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 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 the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 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 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 the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 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 121: Andy Lowery on Drones and Directed Energy
4/30/2024
Andy Lowery, CEO of EPIRUS and a retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander, joins the show to talk about directed energy weapons on the modern battlefield. ▪️ Times • 01:45 Introduction • 02:02 Before EPIRUS • 06:29 Drones on the battlefield • 13:30 Current countermeasures • 19:40 An answer for autonomy • 21:32 How does it all work? • 29:54 Beam specs • 33:45 Sci-fi but familiar • 38:11 Gallium nitride • 40:31 Cat and mouse game Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:47:59
Ep 120: Iskander Rehman on the Emperor Tiberius and American Primacy
4/23/2024
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 Tiberius and what his career has to teach us today. ▪️ Times • 02:32 Introduction • 03:29 The Pentagon and Rome • 07:29 Why Tiberius? • 15:04 Parallels • 18:26 Germania • 22:38 Roman criticism • 28:03 Auxiliaries and proxies • 32:09 Diplomacy and a recruitment crisis • 34:00 A brilliant military career • 37:17 Force structure • 41:18 Parthian Cold War Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - Iron Imperator: Roman Grand Strategy Under Tiberius
Duration:00:44:12
Ep 119: Yaroslav Trofimov on the War in Ukraine
4/16/2024
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. ▪️ Times • 01:48 Introduction • 02:06 Growing up Ukranian • 05:03 The collapse of Kabul • 07:40 Leadership counts • 10:14 Zelensky • 16:20 How did Putin get Ukraine so wrong? • 19:49 Touch and go • 22:45 Draft confusion • 26:09 Battlefield evolution • 30:42 Countermeasures • 34:33 Washington’s tepid support • 38:11 Possible futures • 40:26 Trump Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence
Duration:00:45:15
Ep 118: Michael Doran on Is Hamas Winning?
4/9/2024
Michael Doran, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute and co-host of the podcast Counterbalance, joins the show to talk about the Israel-Hamas war and the broader regional competition with Iran. ▪️ Times • 02:04 Introduction • 04:01 Is Hamas winning? • 10:29 Fighting the clocks • 13:10 Defeat from the jaws of victory • 18:24 An Iranian-American conflict • 22:44 Managing decline • 26:40 Lessons not learned • 33:00 The Iranian nuclear umbrella Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:36:42
Ep 117: Shlomo Brody on the Ethics of War
4/2/2024
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. ▪️ Times • 01:28 Introduction • 04:04 Just war • 07:27 The Bible as a framework • 13:34 International service • 18:33 Reprisals • 21:37 Purity of arms • 27:09 Collateral damage • 33:41 International law • 35:48 Proportionality • 39:40 A dangerous ideology Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:45:41
Ep 116: David Stahel on Guderian and Hitler’s Panzer Generals
3/26/2024
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. ▪️ Times • 01:38 Introduction • 02:57 Diving into the letters • 08:43 Debunking • 15:30 A sinister figure • 19:39 Achtung - Panzer! • 27:37 Guderian the Nazi • 33:42 Poland and France • 45:49 Russia • 50:50 Barbarossa bound to fail? • 54:48 Guderian the chameleon Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - Hitler's Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and Schmidt Unguarded
Duration:01:03:04
Ep 115: Stephen Robinson on the Case against John Boyd
3/19/2024
Stephen Robinson, author of The Blind Strategist: John Boyd and the American Art of War, joins the show to talk about Boyd, the man who developed the concept of “maneuver warfare,” and what Boyd may have gotten wrong. ▪️ Times • 01:21 Introduction • 02:24 “A genuine polymath” • 04:20 The OODA Loop • 07:39 J.F.C. Fuller and B.H. Liddell Hart • 13:28 The conventional blitzkrieg • 19:26 Maneuver warfare • 25:01 Cannae • 29:07 Tactical success to operational failure • 34:07 Post-Vietnam U.S. military woes • 37:24 Active defense • 43:31 Skeptical of technology • 48:07 The Defense Reform Movement • 53:50 Iraqi Freedom Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - The Blind Strategist: John Boyd and the American Art of War
Duration:00:56:07
Ep 114: Eric Edelman on the Foundations of Nuclear Strategy (New Makers of Modern Strategy #11)
3/12/2024
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. ▪️ Times • 01:47 Introduction • 02:45 Oppenheimer’s Borden in reality • 07:00 Brodie and The Absolute Power • 11:12 Deterrence before Hiroshima • 13:15 Blackett and Fear, War, and the Bomb • 19:40 Counter-value vs counter-force • 37:33 Russian nuclear strategy • 42:44 Extended deterrence • 52:37 Pain tolerance Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:56:41
Ep 113: Rebeccah Heinrichs on Today’s Crisis of American Deterrence
3/5/2024
Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative, joins the show to talk about the state of U.S. deterrence of Russia, Iran, and China—and what Washington could be doing better. ▪️ Times • 01:42 Introduction • 02:18 Conventional and strategic deterrence • 04:06 A failure of strategic deterrence • 09:38 Integrated deterrence • 13:33 Putin is committed to the bit • 15:36 If Russia wins, what’s it to the US? • 19:16 Options if Russia uses nuclear weapons • 24:06 The pendulum keeps swinging • 28:20 Washington’s confusion regarding Iran and Israel • 31:56 Red Sea adrift • 36:00 China and the rest • 40:01 Pacific flashpoints Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:43:32
Ep 112: Paul Scharre on AI 101
2/27/2024
Paul Scharre, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at CNAS and author of Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, joins the show to talk about how AI will change the battlefield. ▪️ Times • 01:38 Introduction • 01:54 Becoming a Ranger • 03:48 A defining moment • 07:25 A historical parallel for AI • 11:16 Hardware • 14:10 “Taiwan is the Saudi Arabia of chips” • 16:20 Military applications • 19:37 Battle damage assessment and AI tracking • 22:50 Autonomous weapons • 27:50 Legal, ethical, and control issues • 30:08 Battlefield applications • 32:43 Operational ability • 36:51 WMDs • 40:09 Countermeasures • 43:53 Transportable? • 46:40 AI and nuclear weapons Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Duration:00:49:44
Ep 111: Prit Buttar on the Siege of Leningrad and War in the East
2/20/2024
Prit Buttar, historian and author of To Besiege a City: Leningrad 1941–42, joins the show to talk about the siege of Leningrad and about the nature of war on the Eastern Front. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 02:10 A familiar story • 06:09 Themes of the Eastern Front • 13:19 From Tsar to Stalin to Putin • 11:10 Barbarosa • 19:45 An immense scale • 27:29 Doctrinal failure • 33:17 Inside the Russian mindset • 37:21 The myth of the “Clean Wehrmacht” • 40:20 The siege • 49:15 Who stays? • 51:18 How did the Germans fail? • 01:03:25 Staying vigilant Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - To Besiege a City: Leningrad 1941–42
Duration:01:07:11
Ep 110: Thomas Mahnken on Net Assessment
2/13/2024
Thomas Mahnken, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, joins the show to talk about net assessment and the future of war. ▪️ Times • 01:39 Introduction • 02:02 An interesting journey • 03:33 The Office of Net Assessment • 09:49 A tool, not a solution • 13:19 Both quantity and quality matter • 15:05 Soviet thinking • 19:20 Leveraging insight • 23:11 Potential outcomes • 28:35 “The Houthis have friends.” • 33:19 Danger and opportunity • 37:20 The terms of success change • 43:14 Solving the problem of the moment Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:46:31
Ep 109: John Noonan on Nuclear Weapons and Policy
2/6/2024
John Noonan, senior advisor at POLARIS National Security, joins the show to talk about all things nuclear; the life of a missileer, the current U.S. arsenal and its production problems, the strategy of deterrence, and how Congressional oversight helps/hinders good government. ▪️ Times • 01:34 Introduction • 02:04 VMI and the Air Force • 05:13 Missileers • 11:25 Targets of significance • 16:33 Atrophy • 22:18 Production problems • 27:46 Congressional oversight • 34:30 An unfocused military • 44:17 Not getting it done • 47:05 “Raw and abject stupidity” Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:55:23
Ep 108: Donald L. Miller on Masters of the Air
1/30/2024
Donald L. Miller, historian and author of Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, the book behind Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, joins the show to talk about the air war over Europe during WWII. ▪️ Times • 01 :41 Introduction • 02:12 Growing up “surrounded by the war” • 15:35 Both sides are losing • 25:23 Highest percentage of casualties • 34:36 Mass vs mass • 37:20 A new battlefield • 42:49 “Almost nothing held up.” • 44:46 Robert Rosenthal • 48:57 Working with Tom Hanks • 53:51 Recreating air combat • 56:02 Gil Cohen, Greyhound, and Das Boot • 59:44 Narrative choices • 01:06:36 The stress of command Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
Duration:01:10:52
Ep 107: John Orloff on Masters of the Air
1/23/2024
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+. ▪️ Times 02:25 Introduction 03:00 Getting started 05:45 Band of Brothers 12:56 Finding the story 19:44 Masters of the Air 24:37 Core characters 30:12 Group level 32:11 Influences 37:38 Production challenges 40:25 Procedure as drama 43:50 Unique trauma 48:20 Casting Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:52:08
Ep 106: John McManus on the U.S. Army’s Pacific War
1/16/2024
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. ▪️ Times • 02:12 Introduction • 03:57 Lessons to be learned • 05:32 The Army from Pearl to Tokyo • 08:50 Winds of change • 14:07 Europe first • 21:16 Taiwan or the Philippines? • 27:55 Battleground Manila • 30:48 Bleeding the Americans • 34:56 Failures in China • 40:33 Chiang Kai-shek • 45:07 Okinawa • 48:06 Operation Downfall • 52:24 Revisionist and reductionist history • 55:19 Required reading Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:01:01:59
Ep 105: Dmitry Filipoff on Modern Naval Tactics
1/9/2024
Dmitry Filipoff, head of online content at the Center for International Maritime Security, joins the show to talk about modern naval tactics and the readiness of the U.S. Navy for a surface engagement with the PLA Navy. ▪️ Times • 01:26 Introduction • 02:48 Evolution in naval warfare • 05:46 Historical comps • 08:01 Lessons from the Red Sea • 09:37 Anti-ship missiles • 12:16 DMO - Distributed Maritime Operations • 15:00 What is the surface Navy’s purpose? • 20:00 Massing fires • 22:33 Defeating missile defenses • 29:25 Scarcity and the network • 34:12 Can the dynamic change? • 37:13 Aircraft carriers • 40:14 Is the U.S. Navy ready? • 44:36 Exercises • 47:51 Institutional knowledge • 49:38 Is the PLAN ready? A FLEET ADRIFT: THE MOUNTING RISKS OF THE U.S. NAVY’S FORCE DEVELOPMENT Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:52:33
Ep 104: Peter Feaver on “Wokeness,” Politics, and the Military
1/2/2024
Peter Feaver, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University and author of Thanks For Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military, joins the show to talk about the state of civil-military relations in America, and to call for a truce on the issue of “wokism.” ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 2:40 Precedents • 4:18 Citizen soldier to today • 11:40 Expanding fissures • 18:46 Downsides to a high approval rating • 25:04 Isolationism and “wokeness” • 33:56 Sloppy discourse • 38:16 An echo of the ’90s • 41:11 Progress • 48:28 Race/Sexuality/Gender • 55:03 A bit of Sparta in Athens Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:59:38
Ep 103: Sean Mirski on American Hegemony
12/19/2023
Sean Mirski, author of We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus, joins the show to talk about how the United States came to its global position and China’s attempts to match it. ▪️ Times • 01:40 Introduction • 2:22 An accidental project • 6:41 The view from Washington • 13:18 American paranoia • 16:43 Post Civil War Mexico • 22:04 Smedley Butler • 24:46 The problem of order • 31:12 After WWI • 33:04 Strategic vulnerabilities • 38:32 Regional hegemony • 44:51 A desire to dominate • 48:36 A lesson and a warning Here is a link to the article discussed today Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:52:04
Ep 102: Paul Edgar on the Warfare of the Ancient Near East
12/12/2023
Paul Edgar, Executive Director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin, a veteran of the U.S. Army, and a scholar of ancient Near Eastern warfare, joins the show to talk about war and peace in the old days—the very old days. ▪️ Times • 02:58 Introduction • 10:07 Olmsted • 16:00 The Bronze Age • 22:07 Verifying history • 27:12 Idrimi • 35:03 How did they fight? • 39:46 Tactics of the time • 42:34 Continuities in geopolitics Here is a link to the article discussed today Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Duration:00:47:31