about how nuclear strategic thinking began and how those debates resonate today. Listen to the episode wherever ou get your podcasts.



There have been decisive battles that have changed the course of history; Waterloo, Salamis, Lepanto. These battles ende...
20/03/2024

There have been decisive battles that have changed the course of history; Waterloo, Salamis, Lepanto. These battles ended the career or hopes of one empire or leader and saw the rise and success of another. A battles place on any given list or overall historical importance can be quibbled over but it’s understood what the important battles are. But one battle that continues to be debated and studied and fought over is Cannae. A tactical masterpiece, a massive numerical superiority overcome, maybe the most complete battlefield victory of all time, Cannae ended no war, resulted in the loser redoubling their efforts and changing their tactics, and was a strategic nothing-burger. Cannae may have the distinction of being the most heavily studied and misunderstood battle in all of history. Do you think Cannae belongs on the list of the most decisive battles in history? What battle is at the top of your list?

Chevauchée, was a medieval raid tactic that targeted the enemy’s population and agricultural production. Used extensivel...
18/03/2024

Chevauchée, was a medieval raid tactic that targeted the enemy’s population and agricultural production. Used extensively during the Hundred Years’ War and in earlier times, the chevauchée typically consisted of fast moving cavalry units burning and pillaging their way through an enemy region in the hopes that it would weaken their opponents ability to fight. The enemy ruler’s credibility also took a hit as his people believed him incapable of protecting them from attack. Seen as a way to force an enemy into action or draw them out of a city under siege, the best defense against the chevauchée was to pull the population into the cities and behind the defensive walls, thereby actually escalating the turn to sieges that warfare took in the late 13th century. The term is French and means a promenade or horse charge.

The debate between countervalue and counterforce targeting has been a lively one since almost the very dawn of the atomi...
13/03/2024

The debate between countervalue and counterforce targeting has been a lively one since almost the very dawn of the atomic age. Counterforce targeting is striking an opponents military targets while ideally leaving civilian populations unharmed. Countervalue targeting is the opposite, it calls for a direct strike on an opponents population centers and cities. But in truth the ideas at play are as old as armed conflict itself. From the earliest Stone Age raids to Assyrian sieges, the chevauchee of the Hundred Years War to Clausewitz, to the modern amalgamation of “total war”, military minds have debated which to attack and why; the enemy army or population centers. In the nuclear era this debate has taken on a far more deadly and all-encompassing scope. Which do you think provides a greater deterrence factor - countervalue or counterforce targeting? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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On episode 122, Mike Gallagher and Matt Pottinger join the show to discuss their recent Foreign Affairs essay on the need for a victory strategy in America’s cold war with China. . . . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

On episode 114, Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, joins the show to talk about how nuclear strategic thinking began and how those debates resonate today. Listen to School of War on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. . . . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

This week, historian Shane Brennan explained to Aaron MacLean how Xenophon’s Socratic education formed him into the leader we observe in Anabasis. Listen to School of War wherever you get your podcasts.

On episode 122, Mike Gallagher and Matt Pottinger join the show to discuss their recent Foreign Affairs essay on the need for a victory strategy in America’s cold war with China. Listen to School of War wherever you get your podcasts. . . . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

On episode 123, Sergey Radchenko, Wilson E. Schmidt Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power, joins the show to talk about the strategic aims of the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War and how the Soviets attempted to run the world. . . . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He was the 26th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018. He is the author of Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World and Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam.

With China, is Biden giving in to short term wins in exchange for long term victory?

Daniel Bolger is a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Army. A graduate of the Citadel, Lt. General Bolger earned five bronze stars during his time in the military. He served as the commander of several units, including the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, as well as the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. He earned a Ph.D. in military history form the University of Chicago and currently teaches at North Carolina State University. Listen to School of War wherever you get your podcasts. . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

On Episode 120, Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Kissinger Center and author of Iron Imperator: Roman Grand Strategy Under Tiberius, joins the show to talk about the military career and statecraft of the Tiberius and what his career has to teach us today.

On episode 120, Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Kissinger Center and author of Iron Imperator: Roman Grand Strategy Under Tiberius, joins the show to talk about the military career and statecraft of the Tiberius and what his career has to teach us today.

On episode 119, Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign-affairs correspondent at The Wall Street Journal and author of Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence, joins the show to talk about the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, how the battlefield has evolved, and where the war may be headed. . . . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

Michael Doran joined the show this week to talk about who’s winning the Israel-Hamas War and what’s at stake. Is Israel winning? Is the U.S. helping or hindering its ally? And what does it all mean for Iranian interests? . . . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

On episode 117, Rabbi Shlomo Brody, executive director of Ematai and author of Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, joins the show to talk about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the Jewish tradition of military ethics.

On episode 116, David Stahel, associate professor of history at the University of New South Wales and author of Hitler's Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and Schmidt Unguarded, joins the show to talk about Heinz Guderian, the myth and the man. . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

On episode 114, Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, joins the show to talk about how nuclear strategic thinking began and how those debates resonate today. Listen to the episode wherever ou get your podcasts. . . . . . . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

On Episode 112, Paul Scharre, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at CNAS and author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (https://loom.ly/LdwbvTk), joins the show to talk about how AI will change the battlefield.

On episode 112, Paul Scharre, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at CNAS and author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (https://loom.ly/LdwbvTk), joins the show to talk about how AI will change the battlefield.

What was it like to be a German fighter pilot late in WWII as the P-51D began smashing away at Fortress Europe with its considerable advantages in training and raw power? Don Miller and Aaron MacLean discuss on School of War. . . . . . #mastersoftheair #ww2 #history #podcast #war

John Orloff, creator, writer and co-executive producer of Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, joins Aaron to talk about the new show highlighting the WWII experiences of the men of the 100th Bomb Group, a part of the 8th Air Force’s strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Masters of the Air streams January 26th only on Apple TV+.

On episode 106, John McManus, author of To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945 and host of the We Have Ways of Making You Talk in the USA podcast, joins the show to talk about why the U.S. Army’s war in the Pacific during WWII merit deeper study and recognition. . . . #War #History #Podcast #Military #Facts #Discover #Combat #linkinbio #community #explore #travel #warhistory #militaryhistory #warfacts #warstories #militarylife #warzone #militarymemes #worldhistory #armedforces #soilders #battlefield #conflict #wartime #podcastersofinstagram #veteran #WW2 #russia #ukraine #israel

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