Major General Mick Ryan, Australian Army (retired), Senior Fellow for Military Studies the Lowy Institute and author of the Futura Doctrina substack, joins the show to discuss the current state of the Ukraine war. We cover tactical innovations, the challenges of operations and strategy, the structure of the Ukrainian military, the political landscape under Zelensky, and the industrial capabilities of both Ukraine and Russia. 

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00:00 State of Play

02:28 Tactical Innovations and Challenges in Ukraine

05:38 The Role of Drones

08:36 Russian Tactical Innovations and the Rubikon Units

11:45 Historical Parallels: Lessons from World War I

14:37 The Thousand Bites Approach: Russian Strategy Explained

17:46 Ukrainian Brigade Composition and Organizational Changes

23:19 Understanding the Ukrainian Military Structure

29:47 Challenges in Casualty Ratios and Manpower

37:37 Long-Range Strike Capabilities and Adaptation

40:29 Strategic Thinking in the Ukrainian Military

46:18 Industrial Base and Support Dynamics

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Marc Milner, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of New Brunswick and author of Second Front: Anglo-American Rivalry and the Hidden Story of the Normandy Campaign, joins the show to discuss the turbulent passing of the torch of Western hegemony during WWII. 

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02:50 1917

10:52 American Battle Monuments Commission

14:31 FDR and the British Empire

21:36 American views on the Nazis

30:40 FDR at the Tehran Conference

35:42 Plans Before the Invasion of France

40:48 The British Empire and National Strategy 

50:25 Churchill and the Russians in 1944

56:00 A Sophisticated Understanding of Imperial Politics

01:00:18 Revisionist Views of WWII

01:06:00 Communist and Fascist Extremism

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Nicholas Wright, neuroscientist and author of Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain, joins the show to explore the implications of neuroscience for warmaking. 

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01:20 Neurology

02:57 Intelligence Defined

07:06 Mapping the Brain

17:05 How Modeling Happens

27:15 Outthinking and Outlearning the Enemy

30:25 Prioritization and Survival

35:15 Fear and the Fall of France in 1940

44:48 Enhancing Military Training

49:47 AI and Its Impact on Human Cognition

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Host Aaron MacLean pays tribute to his father, World War Two and Vietnam Veteran Angus MacLean. This memorial originally ran in the publication Engelsberg Ideas. 

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Edward Luce, U.S. national editor and columnist at the Financial Times and author of Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet,joins the show to discuss one of the most interesting characters of the Cold War, Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.

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00:00 The Life and Legacy of Zbigniew Brzezinski

02:55 Carter's Foreign Policy and Brzezinski's Influence

05:56 Contrasting Worldviews: Brzezinski vs. Kissinger

08:52 The Formative Years: War and Identity

11:35 The Cold War Landscape and Brzezinski's Rise

14:34 Order vs. Justice: Diverging Philosophies

17:55 Brzezinski's Strategic Vision for the Cold War

20:57 The Vietnam War and Its Impact on Brzezinski

23:47 Brzezinski's Approach to Foreign Policy

28:35 The Rise of Jimmy Carter and the Trilateral Commission

32:12 Carter's Foreign Policy Challenges: The Middle East and Iran

37:15 Human Rights and the Shift from Nixon to Carter

45:27 Reagan's Continuity and Change: A New Era in Foreign Policy

51:19 The Iranian Revolution and Brzezinski's Legacy

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Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and author of the article A Grand Strategy of Reciprocity for Foreign Affairs, joins the show to discuss how the United States should think about the current strategic moment.

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00:01 Introduction to Free Markets and Trade

00:43 Discussion on China and Global Strategy

02:15 Historical Context of American Grand Strategy

04:40 Assumptions about China

07:40 Strategic Competition and Spheres of Influence

10:00 Economic Decoupling and Its Challenges

13:30 Relationships with Other Countries

16:00 Concept of Reciprocity in Alliances

20:00 US-Mexico-Canada Relations and Global Implications

25:00 The Role of the Trump Administration

30:00 Future of Global Alliances

35:00 Economic and Security Strategies

40:00 Conclusion and Final Thought

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Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History at LSU Shreveport and contributor to An Unavoidable Evil: Siege Warfare in the Age of Napoleon (From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815),  joins the show to discuss the siege of Brăila and the lessons of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1806-1812.

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00:00 The Shifting Balance of Power in the Black Sea

02:00 Siege Warfare in the Age of Napoleon

04:09 Decisive Battles vs. Positional Warfare

08:30 The Evolution of Strategy: 18th to 19th Century

14:16 The Debate on Siege Tactics in the Russian Military

21:27 Kutuzov's Strategic Evolution

25:26 Geopolitical Context: Russia and the Ottoman Empire's Rivalry

31:31 The Siege of Brăila: A Military Catastrophe

38:39 The Cost of War: Casualties and Consequences

50:40 Lessons in Military Culture: Accountability and Adaptation

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Joshua S. Treviño, Chief Transformation Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and senior advisor at the America First Policy Institute, joins the show to discuss the Trump administration’s military strikes on seaborne cartel traffic and its strategy in the Western Hemisphere.

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00:00 Understanding U.S. Military Strategy in Venezuela

02:26 The State-Cartel Synthesis: A New Paradigm

05:30 The Role of the U.S. Military in Drug Interdiction

08:39 Legal Framework and Controversies Surrounding Military Actions

11:46 The Broader Implications of Regime Change 

14:26 Divisions on the Right: Perspectives on Foreign Policy

21:50 The Strategic Implications of Military Action Against Maduro

30:19 Assessing the Venezuelan Opposition's Readiness

33:53 Colombia's Evolving Relationship with the U.S.

37:00 The Complex Dynamics of U.S.-Mexico Relations

41:55 The Threat of Cartels and Their Impact on U.S. Society

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Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and author of Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance, joins the show to discuss the current state of relations between the U.S. and China as Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are scheduled to meet in South Korea next week.

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00:00 The Broader Competition: US-China Relations

02:51 Trump's Trade Strategy: A Historical Perspective

09:35 China's Strategic Objectives: Beyond Economics

14:16 Xi Jinping's Goals: The Summit Agenda

18:20 Export Controls: A New Era of Trade Tensions

22:36 The Stakes of No Deal: Economic and Strategic Implications

26:35 Decoupling from China: Challenges and Opportunities

33:05 Defining a Good Deal: Beyond Trade

37:22 TikTok: The Information Warfare Front

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Julian Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Modern French History at Queen Mary University of London and author of France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain, joins the show to discuss the rise and fall of “the Lion of Verdun”; Philippe Pétain.

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   01:06 Introduction

   01:53 How Pétain became the “Hero of France” in WW1

   11:32  France sues for peace with Germany in 1940

   18:52 The legality of the armistice

   27:49 Churchill’s take on the armistice         

   33:48 What Was Vichy France?

   41:43 Vichy’s treatment of the Jews    

   53:05 Distancing France from extermination         

   58:13 Why does Pétain stay a servant to the Nazis

   01:07:38 Vichy and Pétain on trial today

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