School of War - Nebulous Media

Latest Episodes:

Ep 87: Wayne Lee on Native American Warfare Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Wayne Lee, Bruce W. Carney Distinguished Professor of History at UNC and author of The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800, joins the show to talk about war in the ‘Eastern Woodlands’, both before and after European contact.

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Times

• 01:48 Introduction

• 02:50 Coincidences

• 07:19 “Woods and rivers, deer and rabbits, corn and beans”

• 12:51 Unused land

• 19:29 Sacred spaces

• 21:56 Strategic objectives

• 28:35 Why not occupy?

• 32:50 Logistics

• 41:57 The role of the prisoner

• 49:10 Something like the truth

• 54:34 Offense and defense

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Ep 86: David Betz on Ukraine’s Counteroffensive and Russia’s Defense Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King’s College London, joins the show to talk about what the status of the Ukrainian counteroffensive has to teach us about the enduring relevance of fortifications and the defense as a form of war.

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Times

• 02:02 Introduction

• 02:16 Modern War

• 03:36 Counteroffensive progress

• 06:08 Tracking events

• 11:08 Russia’s defensive scheme

• 23:07 Fortified strategic complex

• 32:9 Maginot reconsidered

• 40:47 The pendulum

• 48:07 What if…

To read the article discussed on this episode click the link -

Russian fortifications present an old problem for Ukraine - JULY 20, 2023 DAVID J BETZ

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Ep 85: Antulio J. Echevarria on Jomini (New Makers of Modern Strategy #9) Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Antulio J. Echevarria, General Douglas MacArthur Chair of Research at the U.S. Army War College and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the most influential military thinkers of the modern age, Antoine-Henri Jomini.

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Times

• 01:55 Introduction

• 02:22 Who was Jomini?

• 06:13 A charlatan?

• 08:57 Summary of the Art of War

• 11:50 Clausewitz vs Jomini

• 14:26 The center of gravity

• 16:03 Lines of operation

• 21:21 Regard for the enemy

• 24:44 Interpreting Napoleon

• 28:09 Mahan and Jomini

• 30:47 Air power

• 31:55 Clausewitz revival

• 34:02 Jomini today

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Ep 84: Mike Gallagher on the Korean War and Confronting China Today Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district and Chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, joins the show to talk about why the Korean War should be front-of-mind for American policymakers and strategists.

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Times

• 02:06 Introduction

• 04:05 Wolf-warrior diplomacy

• 10:42 A new Cold War

• 13:05 T.R. Fehrenbach

• 22:25 “This stuff matters”

• 25:25 Task Force Smith

• 29:44 Route clearances

• 31:23 Inchon

• 35:06 Truman’s failures

• 38:19 Eisenhower brings balance

• 42:24 China has gotten stronger

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And here is a link to checkout the article Aaron and Mike wrote for Foreign Affairs Why America Forgets and China Remembers the Korean War

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Ep 84: B. Rivera and M. McGrath on John Boyd Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

Mark McGrath and Brian Rivera, hosts of the No Way Out podcast, join the show to talk about strategist John Boyd.

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Times

• 02:09 Introduction

• 02:59 Who was John Boyd?

• 06:03 “40 Second” Boyd

• 08:05 Air to air combat

• 09:45 OODA Loop

• 14:20 Getting inside the enemy’s loop

• 18:44 Fast transients

• 21:41 Patterns of Conflict

• 26:27 Military reformer

• 29:46 Blitzkrieg and Entebbe

• 37:43 Detractors

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For more on John Boyd and from Mark and Brian check out the No Way Out Podcast

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Ep 83: Aaron O’Connell on 'Geopolitics 101' Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

Aaron O’Connell, Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin, joins the show to talk about the “founding fathers” of 20th century geopolitical thought: Mahan, Mackinder, and Spykman.

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Times

• 01:46 Introduction

• 02:20 From Marine to scholar to the NSC

• 06:24 Alfred T. Mahan

• 12:27 Choke points, decisive battle, and battleships

• 15:45 Security through imperialism

• 18:08 Chinese Mahanians

• 20:33 China’s crowded neighborhood

• 21:27 Halford Mackinder

• 28:56 Heartland rising

• 31:36 Inner and outer crescent

• 33:01 Nicholas Spykman

• 37:55 The nature of power

• 39:03 Containment

• 42:11 The American role

• 46:22 The path of partnerships

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Ep 82: Charles Edel on John Quincy Adams (New Makers of Modern Strategy #8) Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Charles Edel, senior adviser and Australia Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the founding architects of American foreign policy, John Quincy Adams.

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Times

• 01:33 Introduction

• 02:20 Democratic strategy

• 04:43 Adams

• 08:03 Early threats to the Republic

• 13:20 A potential challenger to Europe

• 18:10 Unity and strength

• 25:08 “In search of monsters to destroy”

• 30:07 British parallels

• 34:11 Slavery

• 38:36 Public service

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Ep 81: Max Hastings on the Cuban Missile Crisis Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

Max Hastings, journalist, military historian, and author most recently of Abyss: The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, joins the show to talk about the world’s brush with World War III.

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Times

• 01:41 Introduction

• 01:59 From journalism to history

• 07:06 Recollections

• 09:40 Castro and the Bay of Pigs

• 19:46 Overflights

• 26:46 Quarantine and blockade

• 33:45 Russian floundering

• 35:52 Dealmaking

• 40:07 Uncomfortable proximity

• 42:36 Spheres of influence

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Ep 80: Holger Afflerbach on How Germany Lost WWI Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

Holger Afflerbach, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Leeds and author of On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War, joins the show to talk about the origins of the First World War, how much Germany is to blame, and why the July Crisis of 1914 is relevant in 2023.

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Times

• 01:59 Introduction

• 02:46 Fritz Fischer

• 10:34 1914 and today

• 15:24 The Kaiser

• 21:54 Bethmann Hollweg

• 27:46 Military necessity

• 37:25 How did Germany lose?

• 44:10 Murderers or sleepwalkers?

For context, and a better sense of the events unfolding in 1914, checkout the National World War One Museum Interactive Timeline and Summer 1914 Day By Day.

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Ep 79: Mark Galeotti on Russia’s Military Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

Mark Galeotti, director of Mayak Intelligence, host of the In Moscows’s Shadow podcast, and author of Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, joins the show to talk about the post-Cold War Russian Armed Forces.

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Times

• 02:13 Introduction

• 04:26 The peak

• 10:04 In decline

• 13:04 A day in the life of a ’90s Russian soldier

• 16:23 The First Chechen War

• 21:17 Putin and Chechnya

• 24:42 Russia’s claims

• 35:10 Modernization

• 40:49 Historical karma in Ukraine

• 46:10 Big picture