Podcasts by War on the Rocks

Scoping the Future of Education in National Security and Beyond from 2020-05-14T14:00:11

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 special episodes, pick apart the technological, or...

Is Cyber Half the Battle? from 2020-05-12T16:40:51

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 in scholarship have to tell us about how and...

Disarming Disinformation from 2020-05-07T15:27:02

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, head of policy and research for the Alliance...

Gen. (ret.) Martin E. Dempsey on Following and Leading from 2020-04-13T14:34:37

Long-time listeners might remember that Martin E. Dempsey, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was a Listen

A Chat with the Commandant: Gen. David H. Berger on the Marine Corps' New Direction from 2020-04-06T15:54:50

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 commandant, Gen. David H. Berger, aim...

The Plague and the Peloponnesian War from 2020-03-23T14:52:11

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 of Neville Morley, professor of classics and ...

Are the Forever Wars Really Forever? from 2020-03-16T17:44:57

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 strategic disincentives have stalled Washingto...

Can America Jaw-Jaw its Way Out of Afghanistan? from 2020-03-09T15:42:41

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 understand what's transpired and the meaning ...

A Military Straining Against Civilian Control? from 2020-02-24T09:30

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

The Fleet, the Fight, and the Future from 2020-02-17T09:00

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 look like? What's standing in the way? How can the...

Who Needs Landmines? from 2020-02-11T10:00

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

The Method (or Madness) of Counting the Seconds to Doomsday from 2020-02-03T17:52:41

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

No, Man: It’s an Island from 2020-01-13T13:25:02

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 outcroppings are increasingly an organizing prin...

Fission in Hamburg from 2019-12-30T13:35:17

As the world changes, is the nuclear strategy landscape changing or staying remarkably consistent? We had a nice chat about such in lovely Hamburg, courtesy of the Nuclear Studies Research Initi...

Veterans in Congress Come Together 'For Country' from 2019-12-23T15:40:40

Have you heard of the 'For Country' caucus? In a political moment defined by acrimony above all else, this caucus brings together members of Congress who have served in the military — Democrats ...

The Army's New Approach to People from 2019-12-16T14:04:11

How could symphonies inspire the Army to change the way it selects leaders? The answer might surprise you. Gen. James C. McConville, the Army's 40th chief of staff, has given his marching orders...

The (War)Games We Play from 2019-12-02T14:31:39

If you read War on the Rocks, you've noticed there's a lively debate over the state of wargaming in the Department of Defense. After senior leaders pushed for a renewed emphasis on warg...

Max Brooks: The Unreleased Interview from 2019-11-25T17:03:41

A few years ago, Ryan recorded a boozy interview with Max Brooks...and then never released it. Who knows why, but it's a fun conversation that you're sure to enjoy during this holiday week. Max ...

A Conversation with Sen. Tom Udall about War Powers from 2019-11-18T09:00

Ryan sat down for a conversation Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico to talk about an issue that matters a lot to them and should matter a lot to you: war powers. In her contribution to a new  Listen

The (Four) Stars and the State: Civil-Military Affairs in 2019 from 2019-11-11T15:48:10

What is the proper role of retired general and flag officers in American politics? This is a question that has been debated for a long time, but things have heated up since the 2016 elections du...

Kings, Presidents, Editors, and People with Tapeworms from 2019-11-04T18:18:57

“Only kings, presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to use the editorial ‘we.’” This line, often attributed to Mark Twain (Listen

The Sense in Syria's Senselessness from 2019-10-27T22:48:43

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. special operations forces in advance of a Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria continues to roil the region. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon of the C...

Your Ideas Matter: The Making of Marine Strategic Planning and the Future of War from 2019-08-07T20:44:38

Maybe you've already heard about the Marine commandant's Listen

Ask Me No Questions, and I'll Tell You No Lies from 2019-07-29T16:39:58

Every summer, the War on the Rocks crew travels to Beaver Creek, Colorado, where the Clements Center hosts its summer seminar -- an intimate gathering for PhD students, senior scholars,...

How is the Air Force Adapting to Great Power Competition? from 2019-06-03T19:20:35

Ryan caught a flight with Gen. David Goldfein, the chief of the Air Force, who broke down how his service is preparing for a new era of great power competition. What is the Air Force of today do...

The Unmasking of Ned Stark and the Future of Air Force Leadership from 2019-05-13T02:39:01

Almost exactly one year ago, an Air Force colonel using a pseudonym -- 'Ned Stark' -- penned an Listen

Fresh Voices on Grand Strategy from 2019-04-17T16:03:29

It's time to rejuvenate America's national debate on grand strategy. And that's just what we try to do in this latest episode, which was recorded at the Listen

Civil-Military Relations Gone Wild? from 2019-03-18T16:24:19

Debates over civil-military relations have reached a fever pitch since the 2016 presidential campaign and the beginning of the Trump administration. Many have focused on the top-down questions: ...

With the Caliphate Crushed, What's Next? from 2019-02-25T17:56:24

With the last slivers of Syrian territory being wrested from the grasp of the Islamic State, where does the war against this tenacious terrorist organization go next? To understand where we came...

Mayhem and Misadventures in the Middle East from 2019-02-11T17:10:56

The Middle East is the region that keeps on giving, and taking away. How has the American approach to the use of force evolved in Syria and Iraq? And what is the relationship between U.S. politi...

Ready to Compete? America's Military and Technological Edge from 2019-02-04T05:56:07

About a year after the National Defense Strategy was launched, what progress has been made when it comes to America's edge against its great power rivals? And what role do great power p...

No Good, Very Bad Ideas in National Security from 2019-01-17T18:15:25

Bad ideas. How much trouble do they cause in national security? How do they disrupt or hinder the protection and advancement of American interests? Where do they come from? How do they gain trac...

Full Steam Ahead: Naval Competition with China from 2018-12-20T22:31:33

With a new era of great power competition upon us, the U.S. Navy is in the midst of developing its future fleet. The good people up at the U.S. Naval War College are chipping in to help their se...

Jaw-Jaw: Will Xi's Third Revolution Last? from 2018-11-27T14:13:41

What is Xi Jinping’s “revolution” in Chinese politics? How did he amass the power to enact his ambitious agenda? Is he in danger of being toppled? Or is he effectively a dictator for life? In th...

Jaw Jaw: China is a Funny Sort of Revisionist Power — A Conversation with Dean Cheng from 2018-11-13T18:58:11

What is the future of U.S.-Chinese relations? Will a rising China seek to overturn the U.S.-led international order? What is China doing inside the first island chain? In cyberspace? Orbital spa...

Net Assessment: The China Hand from 2018-10-18T16:15:53

This week’s Net Assessment podcast featured a deep-dive into the Vice President’s early October speech on the competition with China. Largely drowned out by the Kavanaugh SCOTUS controversy, Mel...

Two Editors Go Nuclear on Each Other: A Conversation with Gideon Rose from 2018-10-16T16:32:31

Can two great power publications peacefully co-exist? Or are they fated to clash? And what if you throw nuclear weapons into the mix? Gideon Rose and Ryan Evans, the benevolent editorial autocra...

Introducing Net Assessment from 2018-10-04T19:10:16

What happens when a libertarian, a conservative hawk, and a constitutional powers specialist walk into a podcast studio? 'Net Assessment' happens. Welcome to the hottest new national security po...

Horns of a Dilemma: Vietnam's Indelible Legacy: How the War Changed National Security Policymaking from 2018-09-21T11:08:21

Half a century later, the Vietnam War continues to shape U.S. foreign policy, from its debates over foreign intervention to the institutions of its military. Why does the war remain such a poign...

Training the Military for the Next War from 2018-09-13T19:56:25

How should the U.S. military prepare for the conflicts of the future? Military threats in the cyber, digital, and information domains present new training challenges. Synthetic training” seeks t...

A Chat with the Chief: Gen. David Goldfein on the People and Future of the U.S. Air Force from 2018-08-29T13:37:43

In this episode, Ryan sat down with Gen. David Goldfein, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. We had an in-depth, candid conversation about his service's personnel challenges, the selection...

The 100th Episode: Is a Major War Coming? from 2018-07-31T17:36:10

The War on the Rocks podcast celebrates its 100th episode with a blockbuster group of close friends of the site. The entire episode is an attempt to answer a straightforward, but devili...

A Soldier Showing Us the Hidden Face of War from 2018-07-19T16:11:28

While on a recent visit to Copenhagen, Ryan sat down with his old friend Martin Tamm Anderson. Martin, who recently left the Danish Army, met Ryan in Helmand Province years ago. In the years sin...

A Conversation With Clint Watts on Influence and Information in the Social Media Era from 2018-06-19T17:21:37

How has our understanding of Russian influence operations evolved since the 2016 election? Just a few days before Trump was elected president, Clint Watts, Andrew Weisburd, and J.M. Berger sound...

The Muslim Brotherhood's Convoluted Relationship with the West from 2018-06-14T15:28:09

Martyn Frampton (@FramptonM) of Queen Mary University, is one of the most talented historians of his generation. He re...

Counterterrorism With Partner Countries: Promise or Peril? from 2018-06-07T17:41:24

Partner cooperation is crucial when it comes to fighting terrorism, but it's also complex. Stephen Tankel, assistant professor at American University -- most importantly -- a senior editor here ...

The Future of Force from 2018-06-04T15:58:12

Recently, two enterprising young scholars spearheaded a major conference that ended up being sponsored and hosted by CSIS and the Kissinger Center at SAIS. The topic was the future of force and ...

American Exceptionalism, Transatlantic Ties, and European Autonomy in the Age of Trump from 2018-05-24T16:51:37

How does America's role in the world look from across the Atlantic? Usha had an illuminating discussion in Paris with three French experts on U.S. foreign policy and European security issues. Am...

Pakistan Beyond 70: Rivalries, its Neighbors, and the Great Powers from 2018-05-21T15:06:10

Pakistan is 70 years old. To make the anniversary, Joshua White of SAIS foolishly asked Ryan Evans to moderate an esteemed panel of experts to discuss Pakistan's role in Asia, its relationships ...

Ain't No Party Like a World Order Party from 2018-05-14T17:02:53

Three talented scholars join Ryan in this episode to tackle questions about the future of the international order. ​ Conversations about this topic can often be insufferably dry, but this one de...

The Making of a Career Intelligence Official: A Conversation with Michael P. Dempsey from 2018-05-07T18:29:24

Ryan dropped in on Michael P. Dempsey late last week in New York City. He is a career intelligence official who served as the acting director of national intelligence. From 2014-2017, he served ...

Strikes on Syria: The View From Paris from 2018-04-24T18:11:28

A special dispatch from France: On Friday, April 13, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France launched punitive strikes on Syria following the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons. Ma...

Horns of a Dilemma: Even Cybersecurity is Bigger in Texas from 2018-03-30T16:00:37

This is Horns of a Dilemma, the podcast partner to that journal, which features the thinkers and leaders resident at the various institutions of the University of Texas and those who stop in to ...

A Big Debate About a Little Nuke from 2018-03-14T15:04:42

Why are so many people at odds over low-yield nuclear weapons? Well, it turns out, this debate touches on a megaton of interesting questions, including how Russia sees its own nuclear arsenal, h...

Horns of a Dilemma: The Last Republicans? from 2018-03-08T16:09:11

In the second episode of our new podcast series, "Horns of a Dilemma," William Inboden interviews Mark Updegrove, president and chief Executive of the LBJ Foundation, and author of the new book ...

Introducing "Horns of a Dilemma" with a Conversation on National Security from 2018-03-02T05:00

This is the first episode of “Horns of a Dilemma,” a new series brought to you by the Texas National Security Review, featuring th...

Fear Not the Blue-Haired Soldier? from 2018-02-19T18:49:58

Does the future of warfare demand the U.S. military change its standards for everything from fitness to personal appearance? This question opened up a major debate in the electronic pages of  Listen

The Big Cyber Spectacular from 2018-02-14T21:05:01

In our latest episode, Usha Sahay and Ryan Evans were joined by Thomas Rid, Michael Sulmeyer, and a mystery guest (ok, ok, it's Corinna Fehst) to talk about cyber-security, election meddling, re...

To Compete with China, Can America Get Out of Its Own Way? from 2018-02-07T15:44:33

Two key strategy documents released by the Trump administration signal the United States is finally gearing up for a new era of great power competition. And China is the most daunting competitor...

Grand Strategy from Obama to Trump from 2018-01-31T12:14:02

How did President Barack Obama leave America's strategic position when he left office? How is President Donald Trump doing so far? What is the role of the historian in sorting through these ques...

Satire and Terror: A Conversation with the Editor-in-Chief of Charlie Hebdo from 2017-12-19T13:21:54

Ryan spent a week in France earlier this year and was fortunate to meet with Gérard Biard, the editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo, the ever-irrevere...

The Adventures of Intel in Trumpland from 2017-11-22T14:01:40

Weeks before Donald Trump took office, Ryan convened a group of professionals from in and around the intelligence community to talk about the incoming president's approach to intel ("Listen

Storming Rome with Mike Duncan from 2017-11-08T13:57:13

History podcasting mastermind Mike Duncan joined Ryan for a few drinks in Washington for our latest episode. Rome is what brought them together — more specifically his New York Times be...

The Hard Human Realities that Follow the War from 2017-10-31T12:59:48

The bottom line of this episode is this: If you can identify with the experience of coming home from war or you want to better understand that experience, you should see the new film "Thank You ...

Must the War Go On? Let's Talk About Iraq and the Kurds from 2017-10-23T11:37:02

The Kurds of Northern Iraq held an independence referendum, Iraqi federal forces seized Kirkuk, and the world wondered if we were on the precipice of another round of what could be described as ...

Nothing New Under the Sun? Ethics and Service in the Age of Trump from 2017-10-11T10:14:53

Since Donald Trump began to close in on the Republican nomination for the race for the White House, people have been debating the ethical implications of a Trump administration. And those discus...

Outlawing War: Did it Work Better Than We Thought? from 2017-10-02T13:32:44

Ryan Evans had the pleasure to sit down with Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro, authors of the new book Listen

Trump and Counter-Terrorism, Sixteen Years After 9/11 from 2017-09-10T22:57:22

It’s been 16 years since the 9/11 attacks.

We thought a good way to commemorate the anniversary would be to take stock of the terrorist threats facing the United States today and to evalu...

Our Big Texas Launch Party: UT and WOTR Join Forces from 2017-08-14T11:43:39

You've read a bit about our alliance with the Texas National S...

So, Does the National Security Strategy Matter? from 2017-08-07T01:52:51

The War on the Rocks podcast is back with a big episode and an all-star cast. Hal Brands and Alex Bick of SAIS, Will Inboden of the Clements Center at the University of Texas, Kori Scha...

In Defense of the Blob from 2017-03-09T16:02:26

"The blob" — an unflattering nickname for the U.S. foreign policy establishment coined by a senior Obama official — gets a bad rap these days. From Obama to Trump, Washington's foreign policy el...

Bombshell: Rage Against Alcibiades from 2017-03-01T17:49:05

This week, Loren, Radha, and Erin discuss the North Korean assassination (beware the perfume lady) and take questions from listeners (what is inter-service rivalry anyway?). Kori Schake joins to...

The Promise and Peril of Cyber Operations from 2017-02-28T15:07:45

In this special episode, Ryan Evans sat down with Ben Buchanan of the Belfer Center at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and in front of an audience! Ben and Ryan chatted abo...

Counter-Terrorism from Bush to Obama to Trump from 2017-02-22T07:50:36

How has counter-terrorism changed from 9/11 to today over three presidencies? To answer that question, Ryan Evans sat down with two guests with deep perspective on counter-terrorism: Colin Kahl was...

Is the Winston Churchill Bust Weeping? from 2017-02-13T07:55:06

In this episode, WOTR's Ryan Evans interviews John Bew about the state of the "special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom as the presidency of Donald Trump unfolds. H...

Bombshell: Ain’t No Party Like an America First Party from 2017-02-01T21:18:18

This week on Bombshell, we walk through the first week of the Trump administration. Sit down and listen to Radha Iyengar Plumb, Loren DeJonge Schulman, and Erin Simpson discuss America First, ca...

You Can’t Always Get the World Order That You Want from 2017-01-26T14:33:57

Just an hour before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, Ryan Evans sat down with Richard Haass in New York at the Council on Foreign Relations. Given the moment...

Introducing Bombshell: The Explosive First Episode from 2017-01-17T09:42:29

Welcome to Bombshell.  This new bi-weekly series, brought to you by War on the Rocks, is hosted by three of your favorite Washington insiders who will dissect today’s foreign policy crises and t...

Is Asia’s Golden Age Already Ending? from 2017-01-12T13:24:54

If you follow international affairs, it often feels like you can't go to a lecture or read an article without being told that the world's economic and military center of gravity is shifting from...

He’s Just Not That Into You: Trump, Intel, and the American Presidency from 2017-01-05T16:38:41

One thing is clear about President-elect Donald Trump: He is skeptical of the U.S. intelligence community. With the aid of a bottle of bourbon, War on the Rocks assembled a top-notch group of ex...

World Wars and the Craft of History from 2016-12-23T17:01:48

In this episode of the War on the Rocks podcast, editor-in-chief Ryan Evans sat down with Michael S. Neiberg, author of the new book, The Path to War: How the First World War Created Modern Amer...

Emails and Influence: Investigating Russia’s Attack on the U.S. Political System from 2016-10-31T07:55:30

Revelations over emails are going to be roiling this election season to the very end. This is, in no small part, due to a series of targeted hacks and leaks that cyber-security experts and the U.S....

Around the World Over Drinks: The Middle East, Russia, and Big Issues for the Next President from 2016-09-30T07:55:45

In an "around the world" edition of our podcast series, Ryan Evans convened a top-notch group to discuss everything from Cuba to the Middle East to Russia to deterrence to China to personnel issues...

Civ-Mil Relations in the U.S. and Strategy Tales from Australia from 2016-09-23T07:55:18

In the latest episode of our podcast, editor-in-chief Ryan Evans sat down with Gen. Jim Mattis and Kori Schake of the Hoover Institution to talk about civil-military relations, the subject of their...

Talking Turkey’s Coup: Erdogan, a Fractured Military, and the Gulen Movement from 2016-07-19T07:50:08

The Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul was closed down during the Gezi Park protests in 2013. This former symbol of Turkey's revered founding father is today adorned with large photos of its curre...

What to Read About the History of Strategy this Summer from 2016-07-15T13:29:57

What big think books on strategy in history should you add to you shelf this summer? Our editor-in-chief, Ryan Evans, sat down with two authors of two of his favorite books this year. First, he spo...

The Long Game: How Will Obama’s Foreign Policies Be Judged By History? from 2016-06-21T07:55:49

Is Barack Obama's foreign policy "failing at nearly every turn," as Speaker Paul Ryan and many other Republicans contend? Or has the president actually crafted a wiser, more effective approach to A...

A Tale of Two Speeches: U.S.-Russian Relations Through the Lens of Munich from 2016-03-02T15:39:47

We’re going to try something a little different with this episode of the podcast, and I think you’re going to like it. If you listened to our last episode, you know our focus was on the Munich Secu...

Four Key Leaders in Munich on the State of the World from 2016-02-16T13:39:08

The Munich Security Conference brings together leaders from all around the world to discuss defense, foreign policy, and strategy - the bread and butter of War on the Rocks. It has been called the ...

Hacking Defense and Iraq’s Controversial Security Groups from 2016-02-08T19:21:04

We have a two-parter for you in this episode. First, WOTR's Ryan Evans spoke with Steve Blank of Silicon Valley fame about his new course, "Hacking Defense." The class just launched at Stanford, bu...

Journalism, the Military, and America’s Wars from 2016-01-25T13:41:23

The relationship between journalists and the U.S. military is simultaneously intimate and distant.  In the last several decades and the last two in particular, many things have changed in the way t...

The Obama Administration and the Middle East: An Insider’s View from 2016-01-12T10:33:54

WOTR's Ryan Evans sat down with Colin Kahl, the National Security Advisor to Vice Present Joe Biden, to talk about the mess of the Middle East and what the Obama administration is doing about it. F...

Fighting Russia in Europe and a Dose of Military Fiction from 2015-12-17T06:45:36

We are trying something a little new with our podcast series. Segments! And music! In the first segment of our new podcast, Ryan Evans sits down with Claude Berube to talk about his new novel, Syre...

Ash Carter: The Interview from 2015-11-19T07:55:23

How will the U.S. military stay competitive? This is about far more than platforms, bombs, and guns. It is fundamentally about people. And with archaic personnel systems plaguing the armed forces a...

The Vatican’s Cloak-and-Dagger War Against Hitler from 2015-11-02T07:10:41

In histories of the Second World War, the Vatican has not fared well. Pope Pius XII has been condemned as "Hitler's Pope" and the Church castigated for not doing enough to avert war and save the vi...

Around the World: Episode 2 from 2015-10-13T11:48:32

What's going on around the world? For our latest podcast, WOTR editor-in-chief Ryan Evans was joined by a great group to talk about Russia and its intervention in Syria, the Middle East more broadl...

Navigating the Islamic State Challenge from 2015-09-24T12:15:27

Will McCants of the Brookings Institution and David Ignatius of The Washington Post sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the topic of Will's new book, ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and ...

The State of Russian Strategy: Ukraine, Syria, and Beyond from 2015-09-22T06:55:07

Dmitry Gorenburg, an occasional WOTR contributor and expert on Russian military affairs at the CNA Corporation, sat down with Ryan Evans to chat about the state of Russia's armed forces, its campai...

NATSEC2016: A Podcast on the 2016 Elections and National Security from 2015-09-14T07:45:48

Ah, the 2016 presidential election.  Trump still leads the GOP field, Hillary has been challenged in the polls by Bernie Sanders and the shadow of Joe Biden looms large over the Democratic hopefuls...

Hacking the Defense Industry from 2015-09-10T06:30:21

Is the American defense industry ready for what is coming next? Can it adapt, survive, and thrive in an era of paradigm-changing new technologies? Can the industry maintain America's military super...

America, China, and Xi Jinping’s Visit to Washington from 2015-09-08T07:40:26

In the latest installment of our podcast, we gathered some top Asia wonks - WOTR Senior Editor Van Jackson of CNAS, Evan Montgomery of CSBA, Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, and Samm Sacks of the Eurasia ...

A Relentless Conversation About JSOC from 2015-09-01T06:30

One organization has been behind America's most daring raids, from the deserts of Iraq and Syria to the hills of Pakistan to the jungles of South America. That organization is Joint Special Operati...

PODCAST: Infantry Combat from Modern Ukraine back to World War I from 2015-08-26T07:05:33

TM Gibbons-Neff of The Washington Post (and formerly of the U.S. Marine Corps) and ​Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson of Marine Corps University joined WOTR's Ryan Evans to talk about TM's recent reporting fro...

PODCAST: Drinking Through Naval History from 2015-08-14T07:50:05

In this week's podcast, navalists B.J. Armstrong and Scott Cheney-Peters joined Alex Hecht, the editor of the Molotov Cocktail channel, and Ryan Evans for a carousing (but responsible) imbibing of ...

PODCAST: Around the World, Ep. 1 from 2015-08-04T08:00:28

At War on the Rocks, we are re-vamping our podcast series. We will be holding one podcast a week. The first of each month will be 'round the world. We will discuss the most pressing global security...

PODCAST: A Novelist and a Historian Walk Into a Bar from 2015-07-28T08:58:25

In today's podcast, John Amble talks to August Cole of the Atlantic Council's Art of Future Warfare project and B.J. Armstrong, a historian and naval officer, about how we approach the critical tas...

PODCAST: The war with China you’ve been waiting for from 2015-06-30T12:16:30

I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with PW Singer and August Cole to talk about their new book, Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War.  Yes, these two wonks wrote some fiction and it'...

VP’s National Security Adviser on the Iran Deal: Colin Kahl Gives an Insider’s View from 2015-06-11T08:55:47

The deadline for a deal on the Iranian nuclear program is on June 30. Just weeks before the deadline, Colin Kahl, the National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, sat down with Ryan Evans...

PODCAST: National Security and the Schoolhouse from 2015-05-20T07:45:29

This is a very special Schoolhouse edition of the War on the Rocks podcast series. As many of you know, our Schoolhouse series is concerned with the intersection between policy and the academy. Is ...

PODCAST: War on the Rocks goes to Istanbul from 2015-05-07T08:20:55

Four members of the War on the Rocks squad ended up in Istanbul this week. What could go wrong? Afshon Ostovar of the CNA Corporation, Aaron Stein of RUSI, Joshua Walker of GMF, and Ryan Evans of y...

The Fog of Peace: Defense and Uncertainty from 2015-04-30T08:35:17

Editor's Note: I was honored to attend Professor Patrick Porter's inaugural lecture, celebrating his appointment at the University of Exeter as the academic director of the Strategy and Security In...

The State of the World: A Conversation with Lawrence Freedman from 2015-04-29T08:00:21

Yesterday, Lawrence Freedman of King's College London joined me for a conversation on the state of the world atop the ME Hotel's rooftop bar in central London, Radio. From the Middle East, to Russi...

PODCAST: The Islamic State’s War in Iraq and Syria from 2015-04-15T08:45:06

This is the podcast in which War on the Rocks fixes the Middle East...ok, we kid, but it is a fascinating conversation with some of the most astute and informed U.S. experts on Iraq and the Islamic...

Cybersecurity over Sazeracs from 2015-03-05T09:00:21

We got together a great panel of experts to talk all things cybersecurity, with a little bit of ClintonEmail.com and comedy troupes mixed in. Listen here to Jason Healey of the Atlantic Council, Sh...

PODCAST: Asian Maritime Security and a Rising China from 2015-01-21T09:00:36

Last night, just hours before President Obama delivered the State of the Union address, Ryan Evans sat down with Mira-Rapp Hooper of CSIS, Bryan McGrath of the Hudson Institute's Center for America...

PODCAST: South Asia meets East Asia from 2015-01-13T09:35:56

Andrew Small of the German Marshall Fund, Stephen Tankel of American University and WOTR, and Joshua White of the Stimson Center joined Ryan Evans to talk about South and East Asian regional affair...

PODCAST: Spitballing Offset Strategy from 2014-12-23T09:35:38

We recently sat down with the gang at the Center for a New American Security to discuss offset strategies. As you can see from the photo, we had all the important props one would need to plan how t...

On Strategy and Strategists from 2014-12-04T09:25:48

Editor's note: Recently, the Clements Center of the University of Texas at Austin and the King's College London War Studies Department held an important conference on the "special relationship" bet...

PODCAST: Naval and Maritime Strategy from 2014-10-21T08:40:53

Admiral Chris Parry (ret.) of the Royal United Services Institute, Bryan McGrath of Hudson's Center for American Seapower, and Evan Montgomery of CSBA joined Ryan Evans for a wide-ranging conversat...

PODCAST: Asian Security – Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Confrontation with China from 2014-10-08T08:45:38

We sat down to talk Asian security at the Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar. Our guests included: Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Robert Haddick, an independent consultant for speci...

Podcast: In Search of a Middle East Strategy from 2014-09-19T10:12:28

Some of the sharpest minds on the Middle East in town sat down over drinks to tackle some of the most troublesome problems in the world's most troublesome region. Have a listen! Soner Cagaptay is t...

PODCAST: America’s Search for Security with Sean Kay from 2014-09-11T10:04:03

Yesterday, Ryan Evans sat down with Sean Kay over a couple beers at the Jefferson Hotel's wonderful Quill Bar to discuss America's foreign policy trajectory and Sean's new book, America's Search fo...

PODCAST: Bourbon with a splash of counter-insurgency from 2014-03-31T11:45:45

What about counterinsurgency? At a time when all eyes are focused on the potential outbreak of a "conventional" war in Ukraine, Doug Ollivant, David Ucko and Ryan Evans sat down to consider counter...

Broken Mirrors Episode 5: The Operation of Intelligence in a Democracy from 2014-03-28T11:20:31

This is the second of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence. In this episode, Marc and Tom discuss how intelligence functions within democratic societies in an ...

A Conversation with the Chairman: General Martin E. Dempsey from 2014-02-25T06:30:13

We sat down with General Martin E. Dempsey in his office to talk strategy, the profession of arms, military compensation reform, and professional military education. Interview Transcript (courtesy ...

PODCAST: Contemporary Nuclear Strategy from 2014-02-17T13:24:14

Ryan Evans sat down with an august panel of gentlemen and a gentlelady to discuss issues related to contemporary nuclear strategy.  The guests: Elbridge Colby, Fellow, Center for a New American Sec...

PODCAST: Cyberwar and Cybersecurity from 2014-01-07T12:27:26

Max Fisher of the Washington Post and Ryan Evans sat down recently with Peter Singer and Allan Friedman of the Brookings Institution to discuss their new book, Cyberwar and Cybersecurity: What Ever...

PODCAST: Counter-Terrorism, Drones, Syria,&More from 2013-12-24T13:40:58

JM Berger, Will McCants, and Clint Watts sat down with Ryan Evans at the Jefferson Hotel to talk about a range of subjects related to counter-terrorism. What could be more appropriate for Christmas...

Strategic Surprise, Intelligence and Terrorism: Developing a Tolerance for Disaster from 2013-12-18T07:00:45

This is the first of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence.  In this episode, Tom and I lay out the actual, social function of Strategic Intelligence and look a...

PODCAST: Nuclear Strategy and the Cold War from 2013-12-10T15:47:43

Last night, I sat down to talk nuclear strategy with William Rosenau of the Center for Naval Analysis, defense analyst Elbridge Colby, Robert Zarate of the Foreign Policy Initiative, and Stanley Or...

50 years on, can we still learn from JFK’s strategy? from 2013-11-07T12:05:53

Editor's Note: We are pleased to feature this talk by Sir Lawrence Freedman, which took place this week at the British Embassy in Washington, DC.  Special thanks to the King's College London Alumni...

Broken Mirrors, Episode 3: Fear&(In)Security Theatre from 2013-10-31T05:15:25

"Nil terribile nisi ipse timor" In this episode, Tom Quiggin and I take a hard, realist look at the concept, and tactic, of terrorism.  In the first segment, we look at how the tactic of terrorism ...

PODCAST: The War in your Wallet: The Real Invisible Hand from 2013-10-04T12:52:45

In this podcast, we take a look at a rarely discussed, structural vulnerability in advanced societies: the payments and settlements system. We first put this system in the historical context of eco...

PODCAST: Pivoting around and around in the Middle East from 2013-09-25T11:45:26

Last night, some of  Washington's finest national security minds met me at the cabinet room in the Jefferson Hotel bar to talk shop.  Elbridge Colby, William Rosenau, and Afshon Ostovar - all of th...

PODCAST: Broken Mirrors, Episode 1 from 2013-09-03T10:40:32

Editor's Note:  War on the Rocks is proud to start featuring podcasts from its Canadian affiliate, Broken Mirrors. In this inaugural episode of Broken Mirrors, Marc Tyrrell and Tom Quiggin (me) int...

PODCAST: Syria, Secrets, and Some Snark from 2013-08-28T12:09:32

Last night, Eli Lake of the Daily Beast and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a WOTR contributor, joined Senior Editor Mark Stout and me at the Jefferson Hotel, where we discussed some of the more pressing ...

Podcast: Talking Terrorism with Pantucci and Simcox from 2013-08-19T02:32:12

On Friday, I sat down for a great talk over drinks with Raffaello Pantucci, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, and Robin Simcox, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson...

Podcast: War from the Ground up with Simpson and McInnis from 2013-08-01T13:45:14

Last Thursday I invited Emile Simpson and Kathleen McInnis to join me at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London to talk about Emile's book, "War from the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Comb...

PODCAST: More Irregular Warfare Fun from 2013-07-31T13:09:59

This is Part Two of my session with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.   Did you ...

Podcast: Talking COIN with the folks from the Army Irregular Warfare Center from 2013-07-29T12:45:41

I recently sat down with Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Payne and David Kasten of the U.S. Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at the Jefferson Hotel bar here in Washington, DC.  This is part one of ...

First WOTR Podcast: Bill Rosenau, Will McCants, and Afshon Ostovar from 2013-07-08T11:00:09

The other day, I sat down with War on the Rocks contributors Bill Rosenau, Will McCants, and Afshon Ostovar - all of the Strategic Studies Center at the Center for Naval Analyses - for a conversati...