The #BruteCast

Two weeks before Russia began its current invasion of Ukraine, we offered a #BruteCast panel on "Rapid Wargame Prototyping for Crises." When the invasion actually occurred, #TeamKrulak staff started looking in real time at how to apply rapid prototyping concepts to the wargame platforms already offered to the Marine Corps University and wider national security communities. The goal was to provide "living" wargame layers and mechanics to allow these communities to learn and test battlefield developments as they were observed, in order to provide campaign analysis and inform future decisions. Mr. Tim Barrick, director of wargaming at Marine Corps University, and Maj Ian Brown, operations officer at the Krulak Center, discuss the prototyping and designs processes applied to the Operational Wargame System and Fleet Marine Force/Littoral Commander wargame systems as the war in Ukraine unfolded. Intro/outro music is "Evolution" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

Our latest episode of "Down the Rabbit Hole on the #Russia-#Ukraine War" covers a lot of ground in what's been a busy week: the emerging Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south, Russian force generation challenges, visa bans, the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, oil price caps, the insanity of combat near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the defenestration of Russian oil executive Ravil Maganov, and some comments on the grassroots information warfare phenomenon of the #NAFO #Fellas.  All opinions expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the Krulak Center, Marine Corps University, the United States Marine Corps, or any other agency of the U.S. Government. Intro/outro music is "Epic" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

Our latest episode of "Down the Rabbit Hole on the #Russia-#Ukraine War" comes on a day marking two very different milestones: the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence from the former Soviet Union, and the sixth month of Russia's ongoing invasion of that country. Dr. Yuval Weber, our Russia subject matter expert, reviews the six months of conflict from the perspective of "three phases and two questions;" discusses contrasts between the Ukrainian and Russian militaries - and national cultures - as learning organizations; and we end with a look at a highly unusual act of violence in the heart of one of Russia's most elite communities in the assassination of Darya Durgina, daughter of hardline political philosopher Aleksandr Dugin. All opinions expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the Krulak Center, Marine Corps University, the United States Marine Corps, or any other agency of the U.S. Government. Intro/outro music is "Epic" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

Hot on the heels of our talent management discussion with Gen Eric Smith, we were excited to welcome guests to the #BruteCast who not only have front row seats to Force Design 2030 but are helping to drive the bus. We talked with Major General Frank Donovan, commanding general of the 2d Marine Division, and Command Master Chief Scottie Cox, who serves as the senior enlisted Navy advisor to the division. For those who’ve been tracking Force Design 2030, you’ll know that the 2d Marine Division recently returned from their mission under Task Force 61/2 in the 6th Fleet Area of Operations, and working with the US Navy and partners and allies from the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea. The Task Force also conducted real-world experimentation on several of the concepts highlighted in Force Design 2030, such as the Stand-In Force and multi-domain reconnaissance and counter reconnaissance (RXR). General Donovan and Command Master Chief Cox covered this and more in our conversation. MajGen Donovan's biography can be found here (https://www.2ndmardiv.marines.mil/Leaders/Biography/Article/516073/major-general-francis-l-donovan/) and CMC Cox's biography can be found here (https://www.2ndmardiv.marines.mil/Leaders/Biography/Article/516102/command-master-chief-scwexw-scottie-l-cox/). Task Force 61/2 operations are also discussed in this article in Defense News (https://www.defensenews.com/interviews/2022/08/03/how-us-marines-put-force-design-2030-to-work-in-europe-against-russian-naval-forces/#:~:text=%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Maj.-,Gen.,to%20an%20array%20of%20crises.) and a recent podcast episode with Ryan Evans at War on the Rocks (https://warontherocks.com/2022/08/the-task-force-at-the-bleeding-edge-of-the-marine-corps/) Intro/outro music is "Evolution" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

#TeamKrulak community, we were very excited and honored to welcome General Eric Smith, USMC, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps to the #BruteCast! Those following the Service-wide changes under Force Design 2030 know that talent management is a key focus area, with detailed reforms laid out in the Talent Management 2030 report (https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Portals/142/Users/183/35/4535/Talent%20Management%202030_November%202021.pdf). A couple of months ago, we had the chance to talk to the Talent Management Strategy Group (TMX) under the Assistant Commandant about the coming changes; in this episode, our audience got to pose questions to General Smith himself! You can send questions or comments on Talent Management 2030 to the TMX at tmx@usmc.mil. General Smith's biography can be found here: https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/acmc/Biography/. Our earlier #BruteCast episode with the TMX is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/xZjZlbQGDPU), Spotify (https://anchor.fm/krulak-center/episodes/Talent-Management-2030-e1kc7cn/a-a85msb3), and Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talent-management-2030/id1550881429?i=1000567623839). Intro/outro music is "Evolution" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

For our second episode of season 5, we were pleased to welcome Ms. Ada Sayin from the KızBaşına project in #Turkey. #TeamKrulak first learned about this project from a #wargaming exercise we ran for the #NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in the UK a few months ago (and if you’d like to know more about the ARRC and how they use wargaming to train, check out our past #BruteCast interview with their team members). The KızBaşına project aims to increase the place of women in the defense and security sector, strategic decision-making mechanisms, and domestic and foreign policy tables in Turkey. And to do this, they’re created a unique wargame called “Women in Command: Hybrid Threat Rising,” which has already seen use in Europe and the United States. Ms. Sayin discusses this project and unique wargaming platform they’ve created. To learn more about the KızBaşına project, visit them here: https://www.kizbasina.com/. You can also follow them on Instagram and Twitter at @kiz_basina, Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/kizbasina06/), and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/kiz-basina/). Intro/outro music is "Evolution" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

Dr. Yuval Weber was down our way this afternoon and we took the opportunity to record a detailed "Down the Rabbit Hole on the #Russia-#Ukraine War" on the recent Ukrainian strike on Saki Air Base, a major Russian aviation installation in occupied Crimea. While details remain scarce, initial indications are that the strike caused significant damage to Russian forces based there. We outlined some possible methods of attack Ukraine might have used, and the implications for the Russian position in southern Ukraine now that their safe haven in Crimea is no longer secure. All opinions expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the Krulak Center, Marine Corps University, the United States Marine Corps, or any other agency of the U.S. Government. Intro/outro music is "Epic" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

Welcome to season 5 of the #BruteCast! It’s a new academic year here at Marine Corps University, and we at the Krulak Center are excited about launching into it with our students. So we’re going to ante up by getting this #BruteCast season off to a strong start. And we couldn’t have asked for a better guest today to help us do that. In this episode we were pleased to welcome Col Brian Greene, USMC, the commanding officer of the Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group (MCTOG) in 29 Palms, CA. MCTOG has been deeply involved in the work behind Force Design 2030, which has been a topic of discussion in recent months both in the headlines and on our own #BruteCast series. MCTOG also runs the Advanced Maneuver Warfare Course, which trains Operations Tactics Instructors and Intelligence Tactics Instructors for operations today and in future conflicts. Col Greene will discuss this and more in our season premier! Those interested in reaching out to Col Greene and MCTOG can work through us at #TeamKrulak at the_krulak_center@usmcu.edu. Intro/outro music is "Evolution" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

Our special miniseries returns! For this new episode of "Down the Rabbit Hole on the #Russia-#Ukraine War," resident Russia subject matter expert and #TeamKrulak Distinguished Fellow Dr. Yuval Weber brings us up to date on development since our last episode. We discussed the war entering a new third phase with Ukraine's pending counteroffensive near Kherson; supply chain developments with Ukrainian grain and Russian natural gas; and continuing humanitarian crisis with the forcible relocation of Ukrainian citizens and summary execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war. All opinions expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the Krulak Center, Marine Corps University, the United States Marine Corps, or any other agency of the U.S. Government. Intro/outro music is "Epic" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic

"Down the Rabbit Hole on the #Russia-#Ukraine War" will be on hiatus for a few weeks, but we've got a double-length episode to hold you over. Dr. Yuval Weber discussed the human factors at play for both #Russian and #Ukrainian soldiers, the divergent targeting choices of both sides for their limited number of precision-guided weapons, and we spent extra time talking about the ongoing "situation map" of the conflict used by our #wargaming director Mr. Tim Barrick. Incoming MCU students and faculty will be interested to know that this map - laid out using the Operational Wargame System developed by Mr. Barrick - will be available for enhanced educational opportunities for interested parties in the coming academic year. Dr. Weber mentioned Putin's threat that Russia "hasn't started anything seriously yet" in Ukraine - the article quoting Putin can be found here: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-dares-west-to-defeat-russia-on-battlefield/31933634.html All opinions expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the Krulak Center, Marine Corps University, the United States Marine Corps, or any other agency of the U.S. Government. Intro/outro music is "Epic" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIYZ84VMuP8bDw0T9K8S3g LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare Krulak Center homepage on The Landing: https://unum.nsin.us/kcic