A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

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FROM COMPETITION TO CONFLICT: CHARTING THE COURSE OF THE SFABS Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

In 2017, the U.S. Army established Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) to organize, train, equip, and advise foreign security forces. Tom Spahr spoke with two former SFAB commanders, Dustin Blair and Jon Post, to discuss the development of these brigades, their role in great power competition, and their potential use in future large-scale combat operations. Blair and Post emphasized the importance of SFABs in building relationships with partner nations and enhancing interoperability. They also stressed the need for continued investment to ensure the SFABs' long-term success.

BONUS EPISODE -- THE MELTING POINT: GENERAL FRANK MCKENZIE, USMC, RETIRED Feb 14, 2025

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On 3 February 2025, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) hosted the former commander of U.S. Central Command, General Frank McKenzie, USMC, Retired, to discuss his book "The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century." Joined by Tom Spahr on stage they discussed his experience as a combatant commander and the challenges of leadership in wartime. Their conversation emphasized the importance of history and its influence on senior leader decision-making. The presentation examined the drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Quds Force commander, the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the challenges faced during the evacuation from Kabul.

WAR, WORDS, AND THE FOURTH ESTATE Feb 11, 2025

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The complex and evolving relationship between the military and the media has spanned various periods in U.S. history. In a discussion with War Room editor-in-chief JP Clark, Thomas Crosbie, author of The Political Army: How the U.S. Military Learned to Manage the Media and Public Opinion, explores how the military has grappled with integrating media considerations into its operations. Crosbie examines how figures like George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, and Matthew Ridgway navigated media relations, highlighting the challenges of balancing transparency and control. Their conversation delves into the impact of the Vietnam War on military-media relations, when attempts to manage the media often backfired.

DATA-DRIVEN DEFENSE: THE MAVEN SMART SYSTEM Feb 05, 2025

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Hold on tight, this episode is a whirlwind of data-infused targeting, intel, and logistics. Joe O'Callaghan joins host Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to discuss the Department of Defense's Maven Smart System. Maven was first developed to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to help speed intelligence analysis, but has since been applied to targeting, logistics, and even disaster relief. Joe, as the former Chief of Fires in the XVIII Airborne Corps, was one of the key architects of the system. He is the perfect guest to describe the digital and procedural nuts and bolts required to make the Maven Smart System work. Their conversation also touches on the trail-blazing development process and the kind of leaders required to drive such innovation.

FIGHTING TOGETHER: THE CANADIAN-AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP IN WORLD WAR II (ON WRITING) Jan 14, 2025

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It's time for another episode in our On Writing series. Host Michael Neiberg is joined in the studio by Tim Cook, the chief historian at the Canadian War Museum. Tim emphasizes the importance of making history accessible to the public, which involves finding compelling ways to tell stories and connect with readers. Their discussion covers Cook's latest book, "The Good Allies," which explores the relationship between Canada and the United States during World War II. Cook highlights the challenges of writing a book that is both chronological and thematic, and the importance of situating historical events within their specific time period. He explains that while there is an abundance of literature on World War II, he seeks to find unique angles and approaches to the topic.

WAR CRIMES AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN LOAC Jan 07, 2025

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The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), also known as international humanitarian law (IHL), is a set of rules that govern warfare and aim to minimize harm to civilians and non-combatants. Alexandra Meise joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine the development of LOAC, which stems from treaties like the Geneva Conventions, domestic laws of individual states, and the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court. Their conversation delves into war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression. Alexandra emphasizes the importance of LOAC in providing a framework for accountability in the chaos of war, even if enforcement can be challenging. She stresses that despite its limitations, LOAC serves as a reminder that even in conflict, there must be rules to protect human life and dignity.

BEYOND INTUITION: AI'S ROLE IN STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING (PART 2) Dec 17, 2024

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Andrew Hill and Steve Gerras return to the studio with host Tom Spahr to further explore the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in national defense. This episode delves into the critical question of human oversight in lethal force decisions with AI assistance. Join the debate as they dissect the potential consequences of over-reliance on human intuition and the bottlenecks human intervention can create in the process. They emphasize the need for transparency and open dialogue about AI's role in warfare. Steve and Andrew urge listeners to confront their own assumptions and engage in this crucial conversation. It's a great wrap-up to the topic and companion to their compelling three-part article.

BEYOND INTUITION: AI'S ROLE IN STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING (PART 1) Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

In September 2024, Andrew Hill and Steve Gerras authored a compelling three-part series that explored the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in national defense. They provocatively argued that the conventional wisdom is wrong: human intuition is not indispensable, even though we might all wish it were. Recognizing the significance of this debate, War Room invited the authors to join host Tom Spahr for a deeper dive into their perspective. This episode, the first of a two-part discussion, dissects the complexities of human intuition, examining its inherent limitations and the potential for AI to surpass human capabilities in an increasingly automated battlespace.

ECHOES OF ERASURE: POLAND’S MEMORY AND IDENTITY Dec 03, 2024

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With the invasion of Poland in 1939, Nazi Germany set the stage for conflict and strife that has repercussions to this day. Jadwiga Biskupska is an expert on Poland under Nazi occupation and she joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss the intricate relationship between Poland's historical memory and its contemporary identity. Their discussion particularly focuses on the impact of World War II on Polish national identity, the complexities of remembering the war under the shadow of communism, and the nuances of historical debate in modern Poland. The conversation underscores the enduring significance of the wartime experience in shaping Poland's national consciousness and its evolving relationship with its past. For Poles, the fact that that war began on the 1st of September 1939 is something that can't really be removed from public consciousness. They, the Poles, by definition, were there. Jadwiga Biskupska is associate professor of military history at Sam Houston State University and co-director of the Second World War Research Group, North America. She is the Harold K. Johnson Visiting Chair of Military History at the U.S. Army War College She received her PhD from Yale University. Her first book, Survivors: Warsaw under Nazi Occupation (Cambridge University Press 2022), was published in 2022 with Cambridge University Press and won the Heldt Prize and an honorable mention for the Witold Pilecki International Book Award. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Description: Suppression of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - Captured Jews are led by German Waffen SS soldiers to the assembly point for deportation (Umschlagplatz). The woman at the head of the column, on the left, is Yehudit Neyer (born Tolub). She is holding onto the right arm of her mother-in-law. The child is the daughter of Yehudit and her husband, Avraham Neyer, who can be seen to the girl's left. Avraham was a member of the Bund. Of the four, only Avraham survived the war. Between 19 April and 16 May 1943. Photo Credit: Unknown author (Franz Konrad confessed to taking some of the photographs, the rest was probably taken by photographers from Propaganda Kompanie nr 689.

BLOOD FOR STONES? PROTECTING CULTURAL PROPERTY IN WAR (PART 2) Nov 29, 2024

Show notes

Cultural property encompasses both tangible artifacts and intangible heritage that shapes societies. Historian Matthias Rogg is back in the studio, this time with Laurie Rush, an archaeologist and anthropologist working as a Department of the Army civilian at Fort Drum, NY. Laurie, who has extensive experience supporting the Army in cultural property protection missions, highlights the importance of preserving cultural heritage during conflicts. Their conversation turns to the need for increased awareness and training within the military on identifying and protecting cultural property. The discussion underscores the strategic significance of cultural property protection in warfare and its impact on post-war reconstruction efforts. This is the second in a two-part series exploring these complex issues.

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