This week, Jeremi and Zachary speak with Colonel Nathaniel Lauterbach about the significant changes in the US military over the past 20 years, and their implications for US foreign policy and civil-military relations.

Jeremi sets the scene with some words from a lecture from George Kennan, an influential American diplomat and historian.

Colonel Nathaniel Lauterbach is an active-duty United States Marine Corps officer. He recently commanded a squadron in California. He previously served as an operational planner and strategist with the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing, responsible for war plans and long-range planning for all combat marine aviation on the US East Coast. Colonel Lauterbach served as a lead planner for NATO and efforts to integrate military robotics and artificial intelligence into the Marine Corps. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a student of Professor Suri.