Since the middle of September, when an Iranian woman died after being detained in Tehran for improperly wearing her headscarf, protests have gripped the country. But what sets them apart from previous periods of demonstrations against the Iranian regime? Will that regime manage to weather the storm and bring the protests to an end as it has in the past? And what are the possible outcomes if the movement not only maintains its momentum but gathers strength? Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, joins this episode to discuss these questions and more.

What Should We Make of the Protests in Iran?

The Modern War Institute Podcast is the flagship podcast of the Modern War Institute at West Point, featuring discussions with guests including senior military leaders, scholars, and others on the most important issues related to modern military conflict.

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In this special episode of the MWI Podcast, we're taking the opportunity to introduce listeners to a brand new podcast series called Ctrl Alt Army: Stories from Cyberspace. Hosted by Dr. Michael Sulmeyer, principal cyber advisor to the secretary of the Army, this podcast series features informal conversations with senior Army leaders about cyber issues. This is not a podcast by and for cyber specialists about cyber topics, but an opportunity for leaders from wide-ranging professional backgrounds to share how cyber issues have become increasingly impactful on a wide range of noncyber fields.
Each of the series' eight episodes will feature a discussion with a different Army leader. To hear all episodes as they're released each week, find and subscribe to Ctrl Alt Army on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

Introducing "Ctrl Alt Army"

Russia is actively pursuing military applications of AI technology. But how much progress has been made in that pursuit? How have sanctions put in place in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine influenced the course of Russian AI research and development? Most fundamentally, how do Russian military leaders actually want to employ AI-enabled tools on the battlefield? This episode examines those questions and more and features a discussion with Sam Bendett, an adviser and member of the Russia Studies Program at CNA and the author of a report, recently published by the Center for a New American Security: “The Role of AI in Russia’s Confrontation with the West.”
 
The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Russia's Pursuit of Military AI

Many people look at a map of the Indo-Pacific region and assume that—characterized as it is by long distances and vast stretches of ocean—it is principally the air and maritime domains where military capability is most important. But as you'll hear in this episode, landpower services play a vital role in the region. So what is the US Army uniquely suited to achieving there? How are the service's newest capabilities reinforcing security for its allies and partners? How is it leveraging new Army organizations to meet its objectives? To discuss these questions and describe the diverse set of activities the Army is undertaking to help maintain a free and secure Indo-Pacific, John Amble is joined on this episode by General Charles A. Flynn, commanding general of US Army Pacific.
 
The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Landpower in the Pacific

When Iran recently launched more than three hundred drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles in a large-scale attack against Israel, almost every single one was stopped from reaching its target. A combination of ground-based air defenses, ship-launched weapons, and aircraft from multiple nations were involved in the defensive operation. But how does such a complex air defense mission happen? How is it commanded and controlled? How are the differing capabilities of such a variety of air defense systems integrated most effectively? And what lessons can be derived from the Iranian attack and the successful defense to inform the way the United States and its partners and allies conceptualize and implement defenses against a rapidly evolving air and missile threat?

How Iran's Missile and Drone Attack Was Defeated

Seventy-five years ago, on April 4, 1949, representatives of twelve governments came together to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. Much has changed in the intervening period—the Cold War came and went, NATO invoked the Article 5 collective defense clause after the 9/11 attacks, an era of renewed strategic competition has emerged, and large-scale conflict has returned to the continent of Europe. Yet despite all of that change, in both the strategic landscape and the alliance itself, NATO's history is marked by remarkable continuities. That means that an appreciation of its history provides a useful framework within which to understand the challenges and opportunities NATO faces today. To explore that history, this episode features a discussion with Seth Johnston, a US Army officer and author of How NATO Adapts: Strategy and Organization in the Atlantic Alliance since 1950.

What Should We Make of the Protests in Iran?

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