Jeune École: Pod & Pen

Mick Ryan, AM is a retired senior Australian Army officer who commanded units at the Troop, Squadron, Regiment, Task Force and Brigade levels over a career that spanned three decades. As a general officer, he served as the Director General Strategic Plans in Army Headquarters, Commander of the 1st Brigade in Darwin, Director General Training […]

In this episode we discuss the Ukraine-Russia conflict, what led to it and what might happen next, featuring Dr. Rob Person from United States Military Academy, West Point.

Dr Pooja Bhatt discusses all things naval and nuclear in this episode on Indian maritime security in the Indo Pacific.

Andrew Lambert is Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at Kings College London. Andrew has taught at the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Andrew has published widely on naval history, with his latest book The British Way of War: Julian Corbett and the Battle for a National Strategy, being the key topic of this episode.

What do we discuss?

Julian Corbett’s contribution to the Royal Navy and British maritime strategy

Correcting assumptions and underlining the ongoing relevance of Corbett

What ‘the British Way of War’ is and its efficacy

Corbett’s career, influence and allies

Andrew also accepts our Sailor’s Three challenge and makes an exciting prediction for the future

The opinions and comments made in this Pod and on this website do not represent the official position of any government, organisation or entity.

Kevin Rowlands is a Captain in the British Royal Navy with substantial experience in amphibious operations. He has a PhD in War Studies from Kings College London and is the author of 21st Century Gorshkov: The Challenge of Seapower in the Modern Era, Naval Diplomacy in the 21st Century: A Model for the Post–Cold War Global Order, and numerous articles. Kevin Rowlands is the author of the chapter ‘The United Kingdom’s Approach to Amphibious Operations: From the Cold War to the Information Age’ in On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare. The views expressed are his own and not those of the Royal Navy or the British Ministry of Defence. You can catch Kevin on Twitter via @c21st_sailor.

What do we discuss?

Kevin’s chapter in the book ‘On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare’.

The British Marines and the Royal Navy’s amphibious capability since the Cold War

The lack of perceived ‘sexiness’ of amphibious platforms in cultural and political memory

The UK’s strategic position in Great Power Competition and how amphibious forces can contribute

The Royal Navy’s interest in and deployment to the Indo Pacific

Kevin also accepts our Sailor’s Three challenge, reminding us of a very impressive, recent British capability

The opinions and comments made in this Pod and on this website do not represent the official position of any government, organisation or entity.

Who guest features on Pod#6?

Timothy Heck is an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, working as a historian with the Marine Corps History Division. He holds a BA in American Studies from Georgetown University and a MA in War in the Modern World from Kings College London. Timothy is a co-editor of On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare. Timothy’s work currently focuses on the Red Army during and after the Second World War. You can catch Tim on Twitter via @tgheck1.

 

Sulakshana Komerath has been with the U.S. Department of Defense since 2009, specializing in irregular warfare and counterterrorism in the Middle East. She has worked in Iraq, Jordan, and Bahrain and currently works for the Department of the Navy. Sulakshana authored the chapter ‘The Future is Amphibious: The Role of Naval Special Warfare in Great Power Competition’ in On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare.

What do we discuss?

The new book ‘On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare’.

Who guest features on Pod#5?

Dr Collin Koh is a Defence and Strategic Studies Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Collin’s research areas include naval affairs and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly Southeast Asia. Dr Koh has previously lectured for Singapore Armed Forces professional military education courses and has published his written work widely in both academic journals and op-eds, including for the Naval War College Review. Some of his published works include Seeking Balance: Force Projection, Confidence-building and the Republic of Singapore Navy and Emerging from obscurity: small navies and sea-launched land-attack cruise missiles.

What do we discuss?

Offence-Defence theory and how to interpret which is which in the modern context

The Chinese Communist Party’s concept of ‘active defence’

Southeast Asian flash points and naval operations

Sino-Indian rivalry at sea and the emergent maritime security dilemma

Naval modernisation and operations of Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia’s naval forces

Indonesia’s disputed Northern Natuna Sea and Minimum Essential Force strategy

Dr Koh also accepts our Sailor’s Three challenge and has a particularly interesting answer to the emerging technology question

The opinions and comments made in this Pod and on this website do not represent the official position of any government, organisation or entity.

Who guest features on Pod#4?

CDR Benjamin ‘BJ’ Armstrong, USN is a former Search and Rescue and Special Warfare pilot. CDR Armstrong obtained his PhD in War Studies from the Kings College London and is currently a professor of naval history at the Unites States Naval Academy. BJ has published three books, including: Small Boats and Daring Men: The History of the Early American Navy. CDR Armstrong has routinely written for US Naval Institute’s Proceedings and multiple other publications, with his full publication list available here.

What do we discuss?

What constitutes naval irregular warfare and how was it used by the early American navy during great power competition? CDR Armstrong highlights definitions, drawing on historical examples

Why do naval professionals seem to prefer fleet-on-fleet or squadron-on-squadron battles in history? Are we reading enough of Alfred Thayer Mahan’s work and what is the Mahanian prism?

What was Theodore Roosevelt’s role in shaping the US Navy both practically and in American public memory?

Key highlights on the life of John Paul Jones including battles against HMS Drake and Spears and with the French and Russian navies

What can contemporary small naval powers learn from the history of the early American Navy?

CDR Armstrong accepts our Sailor’s Three challenge and provides one particularly compelling answer (hint: the autonomous vehicle and future of pilots debate, but subsurface!)

The opinions and comments made in this Pod and on this website do not represent the official position of any government, organisation or entity.

Who guest features on Pod#3?

LT Shane Halton is an Intelligence Officer with the United States Navy and is currently on exchange with the Royal Australian Navy in Sydney. He has previously served with VFA and VAQ Squadron’s and in the Navy’s Digital Warfare Office.

What do we discuss?

Shane’s latest article Westmoreland’s dream and Perrow’s nightmare: two perspectives on the future of military command and control , addressing the technological positivist and technological sceptic points of view on increasingly automated military C2 systems

Loosely coupled vs tightly coupled systems and their use in the modern military

The impact of AI and machine learning in battle systems on mission command

Background to the U.S. adopting and experimenting with machine learning and AI systems

Regional states desire for modern C2 systems and their use in future war

Shane also accepts our Sailor’s Three challenge. Have a listen to check out his answers.

The opinions and comments made in this Pod and on this website do not represent the official position of any government, organisation or entity.

Who guest features on Pod#2?

RADM James Goldrick, AO, CSC, RAN (retd.) is a former senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy, naval historian, author and analyst on contemporary maritime affairs. RADM Goldrick is a fellow at the Sea Power Centre – Australia, Adjunct Professor at the University of New South Wales (Canberra) and the author of numerous publications, including the books Before Jutland: The Naval War in Northern European Waters, August 1914 – February 1915 and After Jutland: The Naval War in Northern European Waters, June 1916 – November 1918.

What do we discuss?

What were the key naval innovations of the mid-19th to early 20th Century?

Comparisons between the Jeune École and contemporary tactical asymmetry (with reference to the Iran Guard Corps-Navy)

How should modern navies respond to rapid naval innovation such as long range weapons? RADM Goldrick shares his ‘Allied coordinated action’ strategy

We also discuss: the early development of naval gunnery, autonomous vehicles, the Guadalcanal Campaign and how to keep up with technological advancement

RADM Goldrick accepts our Sailor’s Three challenge and provides compelling responses! Check it out!

The opinions and comments made in this Pod and on this website do not represent the official position of any government, organisation or entity.