Military Matters

In order to tell the next story about the recent Afghan evacuations, we need a little more production time, so we won't have a new episode for you this week. In the meantime, I highly recommend you check out our previous episodes The Battle for Kunduz and its accompanying Fast Take: Kabul Embassy, the Taliban, and the Fall of Afghanistan . Thank you for your patience!

Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez discuss what Great Power Competition or GPC means to the military outside of SOF and why this will matter to you! Follow us on Twitter @stripesmmpod or send us your feedback to militarymatters@stripes.com

The withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan has signaled a new era in military operations and presence, but we aren't alone. "Great Power Competition" or GPC isn't just some new set of buzzwords, it's a shift in how the DOD will do business in a world of near-peer adversaries. What does GPC mean for today's military? How will it affect SOF operations? What will tomorrow's war really look like?

Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy talk about the listeners' ghost stories from last episode, talk about their own experiences with the supernatural, and we share three more stories from our listeners! From lights in the sky to deadly phantoms!  Subscribe today!

It's that time again for another Haunted Military Matters! In this episode, we bring you three real ghost stories from our listeners. From roaming spirits of Japan to a ghostly melody from beyond the veil, listen if you dare... Follow Military Matters on Twitter @stripesmmpod and visit stripes.com for your daily dose of news!

Military Matters hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the previous episode, an interview with Dr. Eric Kurlander about the Nazi fascination with the occult. Could the desire to live in a fantasy world happen again?  Subscribe today and share this podcast!

What do vampires, werewolves and Nazis have in common? Jack Murphy talks with Dr. Eric Kurlander, author of "Hitler's Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich" about the Nazi obsession with the occult and how Hitler convinced a country to abandon science for the allure of mysticism. Subscribe today and never miss an episode!

Hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the three-part Future War: China series and how the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan might have changed the game. Does this generation have what it takes to take on a near-peer adversary like China? How will cyberwarfare play into this? All that and more on this Fast Take.

We return to the third of our three-part future war series on China. Jack Murphy talks with Roger Cliff, a research professor of Indo-Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Army War College and the author of "China's Military Power: Assessing Current and Future Capabilities." You can find Cliff's book on Amazon and everywhere you purchase books. Follow Military Matters on Twitter @stripesmmpod

Former U.S. Special Forces service member and current intelligence professional, Daniel, was recently evacuated from Afghanistan. Daniel shares an insider's view of the Taliban's take-over of the country, the chaos at the US embassy, and how it all went so wrong.  Follow Military Matters on Twitter and Facebook You can follow Rod Rodriguez on Twitter @rodpodrod and Jack Murphy at @jackmurphyrgr

Jack Murphy brings us the story of the battle to save Kunduz from the Taliban and why a Doctors Without Borders hospital was destroyed. Jack talks with Special Forces Medical Sgt. Joshua Middleton about the heroic efforts of the Afghan Commandos and the dismal failures of the Afghan National Army that were the precursor to the recent fall of the Afghan government back into the hands of the Taliban...

Hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the recent events of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. There are some serious tie-ins to any future war with China that can't be ignored. What does a victory over China look like? Is Taiwan the next Iraq or Afghanistan? Follow us on Twitter at @stripesmmpod and shoot us an email at militarymatters@stripes.com

This is part 2 of 3 in our Future War series on China. Jack Murphy and the co-author of "Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer," Matthew Brazil, tackle the topic of Chinese spies and how the winner of a future war could be determined by our respective nations' spymasters. You can follow Matthew Brazil on Twitter @matthew_brazil  

Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez dive a little deeper into last week's episode on the rise of China. Check out "Future War: The Rise of China and US National Security implications". Leave us a comment on social media! Like, Listen, Subscribe, and Share!

In our first of three episodes on China, Jack Murphy and our guest, former CIA analyst and China expert Gail Helt, discuss how today's China came to be, why Taiwan is so important, and how the coming years of relations with China will decide whether or not we go to war. Follow Gail Helt on Twitter @ghelt and Miltary Matters @stripesmmpod Email us with you questions or comments at militarymatters@s...

Last week's episode about Woke, Critical Race Theory, and the military has hit a lot of nerves. Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez discuss the episode, the feedback, and Jack's perspective on this politically and socially charged topic. Like, Listen, Subscribe, and Share this podcast!

In this episode, we're getting to the bottom of what exactly is "woke" and "critical race theory" and what any of it has to do with our military! Guests: Brian "BK" Kimber, former AF Pararescueman and host of World News with BK Dr. John Witte, professor emeritus from the University of Wisconsin Madison. And the departments of political science in the Robert Lafollette School of Public Affairs Link...

Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez talk about the stories they covered in Season 3, from the death of SF soldier Mark Leshikar to QAnon and the Terrible Game. We also discuss what Jack thinks of the UFO report coming out in June, and he also shares a special message from Afghan war veteran Jim Gant. All that and more on the season finale of Military Matters.

Maura Murray's disappearance 17 years ago has left investigators and her family confused and dumbfounded. She was a former West Point cadet with dreams of becoming a nurse. Then one day after exhibiting strange behavior, she vanished. Jack Murphy talks with her sister, Julie Murray, about one of the first disappearances of the social media age to capture the attention of the public.  What happened...

Defense One reporter Elizabeth Howe joins Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy to discuss the reaction to last week's episode, some of the strange arguments they've heard against getting the vaccine, and some "conspiracy" theories behind what some think the vaccine REALLY is. Follow us on Twitter @stripesmmpod and don't forget to share this episode.

A surprising number of service members have gone public stating they're not taking any of the COVID vaccines. This week, Military Matters talks with an ER doctor and U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Dr. Kamal Kalsi, Defense One reporter Elizabeth Howe and the director of the Bi-Partisan Commission on Biodefense Dr. Asha George.  Are you getting the vaccine? Email us at militarymatters@stripes.com .

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and virtual reality are slowly becoming integrated with our warfighters. But what role will AI play on the battlefield of tomorrow? Jack Murphy talks with the vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security, Paul Scharre. Paul is also a former Special Operations reconnaissance team leader in the Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion and the autho...

The Army has signed a $21.9 billion deal with Microsoft to integrate its HoloLens with the Army's Integrated Visual Augmented System, or IVAS. Is this technology going to change the way we fight? Will we forget how to train in the real world? What does the future of VR look like? Guests Palmer Luckey, Anduril Garth Smith and Gareth Seburn, Meta VR Kevin Cornish, Moth+Flame VR   Tony Isaacs, PLW Mo...

Does the DOD's "Tenant Bill of Rights" actually do anything for military families living in privatized housing? Is the military just bad at environmental testing, or is there more? Could the deaths of infants on Fort Bragg have been prevented? We talk with Sarah Kline, military housing advocate, and Leigh Tuttle, a military spouse who has seen first-hand some questionable practices. For more infor...

Toxic lead and black mold in military housing. A mother's horror story of how her children suffered the effects. Families have been hurt, and the military is locked into 50-year leases with privatized housing companies. You'll be shocked at the law these companies are hiding behind to avoid lawsuits and their responsibility to our service members. Jack Murphy unravels this story of neglected milit...