The #BruteCast

NOTE: this episode contains explicit content due to the nature of discussing vulnerable populations exploited during wars and conflict. Dr. Anahid Matossian, subject matter expert for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) studies at Marine Corps University, joins the #BruteCast to discuss the ongoing invasion of #Ukraine from a WPS perspective in the context of her extensive experience working on simil...

#TeamKrulak took to the road again last week, this time supporting #wargaming efforts at the Headquarters of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). While we were there, we got to sit down with several of the officers at the ARRC to learn more about the ARRC's mission, how it uses #wargaming to support planning and staff professional development, and gain insights into the UK Fight Club, a gr...

#TeamKrulak community, following some overseas expeditions "Down the Rabbit Hole on the #Russia-#Ukraine War" returns with its tenth episode. Krulak Center Distinguished Fellow and #Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber discusses developments in NATO accession for #Sweden and #Finland, and the outlines of how the war in eastern Donbas will shape post-war negotiating stances for Russia and U...

Marines know a handful of biographical points about MajGen Smedley Butler: he fought in America's "small wars," won two Medals of Honor, had the Eagle Globe and Anchor tattooed across his chest...and near the end of his life, became an antiwar activist and published a pamphlet called War is a Racket which captured his decidedly negative personal reflections on his military career. Between those bi...

The #BruteCast takes a look back to the Corps’ history for a case study in the seizure and defense of an advanced base. Fought between 7 August, 1942, and 9 February, 1943, the battle for Guadalcanal (Operation Watchtower) was the first allied land offensive against the Empire of Japan. With contested sea, land, and air domains, Japanese and American forces grappled with each other for advantage a...

Welcome to another special #BruteCast episode with #TeamKrulak on location at Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, Sweden! In this episode, we sat down with Kn/Capt. Patrik Hulterström, a doctoral student who also instructs in the Maritime Operations Division, Department of War Studies and Military History, at Swedish Defence University. Capt Hulterström's dissertation explores the educational...

This special #BruteCast episode comes to you with #TeamKrulak on location at Swedish Defence University in Stockholm, Sweden! We had the unique opportunity to sit down with Captain Silvia Haas, USMC, who is currently enrolled in the 2-year Command and Staff College-equivalent program for Swedish military officers at Swedish Defence University. Learn how she got into the program, what she’s learned...

The performance of the Russian military during its invasion of Ukraine has raised a number of questions about their objectives and strategy for achieving them. Joining the #BruteCast from Sweden, Dr. Markus Göransson will discuss the invasion in the context of Russian military thinking about new wars - characterized by rapid, small-scale, surprise attacks and prominent use of SOFs and information...

This lecture is part of the AY22 Middle East Studies (MES) Research Talks series. The war in Ukraine has drawn tens of thousands of foreign volunteers. The only comparable number of foreign fighters in recent years have been in Syria, but are the Islamic State (ISIS/ ISIL) and Ukraine's International Legion really comparable? This guest talk examines what we know about foreign fighters and foreign...

For anyone paying attention to current events, the #information domain has been front and center. In this #BruteCast, our guests will describe what the Marine Corps is doing about it. We're very excited to welcome the commanding officers of two different Marine Expeditionary Force Information Groups (MIGs). Col Brian Russell, commanding officer of  II MIG, and Col Lester Gerber, commanding of...

#TeamKrulak community, we're back at it with another episode of "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," our mini-series on featuring up-to-date commentary from Krulak Center Distinguished Fellow and #Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber. In this episode, we explore what Russia's annual "Victory Day" celebration on May 9 might actually "celebrate;" growing unrest in the unrecogniz...

As #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine has continued, a wealth of evidence has emerged on the brutality of Russian soldiers in the areas of Ukraine they have occupied. Looting, sexual assault, extrajudicial killings, the deliberate targeting of civilian populations and infrastructure - the list of potential war crimes is long and grows each day. However, despite the documented evidence, historically th...

It's been a couple of weeks, but welcome back to "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," #TeamKrulak's mini-series the insights of #TeamKrulak Distinguished Fellow and Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber. We had a lot of developments to catch up on today, from the sinking of the Russian warship Moskva (by an adversary that has no navy of its own...) to the deployment of Chief of...

There has been a great deal of energetic discussion recently over the Marine Corps' adaptation for future conflict, "Force Design 2030." In this special #BruteCast episode, we welcome two additional voices to the debate. Cols Tim Barrick and Matt Jones (both USMC, retired) will look at some of the questions raised by Force Design 2030's vision. Tim Barrick is currently the Wargaming Director for t...

This lecture is part of the AY22 Middle East Studies (MES) Lecture Series. In our new fragmenting world, the Eastern Mediterranean plays an important role because it stands at the geopolitical crossroads of American, European, Russian, Middle Eastern and Chinese interests. The Eastern Mediterranean concentrates tensions: tensions linked to the dysfunctions of societies in the South, tensions linke...

Welcome back to "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," #TeamKrulak's mini-series featuring a snapshot of recent events from the war, along with a deeper look at one important development our audience should know about, all from the insights of #TeamKrulak Distinguished Fellow and Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber. Today Dr. Weber gave an overview of the new correlation of for...

As Russia's military and political goals for its invasion of Ukraine continue to be frustrated, there has been much discussion over the possibility, and potential means of employment, for unconventional weapons. The Russian nuclear arsenal has naturally been a part of this conversation, especially its large inventory of "tactical" nuclear warheads. Dr. Lasha Tchantouridzé will provide an overview...

#TeamKrulak is proud to present one of the crown jewels of both our Krulak Scholars program and Non-Resident Fellow outreach. Capt Casey Lamar, USMC, and Dr. Leah Windsor first started collaborating on a research project while Capt Lamar attended Expeditionary Warfare School in AY20-21. That project went from a research paper to a presentation that has been highlighted in academic conferences, mos...

Welcome back to "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," #TeamKrulak's mini-series featuring a snapshot of recent events from the war, along with a deeper look at one important development our audience should know about, all from the insights of #TeamKrulak Distinguished Fellow and Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber. In this episode, we examined a couple of events from the last...

Listener discretion is advised - Dr. Weber and Maj Brown discuss emerging details of abuses and atrocities committed by the Russian military against Ukrainian civilians in areas from which Russia has withdrawn or been expelled by counterattack. Graphic content. Welcome back to "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," #TeamKrulak's mini-series featuring a snapshot of recent events from the...

In 2019, Islamic State's setbacks in Syria and Iraq seemed to herald the organization's death knell. Yet, its affiliates continue to endure and even thrive, particularly those in Africa. Indeed, many of its African affiliates have been reinvigorated and have reaffirmed their loyalty and ties to the central leadership. This lecture will explore the history, evolution, and expansion of Islamic State...

In this episode we kept looking at Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, but our topic was one we hadn't really delved into yet. It’s the dog that didn’t bark; or rather, it’s barked in a very different way than many people expected. Our panel examined the cyber aspect of this conflict: what both Russia and Ukraine did that our panelists did not expect, lessons from those activities for US cyber s...

Welcome back to "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," #TeamKrulak's mini-series featuring a snapshot of recent events from the war, along with a deeper look at one important development our audience should know about, all from the insights of #TeamKrulak Distinguished Fellow and Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber. In this episode, we looked at the state of current peace negot...

Welcome back to "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," #TeamKrulak's mini-series featuring a snapshot of daily events from the war, along with a deeper look at one important development our audience should know about, all from the insights of #TeamKrulak Distinguished Fellow and Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber. In this episode, we examined the highlights of today's extraord...

Welcome back to "Down the Rabbit Hole on the Russia-Ukraine War," #TeamKrulak's new mini-series featuring a snapshot of daily events from the war, along with a deeper look at one important development our audience should know about, all from the insights of #TeamKrulak Distinguished Fellow and Russia subject matter expert Dr. Yuval Weber. This episode looks at the question of territorial concessio...