A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

Latest Episodes:

A COMMUNICATION GAP ACROSS THE GENERATION GAP Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

Fifty years ago, the United States Department of Defense ended the draft and chose to rely exclusively on volunteers to fill the ranks. The all-volunteer force was born and the competition was on to attract the best and brightest to military service. This year, the Army, Navy and Air Force, including National Guard components, all expect to fall well short of their recruiting goals. Tony Perez feels that one of the major shortcomings of the recruiting game is communication. He's in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain why a significant portion of the problem is old people failing to communicate with young people. Old people may be a bit of an overstatement, but Tony sees an issue with the inability of military recruiters to explain why the military provides so many of the things that the next generation desires in a job or even a career.

LIKE UBER IN A GANG FIGHT: THE FUTURE OF CASEVAC Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

In our last episode, we examined the relationship between military medicine and tactical effectiveness, as well as some of the incredible advances in combat medical care over the last few decades. In this episode, Manny Menendez asks some hard questions about how well the excellent casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) system developed and refined over 20+ years of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq will transition to large-scale combat operations. In a wide-ranging discussion with podcast host Darrell Driver, Manny discusses the problems of mass casualties, enemy anti-air capabilities, organizational culture and societal expectations about casualty care. In his Army War College research project, Menendez suggests the Army must alter its approach to CASEVAC, giving the example of pairing a ride-sharing system combined with a grab-and-go philosophy that strikes a different balance between tactical need, specialized medical care, and speed of evacuation.

MEDICINE, MORALE and MUSTERING THE FORCE Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Once upon a time, a wound as simple as a scratch could lead to death. Many of incredible advances in medicine and medical care since were driven by the exigencies of war. Tanisha Fazal has conducted a fascinating study that examines the relationship between military medicine and military effectiveness in interstate wars globally since 1900. She's in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the outcomes of the study and the methodology her team used to arrive at their conclusions. Whether it is technological advances, or changes in tactics, techniques and procedures like the golden-hour rule or the platinum fifteen minutes, medicine has a profound effect on not just the ability to field a force but also its morale.

MOBILIZATION (STRATEGIC LANDPOWER IRP PT 4) Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this fourth and final episode are Mike Barnett, Mark Mullinax, Ryan Noble, and Jon Holm. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the daunting task of mobilization for large-scale operations. Their conversation examines such topics as maximizing the effective use of reserve component mobilization authorities, leveraging alternate mobilization sites, expanding civilian hires and contracting and increasing continuity and reallocation of deployable readiness assets. The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.

PROTECTION (STRATEGIC LANDPOWER IRP PT 3) Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this third episode are Jennifer Hunt, Matthew Inglis, and Lillian Woodington. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the complicated task of protection writ large. Their conversation covers the concepts of the role the National Guard might play in addressing vulnerabilities in the cyber domain, air and missile defense across the competition continuum, and the role of protection in deterrence. The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (STRATEGIC LANDPOWER IRP PT 2) Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this second episode are Jessicah Garrett-Somssich and Andrew Sinden. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the ever-growing realms of artificial intelligence (AI) and additive manufacturing (AM). Their conversation covers the concepts of building trust in technology, differences in generational acceptance and where to accept risk in the name of innovation to maximize the value of AI and AM in the Army. The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.

LAUNCH OPERATION PLUM BLOSSOM: MICK RYAN ON WAR FOR TAIWAN Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

Fiction can be liberating. It offers authors latitude to think, propose, and prognosticate about real-world topics in ways that non-fiction does not allow. The ability to ask "what if?" can be an incredible tool in the national security realm that can inform real-time, real-world efforts and offer "solutions" to wicked problems. Retired Australian Major General Mick Ryan has joined the ranks of fiction writers to help leaders think about what conflict with the People's Republic of China (PRC) might look like in his new book, "White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan." He's in the studio with podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain why he chose narrative as a tool to continue his dedicated service to professional military education. A 35-year veteran of the Australian Army, Ryan has plenty of experience to inform his fictional account of a possible conflict with the PRC. It is both an enjoyable read and an informative guide as to what technology on the future battlefield might look like.

LONG-RANGE FIRES (STRATEGIC LANDPOWER IRP PT 1) Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

In May 2023, the War College hosted the second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners, the symposium presented senior leaders with original research and recommendations for the application of landpower to achieve national objectives. Included within the symposium were the findings of the Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project, an effort of eleven members of the Class of 2023 in support of Army senior leader priorities. A BETTER PEACE has organized four podcast episodes with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the Strategic Landpower Symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this first episode are Paul Lashley and Andrew Hercik. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the role of long-range fires, the implications of strategic weapons in the theater army, and how they can be better integrated. The third annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is already scheduled for 7-9 May 2024. On-line registration will open 1 August, 2023 on the Army War College website.

RESOURCING THE FORCE: MG JOHN FERRARI, RET. (HOW SHOULD THE ARMY RUN?) Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

Plan, Program, Budget and Execute - repeat. It's the strategic planning process for allocating resources in the Department of Defense that was first initiated in the early 1960s. The brainchild of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, it was originally the Planning, Programming, and Budgeting, or PPBS. Over the years the "System" was dropped and replaced with "Execution" yielding the current iteration, PPBE. A Better Peace is pleased to welcome retired Army Major General John Ferrari, to better understand the workings and inherent tensions of the PPBE process. The former Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation (2014-2019), MG Ferrari shares his extensive insider perspective on the incredibly complex process that was created out of a need to wrangle a growing defense institution and the associated budgets. He joins Bob Bradford and Tom Galvin to present a primer and much more on PPBE. They discuss where it succeeds, where it doesn't and some of the necessary characteristics of relationships and leadership that need to be understood and refined to keep the process moving forward effectively.

HE THOUGHT LIKE AN INSURGENT: BERNARD FALL May 30, 2023

Show notes

Bernard Fall is considered by many to be one of the finest analysts and writers of the Vietnam War. Much of his insight about counterinsurgency warfare in Indochina was informed by the formative experiences earlier in his life. A Better Peace welcomes Nate Moir to discuss his book, "Number One Realist: Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare", which analyses Fall's life to understand what drove his thinking and understanding of the situation. He joins host John Nagl to explain how Fall was consistently ahead of the conventional wisdom. Fall's penetrating assessments of the war brought some rebukes and even monitoring by the FBI, but in hindsight were proved to be sadly prescient and are an outstanding example of critical thought.

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