Modern War Institute

MAJ Jon Bate discusses his recently published paper on how tactical economics influence decision-making and the modern battlefield. We talk both macro and micro-economic considerations and how the Army should understand the impact of economic interventions. You can find the full copy of his paper at mwi.usma.edu.

The Modern War Institute has an exclusive discussion with LTG Robert L. Caslen Jr., 59th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy about his recent trip to Iraq and what it means for the development of future Army leaders.

MWI sits down with Dr. Benedetta Berti, researcher, author, and TED speaker to discuss the rise of violent non-state actors and how security professionals should understand them.

We talk to Dr. Andrew Bacevich about his new book "America's War for the Greater Middle East" and how security professionals and leaders can prepare for the complexities  of current and future war.

We sit down with MAJ DJ Skelton, USMA class of 2003, to talk about his experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan, and as a wounded warrior.

We talk with SSG Ryan Pitts, Medal of Honor recipient, about 2008's Battle of Wanat. His unit experienced a large scale, determined attack in the mountains of Afghanistan which resulting in nine Americans killed. We hear his story and discuss ways that further leaders can prepare themselves for situations similar to those he experienced.

We talk to Max Brooks, writer of the Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, and Harlem Hellfighters, about how a zombie plague can help us understand current and future security issues. 

The United States currently has a limited appetite for large scale deployment of conventional forces, but the security situation around the world is tenuous. Today, the United States has avoided large deployments through drone warfare and proxy support. We talk with New York Times reporter Eric Schmitt about where and how that template is being used and how effective the larger operational template is in handling global security threats.

We talk to Michael O'Hanlon from the Brookings Institution about the current state of the Army, what the future of the Army holds, and how juniors leaders and security professionals can prepare.

This week on the podcast we talk to Dr. Rodger Shanahan, a Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute. Using Aleppo as a case study we talk about tactical action leading up to the fighting in Aleppo, air to ground integration between Russian air forces and Syrian ground forces, as well as what tactical level leaders can learn about ground war from Syria’s example.