Best Modern War Institute At West Point Podcasts (2024)

1
Technology and the Future of Land Warfare 1:02:58

39m ago1:02:58

1:02:58

Technology is rapidly changing the modern battlefield, making it crucial for armies to adapt how they think, fight, and train. But what should that adaptation look like? How can the US Army, for example, evolve at the tactical level to both meet the challenges and leverage the opportunities brought about by advancing technology? How should Army lea…

1
Cold War Lessons for a New Era: Connecting IW and Great Power Competition 50:55

3h ago50:55

50:55

Episode 103 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines the role that irregular conflicts played during the Cold War to inform today’s era of strategic competition. Our guests begin by explaining how irregular conflicts and capabilities play a role in strategic competition, despite policy structures in Washington that often silo great power conflict …

1
How Iran's Missile and Drone Attack Was Defeated 41:31

1d ago41:31

41:31

When Iran recently launched more than three hundred drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles in a large-scale attack against Israel, almost every single one was stopped from reaching its target. A combination of ground-based air defenses, ship-launched weapons, and aircraft from multiple nations were involved in the defensive operation. But …

1
Concrete Hell 36:44

7d ago36:44

36:44

In this episode, guest host Jayson Geroux is joined by retired Lieutenant Colonel Louis DiMarco, a professor of military history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College. Dr. DiMarco is the author of the influential 2012 book Concrete Hell: Urban Warfare from Stalingrad to Iraq. In the conversation, he discusses how he became int…

1
Spectre in the Sky 1:04:26

7d ago1:04:26

1:04:26

In August 2007, a US Army Special Forces team came under fire while passing through a valley in Afghanistan. The call for support went to a nearby base, where an AC-130H Spectre gunship crew was standing by. The crew quickly launched, and shortly later, the aircraft was overhead. This is the type of job the AC-130H was designed for. In the hours th…

1
Americans’ Changing Views of Civil-Military Relations 1:02:51

11d ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Are current trends in civil-military relations antithetical to healthy democratic norms? What can be done to ensure the civil-military relationship is a healthy one? And most fundamentally, how are Americans' views of the proper delineation of civilian and military authority changing? Dr. Ron Krebs is a professor of political science at the Univers…

1
Strategic Disruption by Special Operations Forces 51:51

14d ago51:51

51:51

Episode 102 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines how special operations forces can disrupt the strategic designs of Washington’s adversaries. Our guests begin with an in-depth discussion on civil-military relations, examining the relationship between SOL/IC and SOCOM. They then discuss the unique capabilities that special operations forces bri…

51
NATO at 75 48:07

14d ago48:07

48:07

Seventy-five years ago, on April 4, 1949, representatives of twelve governments came together to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. Much has changed in the intervening period—the Cold War came and went, NATO invoked the Article 5 collective defense clause after the 9/11 attacks, an era of renewed strategic competition has emerged, and large-scale conf…

51
Ambush in Uruzgan 59:37

23d ago59:37

59:37

In this episode, host Tim Heck is joined by Lt. Col. Blake Schwartz. In 2009, Schwartz was a Special Forces team leader deployed in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province. Enemy fighters in the Langar valley, a restive area astride a vital road network, were a particular target for Schwartz’s soldiers. Schwartz attempted three times to enter the valley wit…

1
Why Defense Reform in Ukraine is Crucial 58:33

25d ago58:33

58:33

Most discussions about Western support to Ukraine and its defense against Russia centers on materiel—artillery shells, F-16s, and a wide range of equipment. While these weapons and systems are crucial for Ukraine to continue its war effort, there is an additional consideration that often gets overlooked: defense reform, particularly how the West ca…

1
Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants 55:37

27d ago55:37

55:37

In today's episode, we delve into the topic of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants. Our guests explore the theoretical underpinnings of DDR, the motivations behind individuals joining armed groups, and effective strategies for reintegrating former combatants back into society.…

1
Resistance and the National Defense of Small States 57:23

29d ago57:23

57:23

In this episode, John Amble speaks to Sandor Fabian about a very specific approach to national defense: resistance. The war in Ukraine has made clear that comparatively small states can be vulnerable to the threat of aggression from larger neighbors. Resistance, Sandor argues, is the most viable means of defense for these states. But effectively em…

351
Studying the October 7 Terrorist Attacks 1:02:01

1M ago1:02:01

1:02:01

Many will be familiar with the major facts about the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. Over 1,200 people were killed and another 240 kidnapped and brought to Gaza as hostages. But what do we know about the specific sites—more than twenty in total—that the attackers selected as targets? What about the specific tactics they employed? …

1
A Lieutenant's Dilemma in Kosovo 47:54

1M ago47:54

47:54

When Chris L’Heureux joined the Army in 1999, it was before the 9/11 attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that would define a generation of US Army service. Like many others across the Army, he would go on to deploy multiple times to those war zones. But his first deployment was very different. As a platoon leader, Chris and his soldiers we…

1
Drone Proliferation to Terrorists Proxies 59:28

1M ago59:28

59:28

How is increased nonstate actor access to drones impacting war today? That deeply challenging question is the focus of the first episode in the new season of Social Science of War. As always, the podcast sets out to bring together guests from both academia and the practitioner and policy worlds to apply cutting-edge scholarship to real-world challe…

1
Secret Wars: Covert Action and Irregular Warfare 54:30

2M ago54:30

54:30

In Episode 100 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast, we delve into the world of covert operations. Our guests begin by defining covert and clandestine operations, shedding light on their intricacies and historical significance. They then discuss the complexities of clandestine activities, and address the difficulties associated with translating irregul…

1
Nuclear Weapons—Past, Present, and Future 42:29

1M ago42:29

42:29

For eight decades, the world has navigated the risk of nuclear war. But what will be required to so in the future? And because that risk is not static, how do we measure, conceptualize, and respond to changes—like when Russia rattles its nuclear saber? What challenges do so-called tactical nuclear weapons pose to deterrence models based on much lar…

1
Forecasting the Future of Urban Warfare 34:00

2M ago34:00

34:00

In this episode, John Spencer is joined by retired Colonel Kevin Felix. He served 30 years in the US Army, with his last assignment as chief of Army Capabilities and Integration Center's Future Warfare Division. He describes the Army’s different approaches for thinking about and studying the future of warfare, including major efforts beginning in 2…

1
The Bridge on the Saddam Canal 40:01

2M ago40:01

40:01

In early 2003, Karl Blanke was a Marine platoon commander during the early stages of the US-led invasion of Iraq, when his battalion was given an objective: secure a bridge over what was known as the Saddam canal. It was meant to be a straightforward task. The intelligence briefings they received did not expect the Marines to meet with resistance f…

1
The Fight for the Final Frontier: Irregular Warfare in Space 53:25

2M ago53:25

53:25

Episode 99 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast takes us to the final frontier as we examine irregular warfare in space. Our guests begin by explaining the importance of the space domain in the private and public spheres. They then give us multiple frameworks for thinking about space by using more familiar, terrestrial-based concepts to enhance our und…

1
Helicopter Missions in Mariupol 50:03

2M ago50:03

50:03

During the 2022 Battle of Mariupol, approximately three thousand Ukrainian defenders, vastly outnumbered by Russian forces, were quickly surrounded in a steel plant with their backs to the Sea of Azov and little hope of anyone coming to their rescue. Running out of ammunition, short of medicine, and with casualties mounting, they were in desperate …

1
Three Missions in Panjwai District 49:14

2M ago49:14

49:14

This episode features a conversation with Ryan Hendrickson. After almost losing his leg in an IED blast in 2010, he was back in Afghanistan just eighteen months later. He shares the stories of three missions from that first deployment back, when he was testing his body physically and working to prove that he was ready to be back at the tip of the s…

1
Stay Behind Operations 45:57

2M ago45:57

45:57

Episode 98 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast delves into resistance warfare—with a specific focus on stay behind operations. Our guests begin by contrasting conventional conflict with resistance warfare. They then discuss the utility of stay behind operations by examining how small states can impose outsized costs on occupying powers. More specifica…

1
From Hezbollah to the Houthis—Understanding Iran's Proxy Network 44:55

3M ago44:55

44:55

The Houthi movement in Yemen has launched dozens of attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea in recent months. Over the same period, militant groups have attacked US forces in the Middle East as many as 160 times—including the deadly drone attack against a base on Jordan’s border with Syria. And cross-border strikes between Hezbollah, operat…

1
A Lieutenant's Dilemma 35:19

3M ago35:19

35:19

Before his NFL career, Alejandro Villanueva was a rifle platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division. During a deployment to an especially restive sector near Kandahar, Afghanistan, his unit faced heightened security challenges due to a prison break that freed a large number of Taliban fighters. But Villanueva also had to contend with a unique dile…

1
Sanctions and Security 1:04:01

3M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

While Ukraine's international supporters have provided equipment to enable the country's defense against Russia's aggression for nearly two years, global actors have also responded on a completely separate front—putting in place a massive sanctions regime targeting Russia. What effect have they had on Russia and its ability to make war? More broadl…

1
Armed Politics 52:18

3M ago52:18

52:18

Episode 97 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast focuses on a theory of armed politics as proposed by General Sir Nick Carter and Dr. Joe Felter. Our guests begin by describing the shifting landscape of the international order from the Cold War to today, and the resultant impact on alliances, partnerships, and competition across the globe. General Carte…

1
Urban Warfare 101 42:16

3M ago42:16

42:16

Over several dozen episodes, the Urban Warfare Project Podcast has explored many of the unique challenges of urban warfare. But what is urban warfare, exactly? The simple answer is that it's simply combat that takes place in the man-made terrain of cities. But going deeper, what are the variety of urban patterns and urban functions, for example, an…

1
Moral Courage 50:14

3M ago50:14

50:14

Rick Jackson enlisted in the Marine Corps in the 1980s, later attending Officer Candidates School and commissioning as an infantry officer. He joins this episode to reflect on a career that spanned nearly three and a half decades. He shares one story in particular, from a deployment to Iraq’s restive Anbar province, which included what he describes…

1
Inside the Fight for Mariupol 54:56

4M ago54:56

54:56

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February, one of their first targets was the city of Mariupol. The battle that followed is an epic story of resistance in which a very small number of Ukrainian fighters defended the city for over eighty days against a Russian force five to eight times their size, preventing the Russians from diverting to othe…

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Modern War Institute At West Point Podcasts

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