EP49 Educating Future Military Leaders with Brigadier General Shane Reeves, Dean of the Academic Board, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

WPAOG Podcast

This episode features an interview with Brigadier General Shane Reeves, Dean of the Academic Board at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

BG Reeves serves as the 15th Dean of the Academic Board. Commissioned in 1996 from West Point, he served seven years as an Armor Officer in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. After attending law school in 2003, he transitioned into the Judge Advocate General’s Corps where he served in several legal positions. BG Reeves taught for ten years in the United States Military Academy’s Law Department, most recently serving as its Head. He has written over 30 articles and book chapters in academic publications, including on the topics of Law of Armed Conflict and national security issues. BG Reeves’ articles have appeared in various publications, such as Foreign Policy, Lawfare, Just Security, and Articles of War.

In this episode, BG Reeves talks about his path to becoming Dean and running the academic program. He discusses the importance of rigor at the academy and experiencing missions beyond the classroom. BG Reeves also explains why the West Point Press and other initiatives hold essential roles at West Point.

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Key Quotes

“We just do not have the luxury to intellectually coddle cadets. We have to make sure that cadets have the intellectual foundation so that they can successfully navigate the complexities, uncertainties, and ambiguities of the modern and future battle space. And to do that, we have to push them in the classroom. We have to teach them to be able to engage in very difficult conversations, while doing so in a respectful manner, so that they can have an engagement with each other and have a disagreement, as long as that disagreement is evidence based and is objective, yet know that when they walk out of the classroom they are in fact still on the same team. But I think what really drives us is the professionalism of the faculty and the expectation of professionalism with our cadets. So, for example, I expect my faculty to teach the cadets how to think, not what to think. This is not about indoctrination. This is about education. And education is what teaches a person to deal with uncertainty, which is critical if we're gonna fight and win in the modern and future battlespace.” - BG Shane Reeves

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Episode Timestamps

(01:44) Becoming Dean

(07:39) Running the academic program

(08:59) Rigor at the academy

(12:26) Beyond the classroom

(15:34) Class of ‘96

(18:40) West Point Press

(22:48) Yearly academic themes

(29:39) Upcoming initiatives

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Links

BG Shane Reaves’ LinkedIn

MAJ Renee Sanjuan’s LinkedIn

West Point Association of Graduates