The Security Studies Podcast

In this episode, Professor John Gordon and I discuss his course, Advanced Modern Conventional Military Operations. Our conversation goes chronologically, covering military advancements from the onset of World War One through Afghanistan, and beyond.

Part 2 focuses on tactical, operational, and strategic military advancements in the modern hybrid war fighting era from the Vietnam War through our ongoing war in Afghanistan, and beyond. In this episode, we discuss how asymmetric warfare and insurgent adversaries impacted US war-waging and how it can fight a small enemy while maintaining readiness for a large one.

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

In this episode, Professor John Gordon and I discuss his course, Advanced Modern Conventional Military Operations. Our conversation goes chronologically, covering military advancements from the onset of World War One through Afghanistan, and beyond.

Part 1 focuses on tactical, operational, and strategic military advancements in the modern conventional era from just before World War One through the Korean War, which Prof. Gordon calls America’s "last truly conventional war." In this episode, we discuss how the advent of new technologies throughout the era forever changed the theater of war.

For this episode with Prof. Bill Brown, we focus on Korean economies. We cover both South and North Korean economic systems and the different paths the Koreas took following the establishment of the 38th parallel in 1945. We have an introductory discussion on those economic systems and their performance all the way up to 2018.

We then dug a bit deeper into South Korea - one of the world’s poorest nations in the 1950s and 60s - and it’s miraculous ability to flourish in decades later despite no real strategic resource advantages over the North.

We then discussed DPRK’s socialist command economy system and how it was able to maintain a tightly controlled domestic economic policy amid a liberalizing global economy. Moving toward current day economic policy, we discussed Kim Jong Un’s ascent to power in 2011 and his 2013 callback to the “Byungjin” Line - effectively merging DPRK’s nuclear and economic policy into one. We discussed how and why North Korea is finally coming to the table for discussions.

With a cautious optimism, Professor Brown and I discussed the fictional economic future of Korean integration and reunification - what might peace and collaboration between the Koreas look like? And what does Professor Brown expect from the planned meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un.

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

For this episode I met with Professor Olof Kronvall to discuss his course on Conflict Termination.

We open up discussing Professor Kronvall’s professional background and story for how he ended up teaching at SSP.

We then cover his course, which we divided in two sections: theory and practice of conflict termination. For the theory aspect, we drew from historical cases seeking lessons for the future: we go over what went well in European reconstruction following World War II and discuss lessons that Clausewitz and Dominic Tierney provide.

Applying those theoretical lessons to the practice of conflict termination, we turn to the case of Afghanistan, where Coalition forces have struggled to complete nation building objectives, remaining in the country since 2001. I asked questions like what went well and what went poorly in Afghanistan; what terminating that conflict might look like; and how he interprets the Taliban’s recent letter to the American public calling for peace talks.

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

For Episode 20 I met with Prof. Meredith Burkart to discuss her course, Intel in the Cyber Domain.

We covered a slew of topics, including a case study of a convicted Russian cyber criminal Evgeniy Bogachev; the use and implications of cryptocurrencies for investigators; the importance of operational security; and briefly cover where members of the hacktivist group Anonymous went.

We also cover attribution and the methods investigators use to attribute attacks to cyber actors. In the same vein, we discuss the extent to which actors can conduct false flag operations in the cyber domain.

With attribution covered, we moved on to appropriate responses to cyber attacks and in what instances a kinetic response might be justified.

For this episode I met with SSP’s outgoing Director, Professor Bruce Hoffman, to talk about ISIS in 2017 and beyond.

I open up the conversation by asking where ISIS stands today compared to when we last met for episode one of the podcast in April 2016. Hint: just four days after we recorded our conversation, Iraq’s prime minister declared victory over the Islamic State. But it begs the question: if ISIS can’t hold territory, where do its fighters go?

We also touch on the changing media environment - with US media focusing on the presidency and social media platforms clamping down on violent extremist messaging - and how or whether that is impacting ISIS’ propaganda campaigns.

We talk at length about al-Qaeda, where it stands as an organization, and what its aging leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is doing to ensure its survival, to include fostering a leader for the terrorist group in Hamza bin Laden.

We discuss the U.S. and Coalition's strategy in the fight against ISIS and the President’s decision to give Secretary of Defense Mattis greater autonomy.

Last but not least, we cover Professor Hoffman. I ask him to reflect on some of his most memorable moments in the program and his next steps.

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Episode 18 features Professor Oriana Mastro, where we discuss “China and its Military.”

We open up discussing China’s Grand Strategy under its President Xi Jinping, starting with “What does China want?”

We then go over China’s Military Modernization - from bolstering their defense industrial complex to professionalizing their air force - and to what end China is taking on this endeavor.

Lastly, we discuss a few contemporary security challenges including Chinese-North Korean relations; Chinese ambitions in space; regional security matters involving Japan and South Korea; and China’s corporate espionage.

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

In this episode I met with Professor Andrew Herr to discuss his high-demand course, “Hands-on Unconventional Tech.”

We started with Professor Herr’s story going from an SSP graduate to professor, bringing to the program a much-needed applied approach to understanding security.

We went over the modules and labs to give listeners an idea of his course offering. We also covered emerging and future technologies, focusing on human performance and additive manufacturing - which he explains in the episode.

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

For this episode I met with Professor Kier Lieber - a member of SSP’s core faculty - to discuss Nuclear Weapons, Deterrence, and Strategy.

We started out by discussing current events surrounding North Korean ICBM testing and really stuck to that theme throughout our conversation.

We then touched on some of the mechanics behind nuclear weapons, including the difference between fission and fusion; the cost/benefit of uranium and plutonium; and covered different nuclear delivery systems.

Lastly, we covered deterrence, international relations, and strategy in a world with nine nuclear powers.

Now we weren’t alerted until after, but North Korea actually fired a missile over Japan during our interview. We don’t have the details, but when I asked whether this was an alarming development Professor Lieber said that while they’ve done it before, “this is pretty provocative.”

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

For this episode of the Security Studies Podcast I met with Professor Kim Roberts to discuss the influence of multinational corporations - or MNCs.

Our conversation was broken up into about four parts: First, we discussed the historical significance of multinational corporations and went over the case of United Fruit and the consequences of its foreign interests aligning with the US against Guatemala.

We then moved on to Private Military Companies and the role they play in U.S. National Security. Unquestionably important, but at what point do Private Military Companies become more a liability than an asset? We covered both sides.

With Eric Prince in mind, we moved on to lobbyists both inside and outside the government and the role they play in influencing foreign policy. Pew Research says Trump’s cabinet will be one of the most business-heavy in U.S. history - what are the implications?

Lastly, we cover Silicon Valley, Social Media, and Big Data and their increasing influence on the global order - look at the Arab Spring for example. And in despotic regimes, what responsibilities do tech companies have to securing their users’ private information? How does Facebook weigh its business interests with the surveillance “needs” of a host country?

The Security Studies Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Palmer. 


Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music