School of War

Prit Buttar, historian and author of To Besiege a City: Leningrad 1941–42, joins the show to talk about the siege of Leningrad and about the nature of war on the Eastern Front. ▪️ Times     •      01:56 Introduction     •      02:10 A familiar story    •      06:09 Themes of the Eastern Front     •      13:19 From Tsar to Stalin to Putin    •      11:10 Barbarosa     •      19:45 An immense scale     •      27:29 Doctrinal failure    •      33:17 Inside the Russian mindset      •      37:21 The myth of the “Clean Wehrmacht”    •      40:20 The siege     •      49:15 Who stays?    •      51:18 How did the Germans fail?     •      01:03:25 Staying vigilantFollow along  on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War SubstackBuy the book here - To Besiege a City: Leningrad 1941–42

Thomas Mahnken, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, joins the show to talk about net assessment and the future of war.▪️ Times     •      01:39 Introduction     •      02:02 An interesting journey    •      03:33 The Office of Net Assessment     •      09:49 A tool, not a solution     •      13:19 Both quantity and quality matter     •      15:05 Soviet thinking     •      19:20 Leveraging insight     •      23:11 Potential outcomes    •      28:35 “The Houthis have friends.”      •      33:19 Danger and opportunity     •      37:20 The terms of success change    •      43:14 Solving the problem of the momentFollow along  on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

John Noonan, senior advisor at POLARIS National Security, discusses all things nuclear including the life of a missileer, the current U.S. arsenal and its production problems, the strategy of deterrence, and how Congressional oversight impacts good government.

Donald L. Miller, historian and author of Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany, the book behind Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, joins the show to talk about the air war over Europe during WWII.▪️ Times     •      01 :41 Introduction     •      02:12 Growing up “surrounded by the war”    •      15:35 Both sides are losing     •      25:23 Highest percentage of casualties    •      34:36 Mass vs mass     •      37:20 A new battlefield     •      42:49 “Almost nothing held up.”     •      44:46 Robert Rosenthal     •      48:57 Working with Tom Hanks     •      53:51 Recreating air combat     •      56:02 Gil Cohen, Greyhound, and Das Boot     •      59:44 Narrative choices    •     01:06:36 The stress of commandFollow along  on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War SubstackBuy the book here - Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany 

John Orloff, creator, writer and co-executive producer of Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, joins Aaron to talk about the new show highlighting the WWII experiences of the men of the 100th Bomb Group, a part of the 8th Air Force’s strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Masters of the Air streams January 26th only on Apple TV+.▪️Times    02:25 Introduction    03:00 Getting started   05:45 Band of Brothers    12:56 Finding the story   19:44 Masters of the Air    24:37 Core characters    30:12 Group level    32:11 Influences    37:38 Production challenges   40:25 Procedure as drama    43:50 Unique trauma    48:20 Casting Follow along  on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

John McManus, author of To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945 and host of the We Have Ways of Making You Talk in the USA podcast, joins the show to talk about why the U.S. Army’s war in the Pacific during WWII merit deeper study and recognition.▪️Times     •   02:12 Introduction     •   03:57 Lessons to be learned    •   05:32 The Army from Pearl to Tokyo     •   08:50 Winds of change    •   14:07 Europe first     •   21:16 Taiwan or the Philippines?     •   27:55 Battleground Manila     •   30:48 Bleeding the Americans    •   34:56 Failures in China    •   40:33 Chiang Kai-shek    •   45:07 Okinawa    •   48:06 Operation Downfall    •   52:24 Revisionist and reductionist history     •   55:19 Required readingFollow along  on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack 

Dmitry Filipoff, head of online content at the Center for International Maritime Security, discusses modern naval tactics and U.S. Navy readiness against the PLA Navy. He highlights the evolution in naval warfare, particularly the rise of anti-ship missiles and Distributed Maritime Operations. Filipoff also critiques aircraft carriers' roles and the need for improved Navy readiness through realistic combat exercises. He delves into PLA Navy advancements, emphasizing that their innovative strategies pose a significant challenge to U.S. maritime dominance.

Peter Feaver, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University and author of Thanks For Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military, joins the show to talk about the state of civil-military relations in America, and to call for a truce on the issue of “wokism.”▪️Times     • 01:46 Introduction     • 2:40 Precedents    • 4:18 Citizen soldier to today     • 11:40 Expanding fissures    • 18:46 Downsides to a high approval rating    • 25:04 Isolationism and “wokeness”    • 33:56 Sloppy discourse    • 38:16 An echo of the ’90s    • 41:11 Progress    • 48:28 Race/Sexuality/Gender    • 55:03 A bit of Sparta in AthensFollow along  on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Sean Mirski, author of We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus, joins the show to talk about how the United States came to its global position and China’s attempts to match it.▪️Times     •    01:40 Introduction     •    2:22 An accidental project    •    6:41 The view from Washington     •    13:18 American paranoia    •    16:43 Post Civil War Mexico    •    22:04 Smedley Butler    •    24:46 The problem of order    •   31:12 After WWI    •   33:04 Strategic vulnerabilities    •    38:32 Regional hegemony    •    44:51 A desire to dominate    •    48:36 A lesson and a warning Here is a link to the article discussed todayFollow along  on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Paul Edgar, Executive Director of the Clements Center for National Security and U.S. Army veteran, shares his insights on ancient Near Eastern warfare. He delves into the evolution of battle tactics, emphasizing the historical continuity of military strategies. Edgar also highlights the importance of understanding ancient military history for modern geopolitics, revealing how past conflicts inform current international relations. With anecdotes from his military background, he bridges the gap between the ancient and present-day political landscapes.