A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

Forty years ago, the Goldwater-Nichols Act reshaped how the U.S. military operates. Passed in 1986 following coordination breakdowns in operations like Vietnam and the Iranian hostage rescue, the law forced the branches to overcome fierce rivalries and operate as a joint team. Host Ron Granieri sits down with Bob Bradford and Levi Rains to examine whether those reforms worked, where friction remains, and where defense reform goes next. Together, they break down the tension between the services—responsible for training and equipping forces—and regional combatant commanders who employ those troops in real-world missions. The discussion explores how the law clarified the chain of command, mandated joint officer education, and balanced readiness against immediate crises. Looking ahead, Bradford and Rains consider what future reorganization should tackle, from synchronizing military strategy across other government departments to joint force design. https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/goldwater-nichols Be sure to check out Bob's article about "Victory On the Potomac" that will be released on 8 Oct 26 https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/articles/reforming-defense

Michael “Quatto” Posey, a U.S. Navy commander and military deception expert, explores how battles are shaped before combat begins. He revisits WWII’s fictional armies, Ukraine’s surprise at Kursk, and deception on today’s transparent battlefield. The conversation also examines confirmation bias, operational secrecy, decoys, critical thinking, and MacArthur’s use of imagery and influence.

Gil Barndollar, a Marine veteran, Army National Guard officer, and military manpower scholar, examines why drones cannot replace people in prolonged war. He explores Ukraine’s recruitment strain, Russia’s mobilization, the human cost of frontline duty, and NATO’s readiness gaps. The conversation also tackles aging populations, political resistance to sacrifice, and the need to build public legitimacy before conflict begins.

Marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11, host Jadwiga Biskupska sits down with deRaismes Combes to examine how the attacks reshaped American security, daily life, and the perception of threats, asking whether post-9/11 choices have truly made us safer. https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/scrutiny-and-the-stranger

How do "sunk costs" influence wartime decisions? JP Clark interviews Brian Groves on his book, "When Presidents Fight the Last War."

Twelve years ago last week, on May 2, 2011, the U.S. military conducted a raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan that killed Usama bin Laden. Once the mission was accomplished, the SEAL team conducted sensitive site exploitation and gathered up and returned with all of the materials and equipment they discovered in the compound. Nelly Lahoud and her team sorted through some 97,000 files and 6,000 pages of declassified documents, all in Arabic, to discover the truth about bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network. She's in the studio to discuss her book, "The Bin Laden Papers: How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth about Al-Qaeda, Its Leader and His Family" with host John Nagl. The information gleaned from this incredible undertaking paints a picture of a man and a network that, after the 9/11 attack, were confined, restrained and not very successful.

How did an ordinary businessman get tied to Al-Qaeda's post-9/11 plans? Former war crimes prosecutor Michael Lebowitz joins host Ron Granieri to discuss his book, “Second Wave”, detailing this true story and the FBI, CIA, and military turf wars.

Host Jadwiga Biskupska sits down with Ukrainian Army COL Oleksandr, an International Fellow in the AY26 class at the U.S. Army War College, for a real-time perspective on modern combat. He reveals how human innovation and older weapons are bypassing advanced electronic warfare on the battlefield.

Major General Robert Kinney, a senior military intelligence officer and DIA Chief AI Officer, explains how AI accelerates decision-making and manages battlefield data. He discusses integrating LLMs and RAG for analysts, an AI foreign disclosure tool that slashed timelines, cultural hurdles to adoption, training the workforce, and risks of overtrusting models.

Erick Buckner, a U.S. Army officer and historical analyst; Michael Moore, a naval intelligence officer focused on ISR and integration; and Kevin Krupski, a scholar of operational art discuss how to restore offensive maneuver. They debate maneuver vs attrition, modern ISR and drone challenges, historical lessons from WWI and Ukraine, phased breakout frameworks, and near-term doctrine and training changes.