The Operational Arch

In this episode, hosts Major DJ Taylor and Major Evelyn Payne sit down with Major General (Ret.) James "Spider" Marks — decorated Army intelligence officer, Georgetown University professor, and CNN military analyst — for a wide-ranging conversation on operational planning, intelligence, and leadership. General Marks draws on over 30 years of service, including his roles as Senior Intelli...

Major Spencer Bates sits down with Colonel Ethan Diven, the US Army Command and General Staff College Commandant, and former Commander of Operations Group at the NationalTraining Center, to explore the evolving challenges facing the operational force. From multi-domain competition to professional military education reform, COL Diven draws on a career spanning NTC, Afghanistan, Operation Octave Qua...

In this episode of  The Operational Arch , hosts Spencer Bates and DJ Taylor sit down with Lieutenant General Chun In-bum (Ret.), former commander of the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Forces and U.S. Army War College graduate, for a wide-ranging conversation on the enduring U.S.-ROK alliance. General Chun explores the deep historical, cultural, and security ties that bind the two nations — fro...

In this episode of The Operational Arch, hosts Spencer Bates and DJ Taylor sit down with Steven Box, founder and CEO of Vanguard Tactics and a top-ranked competitive Warhammer coach, alongside SAMS professor Matt Yandura. The conversation explores how Box's "IDEA" framework — developed over years of competitive tabletop wargaming and coaching — maps surprisingly well to military deci...

In this episode of  The Operational Arch , host Major DJ Taylor hands the mic over to three key SAMS leaders: Mr. Kirk Dorr (Deputy Director of the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS)), Dr. Bruce Stanley (Director of the Advanced Military Studies Program (AMSP)), and Colonel Paul Godson (Deputy Director of AMSP). Together, they pull back the curtain on the Advanced Military Studies Program,...

In this episode of the Operational Arch podcast, Major Joanna Van Engel interviews Colonel (Retired) Dwayne Wagner,a seasoned Army planner and educator. They delve into the critical topics of mentorship, coaching, and counseling within military leadership, emphasizing the importance of developing junior leaders for long-term success. COL Wagner discusses the shifting dynamics of mentorship post-9/...

In this episode of the Operational Arch, Major we welcome Dr. James Greer, an expert in operational art, military design, and leader development with over 30 years of Army service. We discuss the concept of convergence within Army doctrine, as outlined in FM 3-0, emphasizing its differences from past doctrines such as the AirLand Battle. Dr. Greer provides insights into how convergence involves ac...

Dr. Peter Mansoor, retired Army Colonel and professor of military history at the Ohio State University, joins the Operational Arch to discuss his new book, Redemption: MacArthur in the Campaign for the Philippines (Cambridge University Press, August 2025), which covers the arc of MacArthur's controversial return to the Philippines, providing both a master class and cautionary tale on the applicati...

Dr. Scott Gorman, director of the Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program at SAMS, joins the Operational Arch to discuss the complexities of civil-military relations and the nuances of providing best military advice. The conversation touches on the importance of the military being politically informed rather than partisan and the critical nature of maintaining trust and dialogue between mili...

Mr. Peter Wood joins the Operational Arch to deep dive into China's counter-intervention strategy. This episode explores how this strategy fits into China's broader military doctrine as well as examining the nuances of China's approach to regional and global strategic competition.

Lieutenant General (Retired) Tony Aguto discusses the US-NATO partnership, the importance of multinational collaboration, and the role of strategic military planning in modern warfare. He highlights the challenges and opportunities presented by national caveats, interoperability issues, and the rapid adaptation required on today’s battlefield, particularly in light of lessons from the Russia-Ukrai...

COL Estee Pinchasin joins the show to share about her time as Commander of the Baltimore District of the Corps of Engineers and the role she played during the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in March 2024. COL Pinchasin discusses her experience during this crisis and draws out several key lessons from the incident. These lessons include the importance of collaboration, pre-established agreements...

Jennifer Dunn and Scott Pettigrew from the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) G2 Operational Environment Integration Directorate join the podcast and delve into the concept of the transparent battlefield—a high-tech environment characterized by ubiquitous multi-domain sensors, deception, jamming, and camouflage in modern warfare. They discuss challenges posed by China’s advanced ISR capabiliti...

Dr. Jacob Stoil, an expert on the Israel/Hamas conflict, joins the Operational Arch to reflect on the opening of the conflict one year ago. This is the third and final installment of a multi-episode run discussing the start of the war and the lessons that the United States should be learning from it. Check out The Israel & Hamas Conflict w/Dr. Stoil Part 1 (E33), released on November 15, 2024,...

Dr. Jacob Stoil, an expert on the Israel/Hamas conflict, joins the Operational Arch to reflect on the opening of the conflict one year ago. This is the second installment of a multi-episode run discussing the start of the war and the lessons that the United States should be learning from it. Check out The Israel & Hamas Conflict w/Dr. Stoil Part 1 (E33) released on November 15, 2024 to catch u...

Colonel (retired) Kevin Benson joins us to discuss the campaign planning efforts for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and the initial invasion of Iraq in 2002. His experiences are captured in his recently published book Expectation of Valor: Planning for the Iraq War.

GEN (retired) Vince Brooks, former Commanding General of US Forces-Korea and US Army Pacific, joins us to discuss the value of SAMS in preparing senior military leaders for strategic engagements across the globe.

Dr. Jacob Stoil, an expert on the Israel/Hamas conflict, joins the Operational Arch to reflect on the opening of the conflict one year ago. This is the first installment of a multi-episode run discussing the start of the war and the lessons that the United States should be learning from it. Dr. Stoil is also the Chair of Applied History at West Point Modern War Institute, an Associate Professor of...

Rear Admiral (RET) Matthew Bell and Dr. Christine Duprow, both with the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, Anchorage, Alaska, discuss the unique security challenges in the Arctic and what considerations operational planners need to take into account when planning and executing Arctic operations.

MG David Doyle, 4ID Commanding General, and Command Sergeant Major Alex Kupratty join the Season 3 podcast team for their season debut to discuss human capital management, organizational culture, and preparing for multi-domain operations. They also discuss 4ID’s upcoming MDO Symposium – for more information go to https://qrcc.io/sjeyouwlcfqa .

COL Andrew Morgado, Director of the US School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), joins the Season 2 Operational Arch podcast team on their season finale to discuss how SAMS develops joint leaders, the impacts SAMS has on global security challenges, and operational art.

Dr. Nick Prime, Associate Professor at the School of Advanced Military Studies focuses on the maritime domain and the impacts of Naval theorists such as Alfred Mahan, Julian Corbett, JC Wylie, and Bernard Brodie as they relate to strategy and operational art. Henry Eccles: Logistics in the National Defense https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2927937-logistics-in-the-national-defense Hew Strachan:...

In today's episode we speak with Lt Col Amos Fox about attrition as an effect of war, not as a type of war, and why there doesn't appear to be any "modern" military theorists. Article Discussed: https://warontherocks.com/2024/01/setting-the-record-straight-on-attrition/ Suggestions for Additional Listening/Reading: Thinking In Systems: A Primer: Donella H. Meadows https://www.goodreads.com/book/sh...

In this episode we discuss the role of a commander integrating the staff solving complex problems, fostering collaborative organizations, and utilizing components two and three with Lieutenant General Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard. Book Recommendations: If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story:...

In this Episode we have a discussion with Major General David Doyle, US Army, Discuss challenges and opportunities in leading a division emphasizing training, multi-domain operations, and operational art. This Kind of War: A Study in Unpreparedness, T.R. Fehrenbach https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/118690.This_Kind_of_War Causality: Models, Reasoning, and Inference, Judea Pearl https://www.goodr...