A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

If [President Mnangagwa] wants a genuine legacy of someone who has restored Zimbabwe to great prominence, he has an opportunity here, but ... they have to show us. For nearly four decades, Robert Mugabe reigned over the African nation of Zimbabwe, a reign that ended as the result of a struggle over his succession followed by a military coup. But unlike military coups elsewhere, Zimbabwe's was bloodless and long-time minister Emmerson Mnangagwa would assume the Presidency peacefully. U.S. Army War College Director of African Studies Chris Wyatt tells the long and complicated story of how the transition occurred and what it means for the future of Zimbabwe and relations with African Union and United States. WAR ROOM podcast Editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-020-Wyatt-Whitt-Zimbabwe-Coup.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here.   Chris Wyatt is a colonel in the U.S. Army and is the Director of African Studies at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is the WAR ROOM podcast editor. 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: Protesters demonstrate outside the Embassy of Zimbabwe in London to call on the leader of the country Robert Mugabe to resign on November 18, 2017 in London, England. Photo Credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

I would urge your listeners ... Don't fall under this illusion that there are easy military answers to difficult geo-political questions. WAR ROOM welcomes Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Boot is a critic of the Trump Administration, and during this podcast he challenges the President's approach to national decision making. He expresses concerns that the Administration's approach is ill-suited to today's challenges. He also directs some of his concerns toward military officials, especially on the potential of the U.S. to become too enamored with military solutions. Could the U.S. find itself again embroiled in unconventional fights where tactical successes are undermined by strategic setbacks? WAR ROOM podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-024-Max-Boot-NDS.mp3   You can also download the podcast here.   Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Jacqueline E. Whitt is the WAR ROOM podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast 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: U.S. President Donald Trump and his senior national security staff attend a briefing with senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in October 2017.  Photo Credit: Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images

[COOK SAID,] 'These faces. I didn't get to know all their names. They joined my platoon, and many of them were dead by morning.' For forty-six years after the Korean War, veteran John A. Cook would be haunted by the memories of fighting and of his fellow soldiers being killed or wounded. What is now recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD had no name at the time, and veterans like Cook had nowhere to turn to get help. Instead, as the horrific images of war would waken him at night, he began drawing those images on paper as a way of dealing with his inner pain. The resulting collection of his "Midnight Drawings" are now in the possession of the Army Heritage and Education Center, and the subject of this podcast. Jim McNally, AHEC's Curator of Art, tells this powerful, moving story with Jacqueline E. Whitt, War Room podcast editor.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-004-McNally-Whitt-DS-Cook-artwork.mp3   You can also download the podcast here. Click here to access the Army Heritage and Education Center page on the Cook "Midnight Drawing" collection. Below is the drawing referenced in the podcast, titled "Mattson - Head and Back Wounds."   Jim McNally is Curator of Art at the Army Heritage and Education Center. Jacqueline E. Whitt is the WAR ROOM podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast 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: Close-up of "Mattson - Head and Back Wounds" by John A. Cook. Posts 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)

What becomes the dominant narrative? [The Vietnam War has] been examined principally through American eyes. The Tet Offensive was an important event during the U.S. war in Vietnam. After three years of direct involvement by U.S. combat troops, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were convinced that the relationship between the U.S. and South Vietnam was fragile, and that military action could drive a wedge between them. This could bring about an uprising by the South Vietnamese people against their own government and severely weaken the ARVN, the South's military. Despite being arguably a military victory for the U.S. and its South Vietnamese ally, the Offensive was ultimately a strategic defeat. WAR ROOM welcomes U.S. Army War College Professor of Security Studies Dr. Frank Jones to discuss why this is so and what it means for the U.S. fifty years later.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-018-Jones-Whitt-Tet-50th-Anniversary.mp3   You can download a copy of the podcast here.   Frank Jones is Professor of Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and WAR ROOM's podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast 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: Leathernecks of the 3d Bn., Fourth Marine Regiment salute fallen Marines during Memorial Services held at Khe Sanh. The unit of the 3d Marine Division was joined by soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Memorial Services. Photo Credit:  SSgt Fred Lowe III, U.S. Marine Corps, accessed via DoDLive.mil Posts in the "Anniversaries" series: ON BEING A ‘DIFFERENT’ KIND OF COMMAND — AFRICOM AT 10 YEARS (PART 2)THE TET OFFENSIVE: 50 YEARS LATERREFLECTIONS ON THE HUE CITY MASSACREREMEMBERING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGELOOKING TO THE PAST TO CHANGE THE FUTUREOUR 300th FREAKIN’ EPISODE!

Iraqis came up to [COL Rick Schwartz] and said, 'Thanks for getting rid of Saddam. What do we do now?' Rick had no answer. That coalition forces were ill-prepared and ill-equipped to secure the peace after capturing Baghdad is well understood. How has the joint community evolved its doctrine and postured itself better to address the demands of post-conflict environments? WAR ROOM welcomes Bill Flavin and Scott Braderman from the U.S. Army War College's Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute to present on-going discussions at joint and interagency levels.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-002-Securing-Victory-FIXED.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here.   Bill Flavin is Assistant Director at the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) at the U.S. Army War College. Scott Braderman is PKSOI's chief of research. The views expressed in this podcast 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: US soldiers deploy in a street during clashes with Iraqis in the northern city of Mosul 13 June 2003. Photo Credit: Ramzi Haidar/AFP/Getty Images

I tell people today that history makes you smarter, but your heritage makes you prouder. The U.S. Army War College routinely hosts senior military and civilian leaders who come to meet and work with faculty and students on matters of national security, strategic leadership, and professional military education. WAR ROOM is pleased to welcome Gen Robin Rand, U.S. Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command who graciously accepted our invitation to come to the studio and provide his perspectives on strategic leadership. WAR ROOM Social Media Editor Buck Haberichter moderates. https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-005-Rand-Haberichter-Senior-Leader-Perspectives.mp3 You can also download a copy of the podcast here. General Robin Rand, U.S. Air Force, is commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command and Commander, Air Forces Strategic - Air, U.S. Strategic Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Buck Haberichter is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and is WAR ROOM's Social Media Editor. Photo Credit:  Senior Airman Hailey R. Staker, U.S. Air Force Releases from the Leader 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

[VON STEUBEN] WAS THE RIGHT MAN AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND THE RIGHT TIME. In the next installment of in our Dusty Shelves series, "Building the Continental Army: Von Steuben's 'Blue Book'," Jack Giblin and Jacqueline E. Whitt tell the story behind the Continental Army's first training manual. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian Army officer who volunteered to come to the American colonies and serve as inspector general for the Continental Army. His book, entitled Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States would become the standard U.S. Army drill manual through 1812.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-003-Giblin-Whitt-DS-vonSteuben-Blue-Book-Final.mp3   You may also download a copy of the podcast here. Click here to access a full PDF version of the Blue Book (warning: 26MB!). Or, click here to access the Blue Book at the U.S. Library of Congress, which allows access to individual pages.   Jack Giblin is the Chief of Visitor and Education Services at the Army Heritage and Education Center. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and WAR ROOM podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast 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: Portrait extracted from "Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben," by Ralph Earl 1786 (public domain) via the U.S. National Park Service. Inside cover of the Blue Book from the U.S. Army website. Composite assembled by Tom Galvin.   Posts 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)

This [National Security Strategy] sort of fits the mold, in that it is strong on ends, aspirations, and vision, but vague on ways. In this podcast, four members of the U.S. Army War College engage in dialogue about the Trump Administration's National Security Strategy (NSS), released in December 2017. Beyond focusing on the content of the strategy itself, they look at it through a historical lens. What is new and what is unchanged from previous strategies may be surprising.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-011-NSS-roundtable-Final.mp3   You can also download the podcast here.   Mark Duckenfield is Chair of the Department of National Security Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. Richard Lacquement is Dean of the School of Strategic Landpower at the U.S. Army War College. Michelle Ryan is a colonel in the U.S. Army and Director of the National Security Policy Program at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and WAR ROOM's Podcast Editor. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, and Department of Defense. Photo Credit:  The White House.

Washington [will] realize early on that he is playing a losing hand and has to change how he plays that hand. This inaugural episode of the Great Captains series focuses on George Washington from his early career aspirations as a colonel in the British (!) Army to leadership of the American Revolution. Throughout, Washington's ability to learn from previous failure, understanding of British weaknesses, concern for his troops helped him overcome the uncertainty about the revolution's success. Len Fullenkamp and Andrew A. Hill discuss this compelling but lesser known side of General George Washington. WAR ROOM podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt introduces the episode with a backgrounder on the Great Captains series.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-001-Fullenkamp-Hill-GC-Washington.mp3   You may also download the podcast here.   Len Fullenkamp is a military historian and retired Professor of National Security Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Andrew A. Hill is editor-in-chief of WAR ROOM. The views expressed in this production are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Image: George Washington on horseback in snow at Valley Forge. By Percy Moran, 1911. Posts in the "Great Captains" series: KNOWING WHEN A WAR IS UNWINNABLE — GENERAL FREDERICK C. WEYAND (GREAT CAPTAINS)AN UNBEATEN ROMAN GENERAL: SCIPIO AFRICANUS (GREAT CAPTAINS)KNOW THY ENEMY: OSAMA BIN LADEN & RISE OF THE NON-STATE ACTOR (GREAT CAPTAINS)GEORGE C. MARSHALL & LEADING THE NATIONAL WAR EFFORT (GREAT CAPTAINS)THE PARTNERSHIP OF ROBERT E. LEE AND STONEWALL JACKSON (GREAT CAPTAINS)HANNIBAL AND THE MARCH THROUGH THE ALPS (GREAT CAPTAINS)WILLIAM T. SHERMAN: THE FIRST ‘MODERN’ GENERAL (GREAT CAPTAINS)GEORGE WASHINGTON: THE LESSONS OF FAILURE (GREAT CAPTAINS)

[Operation Christmas Drop] says a great thing about the ability to train and operate in the real world environment. ... The humanitarian mission has always been a part of the military. Sometimes great traditions happen by accident or circumstance. Spur of the moment actions by an aircrew in 1952 have grown to become an annual multinational humanitarian assistance event. Operation Christmas Drop is a airdrop mission conducted each December to deliver supplies to citizens of remote Pacific Islands. In this podcast, U.S. Air Force officer Buck Haberichter tells the history and significance of the mission, along with his own personal experiences. War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates. Buck Haberichter is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a faculty instructor at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is a professor of strategy at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, or the Department of Defense. Photo Description: A C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, drops a low-cost, low-altitude bundle over the Federated States of Micronesia during Operation Christmas Drop Dec.13, 2015. Operation Christmas Drop is the Department of Defense`s longest running humanitarian mission covering 56 remote islands in Micronesia. Photo Credit:  U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Melissa K. Mekpongsatorn