Best The Army Mad Scientist Initiative Podcasts (2024)

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99. Blending: The Art of Hiding in Plain Sight with LtCol Erik Keim 21:01

28d ago21:01

21:01

placeholderBy The Army Mad Scientist Initiative

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98. The OSINT Odyssey: Unmasking Digital Clues with Mr. Shawn Nilius 28:33

1M ago28:33

28:33

[Editor’s Note: The TRADOC G-2 appreciates the value of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) in informing us about emergent trends across the Operational Environment (OE). For almost two years, analysts within the G-2 ACE collated insights on Russia’s on-going “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine to learn about the contemporary Russian way of war, u…

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97. Threat #49: I Think There's Trouble Brewin' with Dr. James Giordano and Dr. James Canton 1:17:13

2M ago1:17:13

1:17:13

[Editor’s Note: Humanity is entering an era of hyper-innovation as the potential of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Neurocognitive Sciences are harnessed to revolutionize human endeavors. As these exponential convergences of technologies spin ever faster cycles of adaptation and innovation, the quest for dominance and advantage will favor th…

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96. Calling All Wargamers and Mad Sci Update! 12:06

2M ago12:06

12:06

[Editor’s Note: Crowdsourcing remains an effective tool for harvesting ideas and concepts from a wide array of individuals, helping us to diversify thought and challenge conventional assumptions. Army Mad Scientist seeks to crowdsource the intellect of the Nation (i.e., you — our community of action!) with two concurrent opportunities this Spring. …

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95. African Skies: Space Exploration and National Security Perspectives with Selina Hayes 32:17

3M ago32:17

32:17

“China sits in INDOPACOM, but the playground is Africa.” [Editor’s Note: Regular readers of the Mad Scientist Laboratory will recall that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) reported, “Relatively poor countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia will account for almost all global population growth during the next two decade…

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94. A surprise Interview With a Mystery Guest 22:36

3M ago22:36

22:36

This is a special off-schedule episode of The Convergence where we talk with a mystery guest, possibly for the last time!By The Army Mad Scientist Initiative

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93. Insights from the Israel-Hamas War with LTC Kenneth Hardy 36:15

3M ago36:15

36:15

[Editor’s Note: It has almost been a decade since U.S. forces and coalition partners assisted Iraqi government forces in dislodging ISIS fighters from Mosul in what some observers described as the toughest urban battle since World War II. With the Islamic Resistance Movement’s (aka Hamas) October 7, 2023 cross-border terror attacks on Israel and su…

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92. Know Your Enemy: Army Doctrine Starts with the Threat 56:06

4M ago56:06

56:06

[Editor’s Note: Grizzled readers of the Mad Scientist Laboratory will recall their well-thumbed copies of the forty-year-old FM 100-2 series, The Soviet Army. U.S. Army Soldiers and Leaders from the Cold War-era were expected to know their Soviet adversaries’ Operations and Tactics; Troops, Organization, and Equipment; and Specialized Warfare and R…

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91. Building Beyond: Preparing the Army for Lift-Off featuring Dr. Olga Bannova 43:09

5M ago43:09

43:09

[Editor’s Note: As longtime readers of the Army’s Mad Scientist Laboratory know, our adversaries are deploying capabilities to fight the U.S. Joint Force through multiple layers of stand-off in all domains – space, cyber, air, sea, and land. Per the Defense Intelligence Agency‘s Challenges to Security in Space 2022: Space Reliance in an Era of Comp…

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90. NeuroNudge: The Science Behind Brain Manipulation with Dr. Guosong Hong 31:02

5M ago31:02

31:02

[Editor’s Note: Regular readers of the Mad Scientist Laboratory are familiar with the potentially disruptive effects of cognitive and neurowarfare. As guest blogger Robert McCreight observed, “Most non-kinetic threats — or the NKT spectrum — consist of silent, largely undetectable technologies capable of inflicting damaging, debilitating, and degra…

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89. Live From D.C., it's Fight Night! (Part Two) 22:41

6M ago22:41

22:41

[Editor’s Note: Regular consumers of Army Mad Scientist content — via this blog site and The Convergence podcast — understand how wargaming can enhance Professional Military Education (PME), hone cognitive warfighting skills, and broaden our understanding of the Operational Environment. Wargaming removes hierarchies and encourages players to attemp…

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88. Metamaterial Magic: Demystifying the Science of Cloaking with Dr. Andrea Alù 35:08

7M ago35:08

35:08

[Editor’s Note: As we reported earlier this month, “The Operational Environment is increasingly lethal with the ubiquity of sensors and proliferation of battlefield automation facilitating effective precision and massed strike capabilities. Forces that can be sensed are targeted, and if targeted, are destroyed or rendered inoperable. ” This increas…

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87. Live from D.C., it's Fight Night! (Part One) with the Hon. Mac Thornberry 18:41

8M ago18:41

18:41

[Editor’s Note: Regular consumers of Army Mad Scientist content — via this blog site and The Convergence podcast — will understand how wargaming can enhance Professional Military Education (PME), hone cognitive warfighting skills, and broaden our understanding of the Operational Environment. Wargaming removes hierarchies and encourages players to a…

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86. Death From Above! The Evolution of sUAS Technology with COL (USA-Ret.) Bill Edwards 39:26

9M ago39:26

39:26

[Editor’s Note: Army Mad Scientist continues to explore issues impacting the Operational Environment, especially those directly affecting U.S. Army operations in the contemporary battlespace. Over the past decade-plus, dual use automation technologies have increasingly been weaponized by state and non-state actors alike, democratizing warfighting c…

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85. Do You Have What It Takes? Let's Check Your Brain! with Mr. Loran Ambs 42:03

10M ago42:03

42:03

[Editor’s Note: Army Mad Scientist has extensively explored how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) can be harnessed to enhance our Warfighters’ ability to fight at machine speed and sustain our decisive Soldier overmatch. But as frequent contributor COL Stefan J. Banach (USA-Ret.) has noted, the evolution and convergence of techno…

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84. The AI Study Buddy at the Army War College Part 2 with Dr. Billy Barry 59:22

10M ago59:22

59:22

[Editor’s Note: Regular readers of the Mad Scientist Laboratory and listeners to The Convergence podcast know that our Pacing Threat — China — is feverishly modernizing its People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In addressing the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on October 16, 2022, China’s President Xi Jinping stated that quick…

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83. Shattering the Mirror: The Key to Understanding Adversarial Decision-Making with LTC Nathan Colvin 54:10

10M ago54:10

54:10

[Editor’s Note: Sunday morning’s tropical idyll was shattered as the adversary’s surprise attack caught our naval, ground, and air forces completely unprepared. An hour and a half later, more than 2,400 U.S. Service members and civilians had been killed, with almost another 1,200 wounded. Despite three missed tactical warnings that could have alert…

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82. The AI Study Buddy at the Army War College with LtCol Joe Buffamante 33:27

11M ago33:27

33:27

[Editor’s Note: In recent weeks, Mad Scientist Laboratory has featured a number of podcasts and associated blog posts exploring the democratization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential ramifications for Warfighters and the Operational Environment (OE). From generating better proposals from a broader array of defense contractors, explor…

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81. Where Creativity Meets Combat: Exploring the USC ICT with Dr. Keith Brawner and Dr. Bill Swartout 33:27

12M ago33:27

33:27

"We found that people systematically were more willing to reveal confidential or sensitive information to a virtual human than to a real person" [Editor’s Note: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging game-changer technology for our Warfighters — as Dr. James Mancillas espoused in a previous post, “AI systems offer the potential to continue max…

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80. You Can't Predict the Future: Finding Signals in the Noise with Grant Rafter, Air Force Futures 29:34

12M ago29:34

29:34

[Editor's Note: Crowdsourcing and Storytelling are two of Army Mad Scientist's most effective tools in exploring future possibilities regarding the Operational Environment. Crowdsourcing helps us harvest ideas, thoughts, and concepts from a wide variety of interested individuals, helping us to diversify thought and challenge conventional assumption…

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79. One brain chip, please! Neuro-AI with two of the Maddest Scientists! Dr. James Giordano and Dr. James Canton 1:00:00

1y ago1:00:00

1:00:00

[Editor’s Note: Mad Scientist is an Army initiative and Community of Action that continually explores the Operational Environment and the changing character of warfare. We connect the intellect of the Nation to the Army and serve as an on-ramp for academia, industry, and other parts of the Government to share their ideas and innovations. Our latest…

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78. Task Force Wolf with LTC Daniel Gomez 41:50

1y ago41:50

41:50

In today’s post and podcast, we feature the winning submission from our Back to the Future Writing Contest — Task Force Wolf — as a short audiobook and then interview its author — proclaimed Mad Scientist LTC Daniel Gomez — about his inspiration for the story, the impact of democratized technology and ubiquitous connectivity on the future of warfar…

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77. Chatty Cathy, Open the Pod Bay Doors: An Interview with ChatGPT 1:02:38

1y ago1:02:38

1:02:38

“The Convergence of AI, robotics, and cyber-warfare could create new and highly complex military capabilities such as autonomous weapons systems that can make decisions in real time” — ChatGPT [Editor’s Note: As described in the previous episode of The Convergence podcast, large language models like ChatGPT — democratizing the power of artificial i…

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76. Hey, ChatGPT, Help Me Win This Contract! with LTC Robert Solano 35:48

1y ago35:48

35:48

[Editor’s Note: Large language models like ChatGPT — democratizing the power of artificial intelligence — have rocked industry and academia with their potential to revolutionize how humans process vast quantities of information and generate content. Our Federal Government, including the Department of Defense and its constituent Services, will simil…

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75. Volatility in the Pacific: China, Resilience, and the Human Dimension with GEN Robert Brown (USA-Ret.) 54:20

1y ago54:20

54:20

General Robert Brown (USA-Ret.) is an experienced commander who has led at every level, from platoon through Army Service Component Command. Serving as Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific, General Brown led the Army’s largest service component command responsible for 106,000 Soldiers across the Indo-Pacific Region before his September 2019 reti…

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74. Synchronizing Modernization Across the Army with GEN Gary M. Brito 39:21

1+ y ago39:21

39:21

General Gary M. Brito assumed duties as the 18th Commanding General, United States Army TRADOC, on September 8, 2022. He is responsible for building and sustaining a highly trained, disciplined, and fit Army by acquiring the best people, training the most lethal Soldiers, developing the most professional leaders, guiding the Army’s culture, and sha…

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73. Law of the Land: Geopolitics Through an International Lens with Dr. Joanna Siekiera 39:14

1+ y ago39:14

39:14

Joanna Siekiera is an international lawyer and Doctor of Social Sciences in public policy sciences. She studied under a New Zealand Government scholarship at the Victoria University in Wellington. Her specialization is legal and political relations in the South Pacific, and the law of armed conflict. She is prodigious author, having written a book,…

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72. Complexity, Entropy, and Faster Battlefield Decisions with John Bicknell 47:50

1+ y ago47:50

47:50

John Bicknell founded More Cowbell Unlimited to help America remain a beacon of hope and strength on the world stage. America must adopt Process Dominance as a core capability in order to innovate and survive in the Information Age. His vision is for process technologies to be as ubiquitous as processes are. John is a national security thought lead…

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71. Go with the Flow: Enhancing Human Cognition with Dr. Maria Kozhevnikov 37:38

1+ y ago37:38

37:38

[Editor’s Note: Army Mad Scientist is pleased to present our latest episode of The Convergence podcast, recorded on location at I/ITSEC 2022, the world’s largest modeling and simulation conference in Orlando, Florida. Co-hosts Luke Shabro and Matt Santaspirt spoke with Dr. Maria Kozhevnikov about non-relaxing meditative states, enhanced cognition, …

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70. Imagining the Future Fight Through Emerging Technology with Jenny McArdle, Whitney McNamara, and CDR Paul Grøstad live from I/ITSEC 1:10:10

1+ y ago1:10:10

1:10:10

[Editor’s Note: Army Mad Scientist is pleased to present our latest episode of The Convergence podcast, recorded on location at I/ITSEC 2022, the world’s largest modeling and simulation conference in Orlando, Florida. Co-hosts Luke Shabro and Matt Santaspirt spoke with proclaimed Mad Scientist Jenny McArdle from the Center for a New American Securi…

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69. Making Quick Decisions, Quicker with Jason Sherwin 1:02:36

1+ y ago1:02:36

1:02:36

[Editor’s Note: Army Mad Scientist is pleased to present our latest episode of The Convergence podcast, featuring our interview with proclaimed Mad Scientist Jason Sherwin, CEO and Co-Founder of deCervo, discussing the science of quick decision making, how deCervo blends gaming with science to help individuals make the best decisions in high stakes…

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68. Back to the Future: Using History to Forecast Conference Preview 21:08

1+ y ago21:08

21:08

The Army Mad Scientist Initiative is hosting our Back to the Future: Using History to Forecast conference, November 8th and 9th, at the National Museum of the United States Army. It is our first in-person conference since 2019! The conference will feature world renowned historians, thinkers, innovators, futurists, and industry leaders. We’ll use hi…

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67. There Will Be Data With Dr. Inderpal Bhandari 31:19

1+ y ago31:19

31:19

Inderpal Bhandari rejoined IBM as Global Chief Data Officer in December 2015. In this newly created role, he has leveraged his extensive experience to lead the development of IBM’s data strategy and drive IBM’s internal cognitive enterprise transformation. The work has culminated in the AI Enterprise Blueprint; a roadmap for IBM’s clients on their …

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66. Forging the Future to Find the Next Great Disruptor with Amy Webb 31:43

1+ y ago31:43

31:43

Amy Webb advises Chief eXperience Officers (CXOs) of the world’s most-admired companies, three-star admirals and generals, and the senior leadership of central banks and intergovernmental organizations. Founder of the Future Today Institute, a leading foresight and strategy firm that helps leaders and their organizations prepare for complex futures…

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65. Turkey and the TB-2: A Rising Drone Superpower with Karen Kaya 30:23

2y ago30:23

30:23

Karen Kaya specializes in Middle Eastern affairs with a particular focus on Turkey for the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) within the TRADOC G-2. She has worked on numerous projects in national security as a defense and security policy analyst. Ms. Kaya has a BA from Boğaziçi University (in Istanbul, Turkey), and an MA from Brandeis Universi…

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64. It’s All In Your Head: How the Brain Makes Better Soldiers with Zach Schonbrun 36:19

2y ago36:19

36:19

Zach Schonbrun is a senior editor covering business and technology at The Week. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, ESPN the Magazine, SB Nation Longform, Vice, The Athletic, and Yahoo! Sports, among other publications. Zach is the author of The Performance Cortex, which explores the neuroscience …

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63. Gaming the System: How Wargames Shape Our Future 48:24

2y ago48:24

48:24

Army Mad Scientist interviewed the following world-class SMEs to explore how wargaming can enhance traditional training and education methods to help build better Leaders: Ian Sullivan serves as the Senior Advisor for Analysis and ISR to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC G-2). This is a Tier One …

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62. Sooner Than We Think: Command Post Survivability and Future Threats with COL (Ret.) John Antal 44:13

2y ago44:13

44:13

COL John Antal (USA, Ret.) is a lifelong student of leadership and the art of war. His purpose in life is “to develop leaders and inspire service.” Today, he is an Amazon best-selling author, a defense analyst, a military correspondent, and a galvanic speaker. John has appeared on radio, podcast, and television shows and is the author of 16 books a…

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61. How Russia Fights 2.0 with BG (Ret.) Peter B. Zwack, BG (Ret.) Peter L. Jones, Ian Sullivan, Dr. Mica Hall, Samuel Bendett, Katerina Sedova 1:01:54

2y ago1:01:54

1:01:54

Army Mad Scientist interviewed the following world-class SMEs to address what we’ve learned about How Russia Fights 2.0: Ian Sullivan serves as the Senior Advisor for Analysis and ISR to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC G-2). This is a Tier One Defense Intelligence Senior Level (DISL) position. …

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60. Ukraine: All Roads Lead to Urban with Maj. (Ret.) John Spencer 26:00

2y ago26:00

26:00

MAJ John Spencer (USA-Ret.) is the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. He served over twenty-five years in the U.S. Army as an infantry Soldier, with two combat tours in Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander. He has also served as a Ranger Instructor with the Army’s Ranger School, a Joint Chief of S…

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59. Outsiders Solving Wicked Problems with Shubhi Mishra 36:23

2y ago36:23

36:23

While Shubhi Mishra, founder and CEO of Raft, is a lawyer and data scientist by training, she’s better known as an intentional government technology (GovTech) disruptor at heart. She loves solving complex problems, even the kind that give you a headache while you’re working through them. But that process of discovery, of realization, and coming to …

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58. The Light on the Hill: America and Non-Terrestrial War 36:29

2y ago36:29

36:29

COL Stefan Banach (USA-Ret.) is a Distinguished Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and served in that organization for nine years, culminating with command of the 3rd Ranger Battalion from 2001-2003. He led U.S. Army Rangers during a historic night combat parachute assault into Afghanistan on October 19, 2001, as the “spearhead” for the Global War …

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57. The Most Consequential Adversaries with GEN Charles A. Flynn 26:46

2y ago26:46

26:46

Gen. Flynn is a native of Middletown, Rhode Island and Distinguished Military Graduate from the University of Rhode Island with a BS in Business Management. General Flynn is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses at Fort Benning, GA. He holds two master’s degrees, one in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United…

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56. The Secret Sauce of America's Army with GEN Paul E. Funk II 38:57

2y ago38:57

38:57

Gen. Paul E. Funk II, CG, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. (U.S. Army photo) General Paul E. Funk II assumed duties as the 17th Commanding General, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), on June 21, 2019. As TRADOC commander, Gen. Funk is responsible for 32 Army schools organized under 10 Centers of Excellence that recru…

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55. Going Boldly: Military Thinking with Science Fiction 43:53

2y ago43:53

43:53

To Boldy Go, edited by COL Jonathan Klug and Steven Leonard, and published by Casemate Publishers in 2021, is subtitled “Leadership, Strategy, and Conflict in the 21st Century and Beyond.” Army Mad Scientist’s The Convergence podcasters Luke Shabro and Matthew Santaspirt explore how science fiction can inform the Army about the Operational Environm…

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54. Crossing the Valley of Death for Innovation with Trish Martinelli and David Schiff 56:01

2y ago56:01

56:01

National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) is a problem-solving network in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) that adapts to the emerging needs of those who serve in the defense of our national security. NSIN is dedicated to the work of bringing together defense, academic, and entrepreneurial innovators to solve national security problems in new…

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53. Innovation at the Edge 50:37

2+ y ago50:37

50:37

In today’s interview, Senior Leaders and Soldiers discuss how the Army is successfully harnessing its disruptive thinkers to cultivate innovation at the tactical level. The following bullet points highlight key insights from our interview: The 3rd Infantry Division’s The Marne Think Tank, the 101st Airborne Division’s EAGLEWERX, and the 18th Airbor…

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52. War in Ukraine: The Urban Fight is Happening Now with Maj. (Ret.) John Spencer 36:37

2+ y ago36:37

36:37

MAJ John Spencer (USA-Ret.) is the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. He served over twenty-five years in the U.S. Army as an infantry Soldier, with two combat tours in Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander. He has also served as a Ranger Instructor with the Army’s Ranger School, a Joint Chief of S…

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51. Then and Now: Using the Past to Secure the Future with W02 Paul Barnes 27:49

2+ y ago27:49

27:49

Paul Barnes is a serving Warrant Officer in the British Army, employed as a Doctrine Writer at the Land Warfare Centre. He is uniquely a Chief of the Air Staff’s Fellow, a Chief of the General Staff’s Fellow, and a former MWI fellow at West Point in 2021. In today’s interview, Warrant Officer Class 2 Paul Barnes, British Army, discusses his article…

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50. Disinformation Threats to the All-Volunteer Force with MAJ Joe Littell and CPT Maggie Smith 1:13:36

2+ y ago1:13:36

1:13:36

MAJ Joe Littell is a U.S. Army officer and researcher assigned to the Army Cyber Institute at the United States Military Academy. He has been an instructor in the Math and History departments, teaching statistics and intelligence history. His research includes computational propaganda, open source intelligence, narrative warfare, de-platforming, an…

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The Army Mad Scientist Initiative Podcasts

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