School of War
History Podcasts
This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history. Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and former China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras. The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader. Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Visit our Substack for episode transcripts Follow along on Instagram
Location:
United States
Description:
This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history. Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and former China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras. The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader. Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Visit our Substack for episode transcripts Follow along on Instagram
Language:
English
Website:
https://nebulouspodcasts.com
Episodes
Ep 197: Mick Ryan on the Ukrainian Battlefield
5/13/2025
Mick Ryan, retired major general in the Australian Army and author of The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire, joins the show to discuss the evolving battlefield and cycles of change and innovation going on in Ukraine. ▪️ Times • 01:35 Introduction • 02:17 Touring the front • 05:11 No place safe • 07:01 Change • 11:24 Wire guided drones • 15:31 Task organization • 20:38 Drone defense • 22:49 Is artillery dead? • 26:39 Rethinking procurement • 30:34 2014 • 33:07 Putin’s objectives • 36:05 Formula for ceasefire • 38:02 A just solution • 39:41 Surprise is alive and well Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:41:55
Ep 196: Thomas Bruscino and Mitchell G. Klingenberg on Mapping Warfare
5/9/2025
Thomas Bruscino, professor at the U.S. Army War College, and Mitchell G. Klingenberg, assistant professor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, join the show to discuss their article "Making War Upon the Map" The U.S. Army’s Forgotten Map Problem, Meade’s Gettysburg Campaign, and Depicting Operational Art. ▪️ Times • 02:05 Introduction • 03:12 What’s missing? • 06:17 A modern problem • 09:27 Meade takes command • 11:29 Seeing both sides • 15:41 South Mountain • 22:54 Lee’s mistakes • 30:11 Meade’s good choices • 36:32 Mapping in 2025 • 41:51 Visualization • 47:37 Developing doctrine Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:50:46
Ep 195: John Hillen on Strategic Thinking
5/6/2025
John Hillen, James C. Wheat Professor in Leadership at Hampden-Sydney College and author of The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management, joins the show to talk about how to think strategically in war, business, and life. ▪️ Times • 01:55 Introduction • 02:31 An Army start • 05:17 Cold War ends • 10:14 The Gulf • 13:15 Changing styles • 18:00 73 Easting • 22:59 Policy and business • 26:09 Strategos • 29:04 In the doing • 32:17 Inside out & outside in • 36:41 Seeking horizons • 42:22 Goals are not strategy • 43:42 Call of Duty Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:46:32
Ep 194: Mark Moyar on the Vietnam War
5/2/2025
Mark Moyar, William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College and author of Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968, joins the show to explain the major inflection points of the Vietnam War. ▪️ Times • 01:58 Introduction • 02:47 The “orthodox view” • 05:51 Dominos • 08:41 A Maoist vision • 12:42 1963 • 15:30 Henry Cabot Lodge • 21:10 Slow erosion • 24:57 Ground troops • 30:10 Morale • 33:39 Nixon in office • 37:30 Triangular diplomacy • 39:31 Vietnamization fails • 43:09 American mistakes • 47:31 Wanting out • 50:10 Aftermath Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:54:27
Ep 193: Douglas Murray on Israel’s War and its Global Consequences
4/29/2025
Douglas Murray, journalist and author of On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization, joins the show for a wide ranging conversation that covers Death Cults, anti-Semitism, and recent shifts in the Right. ▪️ Times • 01:42 Introduction • 03:00 9/11 origins • 09:50 It’s not 1939 • 13:45 Death cults • 19:16 “I’m not a fascist, I’m an idealist.” • 23:51 Vasily Grossman • 37:05 What’s going on with the Right? • 49:07 Nostalgia for the absolute • 54:10 Regaining balance Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:55:47
Ep 192: Raymond Jonas on Europe’s War on the Monroe Doctrine (~165 years ago)
4/25/2025
Raymond Jonas, Jon Bridgman Endowed Professor in History at the University of Washington and author of Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Empire, joins the show to discuss a failed-but-spectacular 19th Century attempt by European powers to undermine the Monroe Doctrine. ▪️ Times • 01:42 Introduction • 03:31 Transatlantic relations • 05:20 Europe distracted • 08:39 Secession and unrest • 12:46 Maximillian I • 17:55 Continental powers • 20:01 Britain, France and Spain • 26:13 What the Americans did right • 28:23 Napoleon III • 30:09 Mexico and the Confederacy • 35:20 Slavery adjacent • 38:46 What went wrong • 42:07 Benito Juarez • 44:33 Maximillian’s execution • 46:20 European alarm Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:48:20
Ep 191: Mark Dubowitz on Iran and the Trump Administration
4/22/2025
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and host of The Iran Breakdown podcast, joins the show to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, where things stand with the Trump administration’s pursuit of a deal, and the prospects of an Israeli attack. ▪️ Times • 01:33 Introduction • 02:04 Beginnings • 04:25 A weapon is the purpose • 07:31 Enrichment • 12:32 JCPOA • 16:54 “The worst deal…” • 18:46 Can Iran reach the U.S.? • 23:53 Dismantle the program • 29:01 Splitscreen • 34:09 Risky and futile • 41:02 Pacing Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:45:56
Ep 190: Michael Doran on “Restraint” and the Middle East
4/15/2025
Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute, joins the show to discuss “restraintism” as a factor in Trump’s choices in the Middle East. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 02:20 What is it? • 05:01 Left, right, center • 06:56 Syria ’07 • 11:47 Iraq Study Group • 17:21 Populist expression • 27:34 Balance • 30:20 Obama v Trump • 34:56 Oscillation • 42:16 Back to JCPOA? • 45:49 Snapback • 47:44 Syria ’25 • 52:09 Iran and Turkey Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:54:59
Ep 189: Andrew Roberts on October 7th and Antisemitism
4/11/2025
Lord Andrew Roberts, the Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and chair of the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, joins the show to discuss October 7th revisionism, the potency of antisemitism, and the strange effort to reinterpret World War II. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 02:35 Why? • 03:48 No room for debate • 05:34 Not “accidental” • 16:13 Cooper’s conclusions • 20:13 Peace with Hitler • 22:53 Destroying the foundation • 25:06 Free speech • 27:39 Gaza endgame Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:31:33
Ep 188: Jonathan Horn on MacArthur and the Battle for the Philippines
4/8/2025
Jonathan Horn, former White House speechwriter and author of The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines, joins the show to discuss the defeats, victories, and legacies of Douglas MacArthur and Jonathan Wainwright, the highest-ranking American POW of WWII. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 04:36 Arthur MacArthur • 09:33 The Philippines • 16:13 Wainwright • 18:20 War Plan Orange • 27:06 Crisis • 32:34 MacArthur leaves • 35:20 Bataan and surrender • 43:18 Captivity • 48:34 Postwar Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:53:18
Ep 187: Richard Fontaine on the “Reverse Kissinger”
4/1/2025
Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and co-author of No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy, joins the show to discuss Beijing-Moscow cooperation and the prospects of the U.S. driving a wedge between them. ▪️ Times • 02:05 Introduction • 02:21 Sino-Soviet split • 06:20 Spheres of influence • 09:17 Domination • 13:20 Stabilizing effect • 22:15 Xi & Putin • 28:19 Pacific expansion • 35:20 More resources • 41:06 America in, Russians out, Germans down Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:46:53
Ep 186: Walter Russell Mead on Trump, Strategy, and Mercantilism
3/25/2025
Walter Russell Mead, Alexander Hamilton Professor of Strategy and Statecraft at the University of Florida's Hamilton Center and columnist for The Wall Street Journal, joins the show to talk about the role of economic issues in Trump’s strategic views. ▪️ Times • 01:34 Introduction • 04:09 Mercantilism & physiocracy • 08:50 Silicon Valley • 14:01 Coalitions • 16:26 How things worked • 22:52 Post-war policy & China • 33:17 Tariffs • 42:50 Executive overreach • 45:53 The dollar Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:53:58
Ep 185: Lara Burns on the Hamas Threat in America
3/18/2025
Lara Burns, retired FBI Special Agent and head of terrorism research at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, joins the show to talk about how Islamist groups operate in the United States. ▪️ Watch the interview on YouTube - Ep 185: Lara Burns on the Hamas Threat in America ▪️ Times • 01:32 Introduction • 01:48 Terrorism squad • 03:10 The Muslim Brotherhood • 06:20 Hamas • 14:26 The money • 26:03 Oppressors • 32:39 American Muslims for Palestine • 35:18 All connected • 43:07 Information campaign • 50:19 Understanding • 55:01 Fighting back Follow along on Instagram and on X @schoolofwarpod Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:56:53
Ep 184: Alexander Burns on the Dawn of the Modern Battlefield
3/14/2025
Alexander Burns, Assistant Professor of History at Franciscan University and author of Infantry in Battle 1733-1783 (From Reason to Revolution), joins the show to talk about how combat evolved in the decades between Marlborough and Napoleon. ▪️ Times • 01:45 Introduction • 02:19 1733 • 06:20 Infantry in battle • 10:54 Achieving results • 14:19 Tactical effectivness • 18:40 Prussia • 24:17 More than fear • 29:45 Early nationalism • 33:12 American evolution • 38:50 Drones and prestige Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:43:17
Ep 183: Tom Cotton on China
3/11/2025
Tom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas and author of Seven Things You Can't Say About China, joins the show to talk about the CCP’s global designs. ▪️ Times • 01:48 Introduction • 02:30 Paying attention • 05:38 Bipartisan • 08:38 Early days • 13:54 Strategic delays • 16:13 An evil empire • 18:45 “What’s it to us?” • 22:04 Lynchpin • 25:24 Splitting the axis • 28:39 China and Ukraine • 34:00 More dangerous Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:36:14
Ep 182: Sean McMeekin on Communism
3/4/2025
Sean McMeekin, Professor of European History and Culture at Bard College and author of To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism, joins the show to talk about Communist approaches to foreign policy and war. ▪️ Times • 01:35 Introduction • 02:39 Communism and war • 11:02 Giving history a shove • 16:41 Lenin’s vision • 20:55 A united front • 25:54 Infiltration • 28:45 Stalin at the helm • 34:51 Ups and downs • 41:10 Driving a wedge • 43:37 “We resemble them more than they resemble us…” Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:47:58
Ep 181: Michael Cook on the Islamic Conquests
2/28/2025
Michael Cook, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and author of A History of the Muslim World: From Its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity, joins the show to discuss the sudden, explosive Arab expansion of the 7th century. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 03:05 Sources • 04:42 War and politics • 07:32 Grass and sand • 09:30 Self-defense • 12:21 Ibn Khaldun • 16:11 An Arab identity • 18:45 Knock on effects • 26:40 Two targets • 28:32 The Arab way of war • 34:50 Coming out of the desert • 38:48 Civil war • 42:27 Jihad Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:46:20
Ep 180: Stephen Kotkin on Endgames in Ukraine
2/25/2025
Stephen Kotkin, Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins the show to discuss how both sides have lost the Ukraine War, and the risks of various routes to peace. ▪️ Times • 02:47 Pressuring Putin • 12:50 A new path • 17:07 Avoiding a debacle • 32:43 Friends • 38:30 Realignment • 46:58 Articulating strategy Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:53:44
Ep 179: Phillips O’Brien on Grand Strategy in WW2
2/21/2025
Phillips O’Brien, chair of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews and author of The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler--How War Made Them and How They Made War, joins the show to discuss the nature of strategic decision making in World War II and beyond. ▪️ Times • 01:50 Introduction • 02:48 Germany 1st debunked • 06:50 A matter of choices • 08:20 Management styles • 11:23 FDR the navalist • 14:42 Strategic balance • 16:52 The British Empire • 18:58 Churchill the shapeshifter • 26:42 Britain’s place • 29:22 Casablanca • 33:54 Making Hitler • 38:43 Firepower + racial superiority • 42:41 Delaying defeat • 44:55 A childish view of war • 46:50 Human decisions • 48:28 Stalin the survivor • 51:30 “Not nice people” Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:53:42
Ep 178: Mark Montgomery on Cyber War
2/18/2025
Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD and retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, joins the show to discuss how prepared (or ill-prepared) the U.S. is for cyber warfare. ▪️ Times • 03:24 Introduction • 04:20 America: A Target Rich Environment • 05:59 Cyber and mobilization • 08:35 What actually happens? • 11:36 Automation • 16:18 Salt and volt typhoon • 22:04 Continuity of the economy • 28:33 Offense • 35:05 Cyber responses • 38:43 Public opinion • 41:43 Defense of the homeland • 49:30 A new kind of leader Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:52:48