The Operational Arch

Latest Episodes:

Narrative War: The fourth grammar of war -- with Dr. Brian Steed Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Hosts Major Carlen Vician and Major Evelyn Payne sit down with Brian Steed—historian, retired Army foreign area officer, and author of Narrative War: The Philosophy of Social Conflict—about how narrative shapes modern conflict and planning in the information domain. Steed explains four “grammars” of war (positional, maneuver, firepower, and narrative), tracing shifts from defeating army wings to armies, states, and attempts to paralyze systems, arguing narrative is dominant in 2025 while other philosophies still appear (e.g., positional warfare in Ukraine). He describes narrative as an organizing framework for identity and interpretation, emphasizes aligning “words, deeds, and images,” and offers planning questions about desired narrative end states and the effort required to change narrative terrain. He outlines narrative strategies of disruption, displacement, and exhaustion, critiques Western difficulty with exhaustion campaigns, and closes with “rules of social conflict,” including that actors act and publish according to their narratives and cannot be changed by money unless already corrupt.00:00 Welcome to Operational Arch01:13 Meet Dr Brian Steed02:15 Four Philosophies of War02:37 From Forts to Systems06:35 Why Narrative War Now10:27 Narrative Across Five Rings11:28 Planning Narrative Objectives13:23 Deception and Downhill Stories16:21 Types of Narrative Conflict20:50 Defining Narrative for Leaders24:10 Societal Narratives and Pitfalls27:06 Lessons from Jordan and Iraq28:49 Lawrence of Arabia Influence32:23 Disruption, Displacement, Exhaustion37:16 Exhaustion Campaigns and Gaza43:09 Rules of Social Conflict46:43 Closing

Seeing Over the Edge: Operational Planning and Intelligence with MG (R) Spider Marks Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, hosts Major DJ Taylor and Major Evelyn Payne sit down with Major General (Ret.) James "Spider" Marks — decorated Army intelligence officer, Georgetown University professor, and CNN military analyst — for a wide-ranging conversation on operational planning, intelligence, and leadership.

General Marks draws on over 30 years of service, including his roles as Senior Intelligence Officer during the 1992 LA Riots and Operation Iraqi Freedom, to share hard-won lessons on anticipating threats, bridging the gap between tactical and strategic objectives, and navigating the complexity of modern military operations. He also tackles the growing role of AI on the battlefield, the challenge of controlling the narrative in an information-saturated environment, and what it truly means to keep it simple as a planner and leader.

Whether you're a SAMS student, a field grade officer, or a student of strategy, this episode delivers candid, experience-driven insight into the art of operational thinking.

Timestamps0:00 — Producer intro / Episode overview

1:01 — Show intro & Guest bio (MG Spider Marks)

2:27 — Advising operational leaders in a volatile world

5:10 — AI, screens, and staying in the loop

8:01 — Managing complex organizations and decision-making

10:18 — Linking political objectives to tactical goals

15:16 — What he'd do differently as a planner

17:43 — Understanding the operational environment with limited time (AI, outside experts)

22:09 — Formalizing informal relationships

25:50 — DSCA & the LA Riots

36:28 — How to see around corners today

39:20 — Controlling the narrative in the age of instant media

42:50 — Who influenced him most

46:18 — Parting advice to SAMS students

From Tactical to Operational: Building Army Leaders for the Future Fight — with COL Ethan Diven, Commandant of US Army CGSC May 15, 2026

Show notes

Major Spencer Bates sits down with Colonel Ethan Diven, the US Army Command and General Staff College Commandant, and former Commander of Operations Group at the NationalTraining Center, to explore the evolving challenges facing the operational force. From multi-domain competition to professional military education reform, COL Diven draws on a career spanning NTC, Afghanistan, Operation Octave Quartz,and Operation Allies Refuge to deliver hard-won lessons on planning, leadership, and the responsibility of field-grade officers.

Colonel Diven's key take-aways?

1. Ruthlessly protect your time to think while in PME — it is the point.

2. Leadership is always required in an operational planning team, from any position.

3. Army University exists to accelerate observations from the contemporary environment and reimagine how education is delivered — with war fighting always at the core.

Timestamps

0:50 — Introduction & Guest Background

2:13 — Current Challenges Facing the Operational Force

6:11 — Building Better Divisions: Evolving from Brigade-Centric to Division-Level War Fighting

9:19 — Multi-Domain Operations: NTC Initiatives & Incorporating MDO Challenges

12:16 — Building Jointness: Initiatives Across the Services

14:02 — Army University's Role in Developing Future Leaders

16:25 — What the Force Expects from Field Grade Graduates

19:40 — Building the Operational Artist: The Transformative Experience of PME

21:22 — Humility, Responsibility & Self-Awareness as a Leader

23:16 — Value-Added from Day One: What Graduates Must BeUpon Returning to the Force

25:43 — How PME Translates to Real-World Campaigning

26:47 — Operation Octave Courts: Repositioning fromSomalia Under Constraints

30:32 — Bridging Strategy to Execution: Critical Transitions in Joint Operations

32:21 — Operation Allies Refuge: Planning in a Contested & Rapidly Evolving Environment

35:48 — Planning Across Distributed Teams: Managing Time, Space & Coordination

37:39 — The Power of Assumptions in Operational Planning

39:53 — Key Takeaways & Closing Thoughts

An Unshakable Bond: Insights into the US-ROK relationship and the threat posed by North Korea with Lt. Gen. (R) Chun In-bum May 01, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Operational Arch, hosts Spencer Bates and DJ Taylor sit down with Lieutenant General Chun In-bum (Ret.), former commander of the Republic of Korea Special Warfare Forces and U.S. Army War College graduate, for a wide-ranging conversation on the enduring U.S.-ROK alliance. General Chun explores the deep historical, cultural, and security ties that bind the two nations — from Korea's democratic founding under American mentorship to the shared sacrifices of the Vietnam War. The discussion shifts to the operational challenges of the Korean Peninsula, including terrain, deterrence, the importance of adaptive planning, and the combined Second Infantry Division as a model for allied partnership. The episode closes with a sobering look at North Korea's battlefield performance in Ukraine, the growing Russia-DPRK relationship, and General Chun's call for greater focus on civil-military relations and cognitive warfare as the defining challenges of the modern era.

0:00 Guest Introduction & Overview— Introduction of Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Chun In-bum, ROK Armed Forces

1:50 The U.S.-ROK "Blood Alliance"

7:05 Cultural Ties: Religion, Education & K-Culture

10:36 Security Challenges: China, Japan & the North Korean Threat

14:13 "Never Underestimate the North Koreans"

16:21 Campaigning on the Korean Peninsula

19:34 Simple Ops, Detailed Logistics: the key to effective combined operations

21:52 The ROK as Partner, Not Competitor

31:09 The KPA in Ukraine: Motivation, Indoctrination & Vulnerability

41:04 Civil-Military Relations & Cognitive Warfare: the defining challenges of the modern era

From Warhammer to War Plans: The IDEA Framework with Stephen Box Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Operational Arch, hosts Spencer Bates and DJ Taylor sit down with Steven Box, founder and CEO of Vanguard Tactics and a top-ranked competitive Warhammer coach, alongside SAMS professor Matt Yandura. The conversation explores how Box's "IDEA" framework — developed over years of competitive tabletop wargaming and coaching — maps surprisingly well to military decision-making: gathering the right information under time pressure, making rapid decisions, executing with composure, and assessing outcomes to adapt. The episode also digs into why SAMS invited an outside expert from a non-traditional field and what operational planners can learn from embracing failure, coaching others, and considering future operating environments.

Content:

0:00 — Intro & episode overview

2:31 — Steven Box's background: from Royal Navy aptitude tests to volleyball, bodybuilding, and Warhammer

7:42 — What is Warhammer? A layman's explanation

9:03 — Why SAMS brings in outside experts: Professor Yandura on SAMS' mandate to experiment

11:31 — Introducing the IDEA framework (the "Box Method")

12:10 — I — Information: Gathering the right info under time pressure; SWOT analysis on the battlefield

15:05 — D — Decision: Translating information into decisive action; identifying priorities and trade-offs

18:47 — E — Execution: Resource allocation, composure under pressure, managing variance

21:14 — A — Assessment: What went well, what didn't, and when to pivot

23:57 — Coaching philosophy: meeting people where they are and building from there

25:31 — The value of purposeful failure and learning from losses

32:41 — SAMS' Future Operating Environment course: forecasting, futures thinking, and speculative scenarios

45:32 — Closing takeaways & acknowledgments (CGSC Foundation shoutout)

So You Think You Want to be a SAMS Graduate? Insights on applying to and being successful at AMSP with the leadership team Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of The Operational Arch, host Major DJ Taylor hands the mic over to three key SAMS leaders: Mr. Kirk Dorr (Deputy Director of the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS)), Dr. Bruce Stanley (Director of the Advanced Military Studies Program (AMSP)), and Colonel Paul Godson (Deputy Director of AMSP). Together, they pull back the curtain on the Advanced Military Studies Program, covering what it is, what it produces, and exactly how officers can go from being curious about the program to becoming a competitive applicant. They dispel myths about AMSP as merely a "planners' school" and show how the program develops leaders to meet the Army's most demanding missions as experts in Army and joint doctrine, leading diverse operational planning teams, and enabling senior leaders. The ten-month program focuses on warfighting, operational art, and the critical and creative thinking required to anticipate and adapt to rapid change on the modern battlefield.

0:00 Intro and Guest Introductions

4:20 How Has AMSP Changed Over the Years?

8:48 What Does the Operational Force Expect from Graduates?

10:16 What Attributes Define a Strong AMSP Student?

14:25 The Flow of the Academic Year (June–May)

19:52 How to Get Competitive / The Application Process

23:36 The AMSP Exam and Interview

27:19 Selection , the HRC Marketplace, & Recent Process Changes

35:22 How to Prepare / Tips for Applicants

44:40 "What If I Don't Want to Be a Planner?"

46:10 Family Considerations

49:57 What Should Every Graduate Take With Them?

52:51 Closing Remarks

Mastering Mentorship: Insights from Colonel Retired Dwayne Wagner Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Operational Arch podcast, Major Joanna Van Engel interviews Colonel (Retired) Dwayne Wagner,a seasoned Army planner and educator. They delve into the critical topics of mentorship, coaching, and counseling within military leadership, emphasizing the importance of developing junior leaders for long-term success. COL Wagner discusses the shifting dynamics of mentorship post-9/11, the distinct roles of coaching and mentoring, and the symbiotic relationship between officers and NCOs. He also addresses the challenges leaders face in the modern era, influenced by social media and constant scrutiny. Practical insights into creating effective leader development programs and reflections on personal experiences enrich this compelling conversation.

01:03 Introduction and Guest Welcome

02:37 Coaching vs. Mentoring

04:28 Challenges in Mentorship

07:20 Cross-Gender and Cross-Branch Mentorship

09:20 Leadership Development and Self-Improvement

12:57 Officer and NCO Relationships

18:46 Attributes of a Well-Rounded Officer

21:38 Allowing Leaders to Grow and Learn from Mistakes

25:39 Effective Leader Development Programs

31:05 Final Thoughts and Messages

Convergence in Army Doctrine, with Dr. Jim Greer Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Operational Arch, Major we welcome Dr. James Greer, an expert in operational art, military design, and leader development with over 30 years of Army service. We discuss the concept of convergence within Army doctrine, as outlined in FM 3-0, emphasizing its differences from past doctrines such as the AirLand Battle. Dr. Greer provides insights into how convergence involves accumulated effects over time against systems, formations, and decision-makers across multiple domains, rather than mere synchronization. He also addresses the need for doctrinal clarity and the importance of understanding the science of warfare. Examples from the Ukraine conflict highlight practical applications of convergence. The discussion concludes with advice for listeners on the importance of continual teaching and learning within the military profession.

01:25 Defining Convergence in Army Doctrine

02:05 Historical Context of Army Doctrine

05:27 Understanding Convergence as an Outcome

05:50 Challenges and Misconceptions in Convergence

07:14 Examples and Applications of Convergence

15:23 Barriers to Achieving Convergence

22:15 Future of Convergence in Military Operations

35:20 Practical Steps for Implementing Convergence

00:22 Final Thoughts and Advice in Military Operations

35:20 Practical Steps for Implementing Convergence

00:22 Final Thoughts and Advice

MacArthur's Return to the Philippines, w/ Dr. Peter Mansoor Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

Dr. Peter Mansoor, retired Army Colonel and professor of military history at the Ohio State University, joins the Operational Arch to discuss his new book, Redemption: MacArthur in the Campaign for the Philippines (Cambridge University Press, August 2025), which covers the arc of MacArthur's controversial return to the Philippines, providing both a master class and cautionary tale on the application of operational art. The group covers a wide variety of topics including theater logistics, the incorporation of friendly guerilla forces, organizational leadership, joint operations, and strategic decision-making.

Civ-Mil Relations w/Dr. Scott Gorman Jun 01, 2025

Show notes

Dr. Scott Gorman, director of the Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program at SAMS, joins the Operational Arch to discuss the complexities of civil-military relations and the nuances of providing best military advice. The conversation touches on the importance of the military being politically informed rather than partisan and the critical nature of maintaining trust and dialogue between military and civilian leaders.

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