Modern War Institute

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, Jake Miraldi speaks to Cornell University associate professor and MWI adjunct scholar Dr. Sarah Kreps about her research on how countries go to war, especially democracies where the expenditure of blood and treasure impacts public support for military operations.

In this episode, MWI's Maj. Jake Miraldi speaks with Ambassador Doug Lute. A retired US Army lieutenant general, Lute held key posts in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, including helping to oversee wartime strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, as US ambassador to NATO, he witnessed another set global security challenges. He shares insights on a range of such challenges in this wide-ranging discussion.

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Amy Kruse, chief scientific officer at the Platypus Institute. She discusses "Human 2.0," a concept she describes a vision of where humans are headed in terms of cognitive performance. She also describes how this concept overlays on what we know about the cognitive demands of war.

Paul Scharre is the author of Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War. In this episode, he talks about the state of development of artificial intelligence and autonomy, and how it and future advancements will change the way in which we fight wars.

This episode features a conversation with Under Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. He discusses everything from modernization and what that means for soldiers in the operational Army to the recently announced Army Futures Command and what role it will have in preparing the Army for a changing operational environment characterized by a diverse set of threats.

In this episode, we talk to Joseph Young and Jason Fritz of American University's School of Public Affairs about a phenomenon they've been studying: private Americans who traveled to the Middle East to fight ISIS. They interviewed many of these individuals, and they share what they learned about them and why they chose to go and fight in Iraq and Syria.

In this episode, we speak to Elsa Kania, whose research is at the forefront of efforts to better understand the way China approaches innovation and military technology. From artificial intelligence to automation to railgun technology, we discuss Chinese technological priorities and how they overlay on its strategic objectives.

Secretary of the Army Mark Esper has an important set of priorities for the Army. In this episode of the MWI Podcast, he discusses those priorities, and explains how his experience as an Army officer on active duty and in the reserve components informs the perspective he brings to his job as the senior civilian overseeing the US military's largest branch.

In this episode, retired US Army Col. Steve Banach talks about "virtual war," which he argues is transforming the way conflict plays out. He discusses the hallmarks of the concept, and explains why it requires us to fundamentally rethink the mental models we use to understand war.

Last summer, Iraq's prime minister declared victory in the long battle to retake Mosul from ISIS. The Iraqi security forces who fought there did so with the help of a US brigade commanded by Col. Pat Work. In this episode, he talks about the battle, what he learned from it, and how it should inform the way we fight in the future.