The Citizens to Soldiers Podcast

Forward observers (FOs) are artillery soldiers embedded in infantry units to manage fire support. What goes into producing such soldiers? Back in November, C2SI talked with Rob Dahlgren, former US Army FO, now a PhD student conducting cutting-edge research into the US Army fire support training pipeline at the University of Central Florida, to find out.

Continuing with our series on wargaming, last fall, Adrian and Dan got the chance to chat with US Army (and Navy!) veteran and professional wargamer Kevin Williamson. We talked about his career working with organizations like Marine Corps University and CSIS, the state of the field, its current gaps, how technology is advancing the discipline, and how wargaming can be a cost-effective way for mili...

We're back again! In this episode, recorded last fall, we revisit the topic of wargaming, this time with British Army Major Edward Farren, an exchange officer with the Canadian Army, co-director of Fight Club International, and designer of the "Readiness" wargame, which simulates the strategic challenge of managing the military of a great power for an extended period, balancing force...

Infantry may be the "queen of battle"... but artillery is the king! Earlier this year, we spoke with retired US Army Colonel Jeffrey Buck about his career in Field Artillery and what training is like for soldiers in this branch, from the schoolhouse to the two-way range, and how gunners are adapting for the battlefields of the future.

Earlier this year, we chatted with Julian Werner, an infantry officer in the German Bundeswehr's EGB (Specialized Army Forces), a SOF unit comparable to the US Army Rangers. In addition, he's a research fellow at the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies at the University of the Bundeswehr in Munich. An exemplar of the "warrior-scholar" archetype, Julian spoke with us abou...

We're back with another slate of episodes! Last fall, C2SI sat down with retired US Army infantry NCO and former Ranger Instructor (and Adrian's 1SG in the 173rd Airborne Brigade back in the day) Randy Collins. In this episode, we talk with Randy about what Ranger School is like from the RI's point of view, training up an infantry company for deployment to Afghanistan, and more.

Right now, C2SI is closely following the latest developments regarding US policy in Ukraine, but for this episode, we're going back for some historical perspective. Back in November, we sat down for a great discussion with Dr. Alex Burns of the Franciscan University of Steubenville to talk about military training, force generation, and warfare in the 18th century -- the "kabinettskriege" period. Y...

For the past few years the military has experienced difficulties recruiting and retaining enough troops to meet its authorized size. While that is changing, the crew sat down last fall to talk with reporter and Army veteran Steve Beynon, who has covered the issue very closely for Military.com. The information is a little out of date, but listeners will still be able to understand the contours of t...

We're back! C2SI returns for 2025 with a new episode. Recorded last fall but relevant to the the latest headlines, we sat down for a discussion with professional wargaming umpire Jan Heinemann to talk about the history and uses of wargaming, from Prussians preparing for war to modern think tanks preparing to resist an authoritarian takeover of America. Jan is a member of the International Kriegssp...

The fall of the Assad regime on December 8 is a turning point for Syria -- but what comes next? C2SI's own Ethan Wilson spent much of the last decade working in the international aid response to Syria, and last week, he sat down with C2SI's Dan Blakeley to discuss the history of the Syrian conflict and what the future might look like.

Prevailing in the information domain is crucial to victory in modern conflict. Public Affairs is one of the US Army branches dedicated to doing so. In September, C2SI spoke with US Army V Corps Public Affairs Officer (PAO) COL Ellis Gales, Jr. to understand the role of Public Affairs and the training that goes into producing this special type of Soldier. V Corps Public Affairs Office: https://www....

We usually focus on military training and readiness, but in this episode, we take a look at a separate but related topic: response and resilience in the face of natural disaster. In October, C2SI's President, Dan Blakeley, volunteered to assist with relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which caused severe damage and loss of life in his home state of North Carolina in late September. We...

Usually, C2SI focuses on modern military training and readiness. Sometimes, though, we like to get a historical perspective. We recently sat down with Patrick Wyman, host of the Tides of History podcast and author of The Verge , to chat about how armies were raised and trained (or not!) at the dawn of modern military professionalism in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, and how studying this pe...

We're back! Stay tuned -- we have a ton of content coming in the next few weeks. Kate Kuzminski is Deputy Director of Studies and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). She is an expert on recruitment and military personnel issues, and the coauthor of the recent CNAS report, "Back to the Drafting Board", which explored how the Sele...

Today, the US faces the highest risk of major international armed conflict with a near-peer competitor since the height of the Cold War. Are our military manpower systems ready? Back in June, the C2SI team sat down to discuss the topic of recruitment, force generation, and readiness in the face of the threat of major armed conflict between the US and its allies and the Axis of Authoritarianism. 

Bret Devereaux is an assistant teaching professor of history at North Carolina State University and studies the intersection of ancient Mediterranean economies and militaries. He is also the author of the popular blog “A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry”, which focuses on how ancient and medieval history are reflected in modern popular culture. On 27 July, he joined Dan, Ethan, and Adrian to tal...

On 6 August, Ukraine launched an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, near Sumy Oblast, Ukraine – and they are still gaining ground. There has already been plenty of coverage of the events of the battle as well as analysis of the intent behind the daring incursion, but C2SI discusses another angle: what does it take to prepare units for such an operation? 

Nolan Peterson is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and an expert on the Ukraine war. He’s a US Air Force veteran and former special operations pilot, journalist, writer, and researcher who has been published in the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox, BBC, Coffee or Die, and others. He’s reported from conflicts in Syria, India, Iraq, Afghanistan, and most of all, Ukra...

As the conflict in Ukraine shows, small drones are transforming land warfare. Is the US and its allies ready for this new era? In this episode, Dan, Adrian, and Ethan draw on open-source research to discuss the role of drones in Ukraine, and how such weapons might shape the battlefield of tomorrow—recorded on 3 May 2024.

Meet the founders of Citizens to Soldiers International, Dan Blakeley, Ethan Wilson, and Adrian Bonenberger, as they share their story. Learn what inspired them to create a veteran-led 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to defend global democracy from authoritarian aggression by helping people around the world secure their freedom.