The Strategy Bridge

Dr. James Holmes, a former Navy surface warfare officer and J.C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy, dives into the habits that shape effective maritime strategists. He discusses the unique perspectives of naval officers and how diverse education fosters innovative thinking. Holmes emphasizes the importance of strategic leadership during peacetime and the role of habits in decision-making. He advocates for a culture of innovation within bureaucracies and highlights the need for lifelong learning in strategy, blending formal education with personal curiosity.

Chad Pillai, a U.S. Army strategist and author, dives into the intricacies of combatant command campaign planning. He shares firsthand experiences transitioning from theory to practical strategy, revealing the dynamic roles within Operational Planning Teams. Pillai discusses the historical significance of the Middle East, the impact of great power competition with Russia and China, and the integration of military and diplomatic strategies. He also emphasizes essential skills for future military strategists, particularly the importance of reading and writing in building effective communication.

Since gaining independence in 1947, the relations between India’s civilian leaders and the military has changed over time as the country fought wars with China and Pakistan, developed nuclear weapons, and used the military for internal counterinsurgency operations. In this episode we talk with Dr. Ayesha Ray about Indian Civil-Military Relations. Ray is an Associate Professor of Political Science at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and the author of “The Soldier and the State in India: Nuclear Weapons, Counterinsurgency, and the Transformation of Indian Civil-Military Relations.”

In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast, we talk with Dr. Claude Berube about his book "On Wide Seas: The U.S. Navy in the Jacksonian Era." Berube is the museum director at the US Naval Academy Museum, an assistant professor of history at the Naval Academy, and a Naval Reserve officer.

In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast, we talk with Jeremy Black about his book “Strategy and the Second World War: How the War Was Won and Lost.” Black is a emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter.

In the years following the First World War, the Italian fascist movement appropriated the symbol of the veteran as a new revolutionary political force. In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast we talk about the fascist myth of the veteran with Dr. Angel Alcalde. Alcalde is the author of “War Veterans and Fascism in Interwar Europe” and is a lecturer in Twentieth Century European History at the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne.

By the summer of 1945, 1.8 million American soldiers were serving in the war against Japan in the Pacific and Asia. This included 21 U.S. Army infantry and airborne divisions plus independent regimental combat teams and tank battalions. In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast we talk with Dr. John McManus about the role the Army played in the Pacific during the first two years of the war. McManus is the author of “Fire and Fortitude: The U.S. Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943” and is the Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Military History at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. 

In this episode of Strategy Bridge Podcast, we talk with Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony about how the Apollo program to put men on the moon was created and run as an instrument of foreign policy. Muir-Harmony is the curator of the Project Apollo collection at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum and is the author of the book “Operation Moonglow: A Political History of Project Apollo.”

In this episode of the Strategy Bridge Podcast we talk with Elizabeth Shackelford about her book “The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age.” In the book Shackelford writes about her time in South Sudan as a Foreign Service Officer and what she experienced when the new country descended into war. 

In this engaging conversation, Jeremy Black, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter and author of “Military Strategy: A Global History,” explores the intricate relationship between strategic culture and military strategy. He discusses how political factors shape military decision-making and critiques the Eurocentric bias in existing literature. Black emphasizes the need to recognize the historical evolution of military strategy and the disconnect between theorists and practitioners. He also highlights the significance of ideology in shaping national interests and military responses.