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Latest Episodes:

Helion Talks – Whiskey on the Rocks Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with historian and author Michael Fredholm von Essen about his new two-volume series Whiskey on the Rocks — an in-depth exploration of a tense Cold War standoff between the Soviet Union and Sweden.

Michael recounts the extraordinary events of October 1981, when a Soviet Whiskey-class submarine ran aground near a major Swedish naval base, sparking a ten-day diplomatic and military crisis. He explains how misunderstandings, high-stakes decisions, and Cold War paranoia shaped the incident — and how newly declassified documents reveal what really happened beneath the surface.

The conversation also looks ahead to his sequel volume, which follows the continuing confrontation and near-miss moments that could have drawn both sides into open conflict. Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring discussions with leading military historians and authors.

Links:

Whiskey on the Rocks Vol. 1 – A Soviet Submarine Stranded in Swedish Waters (1981)

Whiskey on the Rocks Vol. 2 – The Swedish–Soviet Confrontation (1981)

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Botswana & The BDF with Bafumiki Mocheregwa Sep 28, 2025

Show notes

A small state, big pressures—Botswana built its army late and cautiously.

In this season finale, we sit down with Bafumiki Mocheregwa, a historian and academic at the University of Southern Mississippi who studies the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) and Southern African military history.

The conversation explores how Botswana built its armed forces late—only in 1977—after relying for years on the Police Mobile Unit. We cover how the BDF grew under financial and political constraints, its complicated role during the Rhodesian Bush War and apartheid, and its later peacekeeping deployments to Somalia, Mozambique, and Lesotho.

This isn’t a neat story. It’s a patchwork of half-forgotten history, regional pressures, and unanswered questions about how a small, cautious state tried to manage the chaos around it.

More from Underground Strategy

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Inside Ukraine: Accidental Ukrainians Sep 21, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we’re joined by John Gordon Sennett, a U.S. Marine veteran, writer, and co-author of Accidental Ukrainians, a personal chronicle of war, survival, and adaptation from inside Ukraine.

John and his wife Natasha Sennett moved to Kiev just before the invasion began. What started as a family decision quickly turned into a frontline life. From volunteering in the early days of war to chronicling daily reality, they’ve written two powerful books that bridge cultures, challenge narratives, and offer something rarely seen—honest, unfiltered civilian-military experience from inside a war zone.

We talk about writing as survival, advocating for POWs, the culture clash between glory-seekers and those who stayed, and how narrative itself can become a tool for recovery.

John also shares an exclusive preview of their third book and a bold new mental health project with Ukrainian universities aimed at helping veterans and civilians process trauma through storytelling.

This is not just another perspective. It’s a voice from the inside—and it matters.

Accidental Ukrainians – Books by John & Natasha Sennett

Part One – https://amzn.to/3H9GrUb

Part Two – https://amzn.to/3ZyJH1J

Connect with John & Natasha Sennett

Medium – https://jgsennett-78059.medium.com/

Substack – https://johngordonsennettsr.substack.com/

LinkedIn – https://ua.linkedin.com/in/john-g-sennett-sr

Project & Updates – https://accidentalukrainians.com/

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Operation Boleas: The SANDF’s Trial by Fire Sep 14, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we’re joined again by Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Jean-Pierre Scherman of the South African National Defence Force—a returning guest with deep operational experience and a sharp eye for military history. This time, we turn to Operation Boleas: the 1998 intervention in Lesotho that tested the SANDF just four years after its formation.

We get into the real story behind the headlines—why the mission was launched, how it rapidly escalated, and what it exposed about South Africa’s new defense force. From unexpected combat to political constraints and mission creep, Boleas became a crash course in regional military operations.

More than two decades later, the mission remains misunderstood. We unpack why it faded from public view—and what its legacy reveals about South Africa’s approach to hard power.

Jean-Pierre Scherman’s links

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/schermanjeanpierre/

X – https://x.com/schermanjp74

LinkedIn – https://za.linkedin.com/in/jean-pierre-scherman

More from Underground Strategy

Join the mission – https://undergroundstrategy.com

Discover Number 788 – https://amzn.to/3BQGmm7

Operation Eland with Andy Balaam – Part 2 Sep 07, 2025

Show notes

This week on the Underground Strategy Podcast, Max Lauker continues the conversation with Andy Balaam, former Selous Scout and veteran of some of the Bush War’s most daring missions.

In Part 2, Balaam walks us through the attack on Nyadzonya itself — from the buildup on the parade ground to the destruction of the camp, the clearing of huts, and the tense withdrawal across the border. He also reflects on the aftermath, the claims of controversy, and how he saw the operation at the time.

Stay tuned for future episodes with Balaam, where we’ll continue exploring his experiences in the Scouts and beyond.

Warning: this episode contains graphic combat detail.

Andy's Work

pseudobalaam.com

Instagram – instagram.com/pseudobalaam

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Operation Eland with Andy Balaam – Part 1 Aug 31, 2025

Show notes

This week on the Underground Strategy Podcast, Max Lauker is joined once again by Andy Balaam, former Selous Scout and veteran of some of the Bush War’s most daring missions.

After walking us through Operation Long John, Balaam now turns to Operation Eland. In August 1976, fewer than a hundred Scouts crossed into Mozambique in a flying column, targeting a ZANLA base at Nyadzonya.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Balaam walks through the battle itself and the aftermath.

Andy's Work

pseudobalaam.com

Instagram – instagram.com/pseudobalaam

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This Is Not a Drill: Listener Q&A with Amos Fox Aug 24, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we’re joined once again by military scholar and practitioner Amos Fox for a fast-paced listener Q&A tackling some of the most pressing questions in contemporary warfare.

From the blurred lines between war and peace to the myth of maneuver and the limits of tech, this one hits hard. We talk endurance, positional warfare and why most armies still get strategy wrong. Fox brings sharp analysis and field-smart insight to a global discussion that’s still struggling to catch up with battlefield reality.

Expect clarity, hard truths, and zero buzzwords.

Amos Fox´s Work

Conflict Realism – https://amzn.to/4jc1mmQ

Revolution in Military Affairs (podcast) – https://shows.acast.com/revolution-in-military-affairs

X – https://x.com/AmosFox6

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amoscfox

Want to read like Amos Fox?

The Foundations of the Science of War by JFC Fuller (page 65 if you want to pass his class) – https://amzn.to/3F5QitH

Urban Warfare in the Twenty-First Century by Anthony King – https://amzn.to/4kssNK2

More from Underground Strategy

Join the mission – https://undergroundstrategy.com

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Why Soldiers Fight: History, Power, and the Ritual of War Aug 17, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Tarak Barkawi—an international relations scholar, military historian, and sharp critic of the way we often misunderstand war.

We talk about everything from colonial troops and battlefield ritual to the power of memoirs and the global legacy of regimental tradition. From the jungles of Burma to the camps of Korea, Barkawi explores what really drives soldiers to fight—and why the stories we tell about war often miss the point.

We also get into his groundbreaking book Soldiers of Empire, the myth of the “martial race,” and the deeper, often uncomfortable truths behind military discipline, nationalism, and the afterlives of imperial armies.

Tarak Barkawi’s Work

Soldiers of Empire – https://amzn.to/3Hh7MDO

Orientalism and War – https://amzn.to/4kqGYQ3

Globalization and War – https://amzn.to/3YR281q

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Tobruk & Beyond: South Africa’s Desert War Aug 10, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, we turn our focus to one of the most iconic campaigns of the Second World War—the battle for North Africa. From the strategic significance of the Suez Canal and Middle Eastern oil to the rise and fall of Rommel’s legend, the North African campaign shaped the course of the global conflict in unexpected ways.

We’re joined by Lt. Col. Dr. Jean-Pierre Scherman of the South African National Defence Force—a combat officer, scholar, and friend of the podcast—to walk us through what made the desert war so pivotal. We explore the mobile chaos of the early clashes, the critical role of supply lines, and the unsung story of South Africa’s volunteer soldiers who served far from home.

We also dive into the bitter legacy of the surrender at Tobruk, the mythmaking around commanders like Rommel and Montgomery, and what it all looked like from the ground level.

Expect serious analysis, hard questions, and some reflections on today’s conflicts too.

Jean-Pierre Scherman’s contacts

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/schermanjeanpierre/

X – https://x.com/schermanjp74

LinkedIn – https://za.linkedin.com/in/jean-pierre-scherman

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Inside Ukraine: War & Improv with Serhii – Part 2 Aug 03, 2025

Show notes

In Part 2 of our conversation with Serhii Velychanskyi, we shift from combat to recovery—exploring how war leaves marks that can’t be seen from the outside, and how humor can help heal them.

After serving on the front lines in Irpin and Kharkiv, Serhii transitioned into Ukraine’s Center for Morale and Psychological Support, where he began using improvisational theater as a recovery tool. He walks us through his program “Improv 450,” designed to help wounded and traumatized soldiers decompress, reconnect, and rebuild.

But this is more than a therapy story. Serhii reflects on identity, language, Russian disinformation, and the existential nature of this war.

We also hear about his upcoming leadership work, his book Path to Effectiveness (Ukrainian only), and what it means to fight and heal at the same time.

Serhii’s Work

Improv 4.5.0 – https://improv450.com.ua/en

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sergey_velichanskiy

LinkedIn – https://ua.linkedin.com/in/velichansky

Path to Effectiveness(Ukrainian only) – https://www.skyhorse.ua/product/shlyahy-efektyvnosti/

Also Mentioned

Management in Times of War by Kostiantyn Koshelenko – https://amzn.to/43gNmlW

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