http://warontherocks.com Fri, 08 Apr 2016 14:40:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.2 Great discussions with security, defense, and foreign policy experts recorded over drinks. War on the Rocks no War on the Rocks editor@warontherocks.com editor@warontherocks.com (War on the Rocks) http://warontherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/WOTR-Tumbler-1400px.jpg http://warontherocks.com http://warontherocks.com/2016/03/a-tale-of-two-speeches-u-s-russian-relations-through-the-lens-of-munich/ Wed, 02 Mar 2016 15:39:47 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=11703 http://warontherocks.com/2016/03/a-tale-of-two-speeches-u-s-russian-relations-through-the-lens-of-munich/#comments Ryan Evans We’re going to try something a little different with this episode of the podcast, and I think you’re going to like it. If you listened to our last episode, you know our focus was on the Munich Security Conference – a major annual event that hosts heads of state, ministers of foreign affairs and defense, thought leaders, and, this year, whisky-swilling editors like me. In this episode, the focus is Russia, and especially U.S. Russian relations. To do that, we tell a story that starts with Vladimir Putin’s 2007 speech at the Munich Security Conference and ends with Russian Prime Minister Medvedev’s speech at this year’s conference. Between 2007 and 2016, U.S.-Russian relations have gone from bad to good (sort of) to bad again. To tell that story, I conducted interviews in Munich with Richard Fontaine of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Senator John McCain, and Svitlana Zalishchua of the Ukrainian parliament. Back in Washington, I conducted more interviews with Elbridge Colby of CNAS, Matt Rojanksy of the Kennan Institute, and Michael Kofman of CNA and the Kennan Institute. Have a listen and let us know what you think about this new format.   This special episode of our podcast series is sponsored by American University’s School of International Service, which prepares graduates for global service in government, nonprofits, and business. Applications for Fall 2016 are still being accepted. Click here for more information on a variety of Master’s programs for mid- and early-career professionals online or on campus. Image: NATO http://warontherocks.com/2016/03/a-tale-of-two-speeches-u-s-russian-relations-through-the-lens-of-munich/feed/ 3 We’re going to try something a little different with this episode of the podcast, and I think you’re going to like it. If you listened to our last episode, you know our focus was on the Munich Security Conference – a major annual event that hosts heads... We’re going to try something a little different with this episode of the podcast, and I think you’re going to like it. If you listened to our last episode, you know our focus was on the Munich Security Conference – a major annual event that hosts heads of state, ministers of foreign affairs and defense, thought leaders, and, this year, whisky-swilling editors like me. In this episode, the focus is Russia, and especially U.S. Russian relations. To do that, we tell a story that starts with Vladimir Putin’s 2007 speech at the Munich Security Conference and ends with Russian Prime Minister Medvedev’s speech at this year’s conference. Between 2007 and 2016, U.S.-Russian relations have gone from bad to good (sort of) to bad again. To tell that story, I conducted interviews in Munich with Richard Fontaine of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Senator John McCain, and Svitlana Zalishchua of the Ukrainian parliament. Back in Washington, I conducted more interviews with Elbridge Colby of CNAS, Matt Rojanksy of the Kennan Institute, and Michael Kofman of CNA and the Kennan Institute. Have a listen and let us know what you think about this new format.   This special episode of our podcast series is sponsored by <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" target="_blank">American University’s School of International Service</a>, which prepares graduates for global service in government, nonprofits, and business. Applications for Fall 2016 are still being accepted. <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a> on a variety of Master’s programs for mid- and early-career professionals <a href="http://bit.ly/1LrlkE4" target="_blank">online</a> or <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" target="_blank">on campus</a>. Image: NATO War on the Rocks no 1:06:48 http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/four-key-leaders-in-munich-on-the-state-of-the-world/ Tue, 16 Feb 2016 13:39:08 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=11540 http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/four-key-leaders-in-munich-on-the-state-of-the-world/#respond Sen. John McCain, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. David Perdue, Kevin Rudd and Ryan Evans The Munich Security Conference brings together leaders from all around the world to discuss defense, foreign policy, and strategy - the bread and butter of War on the Rocks. It has been called the Davos of international security. Our editor-in-chief, Ryan Evans, was privileged to join the U.S congressional delegation to this year's conference. While he was there, he interviewed a number of key leaders and thinkers. This episode of our podcast series is the first of two to come out of these interviews and discussions. They are sponsored by American University's School of International Service. Listen here for Ryan's interviews with Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator David Perdue (R-GA), and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who is now the President of the Asia Society. They discuss the state of the world, American power, Syria, Ukraine, Europe, China, and more, offering diverse opinions and views informed by their decades of experience in politics, diplomacy, and business. This special episode of our podcast series is sponsored by American University's School of International Service, which prepares graduates for global service in government, nonprofits, and business. Applications for Fall 2016 are still being accepted. Click here for more information on a variety of Master's programs for mid- and early-career professionals online or on campus.  http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/four-key-leaders-in-munich-on-the-state-of-the-world/feed/ 0 The Munich Security Conference brings together leaders from all around the world to discuss defense, foreign policy, and strategy - the bread and butter of War on the Rocks. It has been called the Davos of international security. Our editor-in-chief, The Munich Security Conference brings together leaders from all around the world to discuss defense, foreign policy, and strategy - the bread and butter of War on the Rocks. It has been called the Davos of international security. Our editor-in-chief, Ryan Evans, was privileged to join the U.S congressional delegation to this year's conference. While he was there, he interviewed a number of key leaders and thinkers. This episode of our podcast series is the first of two to come out of these interviews and discussions. They are sponsored by <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" target="_blank">American University's School of International Service</a>. Listen here for Ryan's interviews with Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator David Perdue (R-GA), and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who is now the President of the Asia Society. They discuss the state of the world, American power, Syria, Ukraine, Europe, China, and more, offering diverse opinions and views informed by their decades of experience in politics, diplomacy, and business. This special episode of our podcast series is sponsored by <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" target="_blank">American University's School of International Service</a>, which prepares graduates for global service in government, nonprofits, and business. Applications for Fall 2016 are still being accepted. <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a> on a variety of Master's programs for mid- and early-career professionals <a href="http://bit.ly/1LrlkE4" target="_blank">online</a> or <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" target="_blank">on campus</a>.  <a href="http://bit.ly/1PCNxMe" rel="attachment wp-att-11541"></a> War on the Rocks no 53:50 http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/hacking-defense-and-iraqs-controversial-new-security-groups/ Mon, 08 Feb 2016 19:21:04 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=11465 http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/hacking-defense-and-iraqs-controversial-new-security-groups/#respond Steve Blank, Basam Ridha al Hussaini and Ryan Evans We have a two-parter for you in this episode. First, WOTR's Ryan Evans spoke with Steve Blank of Silicon Valley fame about his new course, "Hacking Defense." The class just launched at Stanford, but Steve has plans to proliferate it around the country. Will this course help change the way we approach national defense? Next, Ryan sat down with Basam Ridha Al Hussaini. Basam works for Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi and was in Washington to talk to U.S. officials about the Popular Mobilization Units, a Iraqi security program that mobilizes armed groups - including sectarian groups responsible for terrible violence during the Iraq War - to fight the Islamic State. While these groups are controversial and - some say - too close to Iran, they have been undeniably important in rolling back the Islamic State. Hear Basam make the case for this program and talk about its future in Iraq, post-Islamic State. Have a listen! http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/hacking-defense-and-iraqs-controversial-new-security-groups/feed/ 0 We have a two-parter for you in this episode. First, WOTR's Ryan Evans spoke with Steve Blank of Silicon Valley fame about his new course, "Hacking Defense." The class just launched at Stanford, but Steve has plans to proliferate it around the country.... We have a two-parter for you in this episode. First, WOTR's Ryan Evans spoke with Steve Blank of Silicon Valley fame about his new course, "Hacking Defense." The class just launched at Stanford, but Steve has plans to proliferate it around the country. Will this course help change the way we approach national defense? Next, Ryan sat down with Basam Ridha Al Hussaini. Basam works for Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi and was in Washington to talk to U.S. officials about the Popular Mobilization Units, a Iraqi security program that mobilizes armed groups - including sectarian groups responsible for terrible violence during the Iraq War - to fight the Islamic State. While these groups are controversial and - some say - too close to Iran, they have been undeniably important in rolling back the Islamic State. Hear Basam make the case for this program and talk about its future in Iraq, post-Islamic State. Have a listen! War on the Rocks no 37:13 http://warontherocks.com/2016/01/journalism-the-military-and-americas-wars/ Mon, 25 Jan 2016 13:41:23 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=11362 http://warontherocks.com/2016/01/journalism-the-military-and-americas-wars/#comments Paul Shinkman, David Wood, Nancy Youssef and Ryan Evans The relationship between journalists and the U.S. military is simultaneously intimate and distant.  In the last several decades and the last two in particular, many things have changed in the way that journalists cover the military, but perhaps not as many as you think. Three defense and national security journalists of different generations joined Ryan Evans of War on the Rocks to talk about how covering the military has and has not changed over time: David Wood, the veteran, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist at The Huffington Post Nancy Youssef, senior national security correspondent for The Daily Beast Paul Shinkman, national security reporter for U.S. News & World Report Have a listen!   Image: U.S. Navy photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway http://warontherocks.com/2016/01/journalism-the-military-and-americas-wars/feed/ 1 The relationship between journalists and the U.S. military is simultaneously intimate and distant.  In the last several decades and the last two in particular, many things have changed in the way that journalists cover the military, The relationship between journalists and the U.S. military is simultaneously intimate and distant.  In the last several decades and the last two in particular, many things have changed in the way that journalists cover the military, but perhaps not as many as you think. Three defense and national security journalists of different generations joined Ryan Evans of War on the Rocks to talk about how covering the military has and has not changed over time: David Wood, the veteran, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist at The Huffington Post Nancy Youssef, senior national security correspondent for The Daily Beast Paul Shinkman, national security reporter for U.S. News & World Report Have a listen!   Image: U.S. Navy photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway War on the Rocks no 1:02:34 http://warontherocks.com/2016/01/the-obama-administration-and-the-middle-east-an-insiders-view/ Tue, 12 Jan 2016 10:33:54 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=11254 http://warontherocks.com/2016/01/the-obama-administration-and-the-middle-east-an-insiders-view/#comments Colin Kahl and Ryan Evans WOTR's Ryan Evans sat down with Colin Kahl, the National Security Advisor to Vice Present Joe Biden, to talk about the mess of the Middle East and what the Obama administration is doing about it. From Iran to the Gulf states to Syria to Iraq to Turkey and beyond, Kahl explains how the White House views the problems and opportunities there. He also discusses what it's like to be in a presidential administration in its final year. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our last conversation with Kahl about the Iran nuclear agreement. Image: USAF, Senior Airman Matthew Bruch http://warontherocks.com/2016/01/the-obama-administration-and-the-middle-east-an-insiders-view/feed/ 1 WOTR's Ryan Evans sat down with Colin Kahl, the National Security Advisor to Vice Present Joe Biden, to talk about the mess of the Middle East and what the Obama administration is doing about it. From Iran to the Gulf states to Syria to Iraq to Turkey ... WOTR's Ryan Evans sat down with Colin Kahl, the National Security Advisor to Vice Present Joe Biden, to talk about the mess of the Middle East and what the Obama administration is doing about it. From Iran to the Gulf states to Syria to Iraq to Turkey and beyond, Kahl explains how the White House views the problems and opportunities there. He also discusses what it's like to be in a presidential administration in its final year. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our last conversation with <a href="http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/vps-national-security-adviser-on-the-iran-deal-colin-kahl-gives-an-insiders-view/" target="_blank">Kahl about the Iran nuclear agreement</a>. Image: USAF, Senior Airman Matthew Bruch War on the Rocks no 1:03:36 http://warontherocks.com/2015/12/fighting-russia-in-europe-and-a-dose-of-military-fiction/ Thu, 17 Dec 2015 06:45:36 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=11022 http://warontherocks.com/2015/12/fighting-russia-in-europe-and-a-dose-of-military-fiction/#comments Claude Berube, Robert H. Scales and Ryan Evans We are trying something a little new with our podcast series. Segments! And music! In the first segment of our new podcast, Ryan Evans sits down with Claude Berube to talk about his new novel, Syren's Song. Ryan then joins Gen. Bob Scales to talk about his recent trip to Europe where he looked at the ability of U.S. and European forces to fight Russia in the event of a war. Gen. Scales expands on some of the concerns he expressed in the Wall Street Journal. Happy listening! http://warontherocks.com/2015/12/fighting-russia-in-europe-and-a-dose-of-military-fiction/feed/ 3 We are trying something a little new with our podcast series. Segments! And music! In the first segment of our new podcast, Ryan Evans sits down with Claude Berube to talk about his new novel, Syren's Song. Ryan then joins Gen. We are trying something a little new with our podcast series. Segments! And music! In the first segment of our new podcast, Ryan Evans sits down with Claude Berube to talk about his new novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612519156/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1612519156&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=BL63EONHMT7B6S4R">Syren's Song</a>. Ryan then joins Gen. Bob Scales to talk about his recent trip to Europe where he looked at the ability of U.S. and European forces to fight Russia in the event of a war. Gen. Scales expands on some of the concerns he <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/our-precarious-defenses-in-europe-1448833504">expressed in the Wall Street Journal</a>. Happy listening! War on the Rocks no 44:04 http://warontherocks.com/2015/11/secdef-ash-carter-on-how-the-military-will-build-the-force-of-the-future/ Thu, 19 Nov 2015 07:55:23 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10783 http://warontherocks.com/2015/11/secdef-ash-carter-on-how-the-military-will-build-the-force-of-the-future/#comments Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Ryan Evans How will the U.S. military stay competitive? This is about far more than platforms, bombs, and guns. It is fundamentally about people. And with archaic personnel systems plaguing the armed forces and the Department of Defense, our talented young men and women are being drawn away into the private sector in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter sat down with WOTR's Ryan Evans to talk about the Force of the Future initiative - a sweeping program of reforms that aims to bring the Department of Defense into the 21st Century in terms of how it manages its most important asset: human beings. TRANSCRIPT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RYAN EVANS:  Welcome a very special edition of the War on the Rocks podcast series, with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. Thanks for making the time for us, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER:  Ryan, thanks for being here.  Welcome to the Pentagon. EVANS:  We're here to talk about Force of the Future.  It's a program of reforms, aimed at changing the way the Department of Defense handles its human capital.  And you have just announced the first sort of tranche for these reforms earlier this afternoon. Personnel reforms are not generally considered the sort of sexiest topic out there, when you look at Defense, particularly when you're competing with attention in terms of issues with the Islamic State, Russia, what just happened in France. Why should the American people care about what you're trying to do with Force of the Future? SEC. CARTER:  Well, they care about having, in the future, as they have now, the finest fighting force the world has ever known.  That's what protecting them tonight; that's what's fighting ISIL; that's what is keeping the peace and making a better world for our children everywhere in the world. Now, we have, today, the best. In addition to using that wisely, as we do, we need to make sure that ten years, 20 years from now, since we don't know what the future will hold, that we have the very best men, also. That means attracting the people who are young people today to be part of our future. So, my job, as secretary of Defense, on behalf of our people is to -- both to deal with today's crisis and to leave behind me, to my successor and my successor's successor as fine a fighting force as it is my privilege to lead. And we're good for lots of reasons.  We're good because we have great technology, we're good because we stand for great values, we're good because we have lots of friends around the world, because people like working with Americans. But the chief reason we're the best is because we have the best people.  Now, you say this is kind of an abstract thing; maybe it is to most Americans, but I don't want them to think that way.  I want them to think that -- as many Americans, in fact, do -- how can I make a contribution? Many of them saw what happened in Paris over the weekend, and I was talking to a group of college students today, and I hope they're asking themselves, how can I contribute to making a better world? Some of them will join the military, but that's not the only way they can contribute.  They could join DOD in other ways.  And -- but I want to create as many different avenues as I can, to make sure that the talented people who are part of our future join our force. And the last thing is, Ryan, I mean, it may be abstract in some way to the general citizen, but for our millions of people -- military, civilian, and by the way, contractors who do a lot of our work as well -- that's what they do in life.  And they want to -- I need to make sure that they continue to improve themselves, keep up with the latest technology, get advanced degrees.  That they have opportunities to take care of their families, to have children if they want to have children. And that -- to the extent I can, consistent with military needs and with the profession of arms, http://warontherocks.com/2015/11/secdef-ash-carter-on-how-the-military-will-build-the-force-of-the-future/feed/ 3 How will the U.S. military stay competitive? This is about far more than platforms, bombs, and guns. It is fundamentally about people. And with archaic personnel systems plaguing the armed forces and the Department of Defense, How will the U.S. military stay competitive? This is about far more than platforms, bombs, and guns. It is fundamentally about people. And with archaic personnel systems plaguing the armed forces and the Department of Defense, our talented young men and women are being drawn away into the private sector in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter sat down with WOTR's Ryan Evans to talk about the Force of the Future initiative - a sweeping program of reforms that aims to bring the Department of Defense into the 21st Century in terms of how it manages its most important asset: human beings. TRANSCRIPT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RYAN EVANS:  Welcome a very special edition of the War on the Rocks podcast series, with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. Thanks for making the time for us, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER:  Ryan, thanks for being here.  Welcome to the Pentagon. EVANS:  We're here to talk about Force of the Future.  It's a program of reforms, aimed at changing the way the Department of Defense handles its human capital.  And you have just announced the first sort of tranche for these reforms earlier this afternoon. Personnel reforms are not generally considered the sort of sexiest topic out there, when you look at Defense, particularly when you're competing with attention in terms of issues with the Islamic State, Russia, what just happened in France. Why should the American people care about what you're trying to do with Force of the Future? SEC. CARTER:  Well, they care about having, in the future, as they have now, the finest fighting force the world has ever known.  That's what protecting them tonight; that's what's fighting ISIL; that's what is keeping the peace and making a better world for our children everywhere in the world. Now, we have, today, the best. In addition to using that wisely, as we do, we need to make sure that ten years, 20 years from now, since we don't know what the future will hold, that we have the very best men, also. That means attracting the people who are young people today to be part of our future. So, my job, as secretary of Defense, on behalf of our people is to -- both to deal with today's crisis and to leave behind me, to my successor and my successor's successor as fine a fighting force as it is my privilege to lead. And we're good for lots of reasons.  We're good because we have great technology, we're good because we stand for great values, we're good because we have lots of friends around the world, because people like working with Americans. But the chief reason we're the best is because we have the best people.  Now, you say this is kind of an abstract thing; maybe it is to most Americans, but I don't want them to think that way.  I want them to think that -- as many Americans, in fact, do -- how can I make a contribution? Many of them saw what happened in Paris over the weekend, and I was talking to a group of college students today, and I hope they're asking themselves, how can I contribute to making a better world? Some of them will join the military, but that's not the only way they can contribute.  They could join DOD in other ways.  And -- but I want to create as many different avenues as I can, to make sure that the talented people who are part of our future join our force. And the last thing is, Ryan, I mean, it may be abstract in some way to the general citizen, but for our millions of people -- military, civilian, and by the way, contractors who do a lot of our work as well -- that's what they do in life.  And they want to -- I need to make sure that they continue to improve themselves, keep up with the latest technology, get advanced degrees.  That they have opportunities to take care of their families, to have children if they want to have children. And that -- to the extent I can, consistent with military needs and with the profession of arms, War on the Rocks no 19:12 http://warontherocks.com/2015/11/the-vaticans-cloak-and-dagger-war-against-hitler/ Mon, 02 Nov 2015 07:10:41 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10619 http://warontherocks.com/2015/11/the-vaticans-cloak-and-dagger-war-against-hitler/#respond Mark Riebling, Mark Stout and Ryan Evans In histories of the Second World War, the Vatican has not fared well. Pope Pius XII has been condemned as "Hitler's Pope" and the Church castigated for not doing enough to avert war and save the victims of the Third Reich. Enter Mark Riebling's new book, Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler. After years of painstaking research in the Vatican's archives, Riebling has a different and heart-pounding story to tell of the Pope's network of spies that fought to bring about Hitler's downfall. In this podcast, WOTR's Ryan Evans and Mark Stout (himself a veteran of the CIA) sits down with Riebling to chat about this amazing book that combines the rigor of history with the storytelling of a novel. His final verdict on Pius XII: "He wasn't Hitler's Pope, but he wasn't Anne Frank's Pope either." Listen!   Image: Public Domain http://warontherocks.com/2015/11/the-vaticans-cloak-and-dagger-war-against-hitler/feed/ 0 In histories of the Second World War, the Vatican has not fared well. Pope Pius XII has been condemned as "Hitler's Pope" and the Church castigated for not doing enough to avert war and save the victims of the Third Reich. In histories of the Second World War, the Vatican has not fared well. Pope Pius XII has been condemned as "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014311400X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=014311400X&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=ORSGNE3GLWNQL4PY" target="_blank">Hitler's Pope</a>" and the Church castigated for not doing enough to avert war and save the victims of the Third Reich. Enter Mark Riebling's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465022294/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0465022294&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=23MR6ZOQ6L7SL732" target="_blank">Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler</a>. After years of painstaking research in the Vatican's archives, Riebling has a different and heart-pounding story to tell of the Pope's network of spies that fought to bring about Hitler's downfall. In this podcast, WOTR's Ryan Evans and Mark Stout (himself a veteran of the CIA) sits down with Riebling to chat about this amazing book that combines the rigor of history with the storytelling of a novel. His final verdict on Pius XII: "He wasn't Hitler's Pope, but he wasn't Anne Frank's Pope either." Listen!   Image: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Papst_Pius_XII.,_Kr%C3%B6nung_1939JS.jpg" target="_blank">Public Domain</a> War on the Rocks no 27:44 http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/around-the-world-episode-2/ Tue, 13 Oct 2015 11:48:32 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10399 http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/around-the-world-episode-2/#respond Justin T. Johnson, Denise Natali, William Rosenau, Erin Simpson and Ryan Evans What's going on around the world? For our latest podcast, WOTR editor-in-chief Ryan Evans was joined by a great group to talk about Russia and its intervention in Syria, the Middle East more broadly, America's approach to foreign policy, the refugee crisis in Europe, the international economy, and Congress.  Our guests were Justin Johnson of the Heritage Foundation, Denise Natali of the National Defense University, Bill Rosenau of CNA, and Erin Simpson of Caerus Associates. http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/around-the-world-episode-2/feed/ 0 What's going on around the world? For our latest podcast, WOTR editor-in-chief Ryan Evans was joined by a great group to talk about Russia and its intervention in Syria, the Middle East more broadly, America's approach to foreign policy, What's going on around the world? For our latest podcast, WOTR editor-in-chief Ryan Evans was joined by a great group to talk about Russia and its intervention in Syria, the Middle East more broadly, America's approach to foreign policy, the refugee crisis in Europe, the international economy, and Congress.  Our guests were Justin Johnson of the Heritage Foundation, Denise Natali of the National Defense University, Bill Rosenau of CNA, and Erin Simpson of Caerus Associates. War on the Rocks no 57:04 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/navigating-the-islamic-state-challenge/ Thu, 24 Sep 2015 12:15:27 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10222 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/navigating-the-islamic-state-challenge/#comments David Ignatius, William McCants and Ryan Evans Will McCants of the Brookings Institution and David Ignatius of The Washington Post sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the topic of Will's new book, ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. In this wide-ranging conversation, our guests reached back into the origins of the Islamic State and came all the way up to the storm of violence that covers so much of the Middle East today. Have a listen!   http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/navigating-the-islamic-state-challenge/feed/ 2 Will McCants of the Brookings Institution and David Ignatius of The Washington Post sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the topic of Will's new book, ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. Will McCants of the Brookings Institution and David Ignatius of The Washington Post sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the topic of Will's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250080908/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250080908&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=MALG63Q6ENULTHWZ">ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State</a>. In this wide-ranging conversation, our guests reached back into the origins of the Islamic State and came all the way up to the storm of violence that covers so much of the Middle East today. Have a listen!   War on the Rocks no 48:02 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/the-state-of-russian-strategy-ukraine-syria-and-beyond/ Tue, 22 Sep 2015 06:55:07 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10143 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/the-state-of-russian-strategy-ukraine-syria-and-beyond/#comments Dmitry Gorenburg and Ryan Evans Dmitry Gorenburg, an occasional WOTR contributor and expert on Russian military affairs at the CNA Corporation, sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the state of Russia's armed forces, its campaigns in Ukraine and Syria, Putin as a strategist, and how one becomes an expert on Russian military affairs. Have a listen!     http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/the-state-of-russian-strategy-ukraine-syria-and-beyond/feed/ 2 Dmitry Gorenburg, an occasional WOTR contributor and expert on Russian military affairs at the CNA Corporation, sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the state of Russia's armed forces, its campaigns in Ukraine and Syria, Putin as a strategist, Dmitry Gorenburg, an occasional WOTR contributor and expert on Russian military affairs at the CNA Corporation, sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the state of Russia's armed forces, its campaigns in Ukraine and Syria, Putin as a strategist, and how one becomes an expert on Russian military affairs. Have a listen!     War on the Rocks no 42:32 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/natsec2016-a-podcast-on-the-2016-elections-and-national-security/ Mon, 14 Sep 2015 07:45:48 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10074 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/natsec2016-a-podcast-on-the-2016-elections-and-national-security/#comments Greg Jaffe, Douglas A. Ollivant, Michael G. Waltz and John Amble Ah, the 2016 presidential election.  Trump still leads the GOP field, Hillary has been challenged in the polls by Bernie Sanders and the shadow of Joe Biden looms large over the Democratic hopefuls.  And whether it's the Islamic State, Russia, cybersecurity, or the politics of the Iran deal, national security issues are going to play a central role.  So to kick off our newest channel, #NatSec2016, we brought together  two experts from different parts of the political spectrum - Doug Ollivant and Mike Waltz - as well as Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post to explore the 2016 politics of national security. Have a listen and enjoy! http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/natsec2016-a-podcast-on-the-2016-elections-and-national-security/feed/ 1 Ah, the 2016 presidential election.  Trump still leads the GOP field, Hillary has been challenged in the polls by Bernie Sanders and the shadow of Joe Biden looms large over the Democratic hopefuls.  And whether it's the Islamic State, Russia, Ah, the 2016 presidential election.  Trump still leads the GOP field, Hillary has been challenged in the polls by Bernie Sanders and the shadow of Joe Biden looms large over the Democratic hopefuls.  And whether it's the Islamic State, Russia, cybersecurity, or the politics of the Iran deal, national security issues are going to play a central role.  So to kick off our newest channel, <a href="http://warontherocks.com/category/nat-sec-2016/" target="_blank">#NatSec2016</a>, we brought together  two experts from different parts of the political spectrum - Doug Ollivant and Mike Waltz - as well as Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post to explore the 2016 politics of national security. Have a listen and enjoy! War on the Rocks no 46:54 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/hacking-the-defense-industry/ Thu, 10 Sep 2015 06:30:21 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10041 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/hacking-the-defense-industry/#comments Stephen Rodriguez, Paul Scharre, Sam Zega and Ryan Evans Is the American defense industry ready for what is coming next? Can it adapt, survive, and thrive in an era of paradigm-changing new technologies? Can the industry maintain America's military superiority in the face of the U.S. government's stifling contracting regulations? What can the U.S. government and the defense industry learn from Silicon Valley? We brought together three experts - Stephen Rodriguez, Sam Zega, and Paul Scharre - the talk about how we can hack the defense industry. Have a listen!   Image: Dammit, CC http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/hacking-the-defense-industry/feed/ 1 Is the American defense industry ready for what is coming next? Can it adapt, survive, and thrive in an era of paradigm-changing new technologies? Can the industry maintain America's military superiority in the face of the U.S. Is the American defense industry ready for what is coming next? Can it adapt, survive, and thrive in an era of paradigm-changing new technologies? Can the industry maintain America's military superiority in the face of the U.S. government's stifling contracting regulations? What can the U.S. government and the defense industry learn from Silicon Valley? We brought together three experts - Stephen Rodriguez, Sam Zega, and Paul Scharre - the talk about how we can hack the defense industry. Have a listen!   Image: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:F-35_weapons_bay.jpeg">Dammit</a>, CC War on the Rocks no 43:55 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/america-china-and-xi-jinpings-visit-to-washington/ Tue, 08 Sep 2015 07:40:26 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=10019 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/america-china-and-xi-jinpings-visit-to-washington/#respond Van Jackson, Evan Montgomery, Mira Rapp-Hooper and Samm Sacks In the latest installment of our podcast, we gathered some top Asia wonks - WOTR Senior Editor Van Jackson of CNAS, Evan Montgomery of CSBA, Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, and Samm Sacks of the Eurasia Group. The topic? The state of U.S.-China relations and the major issues likely to occupy President Barack Obama when Chinese President Xi Jinping comes to town. Have a listen!   Image Credit: thierry ehrmann http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/america-china-and-xi-jinpings-visit-to-washington/feed/ 0 In the latest installment of our podcast, we gathered some top Asia wonks - WOTR Senior Editor Van Jackson of CNAS, Evan Montgomery of CSBA, Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, and Samm Sacks of the Eurasia Group. The topic? The state of U.S. In the latest installment of our podcast, we gathered some top Asia wonks - WOTR Senior Editor <a href="http://www.cnas.org/JacksonVan">Van Jackson of CNAS</a>, <a href="http://csbaonline.org/about/people/emontgomery/">Evan Montgomery of CSBA</a>, <a href="http://csis.org/expert/mira-rapp-hooper">Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS</a>, and <a href="http://www.eurasiagroup.net/about-eurasia-group/who-is/sacks">Samm Sacks of the Eurasia Group</a>. The topic? The state of U.S.-China relations and the major issues likely to occupy President Barack Obama when Chinese President Xi Jinping comes to town. Have a listen!   Image Credit: <a class="owner-name truncate" title="Go to thierry ehrmann's photostream" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/home_of_chaos/" data-track="attributionNameClick" data-rapid_p="35">thierry ehrmann</a> War on the Rocks no 51:19 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/a-relentless-conversation-about-jsoc/ Tue, 01 Sep 2015 06:30:00 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=9941 http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/a-relentless-conversation-about-jsoc/#comments Ryan Evans and Sean Naylor One organization has been behind America's most daring raids, from the deserts of Iraq and Syria to the hills of Pakistan to the jungles of South America. That organization is Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Ryan Evans, editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks, sat down with Sean Naylor of Foreign Policy and author of the new book, Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command.  Have a listen! Image: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paul Peterson http://warontherocks.com/2015/09/a-relentless-conversation-about-jsoc/feed/ 1 One organization has been behind America's most daring raids, from the deserts of Iraq and Syria to the hills of Pakistan to the jungles of South America. That organization is Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). - Ryan Evans, One organization has been behind America's most daring raids, from the deserts of Iraq and Syria to the hills of Pakistan to the jungles of South America. That organization is Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Ryan Evans, editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks, sat down with Sean Naylor of Foreign Policy and author of the new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250014549/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250014549&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=ZQ6P7OR3KREDW372" target="_blank">Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command</a>.  Have a listen! Image: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Paul Peterson War on the Rocks no 48:42 http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-infantry-combat-from-modern-ukraine-back-to-world-war-i/ Wed, 26 Aug 2015 07:05:33 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=9886 http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-infantry-combat-from-modern-ukraine-back-to-world-war-i/#comments Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Bruce Gudmundsson and Ryan Evans TM Gibbons-Neff of The Washington Post (and formerly of the U.S. Marine Corps) and ​Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson of Marine Corps University joined WOTR's Ryan Evans to talk about TM's recent reporting from the front in Eastern Ukraine through the lens of the history of infantry combat. Image Credit: TM Gibbons-Neff http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-infantry-combat-from-modern-ukraine-back-to-world-war-i/feed/ 2 TM Gibbons-Neff of The Washington Post (and formerly of the U.S. Marine Corps) and ​Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson of Marine Corps University joined WOTR's Ryan Evans to talk about TM's recent reporting from the front in Eastern Ukraine through the lens of the ... <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/thomas-gibbons-neff">TM Gibbons-Neff</a> of The Washington Post (and formerly of the U.S. Marine Corps) and ​<a href="http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/Pages/faculty_pages/Dr.%20Bruce%20Gudmundsson.aspx">Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson</a> of Marine Corps University joined WOTR's Ryan Evans to talk about <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/at-point-18-in-eastern-ukraine-the-war-grinds-on-night-after-night/2015/08/15/fffcf2c0-405f-11e5-9561-4b3dc93e3b9a_story.html">TM's recent reporting from the front in Eastern Ukraine</a> through the lens of the history of infantry combat. Image Credit: TM Gibbons-Neff War on the Rocks no 34:18 http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-drinking-through-naval-history/ Fri, 14 Aug 2015 07:50:05 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=9755 http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-drinking-through-naval-history/#respond B.J. Armstrong, Scott Cheney-Peters, Alex Hecht and Ryan Evans In this week's podcast, navalists B.J. Armstrong and Scott Cheney-Peters joined Alex Hecht, the editor of the Molotov Cocktail channel, and Ryan Evans for a carousing (but responsible) imbibing of naval history through four naval drinks: grog, the rum flip, the daiquiri, and the gimlet. Have a listen and drink along with us! The recipes are below. Grog: 4 ounces lime juice 1/4 pound brown sugar 4 oz. dark rum 8 oz. water 2 sprigs mint Rum Flip: 4 oz. Gosling’s Rum 1 oz. simple syrup 2 egg yolks Grated nutmeg Daiquiri: 3 oz. silver rum 1.5 oz. simple syrup 1.5 oz. lime juice Gimlet: 3 oz. London dry gin 1.5 oz. simple syrup 1.5 oz. lime juice   Image: Wikimedia Commons. Illustration from the book "Songs, naval and national" by Thomas Dibdin, published in London, England in 1841. The caption is "Saturday Night At Sea," and shows a group of sailors amusing themselves while off duty by singing. The illustration itself is by George Cruikshank (d. 1878). http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-drinking-through-naval-history/feed/ 0 In this week's podcast, navalists B.J. Armstrong and Scott Cheney-Peters joined Alex Hecht, the editor of the Molotov Cocktail channel, and Ryan Evans for a carousing (but responsible) imbibing of naval history through four naval drinks: grog, In this week's podcast, navalists B.J. Armstrong and Scott Cheney-Peters joined Alex Hecht, the editor of the Molotov Cocktail channel, and Ryan Evans for a carousing (but responsible) imbibing of naval history through four naval drinks: grog, the rum flip, the daiquiri, and the gimlet. Have a listen and drink along with us! The recipes are below. Grog: 4 ounces lime juice 1/4 pound brown sugar 4 oz. dark rum 8 oz. water 2 sprigs mint Rum Flip: 4 oz. Gosling’s Rum 1 oz. simple syrup 2 egg yolks Grated nutmeg Daiquiri: 3 oz. silver rum 1.5 oz. simple syrup 1.5 oz. lime juice Gimlet: 3 oz. London dry gin 1.5 oz. simple syrup 1.5 oz. lime juice   Image: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_shanty#/media/File:Saturday_night_at_sea.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>. Illustration from the book "Songs, naval and national" by Thomas Dibdin, published in London, England in 1841. The caption is "Saturday Night At Sea," and shows a group of sailors amusing themselves while off duty by singing. The illustration itself is by George Cruikshank (d. 1878). War on the Rocks no 44:48 http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-around-the-world-ep-1/ Tue, 04 Aug 2015 08:00:28 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=8676 http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-around-the-world-ep-1/#comments Richard Fontaine, Frank Hoffman, Afshon Ostovar, Mira Rapp-Hooper, Erin Simpson and Ryan Evans At War on the Rocks, we are re-vamping our podcast series. We will be holding one podcast a week. The first of each month will be 'round the world. We will discuss the most pressing global security issues...over drinks of course. Have a listen! This week, we were joined by: Richard Fontaine, President of the Center for a New American Security Frank Hoffman, Senior Research Fellow at the National Defense University's Institute for National Strategic Studies (all of his opinions are his own, of course, and not those of NDU, the Dept. of Defense, or the U.S. government) Justin T. Johnson, Senior Policy Analyst for Defense Budgeting Policy at the Heritage Foundation Afshon Ostovar, a Middle East analyst at CNA Mira Rapp-Hooper, the Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS Erin Simpson, CEO of Caerus Associates. http://warontherocks.com/2015/08/podcast-around-the-world-ep-1/feed/ 3 At War on the Rocks, we are re-vamping our podcast series. We will be holding one podcast a week. The first of each month will be 'round the world. We will discuss the most pressing global security issues...over drinks of course. - Have a listen! - At War on the Rocks, we are re-vamping our podcast series. We will be holding one podcast a week. The first of each month will be 'round the world. We will discuss the most pressing global security issues...over drinks of course. Have a listen! This week, we were joined by: Richard Fontaine, President of the Center for a New American Security Frank Hoffman, Senior Research Fellow at the National Defense University's Institute for National Strategic Studies (all of his opinions are his own, of course, and not those of NDU, the Dept. of Defense, or the U.S. government) Justin T. Johnson, Senior Policy Analyst for Defense Budgeting Policy at the Heritage Foundation Afshon Ostovar, a Middle East analyst at CNA Mira Rapp-Hooper, the Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS Erin Simpson, CEO of Caerus Associates. War on the Rocks no 1:19:06 http://warontherocks.com/2015/07/podcast-a-novelist-and-a-historian-walk-into-a-bar-2/ Tue, 28 Jul 2015 08:58:25 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=8612 http://warontherocks.com/2015/07/podcast-a-novelist-and-a-historian-walk-into-a-bar-2/#respond August Cole, B.J. Armstrong and John Amble In today's podcast, John Amble talks to August Cole of the Atlantic Council's Art of Future Warfare project and B.J. Armstrong, a historian and naval officer, about how we approach the critical task of forecasting the future of warfare. In the discussion, we examine the comparative merits of history and fiction as sources of lessons with which to understand, make predictions about, and prepare for warfare in the future. Somewhat sadly, this podcast's title isn't entirely accurate. This is one of those rare War on the Rocks podcasts that we did not record over drinks. I trust you'll make up for our shortcoming in this respect by imbibing on our behalf while you listen.   Buy August's book, Ghost Fleet, and B.J.'s book, 21st Century Sims. B.J.'s opinions, of course, do not represent those of the U.S. Navy or the Department of Defense.   Photo credit: k rupp (adapted by WOTR)   http://warontherocks.com/2015/07/podcast-a-novelist-and-a-historian-walk-into-a-bar-2/feed/ 0 In today's podcast, John Amble talks to August Cole of the Atlantic Council's Art of Future Warfare project and B.J. Armstrong, a historian and naval officer, about how we approach the critical task of forecasting the future of warfare. In today's podcast, John Amble talks to August Cole of the Atlantic Council's Art of Future Warfare project and B.J. Armstrong, a historian and naval officer, about how we approach the critical task of forecasting the future of warfare. In the discussion, we examine the comparative merits of history and fiction as sources of lessons with which to understand, make predictions about, and prepare for warfare in the future. Somewhat sadly, this podcast's title isn't entirely accurate. This is one of those rare War on the Rocks podcasts that we did not record over drinks. I trust you'll make up for our shortcoming in this respect by imbibing on our behalf while you listen.   Buy August's book, <a id="amznPsBmLink_1324650" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Fleet-Novel-Next-World/dp/0544142845/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=66a8362a29947c5aa5454d2469c19543&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Ghost Fleet" data-amzn-link-id="66a8362a29947c5aa5454d2469c19543">Ghost Fleet</a>, and B.J.'s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612518109/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1612518109&linkCode=as2&tag=rosesatbella-20&linkId=W3XF5DITQLW7ACK7">21st Century Sims</a>. B.J.'s opinions, of course, do not represent those of the U.S. Navy or the Department of Defense.   Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/krupptastic/4738992473/">k rupp</a> (adapted by WOTR)   War on the Rocks no 35:05 http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/podcast-the-war-with-china-youve-been-waiting-for/ Tue, 30 Jun 2015 12:16:30 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=8402 http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/podcast-the-war-with-china-youve-been-waiting-for/#comments Peter W. Singer, August Cole and Ryan Evans I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with PW Singer and August Cole to talk about their new book, Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War.  Yes, these two wonks wrote some fiction and it's an impressive piece of work. In Ghost Fleet, they bring us into the future - not too far away - and show us how this war could very well be fought, examining the social, political, and technological issues through the eyes of a massive cast of characters. The way they portray military technology and its myriad effects was, in particular, fresh and interesting. Listen to this awesome podcast (courtesy the awesome media team at the New America Foundation) here:   Image: Spike, Art of Future Warfare, Atlantic Council http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/podcast-the-war-with-china-youve-been-waiting-for/feed/ 1 I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with PW Singer and August Cole to talk about their new book, Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War.  Yes, these two wonks wrote some fiction and it's an impressive piece of work. In Ghost Fleet, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with PW Singer and August Cole to talk about their new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544142845/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0544142845&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=SPAAJQGIJ6QFUWUP" target="_blank">Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War</a>.  Yes, these two wonks wrote some fiction and it's an impressive piece of work. In Ghost Fleet, they bring us into the future - not too far away - and show us how this war could very well be fought, examining the social, political, and technological issues through the eyes of a massive cast of characters. The way they portray military technology and its myriad effects was, in particular, fresh and interesting. Listen to this awesome podcast (courtesy the awesome media team at the New America Foundation) here:   Image:<a href="http://www.ghostfleetbook.com/multimedia/the-art-of-world-war-iii/"> Spike, Art of Future Warfare, Atlantic Council</a> War on the Rocks no 47:16 http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/vps-national-security-adviser-on-the-iran-deal-colin-kahl-gives-an-insiders-view/ Thu, 11 Jun 2015 08:55:47 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=8258 http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/vps-national-security-adviser-on-the-iran-deal-colin-kahl-gives-an-insiders-view/#respond WOTR Staff The deadline for a deal on the Iranian nuclear program is on June 30. Just weeks before the deadline, Colin Kahl, the National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, sat down with Ryan Evans to talk about the nuclear negotiations over drinks at the Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar. Ryan lobbed every objection to the deal he could come up with at Colin. The result was one of the most candid conversations we've ever seen from a senior administration official on what might be a monumental event in the history of diplomacy. Have a listen!     http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/vps-national-security-adviser-on-the-iran-deal-colin-kahl-gives-an-insiders-view/feed/ 0 The deadline for a deal on the Iranian nuclear program is on June 30. Just weeks before the deadline, Colin Kahl, the National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, sat down with Ryan Evans to talk about the nuclear negotiations over drinks at ... The deadline for a deal on the Iranian nuclear program is on June 30. Just weeks before the deadline, Colin Kahl, the National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, sat down with Ryan Evans to talk about the nuclear negotiations over drinks at the Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar. Ryan lobbed every objection to the deal he could come up with at Colin. The result was one of the most candid conversations we've ever seen from a senior administration official on what might be a monumental event in the history of diplomacy. Have a listen!     War on the Rocks no 1:00:00 http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/podcast-national-security-and-the-schoolhouse/ Wed, 20 May 2015 07:45:29 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=8105 http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/podcast-national-security-and-the-schoolhouse/#comments Francis J. Gavin, Erin Simpson, Stephen Tankel and Ryan Evans This is a very special Schoolhouse edition of the War on the Rocks podcast series. As many of you know, our Schoolhouse series is concerned with the intersection between policy and the academy. Is scholarship relevant to the policymaker? Is the academy preparing people to go into the policy world? Our guests grappled with these questions and more, telling their own stories of how they came be involved as scholars in the policy world, in the field in Afghanistan, and the private sector. We were joined by Frank Gavin of MIT, Erin Simpson of Caerus Associates, and Stephen Tankel of American University. Have a listen!     Image: Marcus Hansson http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/podcast-national-security-and-the-schoolhouse/feed/ 1 This is a very special Schoolhouse edition of the War on the Rocks podcast series. As many of you know, our Schoolhouse series is concerned with the intersection between policy and the academy. Is scholarship relevant to the policymaker? This is a very special Schoolhouse edition of the War on the Rocks podcast series. As many of you know, our <a href="http://warontherocks.com/category/special-series/the-schoolhouse-special-series/">Schoolhouse series</a> is concerned with the intersection between policy and the academy. Is scholarship relevant to the policymaker? Is the academy preparing people to go into the policy world? Our guests grappled with these questions and more, telling their own stories of how they came be involved as scholars in the policy world, in the field in Afghanistan, and the private sector. We were joined by Frank Gavin of MIT, Erin Simpson of Caerus Associates, and Stephen Tankel of American University. Have a listen!     Image: <a class="external text" href="http://www.flickr.com/people/87603889@N00" rel="nofollow">Marcus Hansson</a> War on the Rocks no 59:45 http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/podcast-war-on-the-rocks-goes-to-istanbul/ Thu, 07 May 2015 08:20:55 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=8007 http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/podcast-war-on-the-rocks-goes-to-istanbul/#respond Afshon Ostovar, Aaron Stein, Joshua Walker and Ryan Evans Four members of the War on the Rocks squad ended up in Istanbul this week. What could go wrong? Afshon Ostovar of the CNA Corporation, Aaron Stein of RUSI, Joshua Walker of GMF, and Ryan Evans of your favorite outlet on strategy, defense, foreign policy, and booze join you from a lovely garden a stone's throw from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia to talk about the Turkish elections, the implications of the Iranian nuclear negotiations, Turkish-Iranian relations, the Syrian civil war, and Istanbul's best watering holes. Have a listen!   http://warontherocks.com/2015/05/podcast-war-on-the-rocks-goes-to-istanbul/feed/ 0 Four members of the War on the Rocks squad ended up in Istanbul this week. What could go wrong? - Afshon Ostovar of the CNA Corporation, Aaron Stein of RUSI, Joshua Walker of GMF, and Ryan Evans of your favorite outlet on strategy, defense, Four members of the War on the Rocks squad ended up in Istanbul this week. What could go wrong? Afshon Ostovar of the CNA Corporation, Aaron Stein of RUSI, Joshua Walker of GMF, and Ryan Evans of your favorite outlet on strategy, defense, foreign policy, and booze join you from a lovely garden a stone's throw from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia to talk about the Turkish elections, the implications of the Iranian nuclear negotiations, Turkish-Iranian relations, the Syrian civil war, and Istanbul's best watering holes. Have a listen!   War on the Rocks no 37:39 http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-fog-of-peace-defense-and-uncertainty/ Thu, 30 Apr 2015 08:35:17 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=7965 http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-fog-of-peace-defense-and-uncertainty/#comments Patrick Porter Editor's Note: I was honored to attend Professor Patrick Porter's inaugural lecture, celebrating his appointment at the University of Exeter as the academic director of the Strategy and Security Institute. Patrick is one of the most insightful and engaging scholarly speakers I know. Using Carl von Clausewitz and Hans Morgenthau as guideposts, he discusses Western strategic mishaps and proposes means by which states might navigate the fog of peace. Have a listen -RE     Image: GerryBuckel http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-fog-of-peace-defense-and-uncertainty/feed/ 1 Editor's Note: I was honored to attend Professor Patrick Porter's inaugural lecture, celebrating his appointment at the University of Exeter as the academic director of the Strategy and Security Institute. Patrick is one of the most insightful and enga... Editor's Note: I was honored to attend Professor Patrick Porter's inaugural lecture, celebrating his appointment at the University of Exeter as the academic director of the Strategy and Security Institute. Patrick is one of the most insightful and engaging scholarly speakers I know. Using Carl von Clausewitz and Hans Morgenthau as guideposts, he discusses Western strategic mishaps and proposes means by which states might navigate the fog of peace. Have a listen -RE     Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/91515698@N00/6990788747/" target="_blank">GerryBuckel</a> War on the Rocks no 46:20 http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-state-of-the-world-a-conversation-with-lawrence-freedman/ Wed, 29 Apr 2015 08:00:21 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=7952 http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-state-of-the-world-a-conversation-with-lawrence-freedman/#respond Lawrence Freedman and Ryan Evans Yesterday, Lawrence Freedman of King's College London joined me for a conversation on the state of the world atop the ME Hotel's rooftop bar in central London, Radio. From the Middle East, to Russia, to China, to Britain's role in the world, the discussion ranged widely as we sat in the afternoon sun (an unusually lovely, breezy day in London). Have a listen!     Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 1982. His most recent book is Strategy: A History (OUP, 2013). He is a contributing editor at War on the Rocks. Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks. Image: AlexLoves.com http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-state-of-the-world-a-conversation-with-lawrence-freedman/feed/ 0 Yesterday, Lawrence Freedman of King's College London joined me for a conversation on the state of the world atop the ME Hotel's rooftop bar in central London, Radio. From the Middle East, to Russia, to China, to Britain's role in the world, Yesterday, Lawrence Freedman of King's College London joined me for a conversation on the state of the world atop the <a href="http://www.melia.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/london/me-london/index.html?gclid=CLPBq6qimcUCFbMatAodHRMAMg" target="_blank">ME Hotel's</a> rooftop bar in central London, <a href="http://www.melia.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/london/me-london/radio-rooftop-bar.html" target="_blank">Radio</a>. From the Middle East, to Russia, to China, to Britain's role in the world, the discussion ranged widely as we sat in the afternoon sun (an unusually lovely, breezy day in London). Have a listen!     Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 1982. His most recent book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199325154/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0199325154&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">Strategy: A History</a> (OUP, 2013). He is a contributing editor at War on the Rocks. Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks. Image: AlexLoves.com War on the Rocks no 18:53 http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/podcast-the-islamic-states-war-in-iraq-and-syria/ Wed, 15 Apr 2015 08:45:06 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=7857 http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/podcast-the-islamic-states-war-in-iraq-and-syria/#respond JM Berger, William McCants, Denise Natali and Douglas A. Ollivant This is the podcast in which War on the Rocks fixes the Middle East...ok, we kid, but it is a fascinating conversation with some of the most astute and informed U.S. experts on Iraq and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Have a listen!   We were joined by: J.M. Berger, author of the new book, ISIS: State of Terror (along with Jessica Stern) and a nonresident fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution. William McCants, author of the forthcoming book, ISIS Apocalypse, a fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy and director of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution. Denise Natali, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University (her views do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. government). Douglas Ollivant, a senior national security fellow with the New America Foundation and a managing partner and the Senior Vice President of Mantid International. Ryan Evans, editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks, moderated with Lagavulin 16 neat in hand. http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/podcast-the-islamic-states-war-in-iraq-and-syria/feed/ 0 This is the podcast in which War on the Rocks fixes the Middle East...ok, we kid, but it is a fascinating conversation with some of the most astute and informed U.S. experts on Iraq and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). - This is the podcast in which War on the Rocks fixes the Middle East...ok, we kid, but it is a fascinating conversation with some of the most astute and informed U.S. experts on Iraq and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Have a listen!   We were joined by: J.M. Berger, author of the new book, ISIS: State of Terror (along with Jessica Stern) and a nonresident fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution. William McCants, author of the forthcoming book, ISIS Apocalypse, a fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy and director of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution. Denise Natali, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University (her views do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. government). Douglas Ollivant, a senior national security fellow with the New America Foundation and a managing partner and the Senior Vice President of Mantid International. Ryan Evans, editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks, moderated with Lagavulin 16 neat in hand. War on the Rocks no 56:15 http://warontherocks.com/2015/03/cybersecurity-over-sazeracs/ Thu, 05 Mar 2015 09:00:21 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=7531 http://warontherocks.com/2015/03/cybersecurity-over-sazeracs/#comments Shane Harris, Jason Healey, Mark Stout and John Amble We got together a great panel of experts to talk all things cybersecurity, with a little bit of ClintonEmail.com and comedy troupes mixed in. Listen here to Jason Healey of the Atlantic Council, Shane Harris of The Daily Beast, and John Amble and Mark Stout, both of War on the Rocks, as they talk about cyber over drinks. (And yes, only Jason had a Sazerac, but alliteration won out over absolute accuracy. We trust you'll forgive us.)     Image Credit: Paul Hartzog, CC http://warontherocks.com/2015/03/cybersecurity-over-sazeracs/feed/ 1 We got together a great panel of experts to talk all things cybersecurity, with a little bit of ClintonEmail.com and comedy troupes mixed in. - Listen here to Jason Healey of the Atlantic Council, Shane Harris of The Daily Beast, We got together a great panel of experts to talk all things cybersecurity, with a little bit of ClintonEmail.com and comedy troupes mixed in. Listen here to Jason Healey of the Atlantic Council, Shane Harris of The Daily Beast, and John Amble and Mark Stout, both of War on the Rocks, as they talk about cyber over drinks. (And yes, only Jason had a Sazerac, but alliteration won out over absolute accuracy. We trust you'll forgive us.)     Image Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulbhartzog/6807495853/">Paul Hartzog, CC</a> War on the Rocks no 52:15 http://warontherocks.com/2015/01/podcast-asian-maritime-security-and-a-rising-china/ Wed, 21 Jan 2015 09:00:36 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=7191 http://warontherocks.com/2015/01/podcast-asian-maritime-security-and-a-rising-china/#comments Scott Cheney-Peters, Michael McDevitt, Bryan McGrath, Mira Rapp-Hooper and Ryan Evans Last night, just hours before President Obama delivered the State of the Union address, Ryan Evans sat down with Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, Bryan McGrath of the Hudson Institute's Center for American Seapower, RADM Mike McDevitt (ret) of CNA, and Scott Cheney-Peters of CIMSEC.  Their beverage-fueled conversation ranged widely, from China's disputes with the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan to the balance of seapower in the Asia Pacific. Have a listen! Make sure you visit the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and read RADM McDevitt's latest report on the South China Sea! Image: Philippines Navy ship BRP Artemio Ricarte. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dave Gordon http://warontherocks.com/2015/01/podcast-asian-maritime-security-and-a-rising-china/feed/ 2 Last night, just hours before President Obama delivered the State of the Union address, Ryan Evans sat down with Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, Bryan McGrath of the Hudson Institute's Center for American Seapower, RADM Mike McDevitt (ret) of CNA, Last night, just hours before <a href="http://warontherocks.com/2015/01/full-text-state-of-the-union-address/" target="_blank">President Obama delivered the State of the Union address</a>, Ryan Evans sat down with <a href="http://csis.org/expert/mira-rapp-hooper" target="_blank">Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS</a>, <a href="http://www.hudson.org/experts/687-bryan-mc-grath" target="_blank">Bryan McGrath of the Hudson Institute's Center for American Seapower</a>, <a href="http://www.cna.org/about/staff/michael-mcdevitt" target="_blank">RADM Mike McDevitt (ret) of CNA</a>, and <a href="http://cimsec.org/staff" target="_blank">Scott Cheney-Peters of CIMSEC</a>.  Their beverage-fueled conversation ranged widely, from China's disputes with the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan to the balance of seapower in the Asia Pacific. Have a listen! Make sure you visit the<a href="http://amti.csis.org/" target="_blank"> Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative</a> and read <a href="http://www.cna.org/research/2014/south-china-sea" target="_blank">RADM McDevitt's latest report on the South China Sea</a>! Image: Philippines Navy ship BRP Artemio Ricarte. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dave Gordon War on the Rocks no 53:24 http://warontherocks.com/2015/01/podcast-south-east-meets-east-asia/ Tue, 13 Jan 2015 09:35:56 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=7125 http://warontherocks.com/2015/01/podcast-south-east-meets-east-asia/#respond Andrew Small, Stephen Tankel, Joshua White and Ryan Evans Andrew Small of the German Marshall Fund, Stephen Tankel of American University and WOTR, and Joshua White of the Stimson Center joined Ryan Evans to talk about South and East Asian regional affairs, including the complex web of relations between Pakistan, China, India, and Afghanistan. Have a listen and read Andrew's new book, The China-Pakistan Axis. http://warontherocks.com/2015/01/podcast-south-east-meets-east-asia/feed/ 0 Andrew Small of the German Marshall Fund, Stephen Tankel of American University and WOTR, and Joshua White of the Stimson Center joined Ryan Evans to talk about South and East Asian regional affairs, including the complex web of relations between Pakis... Andrew Small of the German Marshall Fund, Stephen Tankel of American University and WOTR, and Joshua White of the Stimson Center joined Ryan Evans to talk about South and East Asian regional affairs, including the complex web of relations between Pakistan, China, India, and Afghanistan. Have a listen and read Andrew's new book, <a href="http://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-china-pakistan-axis/" target="_blank">The China-Pakistan Axis</a>. War on the Rocks no 47:29 http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/podcast-spitballing-offset-strategy/ Tue, 23 Dec 2014 09:35:38 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=6999 http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/podcast-spitballing-offset-strategy/#comments Shawn Brimley, Amy Chang, Elbridge Colby, Ben FitzGerald, Van Jackson, Paul Scharre and Ryan Evans We recently sat down with the gang at the Center for a New American Security to discuss offset strategies. As you can see from the photo, we had all the important props one would need to plan how the United States will maintain its military technological superiority, including Star Wars action figures, a drone from Radio Shack, a model drone, a plastic shotgun, a fake robot, and - of course - a bottle of bourbon. We had a lot of fun recording this and we hope you have fun listening to it. Read more about our Beyond Offset series here.  http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/podcast-spitballing-offset-strategy/feed/ 1 We recently sat down with the gang at the Center for a New American Security to discuss offset strategies. As you can see from the photo, we had all the important props one would need to plan how the United States will maintain its military technologic... We recently sat down with the gang at the Center for a New American Security to discuss offset strategies. As you can see from the photo, we had all the important props one would need to plan how the United States will maintain its military technological superiority, including Star Wars action figures, a drone from Radio Shack, a model drone, a plastic shotgun, a fake robot, and - of course - a bottle of bourbon. We had a lot of fun recording this and we hope you have fun listening to it. <a href="http://warontherocks.com/beyond-offset" target="_blank">Read more about our Beyond Offset series here. </a> War on the Rocks no 50:56 http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/on-strategy-and-strategists/ Thu, 04 Dec 2014 09:25:48 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=6859 http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/on-strategy-and-strategists/#comments Lawrence Freedman Editor's note: Recently, the Clements Center of the University of Texas at Austin and the King's College London War Studies Department held an important conference on the "special relationship" between the United Kingdom and the United States in the larger context of grand strategy. Many WOTR friends and contributors were involved, including John Bew, MLR Smith, Kori Schake, Tim Hoyt, Ryan Evans, and --- of course --- Lawrence Freedman, who gave the final keynote lecture on a subject near and dear to WOTR readers: strategy. Read Freedman's Strategy: A History if you haven't already. And if you have, read it again!   Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 1982. His most recent book is Strategy: A History (OUP, 2013). He is a Contributing Editor at War on the Rocks. http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/on-strategy-and-strategists/feed/ 1 Editor's note: Recently, the Clements Center of the University of Texas at Austin and the King's College London War Studies Department held an important conference on the "special relationship" between the United Kingdom and the United States in the la... Editor's note: Recently, the <a href="http://www.clementscenter.org/" target="_blank">Clements Center</a> of the University of Texas at Austin and the King's College London War Studies Department held an important conference on the "special relationship" between the United Kingdom and the United States in the larger context of grand strategy. Many WOTR friends and contributors were involved, including John Bew, MLR Smith, Kori Schake, Tim Hoyt, Ryan Evans, and --- of course --- Lawrence Freedman, who gave the final keynote lecture on a subject near and dear to WOTR readers: strategy. Read Freedman's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199325154/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0199325154&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=ZI3FO2PUVT3T7ZCB" target="_blank">Strategy: A History</a> if you haven't already. And if you have, read it again!   Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 1982. His most recent book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199325154/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0199325154&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">Strategy: A History</a> (OUP, 2013). He is a Contributing Editor at War on the Rocks. War on the Rocks no 30:12 http://warontherocks.com/2014/10/podcast-naval-and-maritime-strategy/ Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:40:53 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=6580 http://warontherocks.com/2014/10/podcast-naval-and-maritime-strategy/#respond Admiral Chris Parry, Bryan McGrath, Evan Montgomery and Ryan Evans Admiral Chris Parry (ret.) of the Royal United Services Institute, Bryan McGrath of Hudson's Center for American Seapower, and Evan Montgomery of CSBA joined Ryan Evans for a wide-ranging conversation on naval strategy, a rising China, territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, NATO's ability to project power in the Baltic and Black Seas, and much more. Have a listen and read Admiral Parry's new book, Super Highway: Sea Power in the 21st Century.   Image: U.S. Navy http://warontherocks.com/2014/10/podcast-naval-and-maritime-strategy/feed/ 0 Admiral Chris Parry (ret.) of the Royal United Services Institute, Bryan McGrath of Hudson's Center for American Seapower, and Evan Montgomery of CSBA joined Ryan Evans for a wide-ranging conversation on naval strategy, a rising China, Admiral Chris Parry (ret.) of the Royal United Services Institute, Bryan McGrath of Hudson's Center for American Seapower, and Evan Montgomery of CSBA joined Ryan Evans for a wide-ranging conversation on naval strategy, a rising China, territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, NATO's ability to project power in the Baltic and Black Seas, and much more. Have a listen and read Admiral Parry's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1908739843/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1908739843&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=K4XGK5DITLYX66CV" target="_blank">Super Highway: Sea Power in the 21st Century</a>.   Image: U.S. Navy War on the Rocks no 58:06 http://warontherocks.com/2014/10/podcast-asian-security-hong-kong-taiwan-and-confrontation-with-china/ Wed, 08 Oct 2014 08:45:38 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=6505 http://warontherocks.com/2014/10/podcast-asian-security-hong-kong-taiwan-and-confrontation-with-china/#respond Dean Cheng, Robert Haddick, T.X. Hammes and Ryan Evans We sat down to talk Asian security at the Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar. Our guests included: Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Robert Haddick, an independent consultant for special operations command and author of Fire on the Water: China, America, and the Future of the Pacific (Naval Institute Press, 2014). TX Hammes, who needs no introduction. With Ryan Evans moderating, the participants buzzed through a number of contentious issues related to Asian security including the ongoing protests in Taiwan, North Korea, tensions between South Korea and Japan, and whether or not the U.S. military is appropriately preparing itself for a potential conflict with China. Have a listen!   Photo credit: Official U.S. Navy Imagery http://warontherocks.com/2014/10/podcast-asian-security-hong-kong-taiwan-and-confrontation-with-china/feed/ 0 We sat down to talk Asian security at the Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar. Our guests included: Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Robert Haddick, an independent consultant for special operations command and author of Fire on the W... We sat down to talk Asian security at the Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar. Our guests included: Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Robert Haddick, an independent consultant for special operations command and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612517951/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1612517951&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=7HVVLT7KWOGVF5JV" target="_blank">Fire on the Water: China, America, and the Future of the Pacific </a>(Naval Institute Press, 2014). TX Hammes, who needs no introduction. With Ryan Evans moderating, the participants buzzed through a number of contentious issues related to Asian security including the ongoing protests in Taiwan, North Korea, tensions between South Korea and Japan, and whether or not the U.S. military is appropriately preparing itself for a potential conflict with China. Have a listen!   Photo credit: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Official U.S. Navy Imagery</a> War on the Rocks no 47:40 http://warontherocks.com/2014/09/podcast-in-search-of-a-middle-east-strategy/ Fri, 19 Sep 2014 10:12:28 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=6378 http://warontherocks.com/2014/09/podcast-in-search-of-a-middle-east-strategy/#respond Soner Cagaptay, Ryan Evans, Douglas A. Ollivant, Afshon Ostovar and Joshua Walker Some of the sharpest minds on the Middle East in town sat down over drinks to tackle some of the most troublesome problems in the world's most troublesome region. Have a listen! Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He is the author of  The Rise of Turkey. Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks. Douglas A. Ollivant is a Senior National Security Fellow with the New America Foundation and the Senior Vice President of Mantid International, LLC. Afshon Ostovar is a senior analyst at the CNA Corporation. Joshua W. Walker is a Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and a Fellow at the Truman National Security Project,   Image: Flickr, Argenberg, CC http://warontherocks.com/2014/09/podcast-in-search-of-a-middle-east-strategy/feed/ 0 Some of the sharpest minds on the Middle East in town sat down over drinks to tackle some of the most troublesome problems in the world's most troublesome region. Have a listen! - Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the Turki... Some of the sharpest minds on the Middle East in town sat down over drinks to tackle some of the most troublesome problems in the world's most troublesome region. Have a listen! Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He is the author of  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612346502/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1612346502&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=FPFQ7AGU3Z2KIKBJ" target="_blank">The Rise of Turkey</a>. Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks. Douglas A. Ollivant is a Senior National Security Fellow with the New America Foundation and the Senior Vice President of Mantid International, LLC. Afshon Ostovar is a senior analyst at the CNA Corporation. Joshua W. Walker is a Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and a Fellow at the Truman National Security Project,   Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/argenberg/with/433877799" target="_blank">Flickr, Argenberg, CC</a> War on the Rocks no 54:37 http://warontherocks.com/2014/09/podcast-americas-search-for-security-with-sean-kay/ Thu, 11 Sep 2014 10:04:03 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=6314 http://warontherocks.com/2014/09/podcast-americas-search-for-security-with-sean-kay/#respond Sean Kay and Ryan Evans Yesterday, Ryan Evans sat down with Sean Kay over a couple beers at the Jefferson Hotel's wonderful Quill Bar to discuss America's foreign policy trajectory and Sean's new book, America's Search for Security: The Triumph of Idealism and the Return of Realism.  This wide-ranging conversation covered every topic a foreign policy wonk could dream of: Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, the Cold War, NATO, Russia, President Obama, Ukraine, the Asia Pivot, the Middle East, and more. Sean has insightful points to offer on all of these topics and more based on his perspective as a scholar of foreign relations and still recovering government adviser.   Image: White House http://warontherocks.com/2014/09/podcast-americas-search-for-security-with-sean-kay/feed/ 0 Yesterday, Ryan Evans sat down with Sean Kay over a couple beers at the Jefferson Hotel's wonderful Quill Bar to discuss America's foreign policy trajectory and Sean's new book, America's Search for Security: The Triumph of Idealism and the Return of R... Yesterday, Ryan Evans sat down with Sean Kay over a couple beers at the Jefferson Hotel's wonderful Quill Bar to discuss America's foreign policy trajectory and Sean's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442225637/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1442225637&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=G6327MTJ4FSOPSWH">America's Search for Security: The Triumph of Idealism and the Return of Realism</a>.  This wide-ranging conversation covered every topic a foreign policy wonk could dream of: Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, the Cold War, NATO, Russia, President Obama, Ukraine, the Asia Pivot, the Middle East, and more. Sean has insightful points to offer on all of these topics and more based on his perspective as a scholar of foreign relations and still recovering government adviser.   Image: White House War on the Rocks no 29:39 http://warontherocks.com/2014/03/podcast-bourbon-with-a-dash-of-counter-insurgency/ Mon, 31 Mar 2014 11:45:45 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=3886 http://warontherocks.com/2014/03/podcast-bourbon-with-a-dash-of-counter-insurgency/#comments Ryan Evans, Douglas A. Ollivant and David H. Ucko What about counterinsurgency? At a time when all eyes are focused on the potential outbreak of a "conventional" war in Ukraine, Doug Ollivant, David Ucko and Ryan Evans sat down to consider counterinsurgency over fine bourbon (Noah's Mill, highly recommended). We recorded this podcast to mark the publication of an important book, The New Counter-Insurgency Era in Critical Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan, 2104), edited by David Martin Jones, Celeste Ward Gventer, MLR Smith - who were kind enough to invite Doug and Ryan to Austin, Texas a couple years ago for a wide-ranging discussion aimed at re-assessing counterinsurgency. This workshop attracted the leading lights of the counterinsurgency debate alongside some fresh voices who have conducted some exciting original research. This book is the product of that workshop and it is the perfect text for any class on insurgency, counterinsurgency, and irregular warfare. Read it! And listen to the podcast! Other works referenced in this podcast include: Isaiah Berlin, The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy's View of History (Princeton University Press, 2013). Doug Ollivant, Countering the New Orthodoxy: Reinterpreting Counterinsurgency in Iraq (New America Foundation, 2011). David Ucko and Robert Egnell, Counterinsurgency in Crisis: Britain and the Challenges of Modern Warfare (Columbia University Press, 2013). David Ucko, The New Counterinsurgency Era (Georgetown University Press, 2009). David Ucko, "Counterinsurgency in El Salvador: The Lessons and Limits of the Indirect Approach," Small Wars and Insurgencies,24:4 (2014). http://warontherocks.com/2014/03/podcast-bourbon-with-a-dash-of-counter-insurgency/feed/ 2 What about counterinsurgency? At a time when all eyes are focused on the potential outbreak of a "conventional" war in Ukraine, Doug Ollivant, David Ucko and Ryan Evans sat down to consider counterinsurgency over fine bourbon (Noah's Mill, What about counterinsurgency? At a time when all eyes are focused on the potential outbreak of a "conventional" war in Ukraine, Doug Ollivant, David Ucko and Ryan Evans sat down to consider counterinsurgency over fine bourbon (<a href="http://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/Noah-s-Mill" target="_blank">Noah's Mill</a>, highly recommended). We recorded this podcast to mark the publication of an important book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1137336935/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1137336935&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">The New Counter-Insurgency Era in Critical Perspective</a> (Palgrave Macmillan, 2104), edited by David Martin Jones, Celeste Ward Gventer, MLR Smith - who were kind enough to invite Doug and Ryan to Austin, Texas a couple years ago for a wide-ranging discussion aimed at re-assessing counterinsurgency. This workshop attracted the leading lights of the counterinsurgency debate alongside some fresh voices who have conducted some exciting original research. This book is the product of that workshop and it is the perfect text for any class on insurgency, counterinsurgency, and irregular warfare. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1137336935/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1137336935&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">Read it!</a> And listen to the podcast! Other works referenced in this podcast include: Isaiah Berlin, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069115600X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=069115600X&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy's View of History</a> (Princeton University Press, 2013). Doug Ollivant, <a href="http://newamerica.net/publications/policy/countering_the_new_orthodoxy" target="_blank">Countering the New Orthodoxy: Reinterpreting Counterinsurgency in Iraq</a> (New America Foundation, 2011). David Ucko and Robert Egnell, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0231164262/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0231164262&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">Counterinsurgency in Crisis: Britain and the Challenges of Modern Warfare</a> (Columbia University Press, 2013). David Ucko, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158901488X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=158901488X&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">The New Counterinsurgency Era</a> (Georgetown University Press, 2009). David Ucko, "<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09592318.2013.857938" target="_blank">Counterinsurgency in El Salvador: The Lessons and Limits of the Indirect Approach</a>," Small Wars and Insurgencies,24:4 (2014). War on the Rocks no 54:08 http://warontherocks.com/2014/03/broken-mirrors-episode-5-the-operation-of-intelligence-in-a-democracy/ Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:20:31 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=3878 http://warontherocks.com/2014/03/broken-mirrors-episode-5-the-operation-of-intelligence-in-a-democracy/#respond Marc Tyrrell and Tom Quiggin This is the second of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence. In this episode, Marc and Tom discuss how intelligence functions within democratic societies in an effort to look at how a theory of intelligence can emerge.  Following up on the first part of the podcast, we look at what such a theory needs to answer before it can actually operate in a democracy. In the second segment, we sit down for a long discussion with BG (Ret'd) Dr James S. Cox, Vice-President, Academic Affairs with the Canadian Military Intelligence Association. After a 35 year career in the Canadian military dealing with Intelligence in a variety of settings, Jim completed a PhD looking at developing a theory of Intelligence that is truly interdisciplinary in nature.  In this wide ranging discussion, Jim, Marc and Tom tease out how such a theory can be built from the ground up, pragmatic operations of intelligence. For the full show notes for this podcast, check out brokenmirrors.ca   Image: Jo Naylor, CC http://warontherocks.com/2014/03/broken-mirrors-episode-5-the-operation-of-intelligence-in-a-democracy/feed/ 0 This is the second of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence. In this episode, Marc and Tom discuss how intelligence functions within democratic societies in an effort to look at how a theory of intelligence can emer... This is the second of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence. In this episode, Marc and Tom discuss how intelligence functions within democratic societies in an effort to look at how a theory of intelligence can emerge.  Following up on the first part of the podcast, we look at what such a theory needs to answer before it can actually operate in a democracy. In the second segment, we sit down for a long discussion with BG (Ret'd) Dr James S. Cox, Vice-President, Academic Affairs with the Canadian Military Intelligence Association. After a 35 year career in the Canadian military dealing with Intelligence in a variety of settings, Jim completed a PhD looking at developing a theory of Intelligence that is truly interdisciplinary in nature.  In this wide ranging discussion, Jim, Marc and Tom tease out how such a theory can be built from the ground up, pragmatic operations of intelligence. For the full show notes for this podcast, check out <a href="http://brokenmirrors.ca/" target="_blank">brokenmirrors.ca</a>   Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandora_6666/4556032453/" target="_blank">Jo Naylor, CC</a> War on the Rocks no 1:40:59 http://warontherocks.com/2014/02/a-conversation-with-the-chairman-general-martin-e-dempsey/ Tue, 25 Feb 2014 06:30:13 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=3391 http://warontherocks.com/2014/02/a-conversation-with-the-chairman-general-martin-e-dempsey/#comments Ryan Evans and Jason Fritz We sat down with General Martin E. Dempsey in his office to talk strategy, the profession of arms, military compensation reform, and professional military education. Interview Transcript (courtesy Federal News Service, Washington, DC): RYAN EVANS:  Hi, this is Ryan Evans with a very special War on the Rocks podcast.  I’m here with General Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and I have Jason Fritz, one of our editors at War on the Rocks, also joining us.  And we’re going to talk about profession of arms, which is, General, a big passion of yours, or one of your central efforts, actually, ever since you were TRADOC commander.  How much has your – did your experience joining the post-Vietnam Army in the mid ’70s, which sort of went through some similar challenges that we’re about to see now, shape your approach to profession of arms? GENERAL MARTIN DEMPSEY:  Well, you know, I think you’re shaped by the accumulation of your experiences over time.  So I entered West Point in 1970, and you know what kind of climate there was in the country in 1970 – not just related to the Vietnam War but related to just a whole bunch of social issues inside the country. So, you know, in that environment, the military had kind of lost its standing with the American people, you know, simply stated.  And so even as a very young officer, it occurred to me that if we are to live up to our – and especially as we transition to an all-volunteer force, by the way – it occurred to me that this issue of professionalism would have to become more prominent.  And, in fact, in 1998, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, I studied for a master’s degree and took as my thesis that issue. And in that particular treatise, if you will, I came to the conclusion that the single most important value in our long list of professional values was the – was the duty – was the value of duty.  By the way, I wasn’t the first one to turn that up.  You may remember that Robert E. Lee said that duty is the sublimest virtue. So that started me down a path of studying what it means to be a professional.  How is it different from simply a job?  What is it that we owe ourselves internally?  How do we hold ourselves to a higher standard?  How do we identify that standard?  What are the key leader attributes that define us?  And how do we deliver them?  And how do we make sure we know we’re delivering them? And so that’s the context in which I entered TRADOC, did some things there, did a few things as chief of staff of the Army, knowing that after 10 or 12 years of conflict we had gotten sloppy.  It’s not – I’ve said this before.  It’s not that the war caused this misstep, if you will, but rather that the tools that we had at our disposal, whether they were education, oversight, surveys, command climate assessments, fitness reports, mentoring and – you know, mentors and protégés, we had kind of broken – you know that – we had kind of broken some of those relationships because of the pace, and in some cases because of modularity, this notion in the Army, anyway, that you can kind of plug and play with units.  Well, you can, actually.  They’re very fungible.  But when you do that, you break the mentor-protégé relationship as you plug and play.  So we’re looking back now and looking forward as well.  That’s a long answer, but that’s how I came to this conclusion that it was time to take a very close look at this. RYAN EVANS:  That’s a good answer, actually.  And I know Jason, a fellow armor officer, experienced – I don’t know if, Jason, you want to comment or question based on what you saw. JASON FRITZ:  Yeah, I would agree, particularly on the issues of mentor and protégé issues.  I was in the first modularized brigade, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and, you know, we – going through the pains of transitioning to that model and some of the repercussion over the years with them.  I was a brigade planner during the surge, http://warontherocks.com/2014/02/a-conversation-with-the-chairman-general-martin-e-dempsey/feed/ 4 We sat down with General Martin E. Dempsey in his office to talk strategy, the profession of arms, military compensation reform, and professional military education. Interview Transcript (courtesy Federal News Service, Washington, DC): We sat down with General Martin E. Dempsey in his office to talk strategy, the profession of arms, military compensation reform, and professional military education. <a href="http://warontherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Dempsey-Evans-Fritz-450x321.jpg"></a> Interview Transcript (courtesy Federal News Service, Washington, DC): RYAN EVANS:  Hi, this is Ryan Evans with a very special War on the Rocks podcast.  I’m here with General Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and I have Jason Fritz, one of our editors at War on the Rocks, also joining us.  And we’re going to talk about profession of arms, which is, General, a big passion of yours, or one of your central efforts, actually, ever since you were TRADOC commander.  How much has your – did your experience joining the post-Vietnam Army in the mid ’70s, which sort of went through some similar challenges that we’re about to see now, shape your approach to profession of arms? GENERAL MARTIN DEMPSEY:  Well, you know, I think you’re shaped by the accumulation of your experiences over time.  So I entered West Point in 1970, and you know what kind of climate there was in the country in 1970 – not just related to the Vietnam War but related to just a whole bunch of social issues inside the country. So, you know, in that environment, the military had kind of lost its standing with the American people, you know, simply stated.  And so even as a very young officer, it occurred to me that if we are to live up to our – and especially as we transition to an all-volunteer force, by the way – it occurred to me that this issue of professionalism would have to become more prominent.  And, in fact, in 1998, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, I studied for a master’s degree and took as my thesis that issue. And in that particular treatise, if you will, I came to the conclusion that the single most important value in our long list of professional values was the – was the duty – was the value of duty.  By the way, I wasn’t the first one to turn that up.  You may remember that Robert E. Lee said that duty is the sublimest virtue. So that started me down a path of studying what it means to be a professional.  How is it different from simply a job?  What is it that we owe ourselves internally?  How do we hold ourselves to a higher standard?  How do we identify that standard?  What are the key leader attributes that define us?  And how do we deliver them?  And how do we make sure we know we’re delivering them? And so that’s the context in which I entered TRADOC, did some things there, did a few things as chief of staff of the Army, knowing that after 10 or 12 years of conflict we had gotten sloppy.  It’s not – I’ve said this before.  It’s not that the war caused this misstep, if you will, but rather that the tools that we had at our disposal, whether they were education, oversight, surveys, command climate assessments, fitness reports, mentoring and – you know, mentors and protégés, we had kind of broken – you know that – we had kind of broken some of those relationships because of the pace, and in some cases because of modularity, this notion in the Army, anyway, that you can kind of plug and play with units.  Well, you can, actually.  They’re very fungible.  But when you do that, you break the mentor-protégé relationship as you plug and play.  So we’re looking back now and looking forward as well.  That’s a long answer, but that’s how I came to this conclusion that it was time to take a very close look at this. RYAN EVANS:  That’s a good answer, actually.  And I know Jason, a fellow armor officer, experienced – I don’t know if, Jason, you want to comment or question based on what you saw. JASON FRITZ:  Yeah, I would agree, particularly on the issues of mentor and protégé issues.  I was in the first modularized brigade, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and, you know, we – going through the pains of transitioning to that model and some of the repercussion over t... War on the Rocks no 27:26 http://warontherocks.com/2014/02/podcast-contemporary-nuclear-strategy/ Mon, 17 Feb 2014 13:24:14 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=3312 http://warontherocks.com/2014/02/podcast-contemporary-nuclear-strategy/#comments Elbridge Colby, Thomas C. Moore, Stanley Orman, William Rosenau and Usha Sahay Ryan Evans sat down with an august panel of gentlemen and a gentlelady to discuss issues related to contemporary nuclear strategy.  The guests: Elbridge Colby, Fellow, Center for a New American Security Thomas C. Moore, Defense Consultant and former Senior Professional Staff Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee under then-Ranking Member Dick Lugar Stanley Orman, former British Defence official, our very own nuclear Yoda, and author of An Uncivil Civil Servant. William Rosenau, Senior Analyst with CNA Strategic Studies' Center for Stability and Development Usha Sahay, Assistant Editor at War on the Rocks and Director of Digital Outreach at the Council for a Livable World They discussed everything from Iran to submarines to the recent nuclear cheating scandal.  Pour yourself a drink and have a listen.   Image: SCFiasco, Flickr, Creative Commons   http://warontherocks.com/2014/02/podcast-contemporary-nuclear-strategy/feed/ 1 Ryan Evans sat down with an august panel of gentlemen and a gentlelady to discuss issues related to contemporary nuclear strategy.  The guests: Elbridge Colby, Fellow, Center for a New American Security Thomas C. Moore, Ryan Evans sat down with an august panel of gentlemen and a gentlelady to discuss issues related to contemporary nuclear strategy.  The guests: Elbridge Colby, Fellow, Center for a New American Security Thomas C. Moore, Defense Consultant and former Senior Professional Staff Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee under then-Ranking Member Dick Lugar Stanley Orman, former British Defence official, our very own nuclear Yoda, and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1907953566/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1907953566&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">An Uncivil Civil Servant</a>. William Rosenau, Senior Analyst with CNA Strategic Studies' Center for Stability and Development Usha Sahay, Assistant Editor at War on the Rocks and Director of Digital Outreach at the Council for a Livable World They discussed everything from Iran to submarines to the recent nuclear cheating scandal.  Pour yourself a drink and have a listen.   Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30352125@N00" target="_blank">SCFiasco, Flickr</a>, Creative Commons   War on the Rocks no 50:32 http://warontherocks.com/2014/01/podcast-cyberwar-and-cybersecurity/ Tue, 07 Jan 2014 12:27:26 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=2547 http://warontherocks.com/2014/01/podcast-cyberwar-and-cybersecurity/#respond Peter W. Singer, Allan Friedman, Max Fisher and Ryan Evans Max Fisher of the Washington Post and Ryan Evans sat down recently with Peter Singer and Allan Friedman of the Brookings Institution to discuss their new book, Cyberwar and Cybersecurity: What Everyone Needs to Know.  It was a fun, wide-ranging, drink-fueled discussion at the Jefferson Hotel's Cabinet Room. Have a listen!   Image: Niklas Morberg, Flickr, CC http://warontherocks.com/2014/01/podcast-cyberwar-and-cybersecurity/feed/ 0 Max Fisher of the Washington Post and Ryan Evans sat down recently with Peter Singer and Allan Friedman of the Brookings Institution to discuss their new book, Cyberwar and Cybersecurity: What Everyone Needs to Know.  It was a fun, wide-ranging, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/max-fisher" target="_blank">Max Fisher</a> of the Washington Post and Ryan Evans sat down recently with Peter Singer and Allan Friedman of the Brookings Institution to discuss their new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199918112/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0199918112&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">Cyberwar and Cybersecurity: What Everyone Needs to Know</a>.  It was a fun, wide-ranging, drink-fueled discussion at the Jefferson Hotel's Cabinet Room. Have a listen!   Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/morberg/" target="_blank">Niklas Morberg, Flickr, CC</a> War on the Rocks no 1:05:53 http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/podcast-counter-terrorism-drones-syria-and-more/ Tue, 24 Dec 2013 13:40:58 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=2417 http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/podcast-counter-terrorism-drones-syria-and-more/#respond William McCants, JM Berger and Clint Watts JM Berger, Will McCants, and Clint Watts sat down with Ryan Evans at the Jefferson Hotel to talk about a range of subjects related to counter-terrorism. What could be more appropriate for Christmas? Have a listen!   Image: Department of Defense http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/podcast-counter-terrorism-drones-syria-and-more/feed/ 0 JM Berger, Will McCants, and Clint Watts sat down with Ryan Evans at the Jefferson Hotel to talk about a range of subjects related to counter-terrorism. What could be more appropriate for Christmas? Have a listen! -   - Image: Department of Defense JM Berger, Will McCants, and Clint Watts sat down with Ryan Evans at the Jefferson Hotel to talk about a range of subjects related to counter-terrorism. What could be more appropriate for Christmas? Have a listen!   Image: Department of Defense War on the Rocks no 58:16 http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/strategic-surprise-intelligence-and-terrorism-developing-a-tolerance-for-disaster/ Wed, 18 Dec 2013 07:00:45 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=2332 http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/strategic-surprise-intelligence-and-terrorism-developing-a-tolerance-for-disaster/#respond Marc Tyrrell and Tom Quiggin This is the first of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence.  In this episode, Tom and I lay out the actual, social function of Strategic Intelligence and look at it place in the long history of divination.  Strategic surprise, or intelligence failures, often are neither: a surprise or a `failure``, at least on the part of Intelligence Agencies.  What they often are is a breakdown in communications between the players involved; a breakdown that is often facilitated by a gross misunderstanding of what Strategic Intelligence can and cannot do. In the second segment, we sit down for a long discussion with Steven Strang, Director of Research and Innovation at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  Steven is one of the top people in Canada when it comes to understanding how certain groups, mainly terrorists, communicate to their audiences and how this communication can, and should be interpreted by Intelligence agencies.  Steven has also trained many of the analysts working in the various Canadian agencies, and has presented world wide. For the full show notes for this podcast, check out brokenmirrors.ca Image: Jef Poskanzer Flickr http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/strategic-surprise-intelligence-and-terrorism-developing-a-tolerance-for-disaster/feed/ 0 This is the first of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence.  In this episode, Tom and I lay out the actual, social function of Strategic Intelligence and look at it place in the long history of divination. This is the first of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence.  In this episode, Tom and I lay out the actual, social function of Strategic Intelligence and look at it place in the long history of divination.  Strategic surprise, or intelligence failures, often are neither: a surprise or a `failure``, at least on the part of Intelligence Agencies.  What they often are is a breakdown in communications between the players involved; a breakdown that is often facilitated by a gross misunderstanding of what Strategic Intelligence can and cannot do. In the second segment, we sit down for a long discussion with Steven Strang, Director of Research and Innovation at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  Steven is one of the top people in Canada when it comes to understanding how certain groups, mainly terrorists, communicate to their audiences and how this communication can, and should be interpreted by Intelligence agencies.  Steven has also trained many of the analysts working in the various Canadian agencies, and has presented world wide. For the full show notes for this podcast, check out <a href="http://brokenmirrors.ca/" target="_blank">brokenmirrors.ca</a> Image: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/37996593020@N01" rel="nofollow">Jef Poskanzer</a> Flickr War on the Rocks no 55:26 http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/podcast-nuclear-strategy-and-the-cold-war/ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 15:47:43 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=2257 http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/podcast-nuclear-strategy-and-the-cold-war/#comments Ryan Evans Last night, I sat down to talk nuclear strategy with William Rosenau of the Center for Naval Analysis, defense analyst Elbridge Colby, Robert Zarate of the Foreign Policy Initiative, and Stanley Orman – a former nuclear arms wizard who saved the U.S. and U.K. nuclear arsenals from corrosion in the 1960s.  It was a fascinating discussion during which I learned a great deal about nuclear arms, the Cold War, and giants of strategy like Thomas Schelling, Herman Kahn, and Albert Wohlstetter. Have a listen and read Stanley’s new book, An Uncivil Civil Servant.   Ryan Evans is the assistant director of the Center for the National Interest and the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks.    Image:  Free Grunge Textures, Flickr http://warontherocks.com/2013/12/podcast-nuclear-strategy-and-the-cold-war/feed/ 3 Last night, I sat down to talk nuclear strategy with William Rosenau of the Center for Naval Analysis, defense analyst Elbridge Colby, Robert Zarate of the Foreign Policy Initiative, and Stanley Orman – a former nuclear arms wizard who saved the U.S. Last night, I sat down to talk nuclear strategy with William Rosenau of the Center for Naval Analysis, defense analyst Elbridge Colby, Robert Zarate of the Foreign Policy Initiative, and Stanley Orman – a former nuclear arms wizard who saved the U.S. and U.K. nuclear arsenals from corrosion in the 1960s.  It was a fascinating discussion during which I learned a great deal about nuclear arms, the Cold War, and giants of strategy like Thomas Schelling, Herman Kahn, and Albert Wohlstetter. Have a listen and read Stanley’s new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1907953566/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1907953566&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20" target="_blank">An Uncivil Civil Servant</a>.   Ryan Evans is the assistant director of the Center for the National Interest and the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks.    Image:  <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80497449@N04/">Free Grunge Textures</a>, Flickr War on the Rocks no 58:55 http://warontherocks.com/2013/11/50-years-on-can-we-still-learn-from-jfks-strategy/ Thu, 07 Nov 2013 12:05:53 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=1862 http://warontherocks.com/2013/11/50-years-on-can-we-still-learn-from-jfks-strategy/#respond Lawrence Freedman Editor's Note: We are pleased to feature this talk by Sir Lawrence Freedman, which took place this week at the British Embassy in Washington, DC.  Special thanks to the King's College London Alumni Office and the British Embassy.  The event was a part of Principal Rick Trainor's final tour of the United States before he ends his 10 year tenure at King's.    Sir Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 1982. He became head of the School of Social Science and Public Policy at King’s in 2000 and was appointed Vice-Principal in 2003.   Photo Credit: Cecil Stoughton, White House, 29 December 1962. President Kennedy is presented the flag of the 2506 Cuban Invasion Brigade. Miami, Florida, Orange Bowl Stadium. http://warontherocks.com/2013/11/50-years-on-can-we-still-learn-from-jfks-strategy/feed/ 0 Editor's Note: We are pleased to feature this talk by Sir Lawrence Freedman, which took place this week at the British Embassy in Washington, DC.  Special thanks to the King's College London Alumni Office and the British Embassy. Editor's Note: We are pleased to feature this talk by Sir Lawrence Freedman, which took place this week at the British Embassy in Washington, DC.  Special thanks to the King's College London Alumni Office and the British Embassy.  The event was a part of Principal Rick Trainor's final tour of the United States before he ends his <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/rick-trainor-to-step-down-as-kings-principal/2002449.article" target="_blank">10 year tenure at King's</a>.    Sir Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 1982. He became head of the School of Social Science and Public Policy at King’s in 2000 and was appointed Vice-Principal in 2003.   Photo Credit: Cecil Stoughton, White House, 29 December 1962. President Kennedy is presented the flag of the 2506 Cuban Invasion Brigade. Miami, Florida, Orange Bowl Stadium. War on the Rocks no 53:53 http://warontherocks.com/2013/10/broken-mirrors-episode-3-fear-insecurity-theatre/ Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:15:25 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=1748 http://warontherocks.com/2013/10/broken-mirrors-episode-3-fear-insecurity-theatre/#respond Marc Tyrrell "Nil terribile nisi ipse timor" In this episode, Tom Quiggin and I take a hard, realist look at the concept, and tactic, of terrorism.  In the first segment, we look at how the tactic of terrorism is structured, and how it can, and has, been employed.  At the strategic level, terrorist attacks are both rational and embedded within a narrative that supports and justifies them. In the second segment, we look at the operational processes of a terrorist campaign.  In particular, we look at how the responses to terrorist attacks can actually serve the purposes of the group using the tactics of terrorism. In the third segment, we talk with Mubin Shaik who helped to crack one of the major domestic terrorist plots in Canada (the Toronto 18), and is now involved in studying and working in the area of deradicalization. For the full show notes for this podcast, check out brokenmirrors.ca. Marc Tyrrell is an anthropologist teaching at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada). He is a Senior Research Fellow with the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies. http://warontherocks.com/2013/10/broken-mirrors-episode-3-fear-insecurity-theatre/feed/ 0 "Nil terribile nisi ipse timor" - In this episode, Tom Quiggin and I take a hard, realist look at the concept, and tactic, of terrorism.  In the first segment, we look at how the tactic of terrorism is structured, and how it can, and has, "Nil terribile nisi ipse timor" In this episode, Tom Quiggin and I take a hard, realist look at the concept, and tactic, of terrorism.  In the first segment, we look at how the tactic of terrorism is structured, and how it can, and has, been employed.  At the strategic level, terrorist attacks are both rational and embedded within a narrative that supports and justifies them. In the second segment, we look at the operational processes of a terrorist campaign.  In particular, we look at how the responses to terrorist attacks can actually serve the purposes of the group using the tactics of terrorism. In the third segment, we talk with Mubin Shaik who helped to crack one of the major domestic terrorist plots in Canada (the Toronto 18), and is now involved in studying and working in the area of deradicalization. For the full show notes for this podcast, check out <a href="http://brokenmirrors.ca/" target="_blank">brokenmirrors.ca</a>. Marc Tyrrell is an anthropologist teaching at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies at Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada). He is a Senior Research Fellow with the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies. War on the Rocks no 49:22 http://warontherocks.com/2013/10/podcast-the-war-in-your-wallet-the-real-invisible-hand/ Fri, 04 Oct 2013 12:52:45 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=1457 http://warontherocks.com/2013/10/podcast-the-war-in-your-wallet-the-real-invisible-hand/#comments Marc Tyrrell and Tom Quiggin In this podcast, we take a look at a rarely discussed, structural vulnerability in advanced societies: the payments and settlements system. We first put this system in the historical context of economic warfare, then look at some potential forms of attacks, followed by a discussion with Michelle Couturier about possible local defensive measures. The vulnerability of the advanced economies to economic warfare attacks is increasing as we use primarily fiat currencies, the largest part of which exist in digital formats only with little to no reserves. At the same time, we have allowed the functioning of our local, national and international economies to migrate over at a complex network of computer systems of dubious heritage and stability. The central nervous system of our economy is now the international payments and settlements which is jointly run by a series of Central Banks and Financial Institutes. We focus the discussion on a simple proposition: what bankers are allowing to happen (consciously or not) at Central Banks and Financial Institutions (FIs) is far more fearsome than what terrorists have planned in the past. A failure of their jointly operated payments and settlements system would do more systemic damage to the advanced economies than any terrorist attack has done to date. This failure could result from an exterior attack by a state or group, an insider threat, or from technical failures in an overly complex system. For the full show notes for this podcast, and accompanying papers, check out brokenmirrors.ca.   Photo Credit: Mike Gifford, Flickr.   http://warontherocks.com/2013/10/podcast-the-war-in-your-wallet-the-real-invisible-hand/feed/ 1 In this podcast, we take a look at a rarely discussed, structural vulnerability in advanced societies: the payments and settlements system. We first put this system in the historical context of economic warfare, In this podcast, we take a look at a rarely discussed, structural vulnerability in advanced societies: the payments and settlements system. We first put this system in the historical context of economic warfare, then look at some potential forms of attacks, followed by a discussion with Michelle Couturier about possible local defensive measures. The vulnerability of the advanced economies to economic warfare attacks is increasing as we use primarily fiat currencies, the largest part of which exist in digital formats only with little to no reserves. At the same time, we have allowed the functioning of our local, national and international economies to migrate over at a complex network of computer systems of dubious heritage and stability. The central nervous system of our economy is now the international payments and settlements which is jointly run by a series of Central Banks and Financial Institutes. We focus the discussion on a simple proposition: what bankers are allowing to happen (consciously or not) at Central Banks and Financial Institutions (FIs) is far more fearsome than what terrorists have planned in the past. A failure of their jointly operated payments and settlements system would do more systemic damage to the advanced economies than any terrorist attack has done to date. This failure could result from an exterior attack by a state or group, an insider threat, or from technical failures in an overly complex system. For the full show notes for this podcast, and accompanying papers, check out <a href="http://brokenmirrors.ca">brokenmirrors.ca</a>.   Photo Credit: <a id="yui_3_11_0_3_1380891665217_901" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgifford/">Mike Gifford</a>, Flickr.   War on the Rocks no 50:10 http://warontherocks.com/2013/09/podcast-pivoting-around-and-around-in-the-middle-east/ Wed, 25 Sep 2013 11:45:26 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=1413 http://warontherocks.com/2013/09/podcast-pivoting-around-and-around-in-the-middle-east/#respond Ryan Evans Last night, some of  Washington's finest national security minds met me at the cabinet room in the Jefferson Hotel bar to talk shop.  Elbridge Colby, William Rosenau, and Afshon Ostovar - all of the Center for Naval Analyses - were joined by surprise guests ("surprise" because they didn't know they were meeting me for a podcast) Brian Fishman of the New America Foundation and Bill Braniff, the executive director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). We talked about President Obama's and President Rouhani's speeches at the United Nations, whether or not Rouhani's election means there is a real opening on the Iranian nuclear program, the Syrian civil war, why the attack in Nairobi has gotten so much more press than the church attack in Pakistan, and what the Elizabeth O'Bagy PhD scandal says about the think tank sector's ability to "self-police." Photo Credit: B Rosen, Flickr http://warontherocks.com/2013/09/podcast-pivoting-around-and-around-in-the-middle-east/feed/ 0 Last night, some of  Washington's finest national security minds met me at the cabinet room in the Jefferson Hotel bar to talk shop.  Elbridge Colby, William Rosenau, and Afshon Ostovar - all of the Center for Naval Analyses - were joined by surprise g... Last night, some of  Washington's finest national security minds met me at the cabinet room in the Jefferson Hotel bar to talk shop.  <a href="http://www.cna.org/about/staff/elbridge-colby">Elbridge Colby</a>, <a href="http://www.cna.org/about/staff/william-rosenau">William Rosenau</a>, and <a href="http://www.cna.org/about/staff/afshon-ostovar">Afshon Ostovar</a> - all of the Center for Naval Analyses - were joined by surprise guests ("surprise" because they didn't know they were meeting me for a podcast) <a href="http://newamerica.net/user/266">Brian Fishman</a> of the New America Foundation and <a href="http://start.umd.edu/start/about/headquarters/staff/bio.asp?id=52">Bill Braniff</a>, the executive director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). We talked about President Obama's and President Rouhani's speeches at the United Nations, whether or not Rouhani's election means there is a real opening on the Iranian nuclear program, the Syrian civil war, why the attack in Nairobi has gotten so much more press than the church attack in Pakistan, and what the <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/16/embattled-syria-expert-was-never-in-phd-program.html">Elizabeth O'Bagy PhD scandal</a> says about the think tank sector's ability to "self-police." Photo Credit: B Rosen, Flickr War on the Rocks no 1:00:26 http://warontherocks.com/2013/09/podcast-broken-mirrors-episode-1/ Tue, 03 Sep 2013 10:40:32 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=1154 http://warontherocks.com/2013/09/podcast-broken-mirrors-episode-1/#comments Tom Quiggin Editor's Note:  War on the Rocks is proud to start featuring podcasts from its Canadian affiliate, Broken Mirrors. In this inaugural episode of Broken Mirrors, Marc Tyrrell and Tom Quiggin (me) introduce the podcast's foundations and discuss Canada/US relations. They then sit down with Ian MacLeod of the Ottawa Citizen and engage in a freewheeling discussion on intelligence and national security in terms of changes in journalism, the effects of technology, and the Snowden Affair (just because everyone else is focus only on Syria, it doesn't mean Canada has to be!). Why 'Broken Mirrors'? The number one problem with intelligence agencies and think tanks is 'mirror imaging.' We want to 'break those mirrors' - a good WOTR tradition - by taking a unique Canadian perspective on the issues. What is a 'Canadian perspective'?  Three values are at the core of our Canadians viewpoint: 'civil discourse' (including the concept of a 'loyal opposition'), bridging the gap between theory and practice, and an abandonment of rhetoric. Each monthly Broken Mirrors podcast on War On The Rocks will be split into three segments: strategic, operational, and tactical/current. In the first segment on this episode, Marc and Tom talk about what Canadians bring to the debate. In the second segment, we sit with Ian MacLeod who has 30 year’s experience as a reporter in the intelligence, national security, military and terrorism fields. The discussion occurs over several glasses of wine. In the third segment, Tom’s risk assessment looks at what damage has occurred as a result of the Snowden revelations. As philosophical realists (Marc is also a self-proclaimed 'Baconian Empiricist'), we want this series to apply the best technical practices from the broadcast community. We are blessed by our genius in-house producer Tim Reilly, who also has a background in national security. By using high end production values – ‘podcast best practices-  we aim to bring into the WORT community those that tend not to look at national security issues in detail. The idea of a reasoned and detailed discussion of particular issues is, as Ian notes, rapidly disappearing from the print world. We believe that our podcasts will deal both with the most important points as well as the in-depth issues giving the listener the 'fly-on-the-wall' perspective that is the hallmark of War On The Rocks podcasts.  Many people don't want to listen to a two hour podcast, so we are releasing the edited version (30 to 45 minutes) through War On The Rocks.  The extended material can be found on our site at brokenmirrors.ca. So, that's the story behind the 'Broken Mirrors' podcasts. Sit back, grab a drink, and enjoy http://warontherocks.com/2013/09/podcast-broken-mirrors-episode-1/feed/ 3 Editor's Note:  War on the Rocks is proud to start featuring podcasts from its Canadian affiliate, Broken Mirrors. In this inaugural episode of Broken Mirrors, Marc Tyrrell and Tom Quiggin (me) introduce the podcast's foundations and discuss Canada/US... Editor's Note:  War on the Rocks is proud to start featuring podcasts from its Canadian affiliate, Broken Mirrors. In this inaugural episode of Broken Mirrors, Marc Tyrrell and Tom Quiggin (me) introduce the podcast's foundations and discuss Canada/US relations. They then sit down with Ian MacLeod of the Ottawa Citizen and engage in a freewheeling discussion on intelligence and national security in terms of changes in journalism, the effects of technology, and the Snowden Affair (just because everyone else is focus only on Syria, it doesn't mean Canada has to be!). Why 'Broken Mirrors'? The number one problem with intelligence agencies and think tanks is 'mirror imaging.' We want to 'break those mirrors' - a good WOTR tradition - by taking a unique Canadian perspective on the issues. What is a 'Canadian perspective'?  Three values are at the core of our Canadians viewpoint: 'civil discourse' (including the concept of a 'loyal opposition'), bridging the gap between theory and practice, and an abandonment of rhetoric. Each monthly Broken Mirrors podcast on War On The Rocks will be split into three segments: strategic, operational, and tactical/current. In the first segment on this episode, Marc and Tom talk about what Canadians bring to the debate. In the second segment, we sit with Ian MacLeod who has 30 year’s experience as a reporter in the intelligence, national security, military and terrorism fields. The discussion occurs over several glasses of wine. In the third segment, Tom’s risk assessment looks at what damage has occurred as a result of the Snowden revelations. As philosophical realists (Marc is also a self-proclaimed 'Baconian Empiricist'), we want this series to apply the best technical practices from the broadcast community. We are blessed by our genius in-house producer Tim Reilly, who also has a background in national security. By using high end production values – ‘podcast best practices-  we aim to bring into the WORT community those that tend not to look at national security issues in detail. The idea of a reasoned and detailed discussion of particular issues is, as Ian notes, rapidly disappearing from the print world. We believe that our podcasts will deal both with the most important points as well as the in-depth issues giving the listener the 'fly-on-the-wall' perspective that is the hallmark of War On The Rocks podcasts.  Many people don't want to listen to a two hour podcast, so we are releasing the edited version (30 to 45 minutes) through War On The Rocks.  The extended material can be found on our site at <a href="http://brokenmirrors.ca/" target="_blank">brokenmirrors.ca</a>. So, that's the story behind the 'Broken Mirrors' podcasts. Sit back, grab a drink, and enjoy War on the Rocks no 39:39 http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/podcast-syria-secrets-and-some-snark/ Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:09:32 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=1101 http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/podcast-syria-secrets-and-some-snark/#comments Ryan Evans Last night, Eli Lake of the Daily Beast and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a WOTR contributor, joined Senior Editor Mark Stout and me at the Jefferson Hotel, where we discussed some of the more pressing issues in foreign and security policy over drinks in one of their luxurious Cabinet Rooms: The impending attack on Syria and what this says about President Obama's foreign policy. Is there an Obama doctrine? Does the government keep too many secrets? Why? Since we had a journalist and a former CIA analyst at the table, this was a fun one. Good times were had by all. Have a listen. http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/podcast-syria-secrets-and-some-snark/feed/ 2 Last night, Eli Lake of the Daily Beast and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a WOTR contributor, joined Senior Editor Mark Stout and me at the Jefferson Hotel, where we discussed some of the more pressing issues in foreign and security policy over drinks in on... Last night, Eli Lake of the Daily Beast and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a WOTR contributor, joined Senior Editor Mark Stout and me at the Jefferson Hotel, where we discussed some of the more pressing issues in foreign and security policy over drinks in one of their luxurious Cabinet Rooms: The impending attack on Syria and what this says about President Obama's foreign policy. Is there an Obama doctrine? Does the government keep too many secrets? Why? Since we had a journalist and a former CIA analyst at the table, this was a fun one. Good times were had by all. Have a listen. War on the Rocks no 50:02 http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/podcast-talking-terrorism-with-pantucci-and-simcox/ Mon, 19 Aug 2013 02:32:12 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=971 http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/podcast-talking-terrorism-with-pantucci-and-simcox/#respond John Amble On Friday, I sat down for a great talk over drinks with Raffaello Pantucci, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, and Robin Simcox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society.  I got to hear their insights into a number of emerging and evolving challenges in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and more.  Once again, we were at the fantastic American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London.  Enjoy!     Photo Credit: Grant Williamson http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/podcast-talking-terrorism-with-pantucci-and-simcox/feed/ 0 On Friday, I sat down for a great talk over drinks with Raffaello Pantucci, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, and Robin Simcox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. On Friday, I sat down for a great talk over drinks with Raffaello Pantucci, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, and Robin Simcox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society.  I got to hear their insights into a number of emerging and evolving challenges in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and more.  Once again, we were at the fantastic American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London.  Enjoy!     Photo Credit: Grant Williamson War on the Rocks no 45:14 http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/war-from-the-ground-up-with-simpson-and-mcinnis/ Thu, 01 Aug 2013 13:45:14 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=746 http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/war-from-the-ground-up-with-simpson-and-mcinnis/#comments John Amble Last Thursday I invited Emile Simpson and Kathleen McInnis to join me at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London to talk about Emile's book, "War from the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Combat as Politics." After navigating the impressive drinks menu (priorities), we had a great discussion about Afghanistan, COIN, and the changing face of warfare. Have a listen!   Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk http://warontherocks.com/2013/08/war-from-the-ground-up-with-simpson-and-mcinnis/feed/ 4 Last Thursday I invited Emile Simpson and Kathleen McInnis to join me at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London to talk about Emile's book, "War from the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Combat as Politics. Last Thursday I invited Emile Simpson and Kathleen McInnis to join me at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London to talk about Emile's book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0199327882" target="_blank">War from the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Combat as Politics</a>." After navigating the impressive drinks menu (priorities), we had a great discussion about Afghanistan, COIN, and the changing face of warfare. Have a listen!   Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk War on the Rocks no 33:52 http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/podcast-more-irregular-warfare-fun/ Wed, 31 Jul 2013 13:09:59 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=730 http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/podcast-more-irregular-warfare-fun/#respond Ryan Evans This is Part Two of my session with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.   Did you listen to Part One?  If not, you missed out on bands in Haiti, coffee in Bosnia, training for human based skills, and lessons learned in war and over BBQ. In Part Two, Brian, David, and I talk 9/11 and everything (war) that came after.  Tune in for your counter-insurgency fix. Does COIN have a future in the Army? Tune in. Nothing Brian and David say here represents the opinions of the AIWC, the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense or anyone else.       Photo Credit: Cameron Russel http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/podcast-more-irregular-warfare-fun/feed/ 0 This is Part Two of my session with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.   Did you listen to Part One?  If not, This is Part Two of my session with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.   Did you listen to <a href="http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/podcast-talking-coin-with-the-folks-from-the-army-irregular-warfare-center/">Part One</a>?  If not, you missed out on bands in Haiti, coffee in Bosnia, training for human based skills, and lessons learned in war and over BBQ. In Part Two, Brian, David, and I talk 9/11 and everything (war) that came after.  Tune in for your counter-insurgency fix. Does COIN have a future in the Army? Tune in. Nothing Brian and David say here represents the opinions of the AIWC, the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense or anyone else.       Photo Credit: Cameron Russel War on the Rocks no 1:02:26 http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/podcast-talking-coin-with-the-folks-from-the-army-irregular-warfare-center/ Mon, 29 Jul 2013 12:45:41 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=681 http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/podcast-talking-coin-with-the-folks-from-the-army-irregular-warfare-center/#respond Ryan Evans I recently sat down with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.  This is part one of that conversation.  Brian is the Director of AWIC and David is its Chief of Interagency Coordination. Our guests show that irregular warfare was a dominant feature of American wars long before 9/11. It was a really fascinating conversation full of thoughtful analysis and war stories - over drinks of course. We hear everything from Brian's tactical response to a village band in Haiti to David not joining the French Foreign Legion and becoming a sniper instead. Listen! Needless to say, none of the views expressed by Brian and David represent the opinions of the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, or any part of the U.S. government. http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/podcast-talking-coin-with-the-folks-from-the-army-irregular-warfare-center/feed/ 0 I recently sat down with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.  This is part one of that conversation. I recently sat down with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.  This is part one of that conversation.  Brian is the Director of AWIC and David is its Chief of Interagency Coordination. Our guests show that irregular warfare was a dominant feature of American wars long before 9/11. It was a really fascinating conversation full of thoughtful analysis and war stories - over drinks of course. We hear everything from Brian's tactical response to a village band in Haiti to David not joining the French Foreign Legion and becoming a sniper instead. Listen! Needless to say, none of the views expressed by Brian and David represent the opinions of the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, or any part of the U.S. government. War on the Rocks no 40:35 http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/first-wotr-podcast-bill-rosenau-will-mccants-and-afshon-ostovar/ Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:00:09 +0000 http://warontherocks.com/?p=163 http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/first-wotr-podcast-bill-rosenau-will-mccants-and-afshon-ostovar/#comments Ryan Evans The other day, I sat down with War on the Rocks contributors Bill Rosenau, Will McCants, and Afshon Ostovar - all of the Strategic Studies Center at the Center for Naval Analyses - for a conversation that ranged widely from Syria to Snowden to the think tank industry. We were hosted by the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, DC. Listen here: http://warontherocks.com/2013/07/first-wotr-podcast-bill-rosenau-will-mccants-and-afshon-ostovar/feed/ 6 The other day, I sat down with War on the Rocks contributors Bill Rosenau, Will McCants, and Afshon Ostovar - all of the Strategic Studies Center at the Center for Naval Analyses - for a conversation that ranged widely from Syria to Snowden to the thin... The other day, I sat down with War on the Rocks contributors <a href="http://www.cna.org/about/staff/william-rosenau" target="_blank">Bill Rosenau</a>, <a href="http://www.cna.org/about/staff/featured/william-mccants" target="_blank">Will McCants</a>, and <a href="http://www.cna.org/about/staff/afshon-ostovar" target="_blank">Afshon Ostovar</a> - all of the <a href="http://www.cna.org/centers/strategic-studies">Strategic Studies Center at the Center for Naval Analyses</a> - for a conversation that ranged widely from Syria to Snowden to the think tank industry. We were hosted by the <a href="http://www.jeffersondc.com/" target="_blank">Jefferson Hotel</a> in Washington, DC. Listen here: War on the Rocks no 47:23