War on the Rocks

Ukrainian Progress: A Breach or a Breakthrough of Russian Lines?

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Danforth sat down with Mike Kofman to discuss the state of the Ukrainain offensive three months in, as well as the challenges of assessing it. Mi...

Debating FISA Section 702

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of the War on the Rocks podcast, deputy assistant to U.S. President Joe Biden, Joshua Geltzer, sat down with Nicholas Danforth to disc...

How Ukraine Can Win the Peace: A Conversation with Stephen Kotkin

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this special preview of the Russia Contingency, Mike sat down with Stephen Kotkin, a senior fellow at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for Inter...

A Contest of Wills: Ukraine's Summer Offensive

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, Nick sits down with Mike to discuss Ukraine's ongoing offensive. The conversation discussed the latest from Ukraine's three axes of a...

Zooming Out on Ukraine's Offensive

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan and Mike finally found themselves in the same locale after heavy travel and sat down for a in-depth conversation on Ukraine's offensive, how we g...

An Inflection Point in Ukraine's Counteroffensive

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron sat down with Mike to discuss the Ukrainian counteroffensive and where things stand along the three axes of advance. The two discussed the state...

Ryan Evans on 10 Years of War on the Rocks

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the tenth anniversary of War on the Rocks, Philip D. Zelikow did us the honor of interviewing Ryan on the origin story of War on the Rocks, w...

Ukraine Struggles to Scale Offensive Combat Operations

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this special sneak peak of the Russia Contingency, Mike sat down with Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, to discuss...

Assessing Ukraine's Three Axes of Advance

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this sneak-peak episode of the Russia Contingency, Aaron sat down with Mike Kofman to discuss the state of the Ukrainian military's offensive, the ...

Understanding Risk and Redefining Readiness

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron sat down recently with Kimberly Jackson, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for force readiness and Gen. David Berger, who is handing ove...

Ukraine and Lessons Learned for Airpower and Spacepower

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode comes to you from Ramstein Air Base, where Ryan spoke with Gen. James Hecker of the U.S. Air Force and Air Marshall Johnny Stringer of th...

Defense and Capital: Venture and Debt

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of a series of conversations on the topic of the defense industrial base and capital, Ryan is joined by Dan Gwak of Point72 and James Par...

Ukraine's Offensive and Russia's Localized Counterattacks

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, Mike looks at the slow progress of the Ukrainian offensive and what, if anything, it means for the course of the war. He also disc...

Managing Chaos: The 2021 Kabul Airlift

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this special edition podcast, listeners will get to hear the first 20 minutes of Unspent Rounds, a members-only War on the Rocks podcast that featu...

Ukraine's Multiple Axes of Attack

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, Nick Danforth sat down with Mike Kofman to discuss the latest from the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive. In this episode, Mike details th...

The Ebb and Flow of Russian Military Power

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this special edition podcast, listeners will get to hear the first 20 minutes of Mike Kofman's members-only podcast, The Russia Contingency. Mike s...

Ukraine's Offensive and its Meaning for the War

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Following Russia's failed winter offensive, Ukraine appears to be preparing for its planned counter-offensive. Ryan sat down with Mike Kofman to discu...

Why Erdogan Wins

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ryan sat down at a cafe in Washington, D.C., with Hümeyra Pamuk and Nicholas Danforth to discuss the results of Turkey's May 14 election. ...

The Calm Before the Storm: Waiting for Ukraine's Offensive

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan sat down with Mike Kofman at WOTR HQ in Washington, DC to talk about Ukraine's coming offensive; the manpower, materiel, and politics behind it; ...

A Conversation with Gen. CQ Brown, Chief of Staff of the Air Force

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan recently tagged along on a little trip to Alabama with Gen. CQ Brown, the chief of staff of the Air Force. They recorded this episode on the flig...

China, France, and the Shadow of History

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan sat down at 1789 in Georgetown with Justin Vaïsse, a French historian and director general of the Paris Peace Forum, an independent NGO he start...

Powering American Renewal with Innovation

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan sat down with two old friends for a rich conversation on wielding innovation and smart policies to create an American renewal. Listen to his conv...

Russia Will Soon Be on the Defense, But Then What?

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman joins the show yet again. This time, he explains why the debate over the wisdom of the Battle for Bahkmut is so important while still over...

The Military and Great Powers: The Latest From Latin America, Part 2

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nicholas Danforth recently sat down with Agustina Giraudy, Adam Isacson and Anya Prusa to discuss the latest political developments in Latin America. ...

Central Command's Big Technology Bets

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, Ryan sat down with Schuyler Moore, the chief technology officer for U.S. Central Command, to discuss how it is planning to fight and ...

The Latest From Latin America, Part 1

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nicholas Danforth recently sat down with Agustina Giraudy, Adam Isacson and Anya Prusa to discuss the latest political developments in Latin America. ...

How to Think About Bakhmut and a Ukrainian Spring Offensive

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh back from his research trip to Ukraine, Mike Kofman joins Ryan for a discussion about what he learned. They discuss the battle for Bakhmut, muni...

Backing Ukraine Against Russia, With Colin Kahl and Derek Chollet

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl and Counselor to the Secretary of State Derek Chollet join the show to reflect on the war on year afte...

Russia's Winter Offensive

18 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman sat down with Nicholas Danforth to discuss Russia's latest offensive, it's focus, and why it has been underwhelming so far. The conversati...

Unfolding Offensives and Counter-Offensives in Ukraine

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman and Ryan Evans cover a lot of ground in this episode about the war in Ukraine: Russian goals in the Donbass, the coming Russian counter-of...

Talking Strategy with Assistant Secretary of Defense Mara Karlin

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan sat down with Dr. Mara Karlin, who serves as assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities. They discussed the making of t...

Manpower, Materiel, and the Coming Decisive Phase in Ukraine

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his latest discussion with Ryan on the war in Ukraine, Mike Kofman explains why the coming spring and summer will be strategically decisive. He als...

A Disquieting Winter at War in Ukraine

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kofman joins Ryan for their first discussion of the new year on the war in Ukraine. They cover the state of play at the various fronts, manpow...

Nukes, Negotiations, and Lessons From the War in Ukraine

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan recently traveled to Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base where he was joined by three of the many big thinkers teaching servicemembers down ...

Localized Offensives: The Direction of the Conflict

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman and Nick Danforth start this episode by analyzing the latest events in the war and the fighting in and around Bakhmut. Mike offers his th...

Winter and Beyond: An Inflection Point in the War Over Ukraine

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman and Ryan Evans start this episode by taking a step back to the beginning to put this stage of the war in context. Mike offers possible sce...

Cognition and Curiosity: A Conversation with Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

War on the Rocks threw a party for almost 200 people on the sidelines of I/ITSEC, the premier modeling and simulations conference held every year in O...

Josh Wolfe on Investing in American Defense

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan sat down with Josh Wolfe, co-founder of Lux Capital, in his New York office earlier this month to talk about why he is drawn to invest in compani...

The Liberation of Kherson and the Next Phase of the War

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, Ryan and Mike discuss the liberation of Kherson, the Russian military's strategy before the start of the winter, and Ukraine's effort...

A Conversation with Ukraine's Special Operations Commander

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While in Ukraine, Ryan sat down with Brig. Gen. Viktor Khorenko, the commander of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces. They discussed the roles and mi...

Southward and Eastward Pressure on Russian Forces

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman and Ryan Evans recorded this episode on the war as they return home from their week-long research trip to Ukraine. They cover the fight fo...

A Chat With Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos of Air University

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

During a visit to Maxwell Air Force Base, Ryan had a chance to visit with Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, the president and commander of Air University. We sp...

What Will Be Ukraine's Pre-Winter Gains?

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A blown up bridge, progressing Ukrainian operations in the east and south, and an unimpressive Russian mobilization effort. How should these be unders...

The Kremlin in Command, Part II: Syria and the First Assault on Ukraine

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lawrence Freedman and Michael Kofman walk us through the post-Cold War history of the Kremlin as commander. In the second episode of this multi-part s...

Russia's Plan to Stay in the War

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After Ukraine's stunning Kharkiv counter-offensive, Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his war against Ukraine, announcing a large military mobilizati...

The Kremlin in Command, Part I: The Chechen Wars and Georgia

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Putin's role as supreme commander has been center stage, offering a floundering and frightful performance. To understand the present, we reac...

Ukraine's Kharkhiv Operation and the Russian Military's Black Week

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On a foggy morning in August 1918, Allied forces commenced the Battle of Amiens and the Hundred Days Offensive that ended the Great War. A German gene...

Into the Breach: Ukraine's Counter-Offensive Begins

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for another discussion with Michael Kofman on the war in Ukraine. The main focus of this episode is the southern counter-offensive launched by...

Awaiting a Ukrainian Counter-Offensive

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman joins Ryan once again to update us all on the war in Ukraine. The big thing that everyone is watching for is evidence of an impending Ukra...

Troubled Waters Around Taiwan

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit was met with fury and condemnation in Beijing, as well as new Chinese military exercises in the seas surrounding Taiwan. ...

The Task Force at the Bleeding Edge of the Marine Corps

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Maj. Gen. Frank Donovan of the U.S. Marine Corps sat down with Ryan to discuss the recent mission and exercises of Task Force 61/2, from Greece and Tu...

Great Expectations? The Next Phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kofman joined Ryan for yet another conversation about the unfolding tragedy of the Russo-Ukrainian War. In this episode, they focus largely on...

Shinzo Abe's Legacy in Japan and on the World Stage

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shinzo Abe, Japan's former prime minister, was gunned down by an assassin earlier this summer. He is credited with having paved the road to his countr...

Ukraine's Window of Opportunity?

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With military circles abuzz that Ukraine might be preparing to launch a counter-offensive against Russian-held Kherson, Michael Kofman of CNA's Russia...

Is the Most Important Battle of the War Coming?

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kofman joins Ryan once again to discuss the Russo-Ukrainian War. In this episode, he discusses the looming battle for Slovyansk and Kramatorsk...

Ukraine and Russia Grapple with Relentless Battle and Attrition

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Kofman joins the show again to update us on the war in Ukraine. In this episode (which was recorded shortly before Russian forces withdrew from S...

The Most Dangerous Phase for Ukraine?

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is not an optimistic episode. Michael Kofman speculates that the war might be in its most dangerous phase. Why is that? Ukraine's casualties and ...

What the Experts Got Wrong (and Right) About Russian Military Power

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It is now widely understood that many observers, in advance of this war, over-estimated Russian military performance and underestimated Ukrainian mili...

The Battlefields of the Donbass and Beyond

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kofman sat down with Ryan again to sort through how the war in Ukraine is proceeding, with a focus on the Donbass, where Ukraine and Russia ar...

Counter-Attacks and Can-Kicking in the Russo-Ukrainian War

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia's stumbling war was launched almost three months ago. As Russian and Ukrainian forces battle on, how should we understand the state of play? Mi...

The U.S. Military Might Be More Like Russia's Military Than You Think

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did that title get your attention? It got Ryan's attention too when it came out of Steve Blank's mouth. If you're a War on the Rocks reader/listener,...

Ukraine's Military Advantage and Russia's Stark Choices

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our friend Michael Kofman popped in for another conversation with Ryan about where things stand in the Russo-Ukrainian War. He gives a wide-ranging as...

From Ukraine and Beyond: Unpacking the Sino-Russian Relationship

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is the national security podcast crossover of the century! Or at least of the year...ok maybe of Spring 2022! For this special episode, Doyle Hod...

A Conversation with the Counselor: Derek Chollet on Navigating the World

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A veteran State Department official and scholar, Derek Chollet is serving as counselor to the secretary of state. He sat down with Ryan to discuss the...

Russia Downscales Its War, But Not in Brutality

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kofman joined Ryan once more to update us all on the war in Ukraine. In this episode, Kofman explains how and why Russia is refocusing on the ...

Is India "Shaky" on Ukraine? It's Complicated

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden recently made headlines when he described India as being "somewhat shaky" on the issue of punishing Russia for its invasion of Ukr...

A New Phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War Begins

27 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With Moscow's announcement that the core aim of its invasion of Ukraine is now just to secure the Donbass, the conflict has entered a new phase. Micha...

In the Fourth Week, Is Russia Revising its War Aims Amidst Attrition?

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kofman joins Ryan once again to help us understand the Russo-Ukrainian War as its fourth week unfolds. They cover a lot of ground: Mike update...

Into the Third Week: Will Russian Forces Need to Pause?

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kofman joins Ryan for the third week in a row to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. He breaks down the state-of-play on three fronts — sout...

11 Days In: Russia's Invasion Stumbles Forward

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia bungled its invasion plan but is nonetheless making progress in the face of fierce Ukrainian resistance. But can the Russian military stay comb...

Interpreting the First Few Days of the Russo-Ukrainian War

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

People all over the world are watching Russia's assault on Ukraine unfold in real time through social media, giving us a gritty and vivid view of 21st...

People At the Center: Talent, Education, and Modernization

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The armed services are modernizing across the board, perhaps most importantly in the closely related areas of talent development, education, and data....

Gen. David H. Berger on the Marine Corps of the Future

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Gen. David H. Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps, had Ryan Evans over for a discussion on the service he leads. As rising great powers and transfo...

Oh My, AI

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Schmidt of Google fame and former Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work join the show to talk about their work leading the National Security Com...

Great Power Cyber Party

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Will we remember early 2021 as a key escalatory moment in offensive cyber operations? Three top experts join us to unpack the implications of two majo...

Intelligence and the Biden Administration

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After four...strange years, what can we expect from the Biden administration on the intelligence front? From key appointments to the strategic context...

Lost at Sea

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For many people, terms like "piracy," "stowaway," and "kidnapped" conjure up romantic visions influenced by the literature of Robert Louis Stevenson o...

A Whole New World (Order)

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Lissner, Mira Rapp-Hooper, and Stephen Wertheim join Doyle Hodges, executive editor of the Texas National Security Review, to share their view...

Change or Die

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The successful military is the one that adapts and innovates. Dave Barno, Nora Benhahel, and Frank Hoffman join Ryan to talk about how the U.S. milita...

Banks and Moulton on Military Might and the American Future

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, two members of Congress from two sides of the aisle came together to deliver a message of consensus on the future of the American mil...

Introducing "A Most Terrible Weapon"

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A Most Terrible Weapon is a podcast about the dawn of the nuclear age, hosted by Usha Sahay and produced by War on the Rocks, with support from the Ca...

Airmen, Sailors, and the Schoolhouse

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a part of our exploration of national security learning, we had Joan Johnson-Freese of the Naval War College and Mark Conversino of Air University ...

Learn Like a Marine

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Soon-to-be retired Maj. Gen. William Mullen drops in on the pod to talk about the making of the Marine Corps' newest doctrine, Learning, and how he h...

Gearing up for Economic Statecraft

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David McCormick, the CEO of Bridgewater Associates — the world's largest hedge fund, dropped in on the pod to talk about how the United States can ...

The Army Grapples with Modernization and COVID-19: A Conversation with Jim McPherson

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Undersecretary of the Army James E. McPherson chats with Ryan about how the Army is coping with COVID-19 — starting with the recruitment pipeline —...

Lies Through Which We Tell the Truth

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Doyle Hodges, executive editor of the Texas National Security Review, chats wth three authors of recent fiction related to military s...

Are Good Allies Hard to Find?

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Well, are they? Mira Rapp-Hooper, Paul Miller, and Emma Ashford dazzle us with a wide-ranging debate on America's alliances, in part through the lens ...

Scoping the Future of Education in National Security and Beyond

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There's a revolution coming in education that promises to empower lifelong learners in the national security space. In the first of a series of specia...

Is Cyber Half the Battle?

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How do Russia and China view cyber operations? How is the American view of cyber operations changing and is it changing fast enough? What do advances ...

Disarming Disinformation

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the War on the Rocks podcast, Doyle Hodges, executive editor of the Texas National Security Review, sits down with Jessica Brandt, ...

Gen. (ret.) Martin E. Dempsey on Following and Leading

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Long-time listeners might remember that Martin E. Dempsey, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was a guest on our humble show back in early 201...

A Chat with the Commandant: Gen. David H. Berger on the Marine Corps' New Direction

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As listeners of this podcast know, the Marine Corps is taking a new direction. The latest document to lay out this vision is Force Design 2030. The ...

The Plague and the Peloponnesian War

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the world endures a pandemic, we look to a plague of the past: that which struck Athens early in the Peloponnesian War. And we do so with the aid o...

Are the Forever Wars Really Forever?

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

America has been at war since the fall of 2001. There is no end in sight in Afghanistan, Mesopotamia and the Levant, and beyond. What political and st...

Can America Jaw-Jaw its Way Out of Afghanistan?

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Devour this deep dive into the dash to drop America's drawn-out duel in the domain of the Durrani (and different dynasties): Afghanistan. To help us u...

A Military Straining Against Civilian Control?

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In front of a live audience and with red wine in hand, the War on the Rocks podcast closed out an important conference on civil-military affairs ho...

The Fleet, the Fight, and the Future

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is the U.S. military built and positioned to stop or — if necessary — win the next big war? What should the Navy and Marine Corps of the future lo...

Who Needs Landmines?

11 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration made big news recently — and it wasn't about impeachment. On Jan. 31, the White House announced that it was cancelling the...

The Method (or Madness) of Counting the Seconds to Doomsday

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many of you have heard of the Doomsday Clock — a decades-old analogue clock meant to symbolize how close we are to nuclear catastrophe. However fa...

No, Man: It's an Island

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Islands have taken on a greater prominence when we talk about the risk of war, especially in Asia. In the Indo-Pacific, islands, reefs, and rocky outc...