Social Science of War

Optimists argue that alliances are a source of strength for American foreign policy, lending significant advantage over competitors like China. Skeptics argue that the United States overpays and overextends itself in its alliances, and should instead take on fewer commitments and encourage its allies to bear more of the burden. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of a more coercive approach to US alliances? What are best practices for US alliance management? How do these dynamics play out in the Indo-Pacific—a region of increasing importance to contemporary US foreign policy? To explore these questions, Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla is joined on this episode by Dr. Brian Blankenship, whose book The Burden-Sharing Dilemma: Coercive Diplomacy in US Alliance Politics forms the basis of the discussion, along with Dr. Nathan Finney and Mr. Chuck Casey, both of whom bring extensive professional experience in the Indo-Pacific region to the conversation.

Last September, the Harding Project launched with the objective of renewing professional writing in the US Army. A priority of General Randy George, the Army chief of staff, the project is built on the premise that professional discourse will produce a more ready force, one prepared to meet the challenges it will confront as the character of warfare evolves more and more rapidly. In this episode, Major Gabe Royal is joined by Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Griffiths, the director of the Harding Project, and Dr. Nora Bensahel, a professor of practice at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies who also serves as a contributing editor and columnist for War on the Rocks and has taught in the Army Strategic Education Program. Together, they describe why a culture of writing is not only a hallmark of a strong Army profession but is vital to enable the service to identify and solve problems.

Every four years, Americans choose a new commander-in-chief. US presidents have significant authority to use force, manage a global network of alliances and partnerships, as well as direct American grand strategy. How do voters decide who they want to be commander-in-chief? To explore that question, Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla is joined on this episode by three guests who have studied and written extensively about it. Dr. Jeffrey Friedman is an associate professor of government at Dartmouth College and author of The Commander in Chief Test. Dr. Kori Schake is the director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a former senior official in the State and Defense Departments and at the National Security Council, and coeditor of Warriors & Citizens: American Views of Our Military. And Dr. Andrew Payne is a lecturer in foreign policy and security at City, University of London and the author of War on the Ballot: How the Election Cycle Shapes Presidential Decision-Making in War.

The views expressed in this episode are those of the participants and do not reflect those of the United States Military Academy, the US Army, or any agency of the US government.

After the US-led coalition's invasion of Iraq and defeat of Iraqi forces in conventional operations, a series of new challenges arose. How can security forces be rebuilt and strengthened, for example, and how can peace and governance be restored? This episode is the second in a two-part discussion with Dr. Isaiah "Ike" Wilson. An Army veteran and scholar of the war in Iraq, he is the author of the book Thinking Beyond War. In this episode, he describes the challenges US forces faced in Iraq and highlights a number of lessons from the conflict—lessons that he says the US military has "gathered" but not yet fully learned. As the episode concludes, the discussion zooms out to take a broader look at the Middle East and the United States' missions in the region.

More than twenty-one years ago, when a US-led coalition invaded Iraq, the 101st Airborne Division was a key element of the operation. Dr. Isaiah "Ike" Wilson was an Army officer and the division's chief of plans. He later authored a book, Thinking Beyond War, that chronicled lessons learned from the experience. He joins this episode, the first in a two-part series, to reflect on the invasion. The discussion begins with an examination of prewar estimates of troop requirements and continues by drawing out important lessons from the war on counterinsurgency and security force assistance. It also uses the early post-9/11 years as a framework to discuss Israel's current conflict with Hamas.

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Technology is rapidly changing the modern battlefield, making it crucial for armies to adapt how they think, fight, and train. But what should that adaptation look like? How can the US Army, for example, evolve at the tactical level to both meet the challenges and leverage the opportunities brought about by advancing technology? How should Army leaders and other decision-makers approach the hard choices they face—about everything from procurement to force structure to commitments across Europe and Asia? And what will be required to achieve deterrence in an era of rapid change? To explore these questions, Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla is joined on this episode by retired General Robert Abrams, Dr. Jack Watling, and Major Ryan Van Wie.

Are current trends in civil-military relations antithetical to healthy democratic norms? What can be done to ensure the civil-military relationship is a healthy one? And most fundamentally, how are Americans' views of the proper delineation of civilian and military authority changing? Dr. Ron Krebs is a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota and Dr. Scott Limbocker is an assistant professor of American politics at West Point. Both guests focus their research on critical issues related to civil-military relations and they join Major Gabriel Royal on this episode to explore these deeply important questions.

Most discussions about Western support to Ukraine and its defense against Russia centers on materiel—artillery shells, F-16s, and a wide range of equipment. While these weapons and systems are crucial for Ukraine to continue its war effort, there is an additional consideration that often gets overlooked: defense reform, particularly how the West can help. Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla hosts this episode, and she is joined by Dr. Polina Beliakova and Donald Bowser. Each guest brings deep expertise on both Ukraine and governance. They explain how defense reform would address corruption in procurement and military recruitment that are inhibiting its military effectiveness today—and why it is crucial to Ukraine’s long-term defense.

How is increased nonstate actor access to drones impacting war today? That deeply challenging question is the focus of the first episode in the new season of Social Science of War. As always, the podcast sets out to bring together guests from both academia and the practitioner and policy worlds to apply cutting-edge scholarship to real-world challenges. Dr. Nakissa Jahanbani hosts this episode and is joined by retired Lieutenant General Ken Tovo, a former commanding general of US Special Operations Command, Dr. Kerry Chávez, a political science instructor at Texas Tech University, and Mr. Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

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Since Samuel Huntington introduce the concept of objective control in his 1957 book The Soldier and the State, it has been the model of civil-military relations taught most widely in US professional military education. And yet the concept is not without critics. This episode features a fascinating discussion about civil-military relations, using Huntington’s model as a starting point before exploring topics such as partisanship in the military, what role service members should play in public discourse, and how to establish oversight over a military that is widely regarded as one of the most trusted institutions in American society. Host Kyle Atwell is joined by three guests for the discussion: Dan Helmer, a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates and Army lieutenant colonel who teaches in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point; Major Michael Robinson, a recent assistant professor in the Social Sciences Department at West Point and author of Dangerous Instrument: Political Polarization and US Civil-Military Relations; and Dr. Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute who has served in the State Department, in the Defense Department, and on the National Security Council and coedited, with General Jim Mattis, the book Warriors and Citizens: American View of Our Military.