Modern War Institute

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.

In this episode, John Amble is joined by retired Maj. Gen. David Fastabend and Mr. Ian Sullivan. Both have been heavily involved with initiatives to conceptualize the future of warfare for the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, where Sullivan is the assistant G-2 for ISR and futures. They talk through a range of emerging and future technologies and how they will impact the way we fight the wars of tomorrow.

In this episode of the MWI Podcast, we talk to Sean Naylor, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Not a Good Day to Die and Relentless Strike. The conversation covers everything from the reporter's role in war zones to the sometimes tricky aspects of writing about security, intelligence, and secretive military organizations.

In this episode, MWI's Capt. Jake Miraldi talks to best selling author and award winning filmmaker Sebastian Junger about his newest film, "Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS."