School of War - Nebulous Media

Latest Episodes:

Inside America’s Fight for Drone Dominance Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

The U.S. military needs more drones, and it needs to build them without Chinese parts. Today, Defense Innovation Unit Deputy Director Travis Metz joins School of War to discuss how America can build drones quickly, cheaply, and on U.S. soil; what America can learn from Ukraine’s drone war; and the Pentagon’s new billion-dollar effort to upgrade its aging military technology.

2:23 - Why America Is Behind on Drones

4:32 - The Drone Dominance Program

6:51 - Breaking Dependence on China

10:23 - The Different Types of Drones

13:34 - Ukraine’s Mid-Range Strike Revolution

16:00 - Cheap Drones at Long Range

18:47 - AI, Autonomy, and Electronic Warfare

21:47 - How Drone Dominance Works

24:33 - Building an American Drone Industry

33:55 - Lessons From Fort Benning

39:19 - Cheap and Expendable Drones

42:01 - Testing Drones for Different Missions

50:14 - The Next Phase of Drone Dominance

55:09 - How Many Drones Does America Need?

1:02:49 - Recreating Ukraine’s Innovation Cycle

This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com.

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When Terrorists Become the Heroes to Young Americans Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

In prerevolutionary Russia, it was not uncommon for children to dream of becoming terrorists when they grew up. “It was a respected profession,” says Northwestern University professor Gary Saul Morson, who now sees troubling parallels between modern-day America and an era in Russia when terrorism became fashionable and radicals came to see violence as an expression of moral virtue. Today, Morson joins School of War to discuss what Fyodor Dostoyevsky understood about the terrorist mind, why good people can be persuaded to support terrible acts, and what America loses when it stops teaching the history of communism in schools. 3:09 America and Revolutionary Russia 3:47 The Rise of Modern Terrorism 4:38 When Terrorism Became a Respected Profession 6:10 Why Terrorists Had So Much Power 6:22 Why Russian Liberals Failed to Oppose Terrorism 7:26 The Danger of Celebrating Political Violence 9:36 Dostoevsky’s Radical Youth 11:31 Dostoevsky’s Arrest and Mock Execution 13:15 Understanding the Psychology of Revolutionaries 14:29 How Dostoevsky Predicted Totalitarianism 17:55 Why Communism Was Worse Than the Czars 20:11 Why Liberals Must Oppose Extremism 22:02 The Psychology of Left-Wing Totalitarianism 24:53 What Young People Don’t Know About Communism 28:16 How Good People Come to Support Evil 34:06 What Left and Right-Wing Extremists Have in Common 36:17 How Do We Fight Political Extremism?

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Senator McCormick Thinks That America’s Military Is Stuck in the Past Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

Pennsylvania senator Dave McCormick, a West Point graduate, Desert Storm veteran, and former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, is concerned about America’s wealth gap, which he says is approaching “a version of capitalism I don’t think we want.” Today, McCormick joins School of War for a candid conversation about why the right needs a better answer to socialism, lessons in modern warfare from his recent closed-door meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, and why he regrets his 2002 LA Times op-ed supporting the Iraq War: “I was completely wrong.”

02:01 — From Desert Storm to Princeton

05:05 — Nine Months Traveling the World

06:58 — The “End of History” and the Return of Socialism

08:00 — Can America Remain the World’s Superpower?

09:47 — Is the U.S. Military Stuck in the Past?

12:27 — What Ukraine Is Teaching America About Modern Warfare

13:41 — Rebuilding America’s Defense Industrial Base

17:15 — America’s AI Race With China

22:56 — How AI Will Transform American Jobs

24:03 — Wealth Inequality and the Future of Capitalism

25:56 — Why Socialism Is Appealing to Young Americans

30:52 — The Fight Over AI Data Centers

35:05 — Iran and the Future of the Middle East

41:17 — McCormick: “I Was Completely Wrong” About Iraq

44:08 — Balancing Iran With the Threat From China

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Tanks vs. Drones Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Is the tank obsolete? As drones and precision strikes transform modern battlefields, some have predicted that armored vehicles may soon meet the fate of the cavalry charge. Today on School of War, Colonel Jose A. Reyes and Lieutenant Colonel David “Cam” Smith of the 1st Cavalry Division make the opposite case. Drawing on their experience operating and commanding tanks, they join Aaron MacLean to explain how armored vehicles are adapting to an increasingly drone-centric battlefield—and why the future of warfare may still belong to the cavalry.

3:18 — Reyes and Smith’s Backgrounds

8:40 — The History of Tanks and Maneuver

11:15 — Is the Tank Obsolete?

12:43 — “The Tank Is Alive and Well”

15:17 — Combined Arms at Every Echelon

20:12 — Transforming Armored Warfare

27:02 — The Battlefield Data Problem

30:01 — Ukrainian Innovation and Battlefield Data

33:25 — Electronic Warfare and FPV Drones

38:13 — Cheap Drones and the Cost of Defense

42:44 — Armor and the Problem of Attrition

43:49 — The Future of Unmanned Armor

46:51 — Unmanned Resupply and Medevac

48:25 — Casualty Evacuation in Ukraine

52:16 — What the Army Needs Next

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Boris Johnson on Why Europe and America Still Need Each Other Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

As war in Ukraine grinds towards its fifth year and tensions strain the transatlantic alliance, former British prime minister Boris Johnson says he remains convinced that the West has the power to prevail: “Putin has got to lose.” Today, Johnson joins School of War to discuss how the West can bring the Russian president to the negotiating table, why Europe’s dream of “strategic autonomy” is a “sham, a snare and a delusion,” and why he believes predictions of American decline and Chinese dominance have it backward.

02:20 — When Boris Johnson Knew Putin Would Invade Ukraine

05:46 — Why Europe Didn’t Believe an Invasion Was Coming

09:12 — Did Boris Johnson Stop a Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal?

11:19 — Could Ukraine Trade Land for Peace?

13:43 — What Johnson Saw on Ukraine’s Front Lines

17:06 — How Economic Warfare Could Pressure Putin

18:00 — “Putin Has Got to Lose”

20:00 — The Growing Divide Between America and Europe

22:19 — Can Britain Still Defend Itself?

26:20 — JD Vance’s Critique of Europe

30:12 — Britain, Free Speech, and the Culture War

34:39 — Can Europe Achieve “Strategic Autonomy”?

39:07 — Why America Should Still Care About NATO

41:01 — The Fight Over the Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia

46:12 — Why Johnson Is Still Betting on America Over China

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Ted Cruz’s Plan to Bring Down Iran’s Regime—and Tucker Carlson Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

As the American right and left are increasingly pulled toward their ideological extremes, many politicians have chosen to appease the loudest voices in their coalitions even when those voices flirt with or openly embrace antisemitism. Senator Ted Cruz says he’s done playing nice. “If we do not defeat this poison,” he warns, “I believe it will consume the Republican Party just like it has consumed the Democratic Party.” Today, Cruz joins School of War to discuss his strategy for bringing down Iran’s regime, what Tucker Carlson’s splinter from the mainstream right means for conservative politics, and the battle he believes will define the future of the Republican Party.

02:08 - The State of Iran After the War

02:46 - Why Trump Struck Iran

04:13 - Why the MOU Was a Disaster

05:39 - The Post That Triggered an Iranian Bot Campaign

07:24 - Why Cruz Opposed the Iran Deal

08:57 - America’s Next Move in Iran

09:29 - Why the Goal Should Be Regime Collapse

12:01 - Cruz’s Strategy to Bring Down the Regime

13:08 - Why He Wants to Arm Iranian Protesters

15:22 - The Future of America’s Foreign Policy

16:27 - Is the Democratic Party Being Taken Over?

21:32 - The Rise of Antisemitism on the Right

22:50 - Why Tucker Carlson Is “Dangerous”

24:06 - “We Have to Defeat This Poison”

26:34 - Could Tucker Carlson Run for President?

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Ukraine’s Top Drone Commander on What the Pentagon Keeps Missing Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Yuri Fedorenko has spent four years turning a volunteer rifle company into the 429th “Achilles” Brigade, one of the most lethal units in Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Today, he joins School of War to discuss how the battlefield has evolved since Russia’s full-scale invasion: improvising with commercial drones in 2022, scaling a unit that now hunts targets at an unprecedented scale, what life is like on the front lines, and what the U.S. military can learn from his unit’s drone revolution.

This interview was originally conducted in Ukrainian and has been translated and dubbed into English.

02:23 – Yuri Fedorenko on Returning to War

05:08 – Building a Volunteer Unit Overnight

07:37 – Discovering the Power of Drones

09:18 – The Birth of Achilles

11:14 – Ukraine's Drone Revolution

13:12 – How the Unmanned Systems Force Works

17:43 – Why Drone Forces Punch Above Their Weight

18:59 – Inside Russia's Rubicon Drone Unit

21:35 – Beating Rubicon

23:04 – Lessons America Must Learn From Ukraine

25:29 – Why the West Should Train in Ukraine

26:54 – Why 20th Century Warfare Is Obsolete

27:20 – Drones Alone Cannot Win Wars

28:14 – Ukraine's Final Message to America

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What It’s Really Like Inside Ukraine in 2026, with Aidan Stretch Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

For months, it was conventional wisdom among large swaths of the American right that Ukraine would inevitably have to cede its Donbas region to Russia to end the war. Now, with Russian morale flagging, “that assumption is just no longer true,” says Aidan Stretch, a CBS News international reporter based in Kyiv. Today, Stretch joins School of War to discuss the state of play on the battlefield, Laura Loomer’s recent change of heart about the war, and how drone warfare has transformed the very idea of the front line as we know it.

02:36 - Is Ukraine Really Winning?

05:58 - Political Turmoil in Kyiv

06:51 - The Fedorov–Syrskyi Power Struggle

12:06 - The Protests That Changed Ukraine's Military

13:11 - Why Drapatyi Replaced Syrskyi

14:07 - Meeting President Zelensky

17:42 - Asking Zelensky if Ukraine Is Winning the War

20:00 - How Ukrainian Protests Force Political Change

24:29 - The Power of Ukrainian Civil Society

27:10 - Laura Loomer's Visit to Ukraine

28:50 - Ukraine's Military Innovation

30:48 - How Ukraine's Military Really Works

33:58 - Ukraine's Mobilization Challenge

37:24 - Why Drone Warfare Is Only the Beginning

41:34 - How the Middle East and Ukraine Wars Intersect

44:47 - Reporting From the Front Lines of Ukraine

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The Dangerous Pause in Iran, with Mark Montgomery Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, returns to School of War to analyze the latest military developments across the world. Why has the Iran war entered such a dangerous and uncertain phase? What role will the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea play in its next stage? And what do Iran and Ukraine reveal about the changing shape of global conflict?

02:22 - Why the Iran War Suddenly Paused

04:44 - An Uneasy Ceasefire and Dueling Blockades

05:35 - The Challenge of Escorting Ships Through Hormuz

07:19 - Why America's Convoy Strategy Isn't Working

09:15 - The Navy's Readiness Dilemma

09:59 - Blockade vs. Convoy

12:08 - Why the U.S. Must Take More Risk at Sea

14:10 - America's Munitions Problem

15:05 - The Weapons Shortages Shaping the War

16:29 - America's Drone Defense Gap

21:11 - The Electronic Warfare Deficit

23:13 - The Red Sea and the Houthi Threat

26:15 - How Iran and Ukraine Are Connected

30:37 - Russia's Options for Escalation

35:04 - Is a Long Blockade Better Than Escalation?

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The Rise of the Navy SEALs, with Ben Milligan Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Ben Milligan, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, Bronze Star recipient, and author of By Water Beneath the Walls: The Rise of the Navy SEALs, joins School of War to discuss the origins and evolution of one of America's most storied special operations forces. How did the Navy SEALs grow out of the Underwater Demolition Teams of World War II? What does it take to become a SEAL? How did the Vietnam War shape the institution into the force we know today? And what role should the SEALs play as the U.S. military shifts its focus from the war on terror to great power competition?

02:10 – Why Ben Became a SEAL

03:34 – Joining Before 9/11

05:17 – Inside BUD/S

09:17 – Who Makes It Through?

11:26 – What Elite Training Builds

14:29 – The Origins of the SEALs

23:18 – The Origins of UDT

27:10 – Korea Changes the Mission

38:06 – Birth of the SEALs

43:36 – Vietnam Transforms the SEALs

47:33 – The Capture-Kill Raid

49:50 – Lessons for the War on Terror