Best Modern War Institute At West Point Podcasts (2025)

1
The Inheritance: America's Military After Two Decades of War 54:24

3d ago54:24

54:24

Episode 127 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast explores the lasting impact of the Global War on Terrorism and what the United States has inherited—militarily, politically, and socially—after twenty years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our guests begin by examining how the U.S. military has historically navigated post-war transitions, particular…

1
Easter Offensive, 1972 1:27:12

18d ago1:27:12

1:27:12

During the Vietnam War, the 1972 Easter Offensive was a major operation launched by North Vietnam to destabilize South Vietnam and strengthen its own hand in ongoing peace talks in Paris. The offensive was particularly noteworthy due to its duration and ferocity as well as the extensive use of tanks by North Vietnam, a rarity during the Vietnam War…

1
Surprise on the Kunar River 36:20

18d ago36:20

36:20

In this episode Maj. John A. Meyer shares a story from his first deployment, in 2007, to Afghanistan. On July 27, his platoon and a group of Afghan National Army soldiers were moving along the road next to the Kunar River during a squadron mission to secure the valley. The Afghan soldiers began to cross a bridge when they looked down and saw a grou…

1
Plausible Deniability: Proxy Actors and the Hybrid Threat Ecosystem 39:12

23d ago39:12

39:12

Episode 126 examines the evolution of proxy warfare and hybrid threats in the current security environment. Our guests explore how states increasingly delegate conflict to non-state actors and leverage hybrid approaches to achieve strategic objectives below the threshold of conventional war. Our guests begin by exploring the conceptual foundations …

1
The Collapse of the Continuum of Conflict 50:01

23d ago50:01

50:01

National security professionals often conceptualize a continuum of conflict as a framework to understand the wide variety of ways in which conflict can manifest itself. It extends from relative peace on one end, terrorism and low-intensity conflict, up through large-scale combat, all the way to strategic rivalry in which nuclear weapons even come i…

1
Rescue Mission in Kunar 53:54

1M ago53:54

53:54

This episode of The Spear features a conversation with Josh Webster. A US Army officer, he previously served as a US Air Force pararescueman—a member of an elite part of the Air Force whose mission includes rescuing and providing medical treatment to wounded military personnel. He shares a story from 2010 in Afghanistan, when his team was called on…

1
Ukraine's Hidden Front: The Strategic Impact of Resistance Operations 59:56

1M ago59:56

59:56

Episode 125 examines the impact of Ukraine's irregular warfare and resistance operations on its broader strategic objectives. Our guests discuss how Ukrainian resistance activities have evolved throughout the conflict and evaluate their strategic importance in the war against Russia. Our guests begin by describing how Ukrainian resistance and irreg…

1
Navy Cross in Iraq 2:06:10

2M ago2:06:10

2:06:10

In this episode, Brian Chontosh, a retired Marine Corps officer, details the circumstances of an intense and complex combat operation in Iraq that involved Brian and his Marines using captured enemy weapons to clear an entrenched hostile force that ambushed their convoy. Brian ultimately received the Navy Cross, one of the top valor award in the US…

1
Siege Warfare and Civilian Evacuations 1:06:03

2M ago1:06:03

1:06:03

By its very nature, urban warfare involves the presence of civilians. And when cities become battlefields, it may be necessary to evacuate noncombatants from them—either due to humanitarian imperatives or because military objectives require it. But an array of legal obligations and other considerations arise when civilians are evacuated. And becaus…

1
The Fourth Age: The SOCOM Commander's Vision for the Future 58:45

2M ago58:45

58:45

Episode 124 explores the evolution and future of Special Operations Forces (SOF) through the lens of "The Fourth Age," a work of fictional intelligence examining future SOF capabilities and missions. Our guests discuss how SOF has evolved through distinct eras since World War II and examine how emerging technologies and domains will shape special o…

1
The MQ-9 Reaper in Combat 1:08:34

2M ago1:08:34

1:08:34

This episode features a story from Joe Ritter, an Air Force officer and MQ-9 Reaper pilot. The MQ-9, the largest remotely piloted aircraft in the US military's inventory, has a wide range of the capabilities—from providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to conducting battle damage assessments to helping a ground element direct their…

1
DeepSeek and the US-China AI Race 48:44

3M ago48:44

48:44

When the Chinese company DeepSeek recently released an artificial intelligence model called R1, its surprisingly advanced capability and the efficiency with which DeepSeek claimed to have trained the model sparked a wave of discussion about how rapidly Chinese AI development was progressing. But how is the competition to achieve superior AI technol…

1
Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Power of "Yet" 1:09:29

3M ago1:09:29

1:09:29

Lieutenant Colonel Liam Walsh is currently the commander of the 4th Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment, "Manchu." In this episode of The Spear, Liam speaks with MWI's Charlie Faint about his experiences in reacting to an IED strike in Iraq and responding to a Taliban attack on a forward operating base in Afghanistan, and how a series of setback…

1
Training for Victory: Lessons for Security Force Assistance 47:38

3M ago47:38

47:38

Episode 123 explores the critical role of security force assistance (SFA) and identifies the key factors that influence the effectiveness of building foreign armies. Our guests start by situating SFA within the broader context of Washington’s national security strategy. They then analyze the variables that impact the success of security assistance,…

1
Why Security Force Assistance Only Sometimes Works 56:09

3M ago56:09

56:09

After twenty years of America’s post-9/11 wars and the US military’s struggle to build capable and effective security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is an important discussion taking place about what role security force assistance should play for the United States in the very different strategic environment that is taking shape. Will it be a…

1
The Battle for Legitimacy in Urban Warfare 58:08

3M ago58:08

58:08

According to US military doctrine, legitimacy is one of the twelve principles of joint operations. But that concept—legitimacy—is a complex one. How is it defined? How should we understand the ways in which the laws of war, rules of engagement, national policies, and civilian harm mitigation measures overlap—and how they differ? How can rules of en…

1
Theory vs. Practice: What is Irregular War? 51:37

4M ago51:37

51:37

Episode 122 examines a unique theory on Irregular War that challenges both historical and contemporary frameworks on the topic. The guests conduct an in-depth discussion and debate over the complexities of Irregular War and its implications for the U.S. in future conflicts throughout the globe. Our guests define and discuss the various terminology …

1
Green Beret, Silver Star 1:05:01

4M ago1:05:01

1:05:01

Sergeant Major Chuck Ritter overcame a series of bad decisions in his youth—as well as a rough start to his Army career—to become a highly successful Special Forces senior noncommissioned officer. In this episode, Chuck joins MWI's Charlie Faint for a discussion about resilience, personal responsibility, motivation, good leadership, and the circums…

1
Last Soldier in Afghanistan 31:15

4M ago31:15

31:15

On August 30, 2021, General Chris Donahue stepped onto the ramp of the last American C-17 in Afghanistan and into the pages of history. At the time, he was a major general commanding the 82nd Airborne Division, leading his paratroopers as the United States withdrew from Afghanistan after almost twenty years of combat. He would go on to serve as a c…

1
Below the Threshold: China's Strategy of Armed Coercion 45:49

4M ago45:49

45:49

Episode 121 explores China's use of armed coercion and its implications for irregular warfare with James Siebens and Jimmy Wang. Our guests begin by examining how China employs both military and paramilitary forces to advance its territorial claims in disputed areas. They then discuss how psychological warfare, lawfare, and maritime operations inte…

1
Urban Warfare Project Christmas Wish List, 2024 Edition 44:59

4M ago44:59

44:59

In what has become a holiday tradition, the Urban Warfare Project Podcast turns its attention to an important question: What items should be on a military force's urban warfare holiday wish list? To do so, John Spencer is joined once again this year by two urban warfare scholars to discuss the unique capabilities, ideas, and initiatives they would …

1
How the Assad Regime Fell 40:19

5M ago40:19

40:19

For well over a decade, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad managed to hold onto power during a complicated civil war involving a number of anti-regime rebel groups. And then, rebels launched a lightning offensive that saw a series of Syrian cities—including, ultimately, the capital Damascus—fall. Assad was gone and more than a half-century of rule by hi…

1
Culture, Access, Influence: The FAO Advantage in Irregular Warfare 55:50

5M ago55:50

55:50

Episode 120 explores the critical role of Foreign Area Officers (FAOs) in irregular warfare and strategic competition with Mike Burgoyne and Jim Marckwardt. Our guests examine the foundational aspects of the FAO program and its evolution, highlighting how FAOs serve as "Pentagon diplomats" maintaining critical defense relationships worldwide. They …

1
Valor in Sadr City 57:10

5M ago57:10

57:10

Long before his selection as the fifteenth sergeant major of the Army, Dan Dailey served multiple combat deployments in Iraq, first during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s and then in Operation Iraqi Freedom more than a decade later. In this episode of The Spear, he joins MWI's Charlie Faint to reflect on those deployments—describing in pa…

1
Israeli Police on October 7 and the Battle of Sderot Police Station 41:49

5M ago41:49

41:49

When thousands of Hamas militants invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, there were only 110 police officers on duty spread across hundreds of square kilometers, concentrated in four police stations and several other posts. Despite their relatively small numbers, these officers played a critical role that day. On this episode, John Spencer is …

1
The A-10 At War 48:27

5M ago48:27

48:27

In this episode, retired US Air Force Col. Kim Campbell joins to share a story from 2003. A career A-10 pilot, her squadron was deployed to the Middle East at the beginning of the war in Iraq. During a mission, she and her flight lead in another A-10 responded to a call for air support from a US unit engaged with Iraqi troops. On her last rocket pa…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Modern War Institute At West Point Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Modern War Institute

Modern War Institute at West Point

1
The Spear

Modern War Institute at West Point

1
Irregular Warfare Podcast

Irregular Warfare Initiative

1
Urban Warfare Project

John Spencer

1
Social Science of War

West Point Department of Social Sciences

1
The Inheritance: America's Military After Two Decades of War 54:24

1
Easter Offensive, 1972 1:27:12

1
Surprise on the Kunar River 36:20

1
Plausible Deniability: Proxy Actors and the Hybrid Threat Ecosystem 39:12

1
The Collapse of the Continuum of Conflict 50:01

1
Rescue Mission in Kunar 53:54

1
Ukraine's Hidden Front: The Strategic Impact of Resistance Operations 59:56

1
Navy Cross in Iraq 2:06:10

1
Siege Warfare and Civilian Evacuations 1:06:03

1
The Fourth Age: The SOCOM Commander's Vision for the Future 58:45

1
The MQ-9 Reaper in Combat 1:08:34

1
DeepSeek and the US-China AI Race 48:44

1
Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Power of "Yet" 1:09:29

1
Training for Victory: Lessons for Security Force Assistance 47:38

1
Why Security Force Assistance Only Sometimes Works 56:09

1
The Battle for Legitimacy in Urban Warfare 58:08

1
Theory vs. Practice: What is Irregular War? 51:37

1
Green Beret, Silver Star 1:05:01

1
Last Soldier in Afghanistan 31:15

1
Below the Threshold: China's Strategy of Armed Coercion 45:49

1
Urban Warfare Project Christmas Wish List, 2024 Edition 44:59

1
How the Assad Regime Fell 40:19

1
Culture, Access, Influence: The FAO Advantage in Irregular Warfare 55:50

1
Valor in Sadr City 57:10

1
Israeli Police on October 7 and the Battle of Sderot Police Station 41:49

1
The A-10 At War 48:27

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