The Spear

In this episode, Colonel Mike Rosol joins MWI's Charlie Faint to reflect on a career spanning armored warfare, multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, teaching and scholarship at West Point, interagency work, and his recent service leading the commander’s action group for Security Assistance Group–Ukraine (SAG-U). Mike describes SAG-U’s role in coordinating US and allied support to Ukraine and examines lessons emerging from the Russia-Ukraine war, including Ukraine’s rapid expansion of its military, the transformative role of uncrewed systems, the increasingly compressed relationship between reconnaissance and strike, and the extraordinary speed of technological adaptation on the battlefield. Mike also highlights Ukraine’s willingness to innovate and openly debate how it fights—and warns against the temptation to dismiss the ongoing war's lessons simply because the participants or circumstances differ from those the US military expects to face.

In this episode with host Dr. Charlie Faint, retired Colonel Pat Howell reflects on a career that took him from the 82nd Airborne Division and conventional engineer units to the 75th Ranger Regiment, strategic planning in Afghanistan, Joint Special Operations Command, and ultimately leadership of the Modern War Institute at West Point. Pat describes how strong noncommissioned officers and demanding organizations shaped his approach to leadership, particularly the need to balance leading by personal example with stepping back to supervise the larger mission. He discusses his intellectual development at West Point and beyond before recounting his experience as a lead planner for the International Security Assistance Force under General Stanley McChrystal and reflectiong on his later service with Joint Special Operations Command and as director of MWI. Throughout the conversation, he returns to several enduring lessons for military professionals: accomplish the mission while taking care of soldiers, remain intellectually curious, learn to evaluate facts and assumptions rigorously, and develop critical-thinking skills that remain useful regardless of how warfare changes.

In this episode of The Spear, host Charlie Faint sits down with the command team of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Colonel Sean Karrels and Command Sergeant Major Julio Santos, for a conversation about the people, leadership, and culture behind the Night Stalkers. Drawing on decades of experience in Army aviation and special operations, the two discuss their paths into the regiment, what the 160th looks for in its soldiers and leaders, and why teamwork, disciplined initiative, accountability, and mastery of the fundamentals remain central to its success. They explore how the regiment practices mission command, learns from failure, maintains demanding standards, and balances technological innovation with the tactical skills required to operate in the world’s most challenging environments. Looking toward future conflicts, they also discuss artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, contested operating environments, and why the regiment’s greatest advantage remains its people. Throughout the conversation, Sean and Julio return to a defining idea of the culture in the 160th: Night Stalkers don't quit.

In this episode, Colonel Chaveso “Chevy” Cook sits down with MWI's Charlie Faint to recount a career that took him from a South Carolina JROTC classroom to West Point and then on to combat deployments, the psychological operations career field, academia, and ultimately the Joint Staff, where he advised senior national security leaders on nonkinetic effects. Chevy reflects on how early mentors, wartime service, and unconventional assignments taught him to see military problems from increasingly broader perspectives, describing his philosophy that luck is really the combination of preparation and opportunity. He discusses the distinctive role of psychological operations, where influence and communication can accomplish national-level missions without relying on lethal force, as well as his work integrating capabilities such as cyber, space, deception, and information operations to provide strategic options for national leaders. The conversation also explores his commitment to education, professional writing, character development, and mentorship, including his belief that leaders must be capable communicators and continually level up as their responsibilities grow. Chevy closes by encouraging young leaders to understand who they authentically are without allowing their present identity to limit who they can become, emphasizing a career-long theme of preparation, intellectual growth, service, and investment in others.

Dr. Charlie Faint sits down with EOD officer Michael Villahermosa in this episode for a wide-ranging conversation about combat, leadership, professional growth, and service. Villahermosa traces his path from an unsuccessful attempt at Special Forces selection to becoming an explosive ordnance disposal technician, deploying to Afghanistan during the surge, and eventually earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal for Valor after taking charge of a ground element under fire and helping prevent fellow soldiers from walking into an ambush. Drawing on experiences as both an enlisted NCO and commissioned officer, he emphasizes calm leadership under pressure, competence, humility, accountability, mutual trust, and the importance of officers empowering their NCOs rather than micromanaging them. The discussion also explores his transition from NCO to officer through Green to Gold, his EOD Happy Captain social-media presence, the value of professional writing and the Harding Project, and his current work mentoring ROTC cadets. Throughout the episode, Villahermosa returns to a simple leadership philosophy: learn from mistakes, listen to experienced NCOs, remain humble, communicate calmly, and strive to become the kind of leader you needed when you were younger.

In this episode, Colonel Tiffany Bilderback joins MWI's Charlie Faint to discuss a career defined by coalition building, strategic leadership, and service alongside partner forces from countries like Germany, Iraq, South Korea, and Ukraine. She also describes working in the special operations community and at the Pentagon, and providing military medical assistance to the COVID-19 national response. The bulk of the episode focuses on her time as the J5, or joint plans officer, for Security Assistance Group–Ukraine. Drawing on experiences advising Iraqi forces, supporting whole-of-government pandemic operations, commanding a multifunctional medical battalion, and helping develop Ukraine’s corps-level command structure during an active armed conflict, Tiffany reflects on the importance of humility, empathy, professional military education, and building trust with allies. She shares firsthand observations of Ukrainian resilience, explains why leader development remains essential even in the midst of combat, and offers practical leadership lessons on accountability, lifelong learning, and choosing opportunities that open more doors than they close.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dale Hunter joins MWI's Charlie Faint on this episode to discuss how a new Army unit—the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF)—transformed intelligence collection, targeting, and technology integration to compete against sophisticated antiaccess/area-denial threats in the Indo-Pacific. Drawing on his experience as the 1st MDTF’s senior intelligence warrant officer and collection manager, Dale explains the unique role of warrant officers as technical experts who bridge operational gaps, describes how the unit pioneered new approaches to maritime targeting, partner integration, and innovation in the absence of established doctrine, and argues that talent—not technology—is the decisive advantage in modern warfare. The conversation also explores leadership, disciplined initiative, the importance of actively recruiting exceptional people, and the crucible of innovation that shaped the 1st MDTF’s early success and continues to influence the Army’s transformation for future conflict.

In this episode, MWI's Dr. Charlie Faint speaks with Captain Francis Ambrogio, an Army armor officer, West Point graduate, and observer, coach, trainer (OCT) at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany, to discuss how the Army is preparing for the realities of modern warfare. Drawing on experiences ranging from his service as a tank platoon leader in Korea and an aide-de-camp to a general officer to his time as a troop commander in the 10th Mountain Division and his current role as an OCT, Francis explains the unique role of the JMRC in training US and allied forces alongside NATO partners and Ukrainian forces. He shares insights into the rapid integration of drones, artificial intelligence, multinational interoperability, and the persistent challenges of the modern battlefield, including command post operations, staff proficiency, and mastering increasingly complex technology. Throughout the conversation, Francis emphasizes that success in future conflict still depends on timeless fundamentals: treating training as real, mastering the basics, building trust, listening to subordinates, and constantly learning from both allies and past experience to prepare leaders and formations for the next fight.

In this episode, Dr. Charlie Faint hosts Lieutenant Colonel Tiane Garner, commander of the Multi-Domain Effects Battalion (MDEB) in the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, to discuss the Army's evolving approach to operations in the Indo-Pacific. Drawing on nearly two decades of service that began as a transportation officer running convoy security missions in Iraq before transitioning to military intelligence, Tiane explains how the MDEB integrates intelligence, cyber, electronic warfare, space, and unmanned systems to provide long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting capabilities in support of the joint force. She also details lessons learned from Pacific Pathways exercises in the Philippines, the challenges of innovation and rapid acquisition, the battalion's upcoming transition into the newly established Multi-Domain Command–Pacific, and the importance of developing disciplined soldiers who can adapt to emerging technologies and changing battlefield conditions. Throughout the conversation, Tiane emphasizes that while technology continues to evolve, success in future conflicts will ultimately depend on leaders and soldiers who have mastered the fundamentals, remain committed to continuous learning, and are prepared to operate effectively in dispersed, complex environments.

In this episode of The Spear, host Dr. Charlie Faint speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Ben Blane about the rapid evolution of long-range precision fires and the Army’s shift toward multidomain operations in preparation for conflict with near-peer adversaries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Ben traces his career from traditional artillery roles to commanding the Army’s first long-range precision fires battalion, highlighting how emerging capabilities, such as hypersonic weapons, networked missile systems, drones, cyber, and space integration, are transforming artillery into a central component of joint, distributed warfare. He emphasizes the importance of forward positioning, interoperability with allies, and building resilient, networked kill webs that enable faster, more precise effects across domains. Drawing on real-world experimentation in places like the Philippines, Ben underscores both the successes and challenges of integrating new technologies under constant adversary observation, while stressing that future warfare will depend less on mass and more on speed, adaptability, and intelligent, interconnected munitions.