Modern War Institute

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Israeli-Iranian Rivalry and the Middle Eastern Security Landscape Aug 24, 2024

Show notes

For weeks, after an Israeli strike that killed a senior Hezbollah commander and the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran, tensions between Israel and Iran have spiked. So far, Iran has yet to follow through on its threats to retaliate against Israel. But these heightened tensions, like the period earlier this year when Israel killed senior officers from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps at a diplomatic facility in Syria and Iran responded by launching hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel, are inflection points in a broader regional rivalry between the two states. Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, joins this episode to examine that rivalry.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

F-16s Over Ukraine Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian government began asking its international supporters to provide it with combat aircraft. By 2023, a number of NATO members had agreed to provide training on the US-made F-16 to Ukrainian pilots, and last summer it was announced that a number of F-16s would be provided to Ukraine. Now, the first batch of aircraft have arrived in the country and, according to reports, have already begun flying operational missions. But what role will they play and what effect might they have on the overall war? In this episode, John Amble is joined by retired US Air Force Colonel Mike Pietrucha, a veteran aviator and airpower scholar who has closely studied the war in Ukraine. He shares his insightful perspective on what the introduction of F-16s means for the war in Ukraine.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Why Military Cohesion Matters Jul 26, 2024

Show notes

The term "cohesion" features prominently in discussions of military effectiveness, especially at the small-unit level. We all know intuitively what it means, but understanding how to develop and nurture it in practice is a challenge. That's even more true as technological advances continue to make constant connectivity with the outside world easier, even from a battlefield. How do soldiers' stresses from home impact cohesion? What about when soldiers no longer process shared traumatic experiences together? John Spencer spent twenty-five years as an infantry soldier and officer, including leading troops in combat. His book Connected Soldiers is based on both his personal experience and deep research. He joins this episode to discuss how unit cohesion affects military performance and how leaders can foster its development.

Competition and Conflict in Cyberspace Jul 12, 2024

Show notes

How does cyberspace differ from the other warfighting domains—land, sea, air, and space? What challenges do those differences pose? Does cyber require unique approaches to talent manage to ensure the US military can recruit, promote, and retain the talent it needs? What resources are needed to effectively compete in cyberspace, and are those different from the resources necessary for a conflict scenario? How would the cyber dimension of a modern war play out, and are there lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine that illuminate this question? This episode addreses those questions as John Amble is joined by Maggie Smith, an Army officer and codirector of Project Cyber at the Irreegular Warfare Initiative, and Dr. Erica Lonergan, an assistant professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Clausewitz and the War in Ukraine Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

The Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz is held in high regard among US military scholars. But it can be challenging at times to apply his ideas—with necessary nuance—to real-world security challenges. In this episode, Dr. Donald Stoker, a professor at the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School and the author of Clausewitz: His Life and Work, joins John Amble to discuss several of Clausewitz’s theories and use them as a lens through which to examine the ongoing war in Ukraine—and how it might eventually come to an end.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Defending Against Drones Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

No unit in the US Army has more experience defending against drone attacks than 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. During a recent deployment to the Middle East, spread out across eight bases in Iraq and Syria, the brigade was targeted more than one hundred times by drones known as one-way attack unmanned aircraft systems. The brigade’s commander, Colonel Scott Wence, joins this episode to discuss that experience, the weapons and systems that enabled the unit to successfully defeat the vast majority of the attacks, and lessons from the deployment that can inform the Army’s preparation for a modern battlefield increasingly defined by the rapid proliferation of unmanned systems.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Introducing "Ctrl Alt Army" May 30, 2024

Show notes

In this special episode of the MWI Podcast, we're taking the opportunity to introduce listeners to a brand new podcast series called Ctrl Alt Army: Stories from Cyberspace. Hosted by Dr. Michael Sulmeyer, principal cyber advisor to the secretary of the Army, this podcast series features informal conversations with senior Army leaders about cyber issues. This is not a podcast by and for cyber specialists about cyber topics, but an opportunity for leaders from wide-ranging professional backgrounds to share how cyber issues have become increasingly impactful on a wide range of noncyber fields.

Each of the series' eight episodes will feature a discussion with a different Army leader. To hear all episodes as they're released each week, find and subscribe to Ctrl Alt Army on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

Russia's Pursuit of Military AI May 15, 2024

Show notes

Russia is actively pursuing military applications of AI technology. But how much progress has been made in that pursuit? How have sanctions put in place in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine influenced the course of Russian AI research and development? Most fundamentally, how do Russian military leaders actually want to employ AI-enabled tools on the battlefield? This episode examines those questions and more and features a discussion with Sam Bendett, an adviser and member of the Russia Studies Program at CNA and the author of a report, recently published by the Center for a New American Security: “The Role of AI in Russia’s Confrontation with the West.”

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Landpower in the Pacific Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

Many people look at a map of the Indo-Pacific region and assume that—characterized as it is by long distances and vast stretches of ocean—it is principally the air and maritime domains where military capability is most important. But as you'll hear in this episode, landpower services play a vital role in the region. So what is the US Army uniquely suited to achieving there? How are the service's newest capabilities reinforcing security for its allies and partners? How is it leveraging new Army organizations to meet its objectives? To discuss these questions and describe the diverse set of activities the Army is undertaking to help maintain a free and secure Indo-Pacific, John Amble is joined on this episode by General Charles A. Flynn, commanding general of US Army Pacific.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

How Iran's Missile and Drone Attack Was Defeated Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

When Iran recently launched more than three hundred drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles in a large-scale attack against Israel, almost every single one was stopped from reaching its target. A combination of ground-based air defenses, ship-launched weapons, and aircraft from multiple nations were involved in the defensive operation. But how does such a complex air defense mission happen? How is it commanded and controlled? How are the differing capabilities of such a variety of air defense systems integrated most effectively? And what lessons can be derived from the Iranian attack and the successful defense to inform the way the United States and its partners and allies conceptualize and implement defenses against a rapidly evolving air and missile threat?

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