A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

Films can bring to life war's battles, leaders, examples of strategic decisions, and examples of less successful strategic decisions. As Mark Gagnon and Jacqueline E. Whitt show in this presentation, there are many ways that films can be used in professional military education. From learning about strategic decisions and their impacts to broadening the world views and perspectives, films help view...

There's an old saying, "Command can be lonely." But it doesn't have to be. WAR ROOM welcomes Major General Mick Ryan, Australian Army and Commander of the Australian Defense College to the studio to discuss matters of strategic leadership in conjunction with the U.S. Army War College's annual Strategy Conference. What separates successful strategic leaders from the less successful? WAR ROOM Podcas...

You assume professional competence at [the strategic] level, ... but the more senior you get in the armed forces or defense, the more you are looking for issues of character. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Lieutenant-General Patrick Sanders CBE, DSO of the British Army, who addressed the 2018 resident class of the U.S. Army War College as part of the annual Kermit Roosevelt Exchange Lecture serie...

It is difficult to describe just the unbelievable amount of destruction that Syria has gone through... since 2011.   WAR ROOM welcomes Dean of the U.S. Air War College Christopher Hemmer to the studio to explain the historical and present-day contexts of the on-going civil war in Syria. With possibly over 500,000 killed and untold destruction, it is easily one of the bloodiest wars in recent times...

One in five people on the planet by 2050 will be an African. One in ten will be a Nigerian. You have tremendous potential. ... And it all depends on one thing. It's a question of governance. With North Korea and other national security challenges dominating headlines, Africa is garnering less attention than before. So what are the important interests that the U.S. has with Africa today? And what i...

The United States says over and over that the U.S. supports a rules-based international order but is not party to one of the most important rules-based [international treaties]. The United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea is an important international agreement from the 1970s that establishes the rights and responsibilities of States engaging in any maritime activity. 164 United Nations M...

How should Europe respond to a US that might be pivoting away or might not see Europe as useful anymore? There's a number of camps, one might say. The relationship between US and Europe has faced many stresses and strains over the years, especially in present times as European leaders debate over the transatlantic partnership. Thus, WAR ROOM is pleased to welcome to the studio special guest Peter...

We need to consider what's important here. We need to worry ... a lot more about protecting our allies Japan and the Republic of Korea. WAR ROOM welcomes Wallace "Chip" Gregson (Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps Retired), former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs and former Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific to discuss the current and future relations...

The direction that Latin America takes is going to be, of course, up to the people of the region, but the region could look quite differently a year from now. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Eric Farnsworth, Vice President of the Washington Office from the Council of the Americas, to discuss Latin American relationships with the U.S. Among the topics discussed are the North American Free Trade Agr...

If [President Mnangagwa] wants a genuine legacy of someone who has restored Zimbabwe to great prominence, he has an opportunity here, but ... they have to show us. The elections in South Africa signal a potential turning point in the nation's politics. Since of end of apartheid, the Africa National Congress, or ANC, has been the dominant party both politically and symbolically with Nelson Mandela...

At the NATO-Warsaw summit [this past year], there was a joint declaration, and I would say a historic [one] between NATO and the EU to decide to work together. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Ludwig Blaurock, Counsellor for Political and Military Affairs, Security and Development Section from Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the U.S. He discusses current EU initiatives to address the emerg...

How do you really make a difference to inspire people around you? WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Major General John S. Kem, the 51st Commandant of the U.S. Army War College to discuss leader development. Who does it well, and why is it so hard to do in the Army? What principles can leaders adopt to build good developmental climates in units in an era of omnipresent technology, short attention spa...

Military history has been seen [in India] by the political and academic establishment as a forgettable legacy of our colonial past. WAR ROOM welcomes special guest Air Vice Marshal (Dr.) Arjun Subramaniam, who retired from the Indian Air Force after 36 years of service, to provides his perspectives on relationships between India and the U.S., and discuss the importance of preserving a nation's mil...

Clausewitz talkS about war being an extension of politics; for criminals, violence is ... an extension of the profit motive. Paul Kan and Jacqueline E. Whitt discuss organized crime as an important force in the global security environment. Whether organized criminal activity by large transnational groups or networks of smaller groups perpetrating similar criminal behaviors like money laundering, o...

If [President Mnangagwa] wants a genuine legacy of someone who has restored Zimbabwe to great prominence, he has an opportunity here, but ... they have to show us. For nearly four decades, Robert Mugabe reigned over the African nation of Zimbabwe, a reign that ended as the result of a struggle over his succession followed by a military coup. But unlike military coups elsewhere, Zimbabwe's was bloo...

I would urge your listeners ... Don't fall under this illusion that there are easy military answers to difficult geo-political questions. WAR ROOM welcomes Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Boot is a critic of the Trump Administration, and during this podcast he challenges the President's approach to national...

[COOK SAID,] 'These faces. I didn't get to know all their names. They joined my platoon, and many of them were dead by morning.' For forty-six years after the Korean War, veteran John A. Cook would be haunted by the memories of fighting and of his fellow soldiers being killed or wounded. What is now recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD had no name at the time, and veterans like Coo...

What becomes the dominant narrative? [The Vietnam War has] been examined principally through American eyes. The Tet Offensive was an important event during the U.S. war in Vietnam. After three years of direct involvement by U.S. combat troops, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were convinced that the relationship between the U.S. and South Vietnam was fragile, and that military action could drive...

Iraqis came up to [COL Rick Schwartz] and said, 'Thanks for getting rid of Saddam. What do we do now?' Rick had no answer. That coalition forces were ill-prepared and ill-equipped to secure the peace after capturing Baghdad is well understood. How has the joint community evolved its doctrine and postured itself better to address the demands of post-conflict environments? WAR ROOM welcomes Bill Fla...

I tell people today that history makes you smarter, but your heritage makes you prouder. The U.S. Army War College routinely hosts senior military and civilian leaders who come to meet and work with faculty and students on matters of national security, strategic leadership, and professional military education. WAR ROOM is pleased to welcome Gen Robin Rand, U.S. Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Air...

[VON STEUBEN] WAS THE RIGHT MAN AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND THE RIGHT TIME. In the next installment of in our Dusty Shelves series, "Building the Continental Army: Von Steuben's 'Blue Book'," Jack Giblin and Jacqueline E. Whitt tell the story behind the Continental Army's first training manual. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian Army officer who volunteered to come to the American colon...

This [National Security Strategy] sort of fits the mold, in that it is strong on ends, aspirations, and vision, but vague on ways. In this podcast, four members of the U.S. Army War College engage in dialogue about the Trump Administration's National Security Strategy (NSS), released in December 2017. Beyond focusing on the content of the strategy itself, they look at it through a historical lens....

Washington [will] realize early on that he is playing a losing hand and has to change how he plays that hand. This inaugural episode of the Great Captains series focuses on George Washington from his early career aspirations as a colonel in the British (!) Army to leadership of the American Revolution. Throughout, Washington's ability to learn from previous failure, understanding of British weakne...

[Operation Christmas Drop] says a great thing about the ability to train and operate in the real world environment. ... The humanitarian mission has always been a part of the military. Sometimes great traditions happen by accident or circumstance. Spur of the moment actions by an aircrew in 1952 have grown to become an annual multinational humanitarian assistance event. Operation Christmas Drop is...

This is a hand receipt unlike any other. … Imagine instead of signing for an office key or a computer, … you’ve just taken responsibility for the first atomic weapon. Military historian Con Crane tells the story behind an unusual hand receipt, showing the transfer of responsibility of the components of the ‘Little Boy’ atomic weapon to Thomas Ferrell, Deputy Director of the Manhattan Project. Mr....