Modern War Institute

In this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast, MWI editorial director John Amble speaks to Dr. James Giordano, the Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program at Georgetown University and Scholar-in-Residence in the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics. Dr. Giordano discusses the rapid pace of advancement in neuroscience and neurotechnology—and what that advancement means for the future of war.

In this episode, Capt. Jake Miraldi talks to Max Brooks, bestselling author of "World War Z" and "The Zombie Survival Guide" about how he uses zombies in his books as a stand-in for the kinds of major crises that transcend borders and require coordinated responses, often with a military component. The conversation also touches on society's civil-military gap, the importance of creative thinking for military leaders, and more.

In this episode, Capt. Jake Miraldi speaks to Col. Jonathan Neumann, the director of West Point's Department of Military Instruction and previously the commander of the 198th Infantry Brigade, responsible for training nearly 20,000 new infantrymen and mortarmen each year.

In 2008, Maj. Emily Spencer was an EOD platoon leader in Iraq. In April, she and one of her teams accompanied a route clearance patrol that was planned to approach Sadr City, a notorious safe haven for militants. As the reached the edge of the dangerous neighborhood, IEDs began detonating and they began taking fire. Listen to Maj. Spencer talk through the fight.

This is the first episode in MWI's new podcast, "The Spear," which is aimed at providing a window into the combat experience. In this episode, Capt. Jake Miraldi walks us through the 2009 Battle of Barg-e Matal in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province, and his role in it as a platoon leader.

In this episode, Capt. Natalie Mallue describes her experience as one of only seven women to have complete the US Army's grueling Ranger School. She discusses her preparation, what it means to be among such a select group of women, and the advice she would give to future Ranger School attendees.

In this episode, a joint production with the West Point Center for Oral History, four combat jump veterans talk about their experiences jumping onto the battlefield from above.

In this episode, we talk to Lt. Gen. (Ret) Mark Hertling about the risk to military readiness and national security posed by declining American physical fitness.

In this episode, we speak with US Air Force Maj. Jen Snow of USSOCOM's SOFWERX and author and futurist Dr. James Canton. From robotics to AI to autonomy and more, the guests explore what war is most likely to look like in the future—and explain how vital it is for US warfighters to be kept ahead of ever-quickening technological trends.

In this episode, four writers discuss the ways that writing can help clarify our thinking about war—past, present, and future—and process firsthand experiences at war.