Podcasts

Recent Episodes

“The Combat Path: Sustaining Mental Readiness in Ukrainian Soldiers”
August 15, 2024 — Oleh Hukovskyy, a Ukrainian military officer and psychiatrist, shares insights on the Russia-Ukraine War’s impact on soldiers’ mental health. He discusses the daily challenges faced by troops and highlights signs of post-combat stressors. Hukovskyy coauthored an article on stress management for soldiers that draws on Western principles and emphasizes on-site counseling and timely interventions. He introduces the concept of combat path debriefing, focusing on unit history ... ... MORE

Protracted War Series: A discussion with Dr. Sheena Greitens
August 8, 2024 — In episode 15 of CLSC Dialogues, Dr. Sheena Greitens looks at the potential for a protracted war between the US and China by exploring how a conflict could start and variables the CCP leadership may be watching. She then addresses public perceptions, economic dimensions, and how much planning Beijing may have done in preparation for a protracted war... MORE

“Raven Sentry: Employing AI for Indications and Warnings in Afghanistan”
July 30, 2024 — US Army Colonel Thomas W. Spahr discusses the development and implementation of the AI model, Raven Sentry, to predict attacks on Afghan centers using unclassified data sources. He highlights the need for innovative solutions in Afghanistan as coalition presence waned. The success of Raven Sentry emphasizes the importance of leadership, collaboration with the commercial sector, and utilizing... MORE

“Iraq’s Ministry of Interior: NATO, Capability Building, and Reform”
July 22, 2024 — Andrea Malouf, a consultant and adviser, discusses her article, “Iraq’s Ministry of Interior: NATO, Capability Building, and Reform.” She emphasizes the importance of defining clear end states for successful reform, avoiding a sole focus on training, making strategic decisions based on practical constraints, questioning assumptions and biases, collaborating with partner organizations, understanding public perceptions,... MORE

Protracted War Series: A Discussion with Josh Arostegui
July 18, 2024 — In episode 14 of CLSC Dialogues, Josh Arostegui discusses some of the more salient points regarding how prepared the PRC is for a protracted war. He describes how the PLA remains designed to execute large-scale combat operations through the existence of unique PLA reserve, militia-centric organizations, and deep military integration within the country’s civilian infrastructure. ... MORE

An Interview with Dennis Blasko
July 15, 2024 — In episode 13 of CLSC Dialogues, Josh Arostegui, and Rick Gunnell interview renowned China expert Dennis Blasko. They discuss the origins of Blasko's interest in China and the PLA, then delve into his research and writing on Chinese landpower. Blasko provides wisdom and insight China watchers as they continue the tradition of researching, analyzing, and educating. ... MORE

“What American Policymakers Misunderstand about the Belt and Road Initiative”
July 10, 2024 — American accounts of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) contend that it is a coherent grand strategy that reflects Beijing’s geopolitical ambitions. These accounts ignore the BRI’s fragmented nature, whereby Chinese provinces have been pivotal actors in its development and implementation. Furthermore, these accounts disregard the agency of participant countries and their capacity to shape the BRI. This article illustrates this fragmentation... MORE

On "War with China: A View from Early 2024"
July 2, 2024 — Episode 12 of CLSC Dialogues: In 2012, the late diplomat and RAND Corporation Senior Fellow James Dobbins wrote an article titled “War with China,” which was published in the journal Survival. The article asserted that there were several potential cases for conflict with China, including North Korea’s collapse and an unrestrained Sino-Indian border war. ... ... MORE

Understanding Russian Disinformation and How the Joint Force Can Address It
July 2, 2024 — Russia will dominate information warfare if the United States does not treat disinformation as central to Russian strategy. This podcast examines the vital role disinformation played in post–Cold War Russian strategy, including its strategy in the current Russia-Ukraine War, and in a departure from previous scholarship, this podcast observes that US defense leaders are aware of Russian disinformation but have failed... MORE

On the 5th Security Force
June 26, 2024 — In episode 11 of CLSC Dialogues, Colonel Rich Butler and Colonel Brandon Teague discuss the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade and its contributions to the US Indo-Pacific and how persistent presence and advisory roles contribute to the concept of integrated deterrence. Teague also shares some recent operations activities his team has participated in and their key accomplishments... MORE

Podcasts

The opinions expressed in these podcasts are those of the speakers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the US Government.

Decisive Point Podcast

Decisive Point Podcast | Sept. 24, 2024

“Professional Discourse Is Shaping the Force”

In this episode, Majors Brennan Devereaux and Cliff R. Parsons discuss the influence of professional military writing on strategy and decision making. Devereaux previews his article on military discourse, while Parsons discusses his recent work on

Decisive Point Podcast | Sept. 9, 2024

Podcast: “The Forward Edge of the Fifth US Army War College”

In this episode, Major General David C. Hill, Dr. David D. Dworak, and Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Blair Wilcox discuss their article, “The Forward Edge of the Fifth US Army War College.” They address the evolution of the War College, focusing on

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 29, 2024

“Operating Successfully Within the Bureaucracy Domain of Warfare: Part One”

In this episode of Decisive Point, Dr. Jeff McManus, an expert in strategic studies, explores his compelling argument for recognizing bureaucracy as a sixth domain of warfare. The conversation highlights how this perspective can reshape the

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 28, 2024

“Closing the Gap: Officer Advanced Education STEM+M (Management)”

The Army has made insufficient progress in arming its officers with science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and management (STEM+M) knowledge. The contemporary battlefield is faster paced, technologically enabled, and data driven, requiring

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 15, 2024

“The Combat Path: Sustaining Mental Readiness in Ukrainian Soldiers”

Oleh Hukovskyy, a Ukrainian military officer and psychiatrist, shares insights on the Russia-Ukraine War’s impact on soldiers’ mental health. He discusses the daily challenges faced by troops and highlights signs of post-combat stressors. Hukovskyy

Conversations on Strategy

Conversations on Strategy Podcast | Oct. 2, 2024

2024 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment (Podcast)

In this episode of Conversations on Strategy, Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff, Dr. Brian Carlson, Dr. Michael Lynch, Dr. John Deni, and analyze the 2024 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment, led by Major Brennan Deveraux. The discussion covers

Conversations on Strategy Podcast | Sept. 20, 2024

“Nanoweaponry and the Resolution Revolution: Making Danger Invisible”

Darrin L. Frye “Nanoweaponry and the Resolution Revolution: Making Danger Invisible” In this episode, Dr. Darrin L. Frye, associate professor of science and technology and innovative futures at the Joint Special Operations University, discusses the

Conversations on Strategy Podcast | Sept. 17, 2024

Technology and Warfare

In this episode, COL Thomas Spahr and Zach Kallenborn discuss technology and warfare and what practitioners and leaders can learn from America’s past wars and the Russia-Ukraine War.

Conversations on Strategy Podcast | Aug. 8, 2024

“Spatial Anchors and Dangerous Liaisons: Terrorist Collaboration in an A...

If leaders of terrorist organizations can recruit, indoctrinate, plan, and operate using AR with little drop-off in effectiveness while staying safely in hiding, the challenges faced by national security and law-enforcement organizations will

Conversations on Strategy Podcast | July 18, 2024

“Weaponizing Food Insecurity: The Violent Extremist Threat to Precision ...

This episode explores the intersection of food insecurity and precision agriculture in the United States with author Michael W. Parrott, an expert in Special Operations Forces counterintelligence. Drawing from his experience in combat zones and

CLSC Dialogues

CLSC Dialogues | Sept. 24, 2024

“A Baseline Assessment of the PLA Army's Border Reinforcement Operations...

In episode 18 of CLSC Dialogues, Josh Arostegui interviews prominent China expert Dennis Blasko on his analysis of PLA Army and Boader Defense Unit activity along the Line of Actual Control between China and India. He describes the development of

CLSC Dialogues | Aug. 26, 2024

Protracted War Series: A Discussion with Markus Garlauskas

In episode 17 of CLSC Dialogues, Markus Garlauskas discusses why we should think about the potential for a protracted war in the Indo-Pacific and what lessons we should be learning from analyzing the topic. He talks about why we should think about

CLSC Dialogues | Aug. 20, 2024

Protracted War Series: A Discussion with COL Marco Lyons

In episode 16 of CLSC Dialogues, COL Marco Lyons discusses how the Pacific Army sees, understands, and utilizes landpower in the region from peacetime to a potential protracted war. He further articulates how the U.S. Army, Pacific conducts

CLSC Dialogues | Aug. 8, 2024

Protracted War Series: A discussion with Dr. Sheena Greitens

In episode 15 of CLSC Dialogues, Dr. Sheena Greitens looks at the potential for a protracted war between the US and China by exploring how a conflict could start and variables the CCP leadership may be watching. She then addresses public perceptions,

CLSC Dialogues | July 18, 2024

Protracted War Series: A Discussion with Josh Arostegui

In episode 14 of CLSC Dialogues, Josh Arostegui discusses some of the more salient points regarding how prepared the PRC is for a protracted war. He describes how the PLA remains designed to execute large-scale combat operations through the existence

SSI Live Podcast

SSI Live Podcast | May 13, 2024

Dr. Evan Ellis on the Central Role of Paraguay in South America

Paraguay as a Linchpin Both Literally and Figuratively – Paraguay sits at the crossroads of both illicit and licit activities in South America, with implications stretching from arms trafficking to the drug trade to Hezbollah's fundraising to

SSI Live Podcast | April 25, 2024

Proxy War Ethics: The Norms of Partnering in Great Power Competition | S...

Given the unfolding wars in Ukraine and Gaza – both of which have seen proxy activity or something that looks a lot like proxy activity – what kind of ethical concerns should policymakers focus on? Have proxy wars become more common over time, and