Midrats

Six-and-a-half weeks from the NOV 2010 election with economic issues dominating the debate, what are the national security implications if the one or both Houses of Congress switch from Dem to Rep? What, if any, national security issues are part of the "Tea Party" movement - and what will possible new-comers such as Rand Paul and Marco Rubio bring to DC? Our guests to discuss will be Mackenzie Eaglen, Research Fellow for National Security and James S. Robbins is Senior Editorial Writer for Foreign Affairs at the Washington Times. He is also author of the books "This Time We Win" and "Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point," and a political commentator and contributing editor for National Review Online.

In conjunction with The Navy Memorial in Washington DC's Lone Sailor Awards ceremony on Wednesday the 15 of September, we have a very special Midrats.

Our guests will be Eddie LaBaron and Lanier Phillips.

Though known as four-time Pro-Bowler, quarterback for the Washington Redskins in the 1950s, Tom Landry's first quarterback in Dallas, and Don Meredith's mentor; he was also a USMC lieutenant in the Korean Conflict; decorated with the Purple Heart and awarded the Bronze Star.

Our second guest will be a trailblazer for all Sailors. In October of 1941, at the age of eighteen, Lanier joined the Navy. He was a survivor of the February of 1942 sinking of the USS Truxton. He was not just any Sailor though, he later took a step with confidence like he did during the shipwreck that put him in an raft - he asked to be treated as an equal and was the first black Navy sailor to become a sonar technician.

To discuss COIN will be guest to discuss this will be Andrea J. Dew, PhD, Co-Director, Center on Irregular Warfare & Armed Groups (CIWAG), Strategy and Policy Department U.S. Naval War College Newport, RI. She will be followed by a wide-ranging discussion of where the Navy stands with Daniel Goure, Ph.D., Vice President with the Lexington Institute, and Professor Robert C. (Barney) Rubel Dean, Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the United States Naval War College.

Where is the world's most interesting neighborhood? From northeast to southwest Asia. That is where we are going to focus on this episode of Midrats.

Join Sal from the blog "CDR Salamander" and EagleOne from EagleSpeak as they weight in with to experts on the subject.

For the first half hour we will have as our guest Seth Cropsey, Senior Fellow from The Hudson Institute to discuss the rise of China and her growing influence throughout Asia and globally.

For the second half of the hour we will have guest Bill Roggio from Long Wars Journal to discuss the central role of Pakistan in this decade and next's global conflict.

After a decade of conflict - is the impact and influence of Counter Insurgency (COIN) doctrine creating an imbalance in how we equip and train our armed forces?

As we move towards the fall 2010 election, what happened to the push to repeal DADT?

Join Sal from "CDR Salamander"and EagleOne from EagleSpeak this Sunday, August 22th at 5pm EST, as we bring on two guests to discuss.

For the first half our will be Douglas A. Macgregor Col. USA, (Ret) , the author of USNI Press's "Warrior's Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting," and "Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights."

For the second half of the hour, we are going to update a subject we last covered back in Episode 7 in February.

Our guest will be retired Navy Reserve Commander Zoe Dunning, Board Co-Chair of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. With her we will discuss the lobbying efforts on behalf of repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and a status report on where the debate stands.

Are we in danger of an over emphasis on Counter Insurgency (COIN) in how we train and equip our armed forces? What lessons do we keep - and what ones do we need to leave behind in Iraq and Afghanistan?

In addition - as we are focused on the Middle East and Central Asia, what is growing in Northeast Asia that cannot be forgotten?

Join Sal from "CDR Salamander" and EagleOne of "EagleSpeak" with two outstanding guests.

For the first half our we will have Douglas A. Macgregor Col. USA, (Ret) , the author of USNI Press's "Warrior’s Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting," and "Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights."

Second guest Michael (Misha) Auslin, Director of Japan Studies and Resident Scholar in Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

What do you think isn't being covered about the Navy, Marine Corps, or national security issues to the degree it should? Want to ask a question or make a comment yourself? Well, here's your chance.

Join EagleOne from the blog EagleSpeak and Sal from CDR Salamander as they open the topic list, the phones, and probably an adult beverage or two.

No guests ... open topic. Don't be shy. The call-in number is right at the top.

Building off our discussion about Counter Insurgency (COIN) from last week, we continue the conversation with U.S. Naval War College Professor Marc Genest for the first half hour.

For the second half of the hour we will have returning guest Phil Ewing from Navy Times to discuss 2010 so far from Aegis, Annapolis, SAN ANTONIO, and everything in between.

As we move into our second decade of conflict with Islamist terrorism, what have we learned, relearned, or having to unlearn about Counter Insurgency (COIN)? Our guest to discuss this will be Dr. Andrea J. Dew, Co-Director, Center on Irregular Warfare & Armed Groups (CIWAG), Strategy and Policy Department U.S. Naval War College Newport, RI.

For the second half of the show, we will look at the moves being made already to gut the USMC force levels at first chance - how do we get the narrative right to fight this coming battle? Returning guest, Mark E. Stanovich, LtCol USMCR will be with us to discuss this along with the latest developments with the Marine Corps.

Where do we stand half-way through 2010 and our plans to deal with the budgetary and strategic challenges coming up this decade?

Join Navy Milblogggers Sal from "CDR Salamander" and EagleOne of "Eaglespeak" to discuss everything from the coming budget crunch, piracy, Haiti, to the response to the BP oil spill.

Our guests will be Daniel Goure, Ph.D., Vice President with the Lexington Institute, Professor Robert C. (Barney) Rubel Dean, Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the United States Naval War College, and blogger on gCaptain, USNIBlog and his own site, 'Fred Fry International' - our resident Merchant Marine, Fred Fry.