Midrats

A pre-recorded best of with three of the authors we interviewed James S. Robbins, Senior Editorial Writer for Foreign Affairs at the Washington Times on his book, "This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive." David Sears' book on Navy Air in the Korean war with, "Such Men as These." United States Naval Academy Professor Bruce Fleming's new book on one part of the culture battle, "Bridging the...

As we once again face the promise of a conflict with a limited mission and a strangely ill-defined Strategic and Operational design - what do we need to keep in mind not just from recent history, but the longer term record? History shows us that military and political leaders either over or under appreciate changing technology, outmoded doctrine, and the imperfect correlation between past experien...

In a time of budgetary pressure, a shrinking fleet, and an ongoing discussion of their relevance, how are we keeping out legacy Aircraft Carrier's in shape for the regular demands for extended deployments while at the same time bringing the new FORD Class CVN online? What are some of the lessons we have learned in our decades of operating nuclear powered aircraft carriers that we are bring forward...

If you fell asleep on Memorial Day and woke up on Labor Day, your head is probably swimming. The situation in the Muslim world from Libya to the Iranian border has turned in to some strange chaos if you have not been paying attention - but when you look at the details and trendlines, the logic is a lot clearer. The long war has not gone anywhere, like a field untended, the weeds have returned and...

A best of this weekend from last year when now Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work was between jobs. When one hangs up the uniform after decades of service, but still wants to contribute to their nations national security needs, what paths can that take and what are the keys to success? In a budgetary challenge not seen by the US military in two decades, what are the important "must haves" that n...

A hundred years on, in 2014 what insights can we gain from the war that started 100 years ago in August of 2014? What are some of the lessons we need to remember in all four levers of national power; diplomatic, informational, military, and economic - in order to help steer our future course as a nation, and to better understand developing events? Using his article in The National Interest, World...

How does policy shape, limit, or empower the effectiveness of command at the unit level? Which policies are a net positive, and which ones are counter productive? Are there things we can do to better balance larger Navy goals with the requirement to give leaders the room they need to be effective leaders?  In times of austere budgets, can you both reduce end-strength while at the same time retain...

The large standing Army and active duty military we have known in our lifetime may seem the norm - but it isn't. Is there a way to maintain a strong military capability - available and scaleable if needed - without the structure we have become accustomed to? Is there a better way to balance our Reserve and National Guard forces that is better in line with our economic, national security, and yes -...

I want to return to our first Midrats from this year to keep the focus one more week on the eastern part of Africa with a returning guest Alex Martin who will give us a first hand report from a personal and professional perspective. Alex graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and went on to lead infantry, reconnaissance and special operations units in multiple combat deployments. U...

A special time this week, 2pm Eastern, in order to have a reasonable time for our guest on the other side of the world. This week we are going to visit an AOR that may have dropped of a lot of people's scan, but in the Long War - it is still the front lines; the Horn of Africa. Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the waters around the Arabian Peninsular - from terrorism to piracy - America and...

When it comes to all things maritime, sometimes one Sal is not enough. Whatever confession of maritime strategy you adhere to, there is one linchpin that all will survive or fail on - the Military Sealift Command. Our guest for the full hour to discuss the entire spectrum of issues with the MSC will be Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph. D., Assistant Professor of History at Campbell University. Sal is ...

"Where are the Carriers?" Whenever the expected unexpected happens on the globe, that is the question that is often asked first.  As our nation also faces one of its greatest budget crisis - it is also one that the budget cutters are asking as well. What is the status of our carrier force as we approach 2012 and what possible directions are we heading?  Is the carrier more important in supporting...

Louis Zamperini passes away earlier this week, so I can see of no better best of show for the July 4th weekend. This nation has been served by those who come home, and those who never make it back. Some have had their stories preserved and celebrated within living memory, some are almost unknown. This weeks episode will cover both sides of our military experience. For the first half hour our guest...

Is the profession of arms, as the Navy believes it is, primarily a technical job for officers - or is it something else? To create the cadre of leaders one needs, do you train them as empty vessels that one only needs to fill up with what you want or an empty checklist to complete - or do you train them by helping them bring out their ability to lead and make decisions through informed critical th...

From the USA, Europe, Russia, to the South China Sea, nations continue to signal where their priories are by what type of fleet they are building.  What capabilities are they expanding, and what capabilities are they letting drift away? To discuss this and more for the full hour will be returning guest Eric Wertheim. Eric is a defense consultant, columnist and author specializing in naval and mari...

In case you missed it the first time, especially for those whose fathers served in uniform, you owe it to yourself to listen to our interview with Stephen Rodrick about his book, The Magical Stranger: A Son's Journey into His Father's Life. You will really enjoy the interview, and I cannot recommend the book any greater. Buy it. Rodrick is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and...

From November of 2011: They share the hazards, smell the smells; all that is needed so that those at home may understand what their countrymen are doing in the far reaches of the world on their behalf. The best know that to tell a story, you have to be in it. Sometimes, the story catches up with them. Our guest for the full hour will be Kimberly Dozier,  foreign correspondent for CBS News Radio sp...

Now that Summer is on the way and that there are more national security issues being produced from the South China Sea to the Dardanelles than can be consumed locally - that sounds like the perfect time for Sal from CDR Salamander and EagleOne from EagleSpeak to hold a Midrats "open house." A little bit of a potpourri of what we find of interest from the latest news,to a chance for you to call in...

This Memorial Day Weekend we are reaching back to a 2010 episode where we look back at the Vietnam War and then look forward to the next decade's Fleet options for our Navy. 50 years in 1 hour. Our guests will be retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel J.G. Zumwalt and journalist Greg Grant. Lt. Col. James Zumwalt is a retired Marine infantry officer who served in the Vietnam war, the 1989 interve...

Since WWII, have we developed an officer corps that has not only developed a record of defeat, but has become comfortable with it? Is our military leadership structurally unsound? In his recent article, An Officer Corps That Can’t Score, author William S. Lind makes a scathing inditement of the officer corp of the United States in from the structure is works in, to its cultural and intellectual ha...

For the career minded Naval professional, to have a chance for the greatest advancement and promotion, you have to push and push hard. The reputation you build in your first 10 years sets the tone for the rest. Except for very rare exceptions, there are no second chances. There are no pauses, one iffy set of orders, one poorly timed FITREP, and you are on an off-ramp. You must work harder, you mus...

So far in 2014, the big lesson is what people have known for centuries; in Eurasia you cannot ignore Russia. The cliché is accurate, Russia is never as weak or as strong as she seems. What do the developments so far mean not just for Ukraine, but for all the former Soviet Republics, slumbering Western Europe and Russia's near abroad? To discuss this and more, for the full hour we will have returni...

It hasn't gone anywhere, the Long War, that is. People may be suffering whiplash having to look back to Europe in the middle of a Pacific pivot, and the Arab spring wilted in to extremism and bloodshed - but the war against the West still goes on from lone wolf attacks at home, to drone strikes across the swath of southwest, south, and central Asia. Coming back to Midrats for the full hour to disc...

A lot of people were surprised when Russia came back on stage this year - but not Midrats listeners. This Easter, let's go back 100 episodes to our interview with Midrats resident Russia go-to-guy, Dmitry Gorenburg. Here were the questions we were trying to answer two years ago;  While the news seems to be all around Russia from the rise of China, the incredible success of the Baltic states, Afgha...

"Where are the carriers?" Regardless of the writing, talking, and pontificating about "Why the carriers?" - when there is a real world crisis - leaders still ask, "Where are the carriers."  Since we waived the requirement for a floor of 11, we have drifted to the new normal of 10 without dedicated additional funding. 10 isn't even an accurate number. With one undergoing nuclear refueling - you rea...