The Trident

Guests Michael Knights and co-host Jane Stokes join Dave Brown to discuss the first book in a series detailing the outcome of a set of modern irregular warfare operations over control of Southern Yemen in 2015. The first book details the Yemeni Houthis’ attempts to take over the port of Aden in their coup against the UN-backed government of the country. The opposing force preventing this Iranian proxy from threating a second major strategic waterway and potentially impacting global trade through Suez, are the small but highly capable UAE special forces, honed alongside NATO and the US in the fires of Afghanistan. Join us for this fascinating look at capable foreign fighting forces in 25 Days to Aden, by Michael Knights.Articles:25 Days to Aden - The Unknown Story of Arabian Elite Forces at War, Washington Institute, January 2023Guests:Jane Stokes is associate professor in the Joint Military Operations Department, College of Distance Education, U.S. Naval War College. She is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, having served over 25 years in both active and reserve components. As a military officer she served as a Marine foreign advisor, attaché, and liaison officer in numerous embassies, and served as International Programs Branch Chief for the CENTCOM J2, working on Security Cooperation efforts and partner engagement with allies and partners. Previously she was the MARCENT Liaison Officer to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Arabic speaker, she also spent almost a decade working for Department of State's Foreign Service, and has extensive experience in the Middle East region with a focus on counterterrorism and foreign policy. She holds a MA from American Military University in Strategic Intelligence, and a MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Jane is the author of Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq, featured on the Marine Corps Commandant’s Professional Reading List, and she has appeared on numerous national media outlets.Michael Knights, Ph.D. serves as the Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He is the co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Michael has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf states, and regularly briefs government policymakers, congressional committees, and the U.S. military on regional security affairs. He has worked extensively with local military and security agencies on the ground in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Yemen. He previously worked as the head of analysis for a range of security and oil companies, directing information-collection teams in Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, and before that, worked as a defense journalist for the Gulf States Newsletter as well as Jane's Intelligence Review. Michael has written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Journal for Strategic Studies, and CTC’s The Sentinel, as well as other policy news outlets. He holds a doctorate from the Department of War Studies, King's College London.

Nolan Peterson, an award-winning journalist and former US Air Force pilot, and Kateryna Bondar, a defense advisor in Ukraine, unveil the revolutionary impact of drone warfare across battlefields. They discuss the swift evolution of drone technology since 2014, contrasting traditional military methods with Ukraine's innovative grassroots approaches. The podcast explores drones' lethal capabilities, their psychological effects on soldiers, and how AI integration is reshaping combat strategies, marking a new era in military operations and procurement.

Guests Gen (Retired) Joseph L. Votel, and Dr. Colin P. Clarke join host Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Heidi Lane to discuss the U.S. mission in Syria and the implications for U.S. counter-terrorism in the region and continuing to prevent the re-emergence of ISIS.Articles:In Syria, America Should Be Ruthlessly Focused on the Islamic State, J. Votel & E. Dent, WOTR, 17 Jan 2025Trump Administration’s Counterterrorism Policy Should Begin at Golan Heights, C. Costa & C. Clarke, Cipher Brief, 8 Jan 2025See Also:The Danger of Abandoning Our Partners J. Votel & E. Dent, The Atlantic, 8 Oct 2019How to Protect America After the Syria Withdrawal J. Votel & E. Dent, The Atlantic, 21 Oct 2019See More:Beyond Assad: The Rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Syria’s Uncertain Future, R. Rossoukh, Brandeis University, 18 Dec 2024Israel demands complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, S. Usher, BBC News, 24 Feb 2025Squeezed between Turkey and Sharaa, Syria's Kurds face stark choices, A. Zaman, Al-Monitor, 13 Feb 2025Post-Paris Steps in Syria Could Be Decisive, D. Margolin & A. Zelin, Washington Institute, 28 Feb 2025The Syria Breakdown, Episode Four: Revolutionary Rebuilding and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), A. Zelin, Washington Institute, 28 Feb 2025Guests:Joseph L. Votel, General USA, (Retired); Retired four-star general in the U.S Army, and former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Mar 2016 to Mar 2019, where he oversaw military operations across the region, including the campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He also served as the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). During his military career, Gen Votel gained extensive operational experience across the Middle East, the Levant, Central and South Asia, Northern Africa, and the Horn of Africa. Votel is a non-resident distinguished senior fellow on national security at the Middle East Institute.Colin P. Clarke, Ph.D., Director of Research and Senior Research Fellow at The Soufan Group (TSG), an intelligence and security consulting firm based in New York City. He is also an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT) - The Hague, and a non-resident Senior Fellow in the Program on National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Prior to joining TSG, Clarke was a professor in the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. He frequently appears in the media as a subject expert on global security, conflict, and terrorism, and is the author of several books, including After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future Terrorist Diaspora.

Rebecca Patterson, an expert in international affairs and former U.S. Army officer, joins Susan Bryant, strategic education leader and Army veteran, Ken Gleiman, retired U.S. Army Colonel and editor, and Christian Trotti, defense strategy researcher. They discuss their book on winning without direct conflict, advocating for strategies that blend military, economic, and information statecraft. Topics include the relevance of Sun Tzu’s philosophy, the impact of sanctions, and the critical need for a coordinated national information strategy in today’s geopolitical landscape.

Guest Reyes Cole joins host Dave Brown to discuss the subject of Network Engagement, a growing area of doctrinal importance for various types of operational analysis, and one that underpins nearly every operational mission set, as well as every one of the currently identified Irregular Warfare activities.Articles:Outmatched - Shortfalls in Countering Threat Networks, D. Doran, NDU Press, JFQ 89, 2nd Quarter 2018Countering Threat Networks to Deter, Compete, and Win - Competition Below Armed Conflict with Revisionist Powers, V. Oxford, NDU Press, JFQ 95, 4th Quarter 2019How NATO Can Support Countering Threat Networks, J. Gardner, Counter-IED Report, Autumn/Winter 2013Joint Publication 3-25 Countering Threat NetworksThe Myths of Traditional Warfare: How Our Peer and Near-Peer Adversaries Plan to Fight Using Irregular Warfare, R. Cole, Small Wars Journal, 28 Mar 2019------------------------Guest:Reyes Cole Serves as the Irregular Warfare and Competition capability developer and analyst for HQ USMC, within the Ground Combat Element Division, and the Capability Development Directorate (CDD). Mr. Cole has served with the USMC for over a decade as the lead for institutionalizing Irregular Warfare requirements into Marine Corps missions and requirements. Reyes retired in 2012 from the US Army as a LTC after 26 years of service in infantry and Special Forces units. His military service focused on counternarcotics missions at home and abroad, and his background also includes experience in civil affairs, security cooperation, security force assistance, network engagement, countering transnational organized crime, counterinsurgency, stabilization activities, and counter threat finance.

Guests Dr. Hany Farid and Ted Schlein join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Tim Schultz to discuss deepfake technology and the challenge of the proliferation of fake news and disinformation. One of Aesop’s fables was titled Prometheus and Dolus, or sometimes alternatively titled, On Truth and Falsehood. In the fable, Prometheus can bring to life the figures he creates, and so he makes a sculpture of Truth (Veritas). When he is called away by Zeus, he leaves his workshop in the hands of his apprentice Dolus (the Greek God of Deception). While he is gone, Dolus fashions a replica of Prometheus's Truth, but runs out of clay, so his statue has no feet. When Prometheus returns, he marvels at the flawless likeness and fires both sculptures in the oven. When both figures come to life, Prometheus' Veritas (Truth) walks gracefully forward, while Dolus’ figure remains still - unable to walk. Ever after, Dolus' figure was called Mendacity (Falsehood). This is a fitting description of our topic which concerns the ever-growing area of deepfake digital media, its potential for tremendous negative consequences for domestic and international cybersecurity, its larger potential for societal disruption, and recommendations for how best to address it.Articles:California Enacts New Laws to Combat AI-Generated Deceptive Election Content, S. Levi, T. Rosen et al, Skadden, 27 Sep 2024California Passes Election ‘Deepfake’ Laws, Forcing Social Media Companies to Take Action, NYT, 17 Sep 2024Deepfakes Are Evolving. This Company Wants to Catch Them All, W. Knight, Wired, 27 Jun 2024Hany Farid: Creating, Weaponizing, and Detecting Deep Fakes, UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, 3 May 2023 (video)A Forensics Expert on Princess Kate’s Photo—and How Credentialing Tools Can Help Build Trust in a World of Increasing Uncertainty, H. Farid, TIME, 12 Mar 2024AI is destabilizing ‘the concept of truth itself’ in 2024 election, P. Verma & G. De Vynck, Washington Post, 22 Jan 2024Hany Farid: To limit disinformation, we must regulate internet platforms, E. Lempinen, UC Berkeley News, 21 Nov, 2023Podcast: Hany Farid on deep fakes, doctored photos, and disinformation, H. Farid, Q. Jurecic & E. Douek, Brookings, 24 Jul 2020 (Podcast)Creating,Using, Misusing, and Detecting Deep Fakes, Farid, H. (2022). Creating, Using, Misusing, and Detecting Deep Fakes. Journal of Online Trust and Safety, 1(4). https://doi.org/10.54501/jots.v1i4.56CV: https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110075/witnesses/HHRG-116-IF16-Bio-FaridH-20191016.pdfTed Schlein’s 2-year-old Ballistic Ventures has already raised a second $360 million fund, J. Bort, TechCrunch, 14 Mar 2024Cybersecurity investor Ted Schlein: ‘I think the whole landscape needs to be completely rethought’, A. Janofsky, The Record, 22 Apr 2021Could AI and Deepfakes Sway the US Election?, L. Feiger, WIRED, 6 Sep 2024The Trouble With Deepfakes: Liar's Dividend, FT Tech Tonic, 22 Aug 2024Guests:Timothy Schultz, Ph.D., Col., U.S. Air Force (Retired) - Co-HostAssociate Dean of Academics at the U.S. Naval War College. Dr. Schultz is a retired Air Force colonel and former U-2 pilot, and previously served as dean of the U.S. Air Force's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Tim's research interests include the transformative role of automation in warfare and the impact of technological change on institutions, society and military strategy. He authored "The Problem with Pilots: How Physicians, Engineers, and Airpower Enthusiasts Redefined Flight" and co-edited "Air Power in the Age of Primacy: Air Warfare since the Cold War."Hany Farid, Ph.D.Chief Science Officer at GetReal Labs specializing in image analysis, digital forensics, and the intersection of technology and society particularly as it pertains to online harms. Dr. Farid is also a professor at the University of California, Berkeley with a joint appointment in electrical engineering & computer sciences and the School of Information. He is a member of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Lab, Berkeley Institute for Data Science, Center for Innovation in Vision and Optics, Development Engineering, Vision Science Program, and is a senior faculty advisor for the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. His research focuses on digital forensics where he develops computational and mathematical techniques to authenticate digital media and debunk deepfakes.Ted SchleinChairman Ballistic Ventures, & general partner for 25 years at Kleiner Perkins. Ted’s career in venture capital spans more than 30 years in the field of cybersecurity, and his roles as operator, founder, investor and advisor have resulted in the creation of companies that have fundamentally shaped the cybersecurity landscape. Ted also provides counsel to the U.S. intelligence community, serves on the Board of Trustees at InQTel, and he is a board member of the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s Advisory Committee. Ballistic Ventures is the embodiment of Ted’s vision for how venture capital can play a crucial role in the continual fight for a free and secure digital future.

Professor Jacob Ware joins host Col. Dave Brown and Dr. Timothy Hoyt to discuss both current manifestations of and potential future episodes of election violence in this presidential election cycle. Quoting from one of Professor Ware's recent articles, "counterterrorism scholars and analysts have predicted for [some time] that the 2024 presidential election would provide a particularly volatile flashpoint for election violence. The near-assassination of Trump demonstrates the accuracy of these concerns—but they are only part of the story."The conversation ranges from how political rhetoric framed in existential terms drives these outcomes, the staggering percentages of the U.S. polity that feel violence might be necessary to fix U.S. political problems, and identifies potential target orientations before, during, and after the election. This timely discussion focuses on the growth and significance of both realized and potential political violence in our country as we move into this important election season, and beyond.Articles/Reference:Election Violence Is Already in Full Swing, J. Ware, Lawfare, 22 Sep 2024Opinion: Trump assassination attempts are just the beginning. Imagine what is coming after the election, J. Ware & C. Clarke, L.A. Times, 17 Sep 2024How Bad Will Political Violence in the U.S. Get? B. Hoffman & J. War, Foreign Policy, 28 Jun 2024Preventing U.S. Election Violence in 2024, J. Ware, CFR, 17 April 2024Political Violence Becomes America's New Norm - But is Still Shocking, A. Zurcher, BBC, 15 Sep 20242 Virginia Guardsmen Are Running a Rural Anti-Government Militia, S. Beynon, Military.com, 5 Sep 2024Could Civil War Erupt in America?, R. Agrawal, Foreign Policy, 29 Aug 2024 (video)Iran Hack Illuminates Long-Standing Trends—and Raises New Challenges, R. DiResta, Lawfare, 26 Aug 2024Two Ex-Marines Sentenced for Terror Plot to Attack Power Grid, N. Slayton, Task & Purpose, 27 Jul 2024FBI Probing Trump Rally Shooting as ‘Domestic Terrorism’ as RNC Opens, Al Jazeera, 15 Jul 2024Guests:Timothy D. Hoyt, Ph.D. – Co-HostSenior Professor at the U.S. Naval War College’s Strategy and Policy Department. Professor Hoyt holds the John Nicholas Brown Chair of Counterterrorism and Academic Director of the Advanced Strategist Program. Publications include articles on the war on terrorism in South Asia, the limits of military force in the global war on terrorism, military innovation and warfare in the developing world, and the impact of nuclear weapons on recent crises in South Asia. He is currently working on a book on American military strategy in the 21st Century, and a study of the strategy of the Irish Republican Army from 1913-2005.Jacob WareResearch fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where he studies domestic and international terrorism and counterterrorism. Together with Bruce Hoffman, he is the author of God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America. In addition to his work at CFR, Ware is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he teaches a class on domestic terrorism, as well as at DeSales University. He also serves on the editorial boards for the academic journal Studies in Conflict & Terrorism and the Irregular Warfare Initiative at the Modern War Institute at West Point, and was a spring 2024 visiting fellow at the University of Oslo's Center for Research on Extremism.

In this special episode, on the occasion of the 140th Anniversary of the U.S. Naval War College, we take a break from the annals of Irregular Warfare and focus on the historical legacy and significance of this storied institution. Viribus Mari Victoria: or from the Latin (Victory thru Sea Power) is the motto of the college, and Dr. John Hattendorf and Dr. John Maurer join host COL Dave Brown as they reflect on the oldest continuing institution of its kind in the world. The Naval War College is a national treasure, and quoting its founder, Admiral Stephen Luce, its legacy and task today, remains to; “broaden an officer’s views, extend his mental horizon on national and international questions, and give him a just appreciation of the great variety and extent of the requirements of his (or her) profession.”Reference:Sailors and Scholars - The Centennial History of the U.S. Naval War College by John B. Hattendorf, B. Mitchell Simpson, III, John R. Wadleigh. Newport, R.I. : Naval War College Press ; 1984Guests:John B. Hattendorf, D.Phil., D.Litt., L.H.D., F.R.Hist.S.Professor Emeritus, and former Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History from 1984 to 2016, Professor Hattendorf also served as Chair of the College’s Advanced Research Department, Chair of the Maritime History Department, and Director of the Naval War College Museum. A former Surface Warfare Officer, he earned degrees in history from Kenyon College, Brown University, and the University of Oxford. He is the author or editor of more than 50 books, including "Sailors and Scholars," and the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History."John H. Maurer, Ph.D.The Alfred Thayer Mahan Distinguished University Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy at the college. He also served as the Chair of the Strategy and Policy Department, where he led a major reform of the College’s curriculum on strategy. He is a graduate of Yale University and holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is the author or editor of books examining the outbreak of the First World War, naval rivalries and arms control between the two world wars, and a study about Winston Churchill’s views on British foreign policy and grand strategy. He is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and served as executive editor of Orbis: A Journal of World Affairs. He also serves on the Academic Board of Advisers of The International Churchill Society, and has served on the Secretary of the Navy’s advisory committee on naval history.

Marking the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, guests Dr. Tim Hoyt and Dr. Craig Whiteside join host Col. Dave Brown as they revisit their policy roundtable 2019 article, “Retrospect and Prospect: On Endless War,” and continue their discussion and analysis of not only how American thinking and counter-terrorism efforts have evolved, but that the simmering threats of Al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State still deserve continued monitoring.Articles:Policy Roundtable: 17 Years After September 11, R. Evans et al, TNSR, 11 Sep 2018Non-state campaigning: Islamic State’s guerrilla warfare doctrine, C. Whiteside, et al, Jul 2024The Persistent Threat of Global Terrorism, P. Brookes, GIS Reports, 4 Apr 2024Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Office of DIA, 5 Feb 2024The Terrorism Warning Lights Are Blinking Red Again, G. Allison & M. Morell, Foreign Affairs, 10 Jun 2024Where Do We Stand with Al-Qaeda and ISIS? International Salafi Networks in 2024, A. Byers, Small Wars Journal, 16 Jun 2024‘ISIS Isn’t Done With Us’: Arrested Tajiks Highlight US Fears of Terror Attack on US, K. Lillis & J. Campbell, CNN, 14 Jun 2024The Islamic State: Background, Current Status, and U.S. Policy, Congressional Research Service, May 2024Guests:Timothy D. Hoyt, Ph.D.Senior Professor at the U.S. Naval War College’s Strategy and Policy Department. Professor Hoyt holds the John Nicholas Brown Chair of Counterterrorism and Academic Director of the Advanced Strategist Program. Publications include articles on the war on terrorism in South Asia, the limits of military force in the global war on terrorism, military innovation & warfare in the developing world.Craig Whiteside, Ph.D.Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College’s resident program at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a senior associate with the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups, and a fellow at the International Centre for Counter-terrorism – The Hague, and George Washington's Program on Extremism. Whiteside’s current research focuses on the doctrinal influences on the leadership of the so-called Islamic State movement and its evolving strategies. He is a former U.S. Army officer with combat experience in the Middle East.

In conjunction with the 2024 Maritime Symposium: Exploring Our Maritime Strategies II, guests Royal Navy Commodore Adrian Fryer (Ret.) and Mr. Evan Curt join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Jon R. Huggins to discuss security threats to shipping, particularly energy exports sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Listen to this episode to gain an overview of the security threats within this critical maritime strait, and to global maritime commerce.Articles:DIA Report on Houthi Attacks and Pressure on International Trade, USNI News, 13 June 202465 countries affected by Houthi attacks in Red Sea, including Iran, A. Helou, Breaking Defense, 13 Jun 2024Maritime Terrorism Is on The Rise Whether We Notice It or Not, The Diplomatic Courier, 23 May 2024Ending the Houthi Threat to Red Sea, N. Al-Dawsari, Casey Cooms, et al, American Enterprise Institute, 26 Mar 2024IntelBrief: Iran and the Houthis Issue New Threats to Commercial Shipping, The Soufan Center, 26 Mar 2024Escalating Houthi attacks could affect 90% of world trade, ABC News, 21 Feb 2024Co-Host:Jon Huggins Associate Professor for International Programs at the U.S. Naval War College. As the founding Director of the Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) program during the height of the Somali piracy crisis, his organization’s research was featured by the BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Al Jazeera. OBP was also a key contributor to the release of 44 piracy hostages held in Somalia for up to four years. He later worked across four continents as a maritime security consultant for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Maritime Organization, the G7++ Presidency and the commercial shipping industry. A career Navy P-3 Naval Flight Officer, he directed multi-squadron flight operations for Operation Enduring Freedom, and also served on the NATO and EU Military Staffs in Brussels, 7th Fleet HQ, and was a Federal Executive Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a member of the CNO Executive Panel staff.Guests:Evan CurtDeputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs, Republic of the Marshall Islands. In 2012, Mr. Curt joined International Registries, Inc.’s Maritime Services Group as Maritime Security & Investigations Coordinator and in 2015 was promoted to Ship Security Manager. In 2021, Mr. Curt was promoted to Vice President, Maritime Security. In this role, Mr. Curt is responsible for issues relating to the ISPS Code and related maritime security issues and initiatives including piracy and armed robbery against ships, maritime terrorism, stowaways, contraband smuggling, and maritime cyber risk management. He serves as a delegate to many maritime security working groups coordinated and supported by shipping industry associations, NATO, coalition naval forces, and the IMO. Mr. Curt earned his M.A. in Maritime Security from Coventry University, his M.B.A. from Arizona State University, and his B.A. in Business and International Studies from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Curt is a certified ISO 9001:2008 Lead Internal Auditor and ISPS Code Security Officer.Adrian FryerA 31-year career warfare officer in the Royal Navy with a wide range of operational and academic experience. Sea Commands included HMS TYNE on UK Maritime Security duties, HMS CLYDE in the South Atlantic and Falkland Islands, and the T45 destroyer HMS DAUNTLESS, which served as Air and Missile Defense Commander to the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Battle Group conducting counter IS operations in the Gulf. Operational Commands included: Captain Patrol, Underwater Exploitation and Diving; 1st Command of the International Maritime Security Construct and Coalition Task Force Sentinel (Middle East); Commander UK Forces and UK Maritime Component Commander (wider Middle East); and Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest naval operational partnership (for which he was awarded the U.S. Legion of Merit). He is an alumnus of the Advanced Command and Staff Course (Shrivenham), the Executive Alliance Business School (Manchester), and the U.S. Naval War College, where he later taught Joint Military Operations.