A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

This is a hand receipt unlike any other. … Imagine instead of signing for an office key or a computer, … you’ve just taken responsibility for the first atomic weapon. Military historian Con Crane tells the story behind an unusual hand receipt, showing the transfer of responsibility of the components of the ‘Little Boy’ atomic weapon to Thomas Ferrell, Deputy Director of the Manhattan Project. Mr. Ferrell kept the receipt in his wallet for the rest of his life, and it eventually came into possession of the Army Heritage and Education Center. A fascinating story of bureaucracy at work! War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/17-102-Crane-Whitt-Atomic-Bomb-Hand-Receipt-RLS.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here. Below is a graphic of the hand-receipt.   Con Crane is a military historian with the Army Heritage and Education Center and associated editor of War Room. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Photo: Photograph of a mock-up of the Little Boy nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945.  Photo Credit: U.S. National Archives. 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)

[9/11] was a mixture of the intensity of doing my job with the surreal. Strategic intelligence plays a vital role in the national security policy arena, but it is not well-understood because of its secret nature and the tendency for both policymakers and the public to pay attention to it generally only after a crisis has occurred. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 signaled a major shift in the way strategic intelligence functions within the U.S. This podcast presents an insider’s view of this evolution. War Room welcomes special guest Michael Morell, former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010-2013, culminating a thirty-three year career in the agency. This included being with President George W. Bush during 9/11 and witnessing the deliberations of key strategic decisions that followed. Dr. Genevieve Lester, the War College’s De Serio Chair of Strategic Intelligence, moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/17-110-Morell-Lester-War-on-Terror-RLS.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here.     Michael Morell is former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010-2013. Genevieve Lester is the De Serio Chair of Strategic Intelligence 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, the U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Photo Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

[PRESIDENT TRUMAN] WAS INTERESTED IN TAKING A LOOK AT AMERICA'S POSITION IN THE WORLD. In 1950, competition between the U.S. and its Allies and the Soviet Union was growing in intensity. Concerned over debt and seeming fragility of post-World War II peace, President Truman felt was time to re-examine “our objectives in peace and war and the effect of these objectives on our strategic plans.” The resulting document, National Security Council Report no. 68, would become the foundation of national security policy through the Cold War. Dr. Tami Davis Biddle examines the policy and the individuals responsible for its preparation, particularly Paul Nitze and George Kennan. She also discusses NSC 68 as an example of grand strategy and why it is so difficult to craft such a powerful and broad national security policy today. War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/17-105-Biddle-Whitt-NSC-68-RLS.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here.   Tami Davis Biddle is Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy and 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 the Department of Defense. Image composed by Tom Galvin. Eagle photo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, cover of NSC 68 from the Truman Presidential Archives. 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)

The 2017 release of a television series on Vietnam War from director Ken Burns has renewed interest and controversy surrounding the purpose of the war and its effects. In this podcast, military historian, retired U.S. Army War College professor, and Vietnam veteran Len Fullenkamp presents his perspective on why the U.S. became involved. He also discusses the social and political change that happened at the same time, and how institutions such as education and political structures changed as a result. What does the Vietnam experience teach us about matters of national security policy today? What should military leaders learn from Vietnam so they may better render best military advice to their civilian overseers?

War Room welcomes Dr. Rob Farley, author of Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force, to discuss and critique the National Security Act of 1947 which included the establishment of an independent Air Force. Was it wise to separate the Air Force from the Army and pursue an unrealized promise of airpower solving national security problems on its own? Is the interservice rivalry that followed more destructive than helpful – and did the Goldwater-Nichols Act do enough to mitigate it? What can one learn from the establishment of an independent air force when considering new or emerging domains such as space or cyber? These and other questions are debated under the moderation of Dr. Mark Duckenfield, Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College.

In this podcast, military historian Len Fullenkamp reflects on the importance of immersing oneself in the minds of strategic leaders facing dynamic and complex situations. One tool is the staff ride, an opportunity to walk a battlefield and understand the strategic perspective of the leaders prosecuting a campaign. What was the decision made then and what can it teach us about strategic decisions now?

The Arctic may be a very cold region, but in matters of national security today it is a hot topic. War Room welcomes guest podcaster Dr. Dawn Berry, a renowned expert in the Arctic region. She presents the geographic perimeter of U.S. security interests from the late 19th to early 20th century, which includes far-flung and diverse locations such as Greenland and the Virgin Islands. Presently, both get a lot of attention due to their historical strategic importance, such as Greenland's special minerals and Virgin Islands' proximity. How important is this region to U.S. interests today? War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.

War Room welcomes our distinguished guest, Brigadier General Emmaneul Kotia, Deputy Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Ghana. BG Kotia stopped by while visiting War Colleges in the U.S. to discuss opportunities for further collaboration in peace operations and training. In this podcast, BG Kotia explains the roles and offerings from the KAIPTC and addresses the complexity of peace operations in Africa, such as the high number of disparate factions usually involved in conflicts and the challenge of brokering peace agreements so the peacekeepers can operate under clear guidance and rules of engagements. Brian Foster from the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute moderates.

Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway assumed command of Eighth U.S. Army after it had been driven south in the early phases of the Korean War. Faced with a broken and dispirited force, Ridgway had to turn the situation around quickly. His memorandum of January 1951, “Why We Are Here,” was a message to the troops about what was at stake, and embodied his belief in the cause and faith in the fighting spirit of the force. In six months, a rejuvenated Eighth U.S. Army had driven the Chinese north of the 38th parallel. It is one of the great stories of U.S. military history. This inaugural episode of the Dusty Shelves series, Army historian Con Crane and War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt present the memorandum and the story of Lieutenant General Ridgway. The memorandum, displayed and transcribed below, comes from the collection of Ridgway’s papers available at the Army Heritage and Education Center.

War Room welcomes special guest Martin Lacourt, the senior armed forces delegate to the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) regional delegation to the US and Canada. In addition to discussing the role the ICRC plays in monitoring conflict and protecting human rights and dignity during war, M. Lacourt also discusses the relationship that the ICRC has had with the U.S. military, a relationship that has grown since the turn of the 21st Century. He discusses the urgency of keeping the laws of warfare current and relevant in today’s dynamic and increasingly dangerous world, and offers advice for strategic leaders on how to properly engage with international actors. War Room associate editor Ryan McCannell moderates.