SSI Live Podcast

In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Dr. John Deni on his ongoing research concerning Europe’s potential involvement in a war in the Pacific. The conversation explores the challenges of coalition management and the unique contributions the United States could request from its European allies. John Deni Hello and welcome to SSI Live . You’ve long known the Strategic Studie...

In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Dr. Michael Lynch on his involvement with the Selective Service System. The conversation explores the history of the military draft and the contemporary challenges of implementing a modern-day draft to support a large-scale war. John Deni Hello and welcome to  SSI Live . You’ve long known the Strategic Studies Institute, or SSI, at the...

In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Dr. Frank Jones, a distinguished fellow of the US Army War College, on his recently published book Obama and the Bomb: New START, Russia, and the Politics of post-Cold War Arms Control. The conversation explores the historical significance of this now expired bi-lateral treaty and Frank’s assessment of the conditions required to achiev...

In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Dr. Jacob Stoil, a research professor of Middle East Security Studies at the Strategic Studies Institute, regarding the ongoing operations against Iran. The conversation explores the historical context of tensions with Iran and examines current and futures challenges that region may face in light of recent events. John Deni Hello and w...

MAJ Brennan Deveraux, COL Michael Long, and LTC Loris Lepri             In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Army Strategists Colonel Michael Long and Lieutenant Colonel Loris Lepri to get their take on the recently released National Defense Strategy. The conversation explores the importance of the strategic document and is structured around its four lines of effort. John...

In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Dr. Richard Lacquement on his involvement in NATO’s Defense Education Enhancement Program as the Academic Lead for Morocco. The conversation explores how the US Army War College built its relationship with this NATO program and the varying roles the college’s professors play. John Deni Hello and welcome to SSI Live . You’ve long known...

This episode discusses Latin American reactions to the recent US operation in Venezuela, noting that some governments expressed criticism but with notable restraint due to domestic political and economic considerations. Dr. R. Evan Ellis explains that the operation exposed the ineffectiveness of Russian and Chinese air‑defense systems in Venezuela, which may influence future military procurement a...

In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Colonel Kyle Marcrum and Lieutenant Colonel Paul Milas on the SSI-developed China Strategic Competition Seminar. The conversation explores the origin and relevance of the seminar, highlighting the initiative to educate Army officers on understanding how the People’s Republic of China implements its instruments of national power, its ob...

In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Dr. Brian Carlson, a research professor of Indo-Pacific security studies for the China Landpower Studies Center, on Central Asia. The conversation highlights two drastically different engagements Carlson recently had, one in Kazakhstan and the other at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in southern Germany. The...

From January to August 2016, Army strategist and SSI National Security Researcher  Major Brennan Deveraux  served in Iraq in a strike cell as the theater-level rocket artillery liaison for Operation Inherent Resolve, firing over 500 rockets that killed hundreds of enemy fighters. His recently published memoir of that experience,  Exterminating ISIS: Behind the Curtain of a Technological War , is a...

A year and a half ago, Javier Milei shocked Latin America by winning a landslide election in Argentina. His libertarian approach and dogmatic style worried many as he assumed the presidency starting in December 2023 – so how have things turned out so far?  Dr. Evan Ellis , SSI’s Research Professor of Latin American Studies, joined SSI Live host  Dr. John R. Deni  to discuss his recent trip to Arge...

America’s European allies have played a critical role in providing military assistance to Ukraine. Can Europeans maintain that effort or even increase it if the United States reduces its role? What lessons can the United States learn from the role of its European allies in this war, which might be applicable to future rounds of strategic competition with Russia and China? The National Defense Univ...

Satellites and anti-satellite capabilities have come to play a major role in modern warfare and strategic competition. How are they being used today in the context of the Russia-Ukraine War? What role are government-owned systems and commercial systems playing, and how are Russia and Ukraine leveraging each? How has the war reinforced or created new norms regarding escalation? SSI Live host Dr. Jo...

Reconceptualizing Homeland Defense in the Indo-Pacific – Homeland defense does not begin at the water’s edge, at least not on the east and west coasts of the United States. How do we think about, plan for, and operationalize defense of far-flung American territories? In their latest publication, Dr. Mike Lynch and Major Brennan Deveraux argue the definition of homeland defense must now extend well...

Paraguay as a Linchpin Both Literally and Figuratively – Paraguay sits at the crossroads of both illicit and licit activities in South America, with implications stretching from arms trafficking to the drug trade to Hezbollah’s fundraising to China-Taiwan issues. How is the relatively new government of President Santiago Peña dealing with Paraguay’s many challenges, including significant corruptio...

SSI Live 110 – Proxy War Ethics: The Norms of Partnering in Great Power Competition – Given the unfolding wars in Ukraine and Gaza – both of which have seen proxy activity or something that looks a lot like proxy activity – what kind of ethical concerns should policymakers focus on? Have proxy wars become more common over time, and are ethical challenges inherent in them? How can we strengthen the...

SSI Live 109 – Putin’s Reelection, Russia’s Trajectory, and the War in Ukraine – Vladimir Putin was recently reelected to an unprecedented fifth term. He faced no serious challenges, thanks to a strict crackdown on opposition and free speech. Relatedly, last month marked two years since Russia began its second and far more brutal invasion of Ukraine. As that war enters its third year, and as Putin...

SSI Live 108 – Latin America and Caribbean Outlook for 2024 – What is the outlook for security, defense, politics, and economics across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024? How do far-away conflicts in Ukraine or Gaza impact the region? And what’s on the agenda(s) of extraterritorial actors like China, Russia, and Iran in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America? SSI Live host John R....

SSI Live 107 – SSI Launches China Landpower Studies Center – The Strategic Studies Institute has just launched a new initiative, the China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC). SSI Live host John Deni invited its Research Director, Josh Arostegui, to discuss the new Center, its research priorities, and how China’s actions across the Indo-Pacific make this an ideal – even vital – time to launch this imp...

Clear, Hold, [and don’t] Build? The Study of Internal Conflict – Although strategic competition has placed China and Russia at the center of American security policy, internal conflicts in places like Iraq, Kosovo, Syria, and Yemen continue to demand the attention of policymakers. SSI’s Dr. Chris Mason has examined these and dozens of others through his multi-year Study of Internal Conflict. What...

SSI Live 105 – The Dragon and the Bear in Africa – Much is made of the ‘axis of authoritarianism’ emerging between Moscow and Beijing, and it’s clear the PRC is playing an important if only implicit role in supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine. But how do these two strategic actors collaborate in other regions? SSI’s Dr. Bob Hamilton spoke to SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss his latest rese...

SSI Live 104 – Implications of Milei’s Election in Argentina – Libertarian Javier Milei recently won a landslide victory in Argentina’s presidential election on a platform of radical reform designed to solve the country’s major economic challenges. How did Milei pull it off? What came out of his post-election trip to the United States? How likely is he to achieve his policy aims at home and abroad...

Terrestrial Responses to Space Aggression – Russia and China have both tested ground-based anti-satellite missiles as well as on-orbit anti-satellite weapons. The latter include projectiles launched from one satellite to another and satellites that can grapple and move other satellites. How should or can the United States respond to an attack on its own satellites? Why does attacking an adversary’...

Implications of Elections in Argentina, Ecuador, and Venezuela – It’s election season in South America, and the outcomes in three key countries have somewhat surprised observers. The implications for Argentina’s flailing economy, the narcotics-fueled violence in Ecuador, and the flow of oil from Venezuela are numerous, but what do they mean for the United States and the Pentagon? Dr. Evan Ellis jo...

What’s the Real State of the Russia-China Relationship? – The debate over the nature of the Russia-China relationship remains unsettled. One side believes the two are strategic partners, while the other believes their ties are merely an “axis of convenience”. Understanding the nature of their relationship is of vital importance to U.S. national security, so how can we gain a deeper, more nuanced u...