A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

A BETTER PEACE welcomes Gail Fisher and Joel Hillison into the studio to examine the DoD's approach towards gaining and sustaining the competitive advantage over adversaries across the spectrum of competition. The DoD has no specific doctrine regarding this topic and all too often the response to the challenge falls to the acquisition community in the form of newer cutting edge technology. Fisher argues that while technology is a piece of the puzzle, the larger picture requires so much more. At any given time the DoD can be engaged with a competitor, an adversary, anywhere from cooperation through competition and into armed conflict. Download COL Fisher's paper Colonel Gail Fisher is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and currently serves on the Joint Staff in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate. Joel Hillison is Professor of National Security Studies at the U.S. Army War College. Buck Haberichter is the Managing Editor of the WAR ROOM. 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: An F-35A Lightning II pilot turns his aircraft along the yellow taxi line on the 33rd Fighter Wing flightline at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr. Photo Credit:  U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.

I'm using Kennedy's life to tell the story of America's rise, first to great power status and then superpower status. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning author Fredrik Logevall to discuss his newest project, a two-volume biography of John F. Kennedy. Logevall joins Michael Neiberg in the studio as they discuss the complexity of writing a biography. They relate thoughts behind research efforts, organization and prioritization of themes and interests and just how much information can be covered in a mere 500,000 words.     Fredrik Logevall is a Swedish-American historian and educator at Harvard University, where he is the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and professor of history in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. 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: John F. Kennedy poses at The Hague, Netherlands, during his tour of Europe. Photo Credit: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston., Public Domain Other releases in the "On Writing" series: BEYOND VIETNAM: SUNK COSTS IN PRESIDENTIAL STRATEGYEXPLOITING THE VOID: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MODERN PROPAGANDA(ON WRITING)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)THE VALUE OF WRITTEN THOUGHT: STEPHEN VOGEL (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)FINDING “WOW” MOMENTS (AND OTHER WRITING TIPS FOR SENIOR LEADERS) (ON WRITING)THE ART OF WRITING HISTORY (ON WRITING)

One of the things we're trying to do is encourage people...to start talking about older books, older readings, older things that are lost or never really well known that really should have been. A BETTER PEACE welcomes WAR ROOM editors Tom Bruscino and Jon Klug to explain the drive and desire behind the DUSTY SHELVES series. Podcast editor Ron Granieri moderates the discussion as all three examine some of their favorite and not-so-favorite historical works that deserve another look with fresh eyes. 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. Colonel Jon Klug, U.S. Army, is an Army Strategist and military historian and he is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of New Brunswick as well as an Associate Editor for WAR ROOM.  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: Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. Known to be a voracious reader and considered by many as a great thinker of the 20th century, he is seen here in his Sagamore Hill study contemplating one of the many offerings in his personal library. Photo Credit: Waldon Fawcett, Library of Congress c 16 March 1903, Public Domain Other releases in the "Dusty Shelves" series: BOOK LOVERS NEED APPLY: A DUSTY SHELVES PODCASTHOW A HOMING PIGEON SAVED THE LOST BATTALION OF WORLD WAR I (DUSTY SHELVES)COOK’S ‘MIDNIGHT DRAWINGS’ AND THEIR HAUNTING VIEWS OF WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)BUILDING THE CONTINENTAL ARMY: VON STEUBEN’S “BLUE BOOK” (DUSTY SHELVES)RECEIPT: BOMB, ATOMIC, 1 EACH (DUSTY SHELVES)NSC-68: THE POLICY DOCUMENT THAT SHAPED THE COLD WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)RIDGWAY’S MEMO: “WHY WE ARE HERE” (DUSTY SHELVES)

We need to go back and think big, and We need to think big fast.   A BETTER PEACE welcomes Major General Eirik Kristoffersen, Chief of the Norwegian Army, to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership. Major General Kristoffersen was in Carlisle to attend his induction into the International Fellows Hall of Fame at the U.S. Army War College. He becomes the 69th International Fellow to receive the honor. During the podcast he addresses the nature of the NATO alliance and the historical importance of allies to the country of Norway as well as the complicated relationship with its neighbor Russia. A BETTER PEACE podcast editor Ron Granieri moderates.     Maj. Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen is the Chief of Staff Norwegian Army and a distinguished member of the U.S. Army War College Resident Class of 2015. 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: Members of the Norwegian Home Guard Quick Reaction Force stopped by a main battle tank live-fire range in Rena, Norway, Feb. 18, 2016. The U.S. Marines and Norwegians are preparing for Exercise Cold Response 16, which will bring together 12 NATO Allied and partner nations and approximately 16,000 troops in order to enhance joint crisis response capabilities in cold weather environments. Photo Credit: Master Sgt. Chad McMeen, USMC Other releases in the "Leader's Perspectives" series: A CONVERSATION WITH THE HONORABLE MELISSA DALTON OF DEFENSE POLICYCAMPAIGNING IN THE PACIFIC: A CONVERSATION WITH GEN FLYNNA TRANSATLANTIC PERSPECTIVE ON NATO (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)OBSERVATIONS FROM NATO’S NORTHERN FRONT (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)ALLIES ARE MORE THAN FRIENDS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)THE CHALLENGES OF KEEPING SPACE SECURE (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)TENSIONS AND PARADOXES FACING SENIOR LEADERS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)LEADING AND WINNING IN GREAT POWER COMPETITION (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)LEARNING ABOUT LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE CLASSICS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)WHAT IT TAKES FOR COLONELS TO BE SUCCESSFUL (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)BALANCING BETWEEN CIVILIAN LIFE AND SERVICE IN THE NATIONAL GUARD“WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THERE” — AND OTHER CAUTIONARY TALES FOR LEADERSWHEN THE MILITARY IS NOT IN CHARGE: DEFENSE SUPPORT TO CIVIL AUTHORITIESWHAT DOES ‘SUCCESS’ MEAN AS A STRATEGIC LEADER?STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND CHANGING THE US ARMY IN EUROPETHE CHALLENGES OF SENIOR LEADER COMMUNICATIONTHE SENIOR NCO AS A STRATEGIC LEADERSTRATEGIC LEADERSHIP FROM AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVEWHAT DO THE BRITS THINK OF AMERICAN OFFICERS?PERSPECTIVES ON STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP — GEN. ROBIN RAND, U.S. AIR FORCE GLOBAL STRIKE COMMANDGROWING AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING CAPACITY

What are the costs for the U.S. of losing the war? And it's a sort of uncomfortable conversation in some ways because the answer may be not all that much. A BETTER PEACE returns with our three scholars of the American War in Vietnam and Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to examine the Tet Offensive and its significance in the Vietnam War in Episode 2. Bob Brigham, Hang Ngyuen and Greg Daddis continue the discussion about what we know, and more importantly, what we don't know about the period from 1968-1973 and how it affected U.S. and Vietnamese policy, strategy and tactics.   Robert K. Brigham is the Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College, USA. He is the author of numerous publications on American foreign relations. Gregory Daddis is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army and a Professor for the History Department in the Chapman University. Lien-Hang T. Nguyen is the Dorothy Borg Associate Professor in the History of the United States and East Asia. She specializes in the Vietnam War, U.S.-Southeast Asian relations, and the global Cold War. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of WAR ROOM. 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:  A VNAF UH-1H Huey loaded with Vietnamese evacuees on the deck of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Midway (CV-41) during Operation Frequent Wind, 29 April 1975 Photo Credit: U.S. Navy Photo Episode 1

From an American-centric scholarship standpoint, I think much of it is driven by this search for finding a scapegoat to make it understandable for why we lost.   A BETTER PEACE welcomes three scholars of the American War in Vietnam to sit down with Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to examine the Tet Offensive and its significance in the Vietnam War. Bob Brigham, Hang Ngyuen and Greg Daddis discuss what we know and, more importantly, what we don't know about the period from 1968-1973 and how it affected U.S. and Vietnamese policy, strategy and tactics.     Robert K. Brigham is the Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College, USA. He is the author of numerous publications on American foreign relations. Gregory Daddis is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a Professor of History and the Director of the Master of Arts Program in War and Society at Chapman University. He is the author of three books on the Vietnam war. Lien-Hang T. Nguyen is the Dorothy Borg Associate Professor in the History of the United States and East Asia. She specializes in the Vietnam War, U.S.-Southeast Asian relations, and the global Cold War. She is the author of "Hanoi’s War" and she is currently working on a comprehensive history of the Tet Offensive. Jacqueline E. Whitt is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of WAR ROOM. 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: President Johnson visited Gen William C. Westmoreland, U.S. military commander, in South Vietnam a month before Tet. Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force photo Episode 2

If you read a story and it sounds just too good to be true -- either good or bad -- open  up another window and look for the same topic from a different outlet. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Amanda Cronkhite, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of National Security and Strategy, to discuss the reality of media bias. She joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to take a critical look at the state of partisanship and objectivity in the realm of modern day as well as historical news sources.     Amanda Cronkhite is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College.  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. Image Description: An 1894 cartoon by Frederick Burr Opper criticizes American newspapers’ elasticity with the truth. Image Credit: Created by Frederick Burr Opper

HISTORICALLY WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO... READ ABOUT ANOTHER CULTURE, READ ABOUT THEIR HISTORY, THEIR ETHICAL DEVELOPMENT AND TO UNDERSTAND WHY A CULTURE DEVELOPED THE WAY THAT IT DID In a world that is dominated by discussions of artificial intelligence, increasing technology on the battlefield, and new domains in space and cyber, what part does history play in the development of today's military officer. Dr. Greta Bucher, Professor of History at the United States Military Academy, joins our Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss how an education in history is just as relevant today as it was a hundred years ago. But what should a historical education look like? Bucher and Whitt discuss the importance of incorporating social and cultural history, especially related to questions about race and gender, in the education of future military officers.     Dr. Greta Bucher is a Professor of History and the Vice-Deputy for Academic Affairs in the History Department at West Point Military Academy. Jacqueline E. Whitt is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of WAR ROOM. 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: In 1976, 119 female cadets, a few of them seen here with their male counterparts, became the first women to join the Corps of Cadets at The United States Military Academy at West Point. Of the original 119, 62 graduated in 1980. Photo Credit: Department of the Army

Our students come with a professional ethos and a professional mindset of being apolitical and fundamentally the decisions... we're talking about often are happening in the political realm. In a rather momentous occasion, our Editor-In-Chief Jacqueline Whitt turns over the reins of podcast production to our new Editor of A BETTER PEACE, Ron Granieri. After the hand-off, the conversation turns to thinking about how faculty and students at the War College, and other institutions, are approaching the teaching of national security policy and decision making given the current global and domestic political environment. How can national security professionals understand allies' and adversaries' actions and motivations? What is the relative importance of process and psychology in influencing national security decisions? What tools and frameworks might help us make sense of the world around us? Can Whitt and Granieri convince you that we are all Constructivists now?     Jacqueline E. Whitt is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of WAR ROOM. 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: President Donald J. Trump speaks at a ceremony honoring those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was held at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Washington, Sept. 11, 2019. Photo Credit: White House Photo

Imagine a conflict, a real war with China…what does war termination look like in that environment? In our third and final episode our scholars continue the discussion of war termination, the latest calls for more lethality and persistent presence of politics in every conflict in modern times. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Emily Knowles of the Oxford Research Group to join our own faculty members Tino Perez, Jacqueline Whitt, and Andrew Hiil to closely examine this article of faith of strategic thought. They each offer personal and professional opinions on the concept and delve into a great deal more in part one of this watercooler style discussion.     Emily Knowles is the Program Director of Oxford Research Group’s Remote Warfare Program. Celestino Perez is a colonel in the U.S. Army and a faculty instructor in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of WAR ROOM. Andrew A. Hill is the former Chair of Strategic Leadership and the first Editor-In-Chief of WAR ROOM 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: The Office of Naval Research Electromagnetic Railgun located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, fired a world-record setting 33 mega-joule shot, breaking the previous record established Jan. 31, 2008. The railgun is a long-range, high-energy gun launch system that uses electricity rather than gunpowder or rocket motors to launch projectiles capable of striking a target at a range of more than 200 nautical miles with Mach 7 velocity. A future tactical railgun will hit targets at ranges almost 20 times farther than conventional surface ship combat systems. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams Episode 1 Episode 2