School of War

By The Free PressBusiness Arts Books History

Ranking
25th
on Books
Favorites
175
Followers
Typical duration
50 min
per episode
If it hooks
56%
finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

School of War episodes

March 06 General Frank McKenzie on the War in Iran
General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie Jr, USMC (ret.), commanded US Central Command from 2019-2022. Gen. McKenzie led a distinguished 42 year career in the US Marine Corps, commanding at multiple levels and serving on the Joint Staff. In this in-depth conversation, General McKenzie shares his insights on the recent U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, strategic mistakes by Iran, and the prospects for regime change. He gives a full breakdown of Iran's military capabilities, regional dynamics, and possible future scenarios.
▪️
Times
03:45 Iranian response
07:40 Ballistic missiles
19:06 Defeating drones
22:20 Soleimani
30:31 Iranian miscalculation
32:48 War was never inevitable
36:18 Outcomes
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
41 min
March 03 Ep 281: Fred Kagan on the Iran War, Drone Defense, and the Future of the Middle East
Fred Kagan, senior fellow and director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, joins the show to discuss the war, what Ukraine can do to help the Gulf with drone defense, and the future of the Islamic Republic.
▪️
01:51 Updates
03:29 Iranian strikes
09:15 Munitions crisis
14:28 Innovation
18:45 Isolated and weak
25:12 Arming the opposition
30:55 A dangerous game
36:22 10/7
40:21 Turkey

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

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
46 min
March 02 Ep 280: Mike Doran on the Iran War
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 bring us the latest breakdown on the war and how long this may go on.
▪️
Times
01:52 Where are things going?
05:45 Rational strikes
09:56 A weakened positioned
16:33 Lasting change
20:13 What comes next?
26:40 Regional war
30:28 Integration
38:30 The Decider
47:32 Futures
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
51 min
February 28 Ep 279: Mark Dubowitz on U.S.-Israel War with Iran
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD, joins the show to bring us up to speed on the rapidly developing full-scale conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran.
▪️
Times
01:19 Iranian leaders targeted
04:48 10/7 roots
07:39 Ambitious war aims
12:41 Scope
15:59 Regime change
20:11 Iranian response
23:42 Playing with fire
28:13 Partnership

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

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
33 min
February 27 Ep 278: Yossi Cohen on The Mossad
Yossi Cohen, served as the director of the Mossad from 2016 until 2021 and is the author of The Sword of Freedom: Israel, Mossad, and the Secret War. As director, he personally orchestrated some of the Mossad’s most daring operations, such as the seizure of the Iranian nuclear archives—the exposure of which was among the main factors behind the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal—and clandestine activity all over the world.
▪️
Times
01:27 Joining the Mossad
16:02 Serving behind the lines
26:31 Recruitment
32:45 HUMINT
39:50 Deciding to strike
44:36 Iran
49:51 Moral conflicts

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

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
52 min
February 23 Ep 277: Behnam Ben Taleblu—Will There Be a War with Iran?
Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director (Iran Program) and Senior Fellow at FDD, joins the show to talk about the build-up of American military power in the Middle East and what it might mean for Iran and the Iranian regime.
▪️
Times
02:04 U.S. build-up
05:46 Timing
11:08 “Decisive and different”
24:41 Iranian retaliation
30:03 Targets
35:25 Ideology of the Supreme Leader
41:36 A Trump JCPOA
45:46 Regime change by air

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

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
50 min
February 20 Ep 276: Charlie Laderman on Regime Change in Iran
Charlie Laderman, associate professor at the University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, joins the show to discuss parallels between Reagan’s policy towards Cold War Poland and the crisis in Iran today.
▪️
Times
02:45 Comparing Iran and Poland
05:56 Reagan’s plan
10:15 Reheating the Cold War
12:26 ’81 coup
15:53 Sanctions and pressure
20:19 Constant agitation
27:38 End of the Cold War
34:45 The violence of the Iranian regime
37:55 Structural differences
44:32 Exiled opposition

Read the article discussed in the episode - Freedom for Iran: Learning From U.S. Support for Polish Anti-Communists in the 1980s
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
50 min
February 17 Ep 275: Michael Baumgartner on Marco Rubio’s Speech and the Future of Europe
Rep. Michael Baumgartner of Washington State’s 5th Congressional District joins the show to give his key takeaways from the Munich Security Conference.
▪️
Times
01:34 Getting to Munich
05:22 European attitude
14:20 AOC and recalibration
17:50 Germany returns
23:59 Rubio’s speech
30:23 Ukraine
39:22 Iran and a “good” deal

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
44 min
February 13 Ep 274: Lawrence Freedman on Strategists and Ukraine
Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London and author of On Strategists and Strategy: Collected Essays, 2014-2024, joins the show to talk about a lifetime among strategists, and to give an update on the war in Ukraine.
▪️
Times
02:34 Essay writing
07:49 Michael Howard
18:42 Colin Gray
23:06 Timeless aspects of strategy
26:00 The goal of SDI
36:40 Tactics
41:20 Differences between tactics and strategy
45:01 Ultimate objectives
50:08 Sensible uses of nuclear weapons
52:24 Thatcher
53:59 Harsh winter in Ukraine

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

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
February 09 Ep 273: Matthew Kroenig on China’s Nuclear Test
Matthew Kroenig, Professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, joins the show to talk about the new nuclear age the world is entering.
▪️
Times
03:27 Secret Chinese testing
07:35 Seismic monitoring and de-coupling
11:40 U.S. testing plan
15:30 Why might we need more nuclear weapons?
18:01 New START
21:23 How many nukes are needed?
27:04 If deterrence fails
30:20 Limits, if any

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

Find more content on our School of War Substack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
32 min

About School of War

From the publisher's feed

In School of War, CBS News National Security Analyst and Free Press columnist Aaron MacLean sits down with secretaries of state, top military historians, war planners, and key political decision-makers to help understand the lessons of war.