Eliot and Eric welcome retired Australian Major General Mick Ryan, author of The Future of Warfare, Futura Doctrina newsletter on Substack, and former head of the Australian War College. They discuss the ongoing fighting around Bakhmut, the prospects for both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries respectively in the weeks and months ahead, how this conflict might end, and the utility of science fiction for understanding the evolving character of war.

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com.

Mick Ryan’s War Transformed (https://www.amazon.com/War-Transformed-Twenty-First-Century-Competition-Conflict/dp/168247741X)

Mick Ryan’s Twitter: @WarInTheFuture (https://twitter.com/WarintheFuture/)

Mick Ryan’s Substack, Futura Doctrina (https://mickryan.substack.com/p/the-battle-of-bakhmut)

Mick Ryan’s Substack Post, “The Battle of Bakhmut” (https://mickryan.substack.com/p/the-battle-of-bakhmut)

Mick Ryan’s Column, “The Battle of Bakhmut has come at immense cost to both sides” (https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/the-battle-of-bakhmut-has-come-at-immense-cost-to-both-sides-20230307-p5cq25.html)

Eliot’s The Atlantic Article on Tactics Used by the Russian Military, “Military History Doesn’t Say What Ukraine’s Critics Think” (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/russia-ukraine-war-wwii-comparison/673053/)

Sir Michael Howard’s “The Use and Abuse of Military History” (https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1251&context=parameters)

Mick Ryan’s Forthcoming Novel, White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, Pre-Order NOW! (https://www.amazon.com/White-Sun-War-Campaign-Casemate/dp/1636242502)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices