Talking Strategy

H.R. McMaster, a distinguished military officer and former U.S. National Security Advisor, shares insights from his extensive career in strategy and leadership. He discusses the complex process behind crafting the 2017 National Security Strategy, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and clear communication. McMaster also highlights the evolving challenges of U.S. foreign policy, particularly with China, and the relentless pressure that strategic leaders face. His experiences in navigating bureaucratic dynamics provide a fascinating glimpse into the intricacies of national security.

The world’s first independent air force owes its survival and shape to its ‘father’, Hugh Trenchard. We explore how with the RAF Museum’s Dr Harry Raffal. Described as ‘the architect and patron saint of modern air power’, Marshal of the RAF Viscount Hugh Trenchard (1873–1956) was the first Chief of the Air Staff (January–April 1918 and 1919–1930). An army officer badly wounded in the Boer War, he was among the first British military pilots and the frontline commander of the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. The RAF was formed on 1 April 1918, and Trenchard set firm foundations for its survival and development, often against bitter hostility from the other Services. His administrative skills, realism, tenacity and willingness to be unpopular created an organisation that saved the nation during the Battle of Britain. His friend TE Lawrence (Season 3, Episode 7) argued that ‘The RAF is the finest individual effort in history. No other man has been given a blank sheet and told to make a Service from the ground up. It is your single work…’ Following retirement from the RAF, Trenchard was appointed as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, where he set about a substantial reform agenda with the same single-mindedness. Dr Harry Raffal is Head of Collections and Research at the RAF Museum. His doctorate, from the University of Hull, explores RAF and Luftwaffe operations during the evacuation of Dunkirk. He is a Committee member of the RAF Historical Society and the British Commission for Military History, and Vice-Chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Aeronautical Heritage Group.

Dr. Pelayo Fernández García, a scholar from the University of Oviedo and expert on the Third Marquess of Santa Cruz de Marcenado, delves into the life and ideas of this influential figure. Marcenado's military leadership during the Spanish War of Succession highlights his strategic blend of psychological and historical insights. His extensive treatise explores ethics in warfare and innovative governance in counterinsurgency. García reveals how Marcenado's views, initially celebrated, echo modern concerns about rebellions and insurgencies, showcasing his timeless relevance.

In this engaging discussion, Dr. Robert Lyman MBE, a former British Army officer and author of William Slim's biography, delves into the remarkable story of Field Marshal William Slim, voted Britain’s greatest general. He reveals Slim's strategic brilliance in turning around a defeated army, emphasizing his humane leadership during the retreat from Burma. Lyman discusses Slim's innovative military tactics, his ability to unify diverse troops, and his enduring legacy in military strategy and leadership. Prepare to be inspired by the man known as 'Uncle Bill'!

In this episode we discuss Admiral Katsu Kaishū’s transformation of the modern Japanese navy into a force that defeated the Russians in 1905. For 200 years, Japan was largely isolated from the world. By the 19th century, as countries in Europe and North America were expanding into its neighbourhood, Japan’s military capability had atrophied. In response, the Tokugawa Shogunate created a navy in 1853 and Katsu became a naval officer. Trained by the Dutch, he became an expert in Western gunnery and commanded the Kanrin Maru on the first deployment of a Japanese warship to a Western port. There he could observe how a Western navy worked – ideas he brought back to Japan as the basis for the modern Japanese Navy. By 1867, under the Meiji government, he was responsible for overseeing the Navy’s transition from sail to steam technology. He introduced profound changes to the Navy’s organisation, strategy and tactics, including shore-based defences, harbours, shipyards and human resource systems that allowed access to the talent needed by a more technological service. Ultimately, the foundations he laid helped the Japanese defeat the Russian Navy at the battle of Tsushima in 1905. Commander Dr Hiroyuki Kanazawa, our first guest for this episode, serves in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, and his PhD examines the Japanese Navy in the Late Tokugawa Period (1853–1868). Dr Haruo Tohmatsu, our other participant, is Professor of Diplomatic and War History at the National Defense Academy. His PhD in Politics and International Relations is from the University of Oxford. He has published numerous works in English, including Pearl Harbor (London: Cassell, 2001) and World War Zero: The Russo-Japanese War in Global Perspective, vol. 2 (Leiden: Brill, 2006).

Lieutenant General George Flynn, who served the US Marine Corps for 38 years, shares insights about his mentor, General Alfred Mason Gray. Flynn discusses Gray's radical reforms that transformed the Marines' culture towards prioritizing maneuver warfare and the vital role of the human element in military strategy. He reflects on the shift from rigid protocols to innovative, initiative-based operations and the integration of female Marines. The legacy of Gray’s leadership profoundly shaped modern military strategies and the ethos of the Corps.

NATO’s first Secretary General, Hastings Ismay, profoundly shaped today’s Alliance. Join us to discuss his legacy with his latest biographer, Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely. Hastings (Pug) Ismay was a general who never commanded beyond lieutenant colonel, rising through the ranks as a staff officer. This brought him into contact with politicians, like Churchill, and senior military commanders such as General Eisenhower, with whom he formed an enduring friendship. After retirement from the Army, Ismay briefly became a minister before serving as NATO Secretary General, 1952-1957. His time in office saw many challenges - the Soviet invasion of Hungary, Suez, the Cyprus Crisis of 1963-64 and the death of Stalin. Steering NATO through these crises required judgement, patience and humility. His legacy is that of NATO with a strong central headquarters connecting its political and military dimensions, and organisation with a global security perspective and a Secretary General who remains the servant of the Alliance. Our guest this episode, Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely , served in the British Army for 40 years, including in the 1982 Falklands War for which he was awarded the Military Cross, in Bosnia and Iraq. His book ‘Anatomy of a Campaign: The British Fiasco in Norway 1940’ won RUSI’s inaugural Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History. His latest book, ‘General Hastings ‘Pug’ Ismay: Soldier, Statesman, Diplomat’ was published in 2024.

To conclude Season Four of Talking Strategy, we talk to long-serving diplomat, policy adviser and politician The Rt Hon Baroness Neville-Jones. With intimate experience of the functioning of governments and the EU, Lady Neville-Jones compares the respective organisational cultures and human side of strategy, drawing on lessons from her career. Pauline Neville-Jones joined the British diplomatic service in 1963. She was posted in places as varied as Rhodesia, Singapore, Bonn, Washington and the European Commission. From the 1990s onwards her postings were specifically concerned with defence matters. She was head of the Defence and Overseas Secretariat of the Cabinet Office from 1991 to 1994, and during that time she also chaired the Joint Intelligence Committee. Subsequently, she was Political Director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office until 1996, and in that capacity negotiated the 1995 Dayton Agreement on Bosnia on behalf of the UK. In the final episode of this season, Lady Neville-Jones reflects on the success of the Dayton Agreement: was it ‘good enough’? Was anything better in the offing? And on relations with Russia: did the West ‘lose’ Moscow in the 1990s? Tune in to hear her advice to practitioners.

Moshe Dayan, a pivotal yet controversial figure in Israeli politics, and Professor Eitan Shamir, an expert on strategy-making, engage in a thought-provoking discussion. They explore Dayan's evolution as a master of emergent strategy, emphasizing flexibility over rigid plans. The conversation dives into Dayan’s military background, the intricacies of the Suez Campaign, and the dual perceptions of his leadership during the Yom Kippur War. Shamir offers insights from his upcoming biography, shedding light on Dayan's lasting legacy and strategic influence.

Delve into the strategic brilliance of Marshal Arthur Tedder during WWII, orchestrating campaigns like D-Day and managing alliances effectively. Explore his economic warfare tactics and post-war insights. Air Marshal Edward Stringer joins to discuss Tedder's impact and the importance of coalition leadership in military operations.