Modern War Institute

In the era of big data, the minds of human analysts are no match for the processing power of computers fed with terabytes of data and armed with powerful algorithms. But MWI Non-Resident Fellow Dr. Nicholas Krohley argues in this episode that, far from obviating the need for those human analysts, the incorporation of more and more data into military and intelligence analysis makes human judgment more important than ever.

How and why did the US Navy shift from battleships to aircraft carriers? What drove the US Army's adoption of helicopter aviation? In this episode, Harvard University's Professor Stephen Rosen tackles these and a range of other fascinating questions about innovation in the military.

Money is a powerful weapon in a combat zone. There are risks of deploying it in the form of economic programs, of course. But when used effectively, "tactical economics" can be a powerful tool with which to achieve operational and even tactical goals. In this conversation with MWI's Capt. Jake Miraldi, Maj. Jon Bate explains how money can be brought to bear at war.

In this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast, MWI's Capt. Jake Miraldi speaks to Dr. Jakub Grygiel, the George H.W. Bush Senior Associate Professor of International Relations at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Grygiel explain the concept of "limited war," and discusses how its adoption as a strategy—most notably by Russia—shapes the global security environment.

In this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast, MWI editorial director John Amble speaks to Dr. Russell Glenn, a senior adviser for plans and policy to the deputy chief of staff, G-2, of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command. Dr. Glenn has spent nearly 25 years studying the city as a battlefield. During this conversation, he discusses the challenges it poses and what the US military should be doing to prepare to operate effectively in dense urban in the future.

In this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast, MWI editorial director John Amble speaks to Dr. James Giordano, the Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program at Georgetown University and Scholar-in-Residence in the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics. Dr. Giordano discusses the rapid pace of advancement in neuroscience and neurotechnology—and what that advancement means for the future of war.

In this episode, Capt. Jake Miraldi talks to Max Brooks, bestselling author of "World War Z" and "The Zombie Survival Guide" about how he uses zombies in his books as a stand-in for the kinds of major crises that transcend borders and require coordinated responses, often with a military component. The conversation also touches on society's civil-military gap, the importance of creative thinking for military leaders, and more.

In this episode, Capt. Jake Miraldi speaks to Col. Jonathan Neumann, the director of West Point's Department of Military Instruction and previously the commander of the 198th Infantry Brigade, responsible for training nearly 20,000 new infantrymen and mortarmen each year.

In 2008, Maj. Emily Spencer was an EOD platoon leader in Iraq. In April, she and one of her teams accompanied a route clearance patrol that was planned to approach Sadr City, a notorious safe haven for militants. As the reached the edge of the dangerous neighborhood, IEDs began detonating and they began taking fire. Listen to Maj. Spencer talk through the fight.

This is the first episode in MWI's new podcast, "The Spear," which is aimed at providing a window into the combat experience. In this episode, Capt. Jake Miraldi walks us through the 2009 Battle of Barg-e Matal in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province, and his role in it as a platoon leader.