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Profiles in Strategy

The U.S. Naval War College

This podcast by the professors of the Strategy and Policy (S&P) Department at the U.S. Naval War College mirrors the week-to-week case studies in the S&P curriculum. Strategic questions are discussed and debated, covering the case backgrounds, how the historic strategic theories match the cases, and how strategy could best be applied. Finally, the case studies are viewed against contemporary strategic global challenges.

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S3 · E32
May 30, 2023 · 1 hr
Episode 32: Urban Warfare
In this episode Jon O’Gorman hosts David Stone, Timothy Hoyt and Nicholas Sarantakes to explore the question, "When does it makes strategic sense to fight in a city?" We begin by discussing our theorist's opinion about the theory behind the issue, in particular why fighting in cites might or might not make sense from a strategic perspective. We then examine some particular examples, including, among others, Ireland in 1916, Manilla in 1944 and Stalingrad in 1942.
S3 · E33
May 30, 2023 · 46 min
Episode 33: Karl Von Clausewitz
In this episode, Jon O’Gorman hosts Vanya Bellinger in discussing the author of "On War." First, we discuss if Clausewitz was a product or a critic of the Prussian military reform movement. We then move to the importantance of studying Clausewitz's experience as an officer and military practitioner to understand his theory. We talk about Clausewitz relationship to mentor Prussian Gen. Scharnhorst. We also speak about the Prussian military reform school that helped beat Napoleon and why the same school failed so spectacularly in the first half of the twentieth century with the Schlieffen Plan. Lastly, we talk about Marie Von Clausewitz and her relationship with her husband and the book On War.
S3 · E34
May 30, 2023 · 43 min
Episode 34: The CNO Fellows – Admiral Barrera
In this episode Jon O’Gorman talks with Admiral Guillermo Barrera (ret.), former Chief of Naval Operations for the Columbian Navy. Admiral Barrera discusses his time as a naval officer, his time as a former student at the U.S. Naval War College, and his role now as a “CNO Fellow” and senior mentor here. We speak about how his study of strategy as a student aided his role as CNO during the Colombian counterinsurgency against the FARC rebels in the early 2000s. Admiral Barrera has worked in the CNO fellow program for 12 years and is now a U.S. citizen.
S3 · E35
May 30, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min
Episode 35: Air Power and Air Power Theory
In this episode Jon O’Gorman hosts Andrew Stigler, Timothy Shultz, and Phil Haun in a discussion about airpower. They begin by looking at the theorical basis of airpower and the thoughts of Giulio Douhet and John Warden. Next, they move to the other theorists on use of airpower and theory of victory of airpower alone. They question if the U.S Airforce are still believers in the winning from the air alone theory. Then we look at cases studies where airpower was used in various degrees to attempt to achieve victory such as WWII, Vietnam, 1990 Gulf War, and Kosovo in 1999. We end with a contemporary use of technology and airpower in Ukraine, how the Russians have used airpower, and what this might mean for the future.
S3 · E31
May 19, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min
Episode 31: The China-Taiwan Challenge
In this episode Jon O’Gorman hosts members of the U.S. Naval War College faculty who are subject matter experts on China, Taiwan and U.S policy making; First, from the Strategy and Policy Department, Andrew “Dex” Wilson, second Paul J. Smith from the National Security Affairs Department, lastly, Colin Jackson, Chair of the Strategic and Operational Research Department and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia at the Pentagon. They begin by discussing the U.S. Policy towards Taiwan and the Chinese view of it. Next they debate why the rhetoric on both sides seems to be heating up in the current weeks. Next, they move to discussing the value of the object for both the Chinese and U.S, what the rational calculus is like for both parties views, and their assessments on conflict. Lastly, the guests debate how President Xi can be deterred from overt aggressive action and how the fate of Taiwan may be tied to the fate of Ukraine.
S3 · E30
May 19, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Episode 30: Coercion: Deterrence and Compellence
This week Jon O’Gorman and Daniel Post host two outside guests to talk about coercion theory. First, Dr. Reid Pauly, Dean’s Assistant Professor of Nuclear Security and Policy, Watson Institute, Brown University, and Assistant Professor of Political Science and Brigadier General Greg Bowen, U.S. Army (Ret), former Deputy Director of Operations, U.S. Strategic Command, and member of the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. We begin with laying out the concept of coercion and discussion of the different types of coercion (deterrence and compellence), the differences between them, the challenges and advantages of each, and how this has worked in recent history, particularly during the nuclear era. We look at the stability/instability paradox of nuclear weapons and if this changes the coercion theory. We discuss how states must have the assurances that another state will make good on their threats for the concept to work. We explore this in the context of places like Syria, North Korea, Ukraine, and China. Lastly, we look at how these concepts fit with understanding strategy and grand strategy especially in a nation that can change administrations every four years.
S3 · E29
May 19, 2023 · 1 hr 8 min
Episode 29: Russia's War in Ukraine
This week we discuss contemporary strategic challenges by looking at the Ukrainian War. Jon O'Gorman brings together David Stone, a Russian historian, Timothy Hoyt, a political scientist; and a member of the National Security Affairs Department and senior State department representative to the U.S. Naval War College: Walter Braunohler. Walter was in the U.S. embassy in Kviv during the lead up to the crisis before being evacuated. We begin by discussing Russia's aims and motivations for the conflict then quickly moving to Vadimir Putin's chosen strategy of trying for a quick decisive victory. Next, we discuss why Russian military performance has been lacking vs. the Ukrainians. We discuss the differences between the Russian action in 2014 vs. 2022 and why the international response has been different as well. Lastly, we discuss the problems with war termination for this conflict and if escalation could lead to nuclear use.
S3 · E28
May 19, 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Episode 28: Naval Theorists: Mahan and Corbett
In this episode Jon O'Gorman hosts James Holmes, Kevin McCranie and new this week from the Joint Military Operations Department, Milan Vego. They begin by discussing the perspectives of Mahan and Corbett and what makes them different. They move to commonly held misconceptions on each of their theories. The guests bat around the points of agreement and disagreement between the two, especially concerning the concepts of offense and defense. They provide clarity on what the term fleet in being means and how it can be used. Lasty, we discuss commerce raiding and the key takeaways of naval theory for the contemporary environment in regard to China.
S3 · E27
May 19, 2023 · 54 min
Episode 27 : Insurgent Groups of South Asia
In this episode Jon O'Gorman interviews Dr. Kolby Hanson about his field work interviewing insurgents in South Asia such as the Tamil tigers of Sri Lanka and Nagaland in India. We discuss the concept of the Maoist insurgent playbook and if these groups follow a Maoist model. Additionally, we talk about how governments in the region managed dealing with these groups and why there has been such different methods by different governments depending on the groups' ethno-religious leanings. We then move into talking about how many of the governments have approached war termination or offering a cease-fire with these groups and what happens to the insurgency afterward. We end with Kolby's general observations about the people who join the groups and his time at the U.S. Naval War College.
S2 · E26
Feb 14, 2023 · 1 hr 4 min
Episode 26: A Return to Great Power Competition
In this episode Jon O'Gorman hosts Andrew "Dex" Wilson, Timothy Hoyt, James Holmes, and David Stone in talking about the modern challenges for the U.S. in the political and strategic realms. We begin by talking about what there is to think about in strategic culture and concepts to aid us going forward or "retrospect and prospect' as A.T. Mahan called it. We then move into the top topics of the day in talking about what the Chinese weather balloon incident means for both China and what the shoot down signals from the U.S. We next move to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and talk about how difficult war termination will be now that both sides have painted themselves into a corner diplomatically. Lastly, we look at the lessons of the irregular wars of the last 20 years and what lessons we need to keep in mind from them, moving forward, as we move back into an arena of great power competitions.
S2 · E25
Feb 13, 2023 · 1 hr 41 min
Episode 25: Part 3: ISIS
Episode three of the Endless Wars case study: ISIS - Operation Inherent Resolve. In this episode Jon O'Gorman hosts Patrick McCarthy, Michael Shaw, and Burak Kadercan. They discuss the rise of ISIS from the early insurgency days in Iraq to its formation of a caliphate. The veterans of the campaign discuss their roles then answer the question about what our military learned. We also look at the policies of the early Iraq days post 2003 as the potential cause of the rise of ISIS. We end on the question of what is to be done for the future prevention of the rise of armed extremist groups.
S2 · E24
Feb 12, 2023 · 1 hr 5 min
Episode 24: Part 2: Iraq
Episode two of the Endless Wars case study. In this episode Jon O'Gorman hosts Heidi Lane, Patrick McCarthy, Matthew Nischwitz, and Michael Shaw. We continue with our military professors who are veterans of the conflict, joined by regional subject matter expert Heidi Lane. They start the conversation talking about why opening a secondary theater in Iraq made sense. They move to the discussion about the De-Baathification of Iraq and what effect it had on the country. They move through the process of insurgency, civil war, and how ISIS eventually had a different positive effect on the Iraqi people. They also discuss how poor civil-military relations caused certain estimates to be overlooked in the beginnings of the campaign. They end with thoughts about the future of Iraq and whether a desire for the independent Kurdistan could ignite a larger regional war.
S2 · E23
Feb 11, 2023 · 1 hr 10 min
Episode 23: Part 1: Afghanistan - The Endless Wars?
For this next case we are going to have three segments (or parts) on each of the major theaters discussed in the case - Afghanistan, Iraq and ISIS. We are also going to leverage our military professors of the Strategy and Policy Department and their on-the-ground practitioner experience in these conflicts. In this part, Jon O'Gorman hosts Marc Genest, Michael Shaw, and Patrick McCarthy on the Afghanistan theater. They discuss their thoughts about the end in Afghanistan, and whether or not the U.S. understood the nature of the war. They also look at the parallels to Vietnam and if those parallels are oversold. They look at the conflict through the institutional dimension of strategy lens and if our own bureaucracy hinders our success in these types of conflicts. Additionally, they discuss if the conflict has harmed civilian-military relations in the U.S. Finally, that talk about key takeaways.
S2 · E22
Feb 10, 2023 · 59 min
Episode 22: The Indo-Pakistani War
In this episode Jon O’Gorman hosts David Stone and Timothy Hoyt as they discuss the conflicts between India and Pakistan from their partition in 1947 to the Kargil conflict in 1999. They talk about the other options that the British had to prevent the bloodletting of 1947 and the six-week partition. Then they talk about the Cold War as the backdrop for the conflicts and how both sides used the great powers and signed pacts with them to gain economic trade and military supplies. Lastly, they talk about how both nuclear weapons and irregular warfare have added new dimensions to the conflict.
S2 · E21
Feb 9, 2023 · 1 hr
Episode 21: The Cold War
In this Episode Jon O'Gorman hosts Michael Dennis and Daniel Post from the Strategy and Police Department and they discuss nuclear weapons in the context of the Cold War. They start by talking about nuclear diplomacy and its meaning in the Cold War. Next, they discuss how nuclear weapons change the calculus in the military to include wargaming the problems. They also talk about the economic impact of maintaining a nuclear stockpile and how that might have meant the death knell of the Soviet economy. Lastly, they discuss how technology does not replace sound strategic thinking in the contemporary world.
S2 · E20
Feb 8, 2023 · 56 min
Episode 20: Indochina Wars
In this episode, Jon O'Gorman hosts David Stone and Kristin Mulready-Stone in talking about the Vietnamese Wars against the French, Americans and Chinese respectively. We look at the conflicts from a Red Team perspective and start by talking about French problems of colonial aims in Indochina. We look at Ho Chi Mihn and his perspective, nationalist vs. communist learnings, and internal communist disagreements in North Vietnam. We move to looking at the second Indochina War and American involvement. We talk about how the Sino-Soviet split complicates relations and support to Vietnam and how regional and domestic concerns loom over the myth of the world communist brotherhood. Lastly, we talk about why China decides to invade Vietnam, how it goes and what it may means the future and Taiwan.
S2 · E19
Feb 7, 2023 · 1 hr 19 min
Episode 19: The Rise of China and Korea
In this episode Jon O'Gorman hosts Andrew (Dex) Wilson, Nicholas Sarantakes, and Kristin Mulready-Stone to discuss China and Korea. They begin by discussing the warlord period of China as the stage setter for the Chinese civil war. They next move to the problems Chiang has in unifying the country vs. Mao and his easier path. They kick around the concept of how the context of the civil war matters to Mao's victory and how his three-phase model might not be the best insurgent theory in any other place but China. Additionally, it might not even have been how Mao won China exactly. They talk about Chinese and U.S. involvement in Korea and what it meant for Taiwan. Lastly, they end with contemporary relevance and why China is once again making Taiwan an issue in the international arena and how it has more to do with domestic control than unification.
S2 · E18
Feb 6, 2023 · 1 hr 14 min
Episode 18: World War II and the Early Cold War
In this episode, Jon O’Gorman hosts Andrew Wilson, Michael Dennis, and Nicholas Sarantakes in a discussion about the grand strategy of the Second World War. They begin by talking about the Europe First strategy and what it meant for the United States on the home front: socially, economically, and politically. Next, they discuss how the Sino-Japanese Conflict that started in the 1930s was the real underlying cause that drew the U.S. into the war. The theory of Douhet’s air power as a strategy to defeat Germany and Japan is discussed as well as the how the war was terminated differently in each theater. Finally, the contemporary parallel is drawn as they look at two theories of containment of Communism in the early cold war as an allegory to the actions of the U.S. support of Ukraine and Taiwan today.
S2 · E17
Feb 5, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min
Episode 17: The Interwar Period
In this session Jon O'Gorman hosts John Maurer, Jesse Tumblin, and David Stone as they discuss why the allies of the first Great War could not win the peace, thus sowing the seeds of the second. They talk about the strategic choices and problems Britain had in maintaining its empire as well as the problems of other European powers during the period. The enigma of the Soviet Union and Communism as a spoiler for maintaining the peace is also discussed. We then speak of the Great Depression as the factor that forever changes the calculus and how Britain's choices going into the late 1930s were bleak. Appeasement as a strategy and its ramifications are looked at—we end with how this perhaps has parallels to the Russia-Ukrainian war of today.
S2 · E16
Feb 4, 2023 · 59 min
Episode 16: World War I
In this episode Jon O’Gorman hosts Jesse Tumblin, David Stone, and James Holmes. They wrestle with the decision for war and what it means in this conflict. They also look at the naval theorists Corbett and Mahan whose theories are seen on full display in this case study. The concept of peripheral campaigns is discussed, specifically if Gallipoli could have achieved its intent. We tie this to the broader discussion of how navies can have effects on land and how Clausewitz says what peripheral campaigns need. Lastly, we look at war termination and how the treaty of Brest-Litovsk affects the thinking of Vladimir Putin to this day.

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