School of War
Nebulous Media
This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history. Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and former China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras. The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader. Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps.Visit our Substack for episode transcriptsFollow along on Instagram
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 23, 2022 • 49min
Ep. 22: Jeremy Black on Tank Warfare
Jeremy Black, a Professor of History at the University of Exeter and military history author, dives into the fascinating evolution of tank warfare. He explores the initial creation of tanks and their critical role in WWII, particularly during Blitzkrieg tactics. The discussion extends to the Soviet Union's strategies in Finland and the impact of armored technology in the Arab-Israeli wars. Additionally, Black analyzes Russia's current military tactics in Ukraine and debates the future relevance of tanks in modern warfare.
Mar 16, 2022 • 37min
Ep. 21: Matthew Kroenig on Ukraine and Putin’s Nuclear Weapons
Matthew Kroenig, Professor in the Department of Government and Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and Director of Studies at the Atlantic Council, joins the show to discuss Russian nuclear doctrine and what it means for the war in Ukraine.Times
00:49 - Introduction
01:07 - Forecasting Russia's potential gains in Ukraine
02:45 - The nuclear dimension in Ukraine
05:05 - Russian nuclear doctrine: escalate to de-escalate
10:52 - Potential U.S. responses to Russian nuclear strikes on NATO allies
12:54 - Perceptions of nuclear weapons, from the Cold War to now
15:46 - Battlefield nuclear tactics
18:32 - Russian thinking on employing chemical weapons
21:05 - U.S. nuclear weapons policy
25:44 - Scenarios when Russia would use nuclear weapons
27:16 - Putin's rationale and next steps
29:21 - Russian strikes and potential fault lines in Western unity
32:30 - U.S. reliance on Russia's brokerage of a nuclear deal with Iran
Mar 9, 2022 • 55min
Ep. 20: Bill Roggio on Ukraine
Ep. 20: Bill Roggio on UkraineBill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the Long War Journal, joins the show to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine.01:10 - Introduction7:32 - Assessing Russian objectives in Ukraine13:25 - Russian shortfalls23:12 - Limits on Russian resources28:37 - Does the lack of preparation hurt Russian troops?32:21 - No fly zones38:36 - Escalation scenarios43:00 - Prospects for insurgency 49:32 - How does this end?
Mar 3, 2022 • 45min
Ep. 19: Fred Kagan on Ukraine
Fred Kagan, Director of Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins the show to discuss the first week of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.Times:00:42 - Introduction 01:40 - The situation at present06:39 - Nature of original build-up of Russian forces14:50 - Russian strategic and operational style17:47 - Lack of political preparation20:44 - Putin's background24:22 - Will Russia win?30:14 - What are Putin's weaknesses?34:20 - What happens next if Kyiv falls?39:41 - Impact on American national security
Feb 22, 2022 • 53min
Ep. 18: Bruce Jones on Seapower
Bruce Jones, director of the Project on International Order and Strategy of the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, joins the show to discuss seapower. Times
00:51 - Introduction
01:17 - The importance of seapower today
06:45 - Innovation of container shipping and how that changed the global economy
12:50 - China re-enters the seas
16:54 - China’s security challenges at sea
22:44 - Shallow seas, narrow passages, and massive ships
24:06 - China’s strategic interest in Taiwan
26:10 - China’s alienation of potential allies
29:08 - American strategic view of the Pacific Ocean
34:41 - Relations between the United States and India, specifically in terms of taking on China
39:12 - Seapower theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan
44:55 - Comparing America’s quest for power at sea during the 20th century and China’s return to the sea today
48:48 - The role of oceanography in nation-state power competition
Feb 15, 2022 • 1h 1min
Ep. 17: Alexander Mikaberidze on Napoleon
Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History and the Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, joins the show to discuss the Napoleonic Wars.Times
01:12 - Introduction
07:38 - How did European attitudes toward Napoleon change over his life?
13:34 - Nuances of nationalist sentiment Napoleon inspired
15:13 - Napoleonic wars, French hegemony, and geopolitics
20:23 - Napoleon's youth and the French Revolution
24:49 - Napoleon's early campaigns and his rise to power
29:16 - What is the Napoleonic way of war?
33:43 - What is Combined Arms and what are its advantages?
37:42 - What is the Eastern Question to Napoleon?
45:55 - How did Napoleon think about the Western Hemisphere?
53:46 - What remains of Napoleon's legacy after the Congress of Vienna?
LinkBook: The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History
Feb 8, 2022 • 56min
Ep. 16: Gerry Roncolato on the U.S. Navy
Is the United States Navy prepared for war? Retired Navy Captain Gerry Roncolato joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of American maritime power.Times
02:08 - Introduction
03:31 - Is the U.S. Navy prepared for a great-power war?
04:59 - The Navy during the Interwar Period and the Battle of Guadalcanal
09:41 - The experience of war at sea
16:30 - Historical examples—and lessons for the Navy today—in Roncolato’s article, A Warfighting Imperative: Back to Basics for the Navy
20:49 - Alarming incidents during operations at sea and underlying problems
27:23 - Are the troops adequately prepared for war at sea?
38:20 - Books aspiring officers should read
40:52 - Maneuver warfare at sea
48:20 - Managing troops in the barracks versus maneuvering men in battle
LinkRoncolato’s article, A Warfighting Imperative: Back to Basics for the Navy
45 snips
Feb 1, 2022 • 58min
Ep. 15: Andrew Lambert on Julian Corbett
Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College, London, joins the show to discuss British strategist Julian Corbett and his vision of seapower at the turn of the 20th century.Times
01:37 - Introduction
02:02 - The British Empire during the 19th and 20th centuries
04:43 - Corbett as a lawyer, novelist, and strategist
09:05 - The Boer War and the future of the British Empire
13:26 - Corbett’s education on the principals of British power
16:12 - Britain’s power on land versus at sea
19:04 - British power in the Mediterranean
22:30 - How Corbett differentiates himself from Alfred Mahan
28:14 - The principles at the core of Corbett’s strategy
35: 56 - Maritime strategy throughout history
37:29 - An argument for a continental strategy
41:28 - What Corbett envisioned during World War I
51:43 - How Corbett’s ideas apply to British and American military strategy today
Jan 25, 2022 • 59min
Ep. 14: Kevin Hymel on General George S. Patton
Historian Kevin Hymel joins the show to discuss the life and leadership of the American World War II general most feared by the Nazis: George S. Patton.Times
01:48 - Introduction
04:38 - Recently uncovered details about General Patton
08:38 - History’s first draft
10:51 - How Patton became one of the most famous World War II leaders
13:35 - Patton before the war
17:34 - Patton in North Africa
23:08 - Problems with General Dwight D. Eisenhower
26:55 - Patton’s leadership style
28:20 - Fighting in Tunisia
32:49 - Patton’s risk calculations
34:16 - Patton’s behavior, temperament, and treatment of other officers
43:05 - The Civil War and Patton’s strategy in North Africa
45:00 - Patton’s role in Sicily
49:49 - Shell shock and Patton's anti-Semitism
55:21 - Sicily and combat stress
Jan 18, 2022 • 37min
Ep. 13: Thomas Clavin on Joe Moser
Journalist and author Thomas Clavin joins the show to discuss the harrowing journey of Joe Moser, an American fighter pilot during World War II and the subject of Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival. Times
01:41 - Introduction
03:33 - Why a book on Joe Moser
09:44 - The Lockheed P-38 Lightning
11:09 - August 13, 1944
13:48 - Nazis send Moser to Buchenwald
15:44 - Buchenwald and the concentration camp system
17:48 - Karl-Otto and Ilse Koch
19:36 - Life at Buchenwald
21:34 - Colonel Phil Lamason
23:00 - Hannes Trautloft and Moser’s survival
27:27 - Leaving Buchenwald
31:47 - Joe after the war
