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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
From School of War at 2024-12-03 11:25:00
Ep 161: Mackenzie Eaglen on China’s Military Spending and Ours (NEBM8096121227.mp3?updated=1733227847)
Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow at AEI and author of Keeping Up with the Pacing Threat: Unveiling the True Size of Beijing’s Military Spending, joins the show to discuss the dire situation the U.S. defense budget is in. ▪️ Times • 01:22 Introduction • 02:48 Keeping up • 05:26 China’s spending • 10:01 Equipment costs • 13:46 “Stealing our stuff” • 18:25 5 alarm fire • 20:32 U.S. budget truths • 24:50 BCA 101 • 31:32 Today or tomorrow • 39:23 Defense is cheaper, not better • 43:21 Solutions Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-11-26 11:25:00
Ep 160: Thomas Barfield on Empire and Imperial Strategies Today (NEBM8229563608.mp3?updated=1732594314)
Thomas Barfield, Professor and Chairman of the Anthropology Department at Boston University and author of Shadow Empires: An Alternative Imperial History, joins the show to discuss empire. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 03:20 Understanding Afghanistan • 05:15 Classifying empires • 09:59 Failures and features • 12:24 Borders • 15:30 Exogenous empires • 21:36 Brits and Athenians • 26:40 Vulture empires • 32:21 Taking responsibility • 37:15 Empires of nostalgia • 44:50 Vacuum empires • 51:05 American/Athenian policy • 54:53 China and empire today Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-11-19 11:30:00
Ep 159: Rebecca Heinrichs on the Morality of Nuclear Weapons (NEBM4667947599.mp3?updated=1731969070)
Rebecca Heinrichs, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of Duty to Deter: American Nuclear Deterrence and the Just War Doctrine, joins the show to make the moral argument for why the United States should modernize and grow its nuclear arsenal. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 01:48 A net good • 04:50 Tactical nuclear weapons • 10:25 The argument of disarmament • 14:03 Cold War strategy • 19:53 Capability and will • 26:06 Downside of “no first use” • 32:03 The nuclear triad • 37:20 Russia and China • 40:56 The moral argument Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-11-12 11:15:00
Ep 158: Randall Schriver and Dan Blumenthal on an Economic Strategy for China (NEBM3926656087.mp3?updated=1731375598)
Randall Schriver, Chairman of the Board at The Project 2049 Institute, and Dan Blumenthal, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, join the show to discuss a road map for economic competition—and warfare—between the U.S. and China. ▪️ Times • 01:55 Introduction • 02:30 Planning for economic warfare • 06:27 Endstate • 10:18 Leadership • 12:21 NSDD • 14:59 Starting points • 17:10 Decoupling • 20:03 Where is the stuff coming from? • 23:50 Degrading the Chinese economy • 27:33 A dream of cooperation • 32:17 Slow the growth • 36:08 Wargaming • 41:41 Protraction • 44:49 International and Congressional concerns Click the link to read the report - DEFEATING THE CCP A RUNNING START Follow along on Instagram or YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-11-08 11:16:00
Ep 157: Frank Cohn—Veterans Day Special (NEBM6571743084.mp3?updated=1731063412)
Frank Cohn joins the show to talk about his life: fleeing Hitler’s Germany, his return as a U.S. soldier tasked with hunting Nazi’s, his service in Vietnam, and more. ▪️ Times • 01:55 Introduction • 02:15 A Nazi in the classroom • 05:47 Martin and Ruth • 17:35 Leaving Germany • 19:22 New York City • 22:50 Pearl Harbor • 30:47 Back to Europe • 35:30 Nazi Hunter • 39:48 POW for a moment • 42:32 The Dutch lady • 50:40 Camps • 52:30 Crossing the Elbe • 59:20 Interrogations • 01:05:40 Paying back the country • 01:08:51 Paula • 01:14:50 Military Police and Vietnam • 01:18:40 Angus • 01:21:12 Lessons Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-11-05 11:15:00
Ep 156: Nicholas Eberstadt on North Koreans in Russia (NEBM4533550427.mp3?updated=1730803138)
Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, joins the show to discuss the North Korean regime and the geopolitical impact of its decision to send troops to support Russia in Ukraine. ▪️ Times • 01:36 Introduction • 01:49 Finding North Korea • 04:00 The Sung dynasty • 09:24 Beijing and Moscow • 14:43 Kim Jong Il • 22:14 Mackinder’s World-Island • 26:29 Interconnected • 33:18 Why commit to Russia? • 36:55 Limited imaginations • 39:03 New differences Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-29 10:20:00
Ep 155: Nick Lloyd on World War I’s Eastern Front (NEBM4639192035.mp3?updated=1730159797)
Nick Lloyd, Professor of Modern Warfare in the Defence Studies at King’s College London and author of The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918, joins the show to discuss the critical role of the eastern front in World War I. ▪️ Times • 01:43 Introduction • 02:09 “The soul of the war” • 04:00 Before the fighting • 05:59 War aims • 10:51 Tannenberg • 15:54 Hindenburg and Ludendorff • 19:57 Scale • 22:40 Combat • 27:14 Munitions scarcity • 32:10 Russian collapse • 36:45 Lenin returns • 40:42 Brest-Litovsk • 44:16 Proto-lebensraum • 47:20 The West • 52:30 War as a way out Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-22 11:20:00
Ep 154: Ben Noon on the U.S.-China Chip Wars (NEBM2343833829.mp3?updated=1729557725)
Ben Noon of the Vandenberg Coalition writes about US-China rivalry and geopolitics. He joins the show to discuss the critical fight for semiconductor dominance. ▪️ Times • 01:38 Introduction • 02:15 Semiconductors • 05:49 Legacy and advanced chips • 09:47 China’s chip script • 14:21 What’s the big deal? • 19:20 Trade policy • 25:11 Containment • 28:10 Ratcheting up tensions Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-18 11:00:00
Ep 153: Scott Hartwig on the Battle of Antietam (NEBM5220135318.mp3?updated=1729218232)
Scott Hartwig, author ofI Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and the End of the Maryland Campaign, joins the show to discuss the single bloodiest day in American military history, the Battle of Antietam. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 02:19 Why Antietam? • 09:09 Sourcing history • 12:45 Limited to total war • 21:24 McClellan • 28:00 Lee in Maryland • 34:57 Geography • 46:20 South Mountain to Antietam • 55:49 The fighting • 01:02:12 Mass and maneuver • 01:04:44 Lee escapes Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-15 11:30:00
Ep 152: Jacqueline Deal on China’s Strategy (NEBM6002966689.mp3?updated=1728952912)
Jacqueline Deal, President and CEO of the Long Term Strategy Group and recently the author of the article Competing against Ourselves: How U.S. Policy Strengthens China, joins the show to discuss U.S.-China competition. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 01:53 Net assessment • 04:32 China’s view • 08:20 Is entanglement the goal? • 14:34 Changing the global balance • 21:45 Communism • 25:47 “Their own worst enemy” • 30:12 CCP & manipulation • 35:06 Weaponized supply chains • 39:12 Getting their attention Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-11 12:04:34
Ep 151: Nicholas Morton on the Crusades (NEBM8804349211.mp3?updated=1728645038)
Nicholas Morton, Senior Lecturer in History, Nottingham Trent University and author of The Crusader States and their Neighbours: A Military History, 1099-1187, joins the show to discuss the the Crusades. ▪️ Times • 01:25 Introduction • 02:21 What were the Crusades? • 07:30 Franks and Turks • 09:57 Combat • 14:01 50/50 • 19:48 Sieges • 23:47 Others • 31:31 Seljuks • 36:50 Crusader States • 41:28 Why did they fail? • 45:19 Continuity and complexity • 49:45 Fluidity Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-08 11:25:00
Ep 150: Katherine Kuzminski on the Draft (NEBM5950399480.mp3?updated=1728348244)
Katherine Kuzminski, Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at CNAS, joins the show to discuss recruiting and mass mobilization in the event of war. ▪️ Times • 01:33 Introduction • 02:08 Why worry about mobilization? • 03:54 Meeting the threshold • 06:58 Low yield • 11:37 A loss of identity • 15:42 Aging up • 21:38 The Russian model • 23:55 Israeli lessons • 26:38 Working with what we have • 32:05 Infantry concerns • 35:05 Women in the draft • 39:12 Deterrent value • 41:20 Sustaining industry • 43:45 An “I” society Back to the Drafting Board Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-01 23:38:24
Ep 149: Mark Dubowitz on the Iran-Israel War (NEBM8437542008.mp3?updated=1727822522)
Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to help us understand breaking developments in the war between Israel, Iran, and Iran’s regional proxies. ▪️ Times • 01:41 Introduction • 02:24 Iran’s missile attack • 03:56 Iranian intentions • 06:34 Options • 11:27 Iranian concerns • 14:59 Ring of fire • 19:10 Near term calculus • 23:49 Regime change • 28:52 Reagan strategy • 32:55 A “good” deal Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-01 11:39:20
Ep 148: Alex Miller on the Evolving Battlefield (NEBM8389537059.mp3?updated=1727779467)
Alex Miller, Senior Advisor for Science and Technology and the CTO to the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, joins the show to talk about how the U.S. Army is preparing to fight on the battlefields of the future. ▪️ Times • 01:17 Introduction • 01:32 CTO of the U.S. Army • 04:48 Scale/E.W./drones • 09:06 How we buy • 13:07 Transforming in Contact • 18:15 Electronic warfare • 22:37 Defensive spectrum • 25:20 An invisible world • 28:12 Drone warfare • 35:05 Humans and machines • 37:49 What does the army need? Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-10-01 11:39:00
Ep 148: Alex Miller on Battlefield Technology (NEBM8389537059.mp3?updated=1727783668)
Alex Miller, Senior Advisor for Science and Technology and the CTO to the Chief of Staff of the Army, joins the show to talk about how we are preparing to fight on the battlefields of the future—which are here today. ▪️ Times • 01:17 Introduction • 01:32 CTO • 04:48 Scale/E.W./drones • 09:06 How we buy • 13:07 Transforming in Contact • 18:15 Electronic warfare • 22:37 Defensive spectrum • 25:20 An invisible world • 28:12 Drone warfare • 35:05 Humans and machines • 37:49 What does the Army need? Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-09-27 12:11:09
Ep 147: Frank Ledwidge on War in Space (NEBM9293033243.mp3?updated=1727435426)
Frank Ledwidge, Senior Fellow in Air Power and International Security at the Royal Air Force College and author of Aerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies, joins the show to talk about warfare’s next frontier, space. ▪️ Times • 01:40 Introduction • 03:24 Thinking about space • 09:09 More than a conduit • 14:15 ASAT • 19:55 Space domain awareness • 26:20 Directed energy and nuclear weapons • 31:16 Congested/competitive/contested • 39:44 36,000 earths • 42:15 Commercial incentives • 45:05 Who has the advantage? Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-09-24 11:20:00
Ep 146: Eric Edelman and Thomas Mahnken on America’s Defense Strategy Crisis (NEBM4698401012.mp3?updated=1727136577)
Eric Edelman and Thomas Mahnken of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments join the show to talk about what our defense establishment has gotten right, and wrong, in planning for the next war. ▪️ Times • 02:10 Introduction • 02:43 National Defense Strategy • 06:58 Continuity between administrations • 08:55 Multiple theater force construct • 17:31 “A flawed net assessment” • 28:30 An imbalance of power • 34:46 Favoring the defense • 38:42 Resources and cost Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-09-20 11:28:00
Ep 145: Christopher Lynch on Machiavelli at War (NEBM7902804436.mp3?updated=1726830477)
Christopher Lynch, Professor of Political Science at Missouri State University and author of Machiavelli on War, joins the show to talk about renaissance warfare and Niccolò Machiavelli. ▪️ Times • 01:20 Introduction • 01:56 Machiavelli’s world • 03:52 French invasion • 07:08 Republicanism • 13:42 Mercenary armies • 22:50 Time in office • 27:30 Battle • 33:17 Resurrecting Rome and Greece • 38:00 Catastrophic endings • 41:31 Exile and writings • 45:54 Good guy or bad guy? Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-09-17 11:20:00
Ep 144: Mark Montgomery on Defending Taiwan (Boiling Moat #2) (NEBM7744654241.mp3?updated=1726521793)
Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD and contributor to The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan, joins the show to talk about Taiwan, tensions in the South China Sea, and more. ▪️ Times • 01:27 Introduction • 02:00 Why the Navy? • 04:05 PACOM • 06:53 Working with Senator McCain • 10:51 Resource prioritization • 15:19 Shortsighted decisions • 19:56 Sink China’s Navy • 25:30 Is Taiwan ready? • 30:35 Imitate Estonia • 33:31 Sensor complexes • 37:26 Missile defense • 43:30 Nuclear escalation Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-09-13 12:06:01
Ep 143: Sabin Howard on WWI, Art, and Honoring Veterans (NEBM9607404446.mp3?updated=1726225622)
Sabin Howard, sculptor of A Soldier’s Journey, the central feature of the new World War I Memorial in Washington, DC, joins the show to talk about his work and the art of memorializing war and honoring veterans. ▪️ Times • 01:50 Introduction • 02:07 Becoming an artist • 07:03 Spiritually classical • 10:04 WWI • 14:24 Getting it right • 18:35 Daughter and father • 21:37 The ordeal • 25:00 The charging man • 28:18 Modern methods • 33:52 Aftermath • 41:11 Return • 51:00 Excite and engage Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-09-10 11:25:00
Ep 142: Andrew Roberts Debunks Darryl Cooper on Winston Churchill (NEBM9353274718.mp3?updated=1725937955)
Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny, joins the show to give his thoughts on Tucker Carlson’s controversial guest Darryl Cooper. ▪️ Times • 01:25 Introduction • 02:34 Churchill the villain • 05:20 Pat Buchanan • 08:57 Dragging America into war • 14:50 Barbarossa • 20:06 “Mr. Cooper simply can’t have read Mein Kampf…” • 21:37 Terror bombings • 24:19 Dog whistles • 26:11 Founding mythology Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-09-03 11:30:00
Ep 141: Matt Pottinger on the Defense of Taiwan (Boiling Moat #1) (NEBM1083106983.mp3?updated=1725326057)
Matt Pottinger, distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Chairman of FDD’s China Program, and author of The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan, joins the show to talk about how a war over Taiwan might start and how it may be prevented. ▪️ Times • 01:13 Introduction • 03:11 The Boiling Moat • 04:54 Is Xi serious? • 11:35 How to deter China • 17:40 Out with the old, in with the new • 24:30 Mapping the scenarios • 30:14 No such thing as an accidental war • 35:44 A cognitive trap • 39:22 Left with no choice Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-08-27 11:30:00
Ep 140: Roger Wicker on Defense Spending and Peace through Strength (NEBM9650836545.mp3?updated=1724753364)
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joins the show to discuss his plan to spend five percent of America’s GDP on defense. Click the link to read more Peace through Strength: A Generational Investment in the U.S. Military ▪️ Times • 01:31 Introduction • 01:40 Service years • 04:39 3% vs 5% • 9:00 Peace through Strength • 12:50 More money, more problems? • 16:40 “Let’s get some more shipyards…” • 19:37 Modernizing the nuclear arsenal • 23:14 Force Design 2030 Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-08-20 12:25:00
Ep 139: Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. on CENTCOM (NEBM2730397393.mp3?updated=1724153446)
General Kenneth F. McKenzie, USMC, retired as the fourteenth commander of U.S. Central Command in 2022 and is the author of The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century (https://a.co/d/a2RmIDK). He joins the show to talk about the strategic significance of the Middle East. ▪️ Times • 01:16 Introduction • 01:38 The Citadel • 04:15 The humanities • 10:00 Central Command • 13:43 Thinking globally • 17:53 Iran pushes back • 23:05 Pursuing peace • 26:15 Afghanistan • 32:01 Collapse • 37:58 A regional war Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-08-13 11:29:00
Ep 138: Joshua S. Treviño on the Southern Border Crisis (NEBM7750277109.mp3?updated=1723543808)
Joshua S. Treviño, Chief of Intelligence and Research and the Director for Texas Identity at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, joins the show to talk about the crisis on the U.S. southern border. ▪️ Times • 01:28 Introduction • 02:03 “The border itself is insecure…” • 06:06 Immigration is not the issue • 08:58 Texas remembers • 21:44 The Mexican side • 31:34 WWI in Mexico • 32:25 PRC and cartels • 39:24 DoD and the border • 44:01 “A sincere security partner…” • 46:03 The Caroline affair Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
From School of War at 2024-08-06 11:15:00
Ep 137: Richard Frank on Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and World War II’s Endgame (NEBM8009183694.mp3?updated=1722906114)
Richard Frank, historian and author of Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire and Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War: July 1937-May 1942, joins the show to talk about the controversial legacy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ▪️ Times • 02:05 Introduction • 02:15 Soldier/Lawyer/Historian • 09:19 Early controversy • 14:55 Counting all the dead • 21:54 Contemplating invasion • 30:10 1:1 ratio, recipe for a bloodbath • 38:03 Why unconditional surrender? • 40:48 Two steps to end the war • 46:54 A combination of forces • 51:08 How many bombs? • 54:01 Thinking as your enemy does Follow along on Instagram Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack