Daniel Samet, the George P. Shultz Fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute and author of U.S. Defense Policy toward Israel: A Cold War History, joins the show to breakdown the origins of the important, if at times contentious, U.S.-Israel relationship.

▪️

Times 

    •      01:30 Introduction

    •      02:28 1948

    •      05:44 Arabist strategy  

    •      08:13 11 minutes

    •      10:37 Looking for friends      

    •      15:40 Soviet-Arab relations

    •      19:25 Republicans    

    •      25:16 Kennedy 

    •      29:29 Strong friends

    •      32:02 Nuclear program 

    •      37:33 6 Day War

    •      43:19 Mistake?

    •      47:41 Kissinger

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcripts of episodes on our School of War Substack

Scott Boorman, Professor of Sociology at Yale University and author of Three Faces of Sun Tzu, joins the show to discuss the world and ideas of Sun Tzu.

▪️

Times 

    •      01:48 Introduction

    •      02:10 “Know your enemy”

    •      05:18 The Protracted Game  

    •      09:59 Text and application

    •      16:05 Warring states      

    •      21:14 Chinese thinking

    •      24:58 Net assessment 

    •      29:05 Cunning

    •      32:02 Omissions 

    •      37:05 Memorization

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at FDD, joins the show to break down his time on the ground in Israel at the beginning of the war and what may come with the Israel-Iran ceasefire in place.

▪️

Times 

    •      01:27 Introduction

    •      02:10 Extraction

    •      05:50 Different  

    •      09:25 In the shelter

    •      12:03 Damage taken      

    •      16:18 Stress

    •      17:45 Getting out

    •      24:57 Road ahead

    •      30:40 Iranian risks

    •      32:10 Hamas

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mike Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, joins the show to break down America’s strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities and what might come next.

▪️

Times 

    •      01:00 Reactions

    •      08:00 Deception

    •      12:00 More to come  

    •      17:00 Self-deception

    •      24:00 Next few days      

    •      31:00 Escalation

    •      34:00 Not over

    •      41:00 Trump is serious

    •      44:00 Restraintists

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD, joins the show to bring us up to speed on the Israel-Iran conflict, and the possibility of America’s intervention.

▪️

Times 

    •      01:00 Achievements

    •      05:00 Retaliation  

    •      09:00 Hard math  

    •      16:00 Intervention

    •      24:00 Outcomes      

    •      30:00 Ground operations

    •      32:00 Another Iraq?      

    •      38:00 Resolve and stability 

    •      42:00 “Iraq Syndrome”

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Cleo Paskal, non-resident senior fellow at FDD and author of Crossroads of Competition, joins the show to discuss China’s campaign for influence and control at the scene of America’s bloody island-hopping campaign in WW2.

▪️

Times 

    •      01:35 Introduction

    •      04:03 Pacific desert   

    •      07:45 Control  

    •      13:48 Post 1945

    •      22:43 Significance      

    •      24:31 Yap

    •      29:43 Divisions      

    •      32:18 Diplomatic maintenance

    •      35:54 Designs

    •      41:30 Strategic concerns  

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD, joins the show to breakdown last night’s spectacular Israeli strikes against the Iranian Regime and its nuclear program, and what comes next.

▪️

Times 

    •      02:00 Deception

    •      06:00 Targets   

    •      09:00 The Scientists  

    •      11:00 Complacency

    •      14:00 Israeli goals      

    •      19:00 Regime change

    •      23:00 Strikes and talks      

    •      29:00 Drones

    •      31:00 Counterpunch?

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Annie Jacobsen, journalist and author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, joins the show to discuss nuclear weapons and their use.

▪️

Times 

    •      01:20 Introduction

    •      02:50 Finding the music   

    •      07:02 Reporting 

    •      09:15 Hidden information

    •      11:22 The scenario      

    •      13:50 Launch on warning

    •      17:30 Villians      

    •      20:45 Annihilation    

    •      26:25 The Black Book 

    •      30:40 North Korea

    •      34:03 Interception      

    •      37:42 ICBMs  

    •      43:39 Deterrence

    •      49:29 Obama      

    •      52:50 Right to know      

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Stephen Rabe, historian and author of The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village, joins the show to discuss one of the countless, incredible stories from D-Day. 

▪️

Times 

    •      01:18 Introduction

    •      01:25 Marine   

    •      02:50 Origins 

    •      06:48 Normandy

    •      09:29 507th      

    •      15:20 Training

    •      18:23 Overlord      

    •      21:21 The Villagers   

    •      25:20 A change in plans 

    •      30:07 HQ Battalion

    •      36:17 Armageddon      

    •      39:00 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division  

    •      44:01 Staying behind

    •      46:37 Return      

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

Fred Kagan, senior fellow and the director of the Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins the show to discuss Ukraine’s drone operation targeting Russia’s strategic air assets. 

▪️

Times 

    •      01:46 Introduction

    •      02:25 What just happened?   

    •      07:48 Escalation risk 

    •      10:20 Control

    •      12:39 Implications      

    •      21:10 Stratagems

    •      24:04 Effects      

    •      30:40 Economic pressure   

    •      37:20 Continuing operations 

Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack