A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

"The Gulf War is often remembered as a 'good war,' a high-tech conflict that quickly and cleanly achieved its objectives." That's the opening line of Sam Helfont's new article in the Texas National Security Review, and he's in the virtual studio to discuss how the narrative might not match reality. Sam joins A BETTER PEACE editor Ron Granieri to discuss the fallout of the first Gulf War. As a Middle East historian, Sam offers a unique perspective on the realities of life after the shooting stopped. He talks about the political, economic, and humanitarian dilemmas it caused in the region as well as the divisions and harm it introduced into the western world and the United States.

Business Executives for National Security (BENS) a nonprofit comprised of senior business and industry executives commissioned a study and produced a report it refers to as "A CALL TO ACTION" to strengthen U.S. emergency response for sustained, widespread events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. BENS President and CEO, Joseph Votel, joins our own Editor-in-Chief in the virtual studio to discuss the findings of the report. Their conversation reviews the recommendations of federal, state and local government responsibilities and relations and the need for a national strategy for emergency response. Not surprisingly, as in any large scale operation, the need for clear communication and information sharing is highlighted as one of the crucial factors for success.

A BETTER PEACE welcomes back Tami Davis Biddle to our GREAT STRATEGISTS series. She joins WAR ROOM podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss the contributions of Thomas C. Schelling to the Cold War nuclear strategy realm.

A BETTER PEACE welcomes authors General Sir Rupert Smith and Ilana Bet-El to the virtual studio to talk about the ultimate goal of being understood as authors. Smith and Bet-El are co-authors of The Utility of Force now available in a second edition. They join our own Michael Neiberg to discuss their collaborative process and the different strengths and attributes they each bring to the effort. He is a retired British Army officer with a wealth of experience in matters of war and diplomacy culminating as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe. She is a strategic adviser, writer and historian with experience at the UN as well as advisory work around the world. Together they compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses to produce a book that is readable by academic, specialist and generalist alike. Editor's Note: We apologize for the intermittent sound quality of our guests. We had technical difficulties with the equipment, but we feel the intent of the conversation remains intact and is well worth the distractions.

UPDATED: 1450/15 Dec 2020 A BETTER PEACE welcomes Robert Payne to discuss the radicalization of U.S. military members, particularly in the Army. Payne joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to examine how individual members of the Army are radicalized and what the service and law enforcement need to do to defeat the problem. Their conversation covers how extremism finds its way into the ranks and how this isn't a new phenomena. EDITOR'S NOTE – At approximately 12:15 in the discussion a crucial data point was omitted seemingly creating a math error when COL Payne cites "15% of an extremist database having military service." To clarify the numbers we've included the original source data from COL Payne’s research below. The database contained 2,148 extremists who had radicalized to violent and non-violent extremism in the United States from 1948 to 2017, coded by ideology. PIRUS noted 922 far-right extremists have made up the most extensive ideological base with 496 Islamist extremists prevalent after the September 11, 2001 attacks.36 The PIRUS research found 230 (15.8 percent) of 1,456 extremists possessed military experience in the database, while 192 (18.9 percent) were connected to DT ideologies and thirty-eight (8.7 percent) to Islamist ideology.37 The PIRUS researcher noted 692 (32.2 percent) of the 2,148 extremists in the database could not be verified as having military service or not having military service based on open source research and public records. Therefore, the primary researcher offered the number of extremists in the PIRUS project with military service would likely be higher with some uncertainty of the actual percentage. The statistical population of the U.S military that have become terrorists is very small but of the U.S terrorist population...within the US population, there is a higher statistical number that have served in the U.S. military Robert Payne is a colonel and was commissioned as a Medical Services Corps Officer in the U.S. Army. Having served 5 years active duty he has spent the last 16 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. His current reserve assignment is as a Research Fellow assigned to the Center for Strategic Leadership. In his civilian profession, he is an FBI Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) with background in narcotics, counterterrorism ( 3 x JTTFs), organized crime, HUMINT operations, and most recently, Healthcare Fraud. Ron Granieri is an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Description: The Alfred P. Murrah Building after the bombing and just shortly before the May 23, 1995 demolition of the building. The building was damaged by a domestic terrorist truck bombing perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols at 0902 on 19 April 1995. McVeigh served 13 years in the Army while Nichols only served 10 months. They met during basic training. The blast killed 168 people, many of them children in the building's day care, and injured more than 680 more. The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, and destroyed or burned 86 cars. Inset is the Alfred P. Murrah Building in 1977. Photo Credit:Photographer unknown, courtesy of the Social Security Administration

A BETTER PEACE welcomes Chris Dougherty and Becca Wasser from The Gaming Lab at the Center for New American Security (CNAS). Chris and Becca join host Ken Gilliam in our special series the WARGAMING ROOM to discuss the efforts and contributions of CNAS to the gaming world. The three discuss how strategic gaming is used to shape the choices of leaders in government policy, industry and academia. It's one thing to know a thing to have read it in a book or to see it on a PowerPoint slide. It's another thing to actually go through the experience of living it in a game and experiencing it. Chris Dougherty is a Senior Fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. His research areas include defense strategy, strategic assessments, force planning, and wargaming. Becca Wasser is a fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. Her research areas include wargaming, force posture and management, and U.S. defense strategy. She is also an adjunct instructor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she teaches an undergraduate course on wargaming. Ken Gilliam is a colonel in the U.S. Army and Director of Strategic Wargaming at the Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Description: The logo of The Gaming Lab at CNAS. The Gaming Lab at CNAS makes innovative unclassified games and exercises on a range of challenging national security issues. Experts at the Gaming Lab design and conduct these activities for leaders in government, policy, industry, and academia. Photo Credit: This is a copyrighted image used courtesy of the Center for a New American Security Other releases in the "Wargaming Room" series: WAR FIGHTING, WAR THINKINGSIMULATING DIPLOMATIC DISASTER (WARGAMING ROOM)BETTER STRATEGY? IT’S ALL IN THE GAME(WARGAMING ROOM)WARGAMING IN THE SEMINAR: A STUDENT’S VIEW (WARGAMING ROOM)NOT JUST WAR GAMES: SIMULATING CRISIS NEGOTIATIONS (WARGAMING ROOM)A LABORATORY FOR MILITARY PROFESSIONALS (WARGAMING ROOM)GAMES, PLAY, AND THE AFFECTIVE DOMAIN (WARGAMING ROOM)READINESS IS PRIORITY #1, BUT READY FOR WHAT? (WARGAMING ROOM)

A BETTER PEACE welcomes Adam Seipp to discuss the world of Cold War literature. Adam's previous article in our DUSTY SHELVES series reviewed Sir John Hackett's 1978 best seller, The Third World War: August 1985. Hackett, deemed both the heir to Pat Frank and Neville Shute and also the ancestor of Tom Clancy and so many others, is at the center of this episode. Adam is joined by DUSTY SHELVES editor, Tom Bruscino, and podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio. The three look at the allure of the dark topic of the Cold War apocalypse story and the growth of the military techno-thriller. The book may not be a literary classic, but it sold quite well thanks to a breathless ad campaign that included the blurb 'This book occupies a place under the Bible on President Carter's desk.' Prof. Adam Seipp Is Assistant Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies as well as Professor of History and Associate Department Head at Texas A & M University. His research focuses on war and social change in modern Germany, transatlantic relations, and the history of the Holocaust. His most recent books are Strangers in the Wild Place: Refugees, Americans, and a German Town, 1945-1952 (2013) and Modern Germany in Transatlantic Perspective (2017) co-edited with Michael Meng. Thomas Bruscino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Military, Strategy, Planning and Operations at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of the DUSTY SHELVES series. Ron Granieri is an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Description: General Sir John Winthrop Hackett GCB, CBE, DSO & Bar, MC (5 November 1910 – 9 September 1997) Photo Credit: Artist Unknown

A BETTER PEACE welcomes back Ken Gilliam for another installment of the WARGAMING ROOM. In this episode Ken sits down with Doug Winton, the chair of the Department of Military Strategy, Planning and Operations (DMSPO) at the U.S. Army War College. Ken and Doug discuss War College games like JOINT OVERMATCH and MDO 1943. They examine the history of the games and their incorporation into the DMSPO curriculum to include the benefits as well as the limitations based on the time constraints and faculty experience of the resident program. We're different than biologists or chemists or physicists because we don't have a laboratory where we can learn and develop new knowledge. Doug Winton is a colonel in the U.S. Army and the Chair of the Department of Military Strategy, Planning and Operations (DMSPO) and the Henry L. Stimson Chair of Military Studies at the U.S. Army War College. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. Ken Gilliam is a colonel in the U.S. Army and Director of Strategic Wargaming at the Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Description: MDO 1943 gameboard Photo Credit: COL Ken Gilliam

The United States has identified drug trafficking, drug use, and drug manufacturing as important issues -- domestically and internationally. In recent years, the opioid crisis has been at the center of many U.S. government efforts. Overdoses due to synthetic drugs have been on the rise for the past decade with fentanyl and its derivatives squarely at the heart of the issue. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Heidi Munro to the virtual studio to discuss how this once legal prescription painkiller has become a national crisis leading to criminal activity, tragedy for families across the country and a point of contention in international relations. Heidi joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine this issue's impact on national security, the military's involvement in possible management of the issue and where the nation goes from here. The military treats illicit drugs and narcotic trade as a crime, so it's a transnational crime. So because of that they don't really have a way to act on it. Heidi Munro is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Idaho Army National Guard where she is currently serving as the state's joint medical planner for COVID-19. She is also the Administrative Officer for the Medical Detachment and full-time clinician for the Office of the State Surgeon. She is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College resident class of AY20. Ron Granieri is an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Description:Two milligrams of fentanyl, a lethal dose in most people Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Agency

A BETTER PEACE welcomes Pulitzer nominated journalist and author Stephen Vogel to the virtual studio to talk about his path to authorship and his love of history. Steve joins our own Michael Neiberg to discuss the differences between his role as a journalist versus his style as a narrative historical author and how that differs even further from academic historical accounts. They both lament the future lack of written first hand accounts as the world moves forward in this day and age of electronic communications and what that means for historical accounts of present day. I wish I could say I really knew what was going to happen. But the truth is, a friend of mine wanted to go to Oktoberfest and I said, "Oh well, I'll go with you. we'll go to Oktoberfest and I'm going to stick around and, you know, try my luck at freelancing." Steve Vogel is the author of Through The Perilous Fight, The Pentagon: A History and Betrayal in Berlin. He is a veteran journalist who has written extensively for The Washington Post about military affairs and the treatment of veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Michael Neiberg is the Chair of War Studies at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo Description: 1988 photo of graffiti on the West side of the Berlin wall before its fall Photo Credit:Thomas Panter (Panterdesign) Other releases in the "On Writing" series: COLONELS WRITING FOR COLONELS (RE-RELEASE)ON WRITING: MILITARY AUTHORS AND THE HARDING PROJECT (RE-RELEASE)FIGHTING TOGETHER: THE CANADIAN-AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP IN WORLD WAR II(ON WRITING)THE SCHOLAR AND THE STRATEGIST:SIR HEW STRACHAN(ON WRITING)COLONELS WRITING FOR COLONELSON WRITING: MILITARY AUTHORS AND THE HARDING PROJECTUNDERSTANDING RUSSIAN CULTURE: JADE McGLYNN(ON WRITING)CHINA’S SHIFTING HISTORY: STEPHEN PLATT (ON WRITING)UNDERSTANDING CHINA THROUGH ITS RECRAFTED PAST: RANA MITTER (ON WRITING)WRITING ON A DEADLINE: SHASHANK JOSHI (ON WRITING)REAGAN AS THE PEACEMAKER: WILL INBODEN(ON WRITING)RUSSIAN IMPERIAL HISTORY-THEN AND NOW: ALEXANDER MIKABERIDZE(ON WRITING)TAKING COMMAND: TAMI DAVIS BIDDLE(ON WRITING)HOW TO WRITE THE HISTORY THAT HASN’T ENDED: IAN ONA JOHNSON(ON WRITING)AS TIME GOES BY: UNDERSTANDING FREE & VICHY FRANCE (ON WRITING)SHIFTING MENTAL GEARS: PHILIP CAPUTO (ON WRITING)GENERAL HISTORY: H.R. McMASTER (ON WRITING)WHEN A GENERAL WRITES FOR THE GENERALIST (ON WRITING)TWO AUTHORS UNDER THE SAME ROOF (ON WRITING)THE MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION: ALEXANDRA RICHIE (ON WRITING)FACT AND FICTION: THE RECOUNTING OF WWII WITH JAMES HOLLAND (ON WRITING)THE U.S. ARMY IN THE 20TH CENTURY: AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN LINN (ON WRITING)LIBERATION FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE LIBERATED (ON WRITING)PARIS 1919: A CONVERSATION WITH MARGARET MACMILLAN (ON WRITING)THE CHALLENGES OF WRITING BIOGRAPHIES (ON WRITING)FINDING “WOW” MOMENTS (AND OTHER WRITING TIPS FOR SENIOR LEADERS) (ON WRITING)THE ART OF WRITING HISTORY (ON WRITING)