School of War

Ep 97: Edward Luttwak on the IDF and the War in Israel

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Edward Luttwak, strategist and co-author of The Art of Military Innovation: Lessons from the Israel Defense Forces, joins the show to talk about the r...

Ep 96: Vincent O’Hara and Trent Hone on Naval Combat at Night

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Vincent O’Hara and Trent Hone, naval historians and co-editors of Fighting in the Dark: Naval Combat at Night, 1904-1944, join the show to talk abou...

Ep 95: Richard Goldberg on the War in Israel & American Strategy

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and co-host of Jewish Insider’s Limited Liability podcast, joins the show to ...

Ep 94: Jonathan Schanzer on the War in Israel & Hamas

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the state of the war in I...

Ep 93: Michael Doran on the War in Israel & Ghosts of 1973

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, joins the show to talk abou...

Ep 92: Cliff May on Defending Democracies

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cliff May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the neo-imperialism of America’s adversa...

Ep 91: Paul Rahe on Sparta’s Grand Strategy

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Rahe, Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale College, and author of Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War: The Grand S...

Ep 90: Andrew Krepinevich on Military Revolutions

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Krepinevich, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fate...

Ep 89: Mick Ryan on Ukraine, Taiwan, and Future War

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mick Ryan, Major General (retired) in the Australian Army and author of White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, joins the show to talk about the war t...

Ep 88: John H. Maurer on Alfred Thayer Mahan (New Makers of Modern Strategy #10)

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John H. Maurer, the Alfred Thayer Mahan Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy at the Naval War College and contributor to New Makers of Modern Str...

Ep 87: Wayne Lee on Native American Warfare

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wayne Lee, Bruce W. Carney Distinguished Professor of History at UNC and author of The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1...

Ep 86: David Betz on Ukraine’s Counteroffensive and Russia’s Defense

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King’s College London, joins the show to talk about what the status of the Ukrainian counteroffe...

Ep 85: Antulio J. Echevarria on Jomini (New Makers of Modern Strategy #9)

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Antulio J. Echevarria, General Douglas MacArthur Chair of Research at the U.S. Army War College and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, jo...

Ep 84: Mike Gallagher on the Korean War and Confronting China Today

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district and Chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition bet...

Ep 84: B. Rivera and M. McGrath on John Boyd

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark McGrath and Brian Rivera, hosts of the No Way Out podcast, join the show to talk about strategist John Boyd.  ▪️ Times      •    ...

Ep 83: Aaron O’Connell on 'Geopolitics 101'

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron O’Connell, Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin, joins the show to talk about the “founding fathers” of 20t...

Ep 82: Charles Edel on John Quincy Adams (New Makers of Modern Strategy #8)

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Edel, senior adviser and Australia Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strateg...

Ep 81: Max Hastings on the Cuban Missile Crisis

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Max Hastings, journalist, military historian, and author most recently of Abyss: The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, joins the show to talk about the world...

Ep 80: Holger Afflerbach on How Germany Lost WWI

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Holger Afflerbach, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Leeds and author of On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War...

Ep 79: Mark Galeotti on Russia’s Military

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Galeotti, director of Mayak Intelligence, host of the In Moscows’s Shadow podcast, and author of Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, joins ...

Ep 78: Hew Strachan on Clausewitz (New Makers of Modern Strategy #7)

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hew Strachan, Bishop Wardlaw Professor at the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews and a contributor to New Makers of Mo...

Ep 77: Iskander Rehman on Sully, Richelieu, and Mazarin (New Makers of Modern Strategy #6)

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Kissinger Center at Johns Hopkins SAIS and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show ...

Ep 76: Levi Roach on the Normans

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Levi Roach, Associate Professor of Medieval History at the University of Exeter and author of Empires of the Normans: Conquerors of Europe, joins the ...

Ep 75: Toshi Yoshihara on Sun Tzu (New Makers of Modern Strategy #5)

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Toshi Yoshihara, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, author of Mao’s Army Goes to Sea, and contributor to the New M...

Ep 74: Mark Moyar on Vietnam (New Makers of Modern Strategy #4)

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College, author of Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968 and contribut...

Ep 73: Carter Malkasian on Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency (New Makers of Modern Strategy #3)

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carter Malkasian, chair of the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins th...

Ep 72: Matthew Kroenig on Machiavelli (New Makers of Modern Strategy #2)

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Kroenig, professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and contributor ...

Ep 71: John Gaddis on Strategy (New Makers of Modern Strategy #1)

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Gaddis, Robert A. Lovett Professor of Military & Naval History at Yale University and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the s...

Ep 70: Will Scharf on China’s Fentanyl War on America

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Will Scharf, former federal prosecutor and candidate for Missouri Attorney General, joins the show to talk about how the Chinese Communist Party uses ...

Ep 69: John Lisle on the OSS and "Dirty Tricks"

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Lisle, a historian of science and the American intelligence community and author of The Dirty Tricks Department, joins the show to talk about the...

Ep 68: Peter H. Wilson on the Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Peter H. Wilson, Chichele Professor of the History of War at All Souls, Oxford, and author of Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speakin...

Ep 67: Stephen J. Hadley on George W. Bush’s Foreign Policy

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen J. Hadley, National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush and lead editor of Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Bara...

Ep 66: Michael E. O’Hanlon on Military History and Modern Strategy

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael E. O’Hanlon, senior fellow and director of research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution and author of Military History for the Mo...

Ep 65: John Hosler on Jerusalem

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Hosler, Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and author of Jerusalem Falls: Seven Centuries of War an...

Ep 64: Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan on China’s Three Strategies for Taiwan

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Blumenthal and Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute join the show to talk about the three strategies that China can use to seize contro...

Ep 63: Steve Kemper on Interwar Japan

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Kemper, author most recently of Our Man in Tokyo: An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor, joins the show to talk about the pol...

Ep 62: Mike Pompeo on American Foreign Policy

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and author of Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I L...

Ep 61: Sonny Bunch on War Movies

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sonny Bunch, contributing columnist at the Washington Post and culture editor for The Bulwark, where he hosts The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood newsletter...

Ep 60: Marc Hyden on Gaius Marius

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Marc Hyden, Director of State Government Affairs at R Street and author of Gaius Marius: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Saviour, joins the show to discus...

Ep 59: James Lacey on Roman Strategy

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

James Lacey, the Major General Matthew C. Horner Chair of War Studies at Marine Corps University and author of Rome: Strategy of Empire, joins the sho...

Ep 58: Philip Taubman on George Shultz

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Philip Taubman, lecturer at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation and author of In The Nation's Service: The Life an...

Ep 57: Mike Gallagher on China and the U.S. Military

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Congressman Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative for Wisconsin’s 8th district and chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition betwee...

Ep 56: Ronald H. Spector and the Chaos of Postwar Asia

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ronald H. Spector, Professor Emeritus of History at George Washington University and author of A Continent Erupts: Decolonization, Civil War, and Mass...

Ep 55: Myke Cole and the Spartan Myth

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Myke Cole, author of The Bronze Lie: Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy, joins the show to discuss what most people get wrong about Spar...

Ep 54: Jonathan Kirshner on Realism

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Kirshner, Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Boston College and author of An Unwritten Future: Realism, Uncertainty,...

Ep 53: David M. Pritchard on Athens at War

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David M. Pritchard, Associate Professor of Greek History at the University of Queensland and author of Athenian Democracy at War, joins the show to di...

Ep 52: Dr. Michael Livingston on the battle of Crécy

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Michael Livingston , Professor at The Citadel and author of Crécy: Battle of Five Kings, joins the show to discuss the Hundred Years War, medieva...

Ep 51: Alexander Mikaberidze on Kutuzov

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History and Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University in Shreveport and author of Kutuzov: A L...

Ep 50: Lawrence Freedman on Command

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London and author of Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Kore...

Ep 49: William Inboden on Ronald Reagan

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

William Inboden, executive director and William Powers, Jr. Chair at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin an...

Ep 48: Ian Beckett on the Anglo-Zulu War

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Beckett, professor emeritus of military history at the University of Kent and author of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana, joins the show to talk abo...

Ep 47: Senator Tom Cotton on American Foreign Policy

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Cotton, senator from Arkansas and author of Only the Strong: Reversing the Left's Plot to Sabotage American Power, joins the show to talk about U....

Ep 46: James M. Scott on Curtis LeMay in World War II

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

James M. Scott, author of Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, joins the show to talk about the World W...

Ep 45: Randall Schriver on China

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Randall Schriver, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific affairs and Chairman of the Project 2049 Institute, joins the show to talk ab...

Ep 44: Jay Lockenour on Erich Ludendorff

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 44: Jay Lockenour on Erich Ludendorff  ▪️ Jay Lockenour, associate professor of history at Temple University and author of Dragonslayer: The L...

Ep 43: Eli Lake on the Bush administration in the Middle East

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eli Lake, host of The Re-Education and national security journalism fellow at the Clements Center, joins the show to talk about 9/11 and the invasions...

Ep 42: Ian Easton on Xi Jinping and the CCP’s Grand Strategy

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Easton, senior director at the Project 2049 Institute and author of The Final Struggle: Inside China’s Global Strategy, joins the show to talk a...

Ep 41: Hal Brands and Michael Beckley on China

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hal Brands, Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, and Michael Beckley, associate professor of political science at Tuft...

Ep 40: Michael S. Neiberg on Vichy France

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael S. Neiberg, Chair of War Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College, joins the show to talk Amer...

Ep 39: Ocie Vest on the Marine Corps’ War in Afghanistan, Part 2 of 2

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ocie Vest, retired Marine infantry officer, joins the show to talk about his experiences as a platoon commander in the Battle of Marjah and later as a...

Ep 38: Ocie Vest on the Marine Corps’ War in Afghanistan, Part 1 of 2

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ocie Vest, retired Marine infantry officer, joins the show to talk about his experiences as a platoon commander in the Battle of Marjah and later as a...

Ep 37: Alexander Watson on WWI’s Siege of Przemysl and the Making of Europe’s Bloodlands

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alexander Watson, Professor of History at Goldsmiths, University of London, joins the show to talk about the Eastern Front in World War One, and how t...

Ep 36: Charlie Laderman on Hitler’s Decision to Declare War on America

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Charlie Laderman, lecturer at King’s College London and co-author of Hitler's American Gamble, joins the show to talk about his latest book, which c...

Ep 35: Brendan Simms and Steven McGregor on the Battle of Midway

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brendan Simms, Professor at the University of Cambridge, and his co-author, Steven McGregor, a U.S. Army vet, join the show to talk about their new bo...

Ep 34: Andrew Corbett on Britain’s Nukes

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Corbett, author of Supreme Emergency: How Britain Lives With the Bomb, joins the show to talk about what it’s like commanding one of Her Maje...

Ep 33: Steven Pressfield on the Truth about War

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steven Pressfield, author of A Man at Arms and Gates of Fire, joins the show to talk about writing historical fiction, telling the truth about war, an...

Ep 32: Barry S. Strauss on Actium

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Barry Strauss, Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, joins the show to talk about Octavian, Antony, and Cle...

Ep 31: Rich Goldberg on Economic Sanctions and Financial Warfare

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies and host of both the Cryptonite podcast and Jewish Insider’s Limited Liab...

Ep 30: Guy MacLean Rogers on The Jewish Revolt

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Guy MacLean Rogers, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History and Classical Studies at Wellesley College and author of For the Freedom of Zion: The G...

Ep 29: Wesley Morgan on Afghanistan, Part 2 of 2

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wesley Morgan, journalist and author of The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley, joins the show to discuss his ex...

Ep 28: Wesley Morgan on Afghanistan, Part 1 of 2

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 28: Wesley Morgan on Afghanistan Wesley Morgan, journalist and author of The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Val...

Ep 27: Fred Kagan on Ukraine II

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 27: Fred Kagan on Ukraine II Fred Kagan, Senior Fellow and Director of Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins the show to discuss where the war in...

Ep 26: Andrew Lambert on the Crimean War

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 26: Andrew Lambert on the Crimean War  Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies, King's College, join...

Ep. 25: Waller Newell on Putin and Tyranny

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Waller Newell, Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Carleton University, joins the show to discuss tyranny and tyrants—and Vladimir Pu...

Ep. 24: Richard Overy on World War II

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Overy, professor of history at the University of Exeter, joins the show to discuss World War II and the wars of imperial aggression. Times 0...

Ep. 23: James Holmes on Sea Power

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

James Holmes, the J.C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College, joins the show to discuss sea power, the war in Ukraine, and the pos...

Ep. 22: Jeremy Black on Tank Warfare

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter, joins the show to discuss tank warfare from its origins to the battlefields of Ukraine...

Ep. 21: Matthew Kroenig on Ukraine and Putin’s Nuclear Weapons

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Kroenig, Professor in the Department of Government and Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and Director of Stud...

Ep. 20: Bill Roggio on Ukraine

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep. 20: Bill Roggio on Ukraine Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the Long War Journal, joins the ...

Ep. 19: Fred Kagan on Ukraine

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fred Kagan, Director of Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins the show to discuss the first week of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Times: 00:42 - In...

Ep. 18: Bruce Jones on Seapower

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bruce Jones, director of the Project on International Order and Strategy of the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, joins the show to...

Ep. 17: Alexander Mikaberidze on Napoleon

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History and the Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, joins the show to discus...

Ep. 16: Gerry Roncolato on the U.S. Navy

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is the United States Navy prepared for war? Retired Navy Captain Gerry Roncolato joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of American m...

Ep. 15: Andrew Lambert on Julian Corbett

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College, London, joins the show to discuss British stra...

Ep. 14: Kevin Hymel on General George S. Patton

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Kevin Hymel joins the show to discuss the life and leadership of the American World War II general most feared by the Nazis: George S. Patto...

Ep. 13: Thomas Clavin on Joe Moser

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and author Thomas Clavin joins the show to discuss the harrowing journey of Joe Moser, an American fighter pilot during World War II and th...

Ep. 12: Hal Brands on the Cold War

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hal Brands, the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies,...

Ep. 11: John Matteson on the Civil War's Cultural Impact

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Matteson, Distinguished Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, joins the show to discuss how the Civil War—and in partic...

Ep. 10: Shane Brennan on Xenophon

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shane Brennan, associate professor of history at the American University in Dubai, joins the show to discuss the new Landmark edition of Xenophon's An...

Ep. 9: David Stahel on the Eastern Front in WWII

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography David Stahel is a senior lecturer of history at the University of New South Wales in Australia. His research focuses on European military h...

Ep. 8: H.W. Brands on the Patriots and the Loyalists

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography H.W, Brands is the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his doctorate in history. He i...

Ep. 7: John McManus on the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography John McManus is the Curators' Distinguished Professor of U.S. military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. McManus...

Ep. 6: Frank Ledwidge on Airpower

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography Frank Ledwidge is a senior fellow of law and strategy at the Royal Air Force College in Cranwell, England. Ledwidge served as an officer in ...

Ep. 5: Wayne Hsieh on Robert E. Lee

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography Wayne Hsieh is a history professor at the United States Naval Academy. He served on the State Department's provincial reconstruction team in...

Ep. 4: Sean McMeekin on Stalin and World War II

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography Sean McMeekin is a professor and historian who focuses on early 20th century Europe. In addition to his latest book, Stalin's War: A New Hi...

Ep. 3: Andrew Roberts on King George III

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography Andrew Roberts is a professor, author, and military historian. He's written or edited nearly 20 books, including biographies of Sir Winston ...

Ep. 2: Daniel Bolger on Maurice Rose

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography Daniel Bolger is a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Army. A graduate of the Citadel, Lt. General Bolger earned five bronze st...

Ep. 1: H.R. McMaster on the Gulf War

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Biography H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He was the 26th assistant to the president for Nati...

Trailer

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An introduction to the School of War podcast