Jonathan Schroden

Mick Crnkovich, former director for irregular warfare at the Pentagon, underscores the shift from counterterrorism to recognizing irregular warfare as vital in great power competition. Retired Colonel Dave Maxwell shares insights on the cultural resistance within conventional forces regarding new IW strategies. Dr. Jonathan Schroden emphasizes the importance of defining irregular warfare effectively, discussing its implications for military operations and leadership. The trio assesses whether recent policy changes will lead to substantial shifts in military planning and execution.

Jonathan Schroden, Director of the Countering Threats & Challenges Program at CNA and strategic advisor on Afghanistan, dives deep into the complexities of America's withdrawal from Afghanistan. He discusses the public narratives surrounding the chaotic exit and the strategic reasoning behind it. Schroden highlights the failures of U.S. military strategies, the Taliban's adept use of technology for information warfare, and the role of corruption within the Afghan government. He also examines the implications of this withdrawal on regional stability and the threat posed by emerging terrorist organizations.

This past Sunday, Americans woke up to a new reality in the country of Afghanistan—the Afghan government that the United States and its allies have supported for the last two decades is gone. In its place is a resurgent Taliban, now firmly in control of nearly the entire country. Meanwhile, the U.S. presence has been reduced to Kabul’s international airport where soldiers and diplomats are working 24-7 to safely evacuate U.S. and allied personnel, U.S. and foreign civilians, and at least some vulnerable Afghans and their families, even as the rest of the country sits and waits to find out what life will be like under the new Taliban regime.To discuss these unprecedented events, Scott R. Anderson sat down with Afghanistan policy experts Madiha Afzal of the Brookings Institution, Laurel Miller of the International Crisis Group and Jonathan Schroden of CNA. They discussed the state of play in Afghanistan, how we got here and what we should expect next.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.