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Strategy Matters

U.S. Naval War College

Strategy Matters is produced by the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College. Co-hosts Dr. Vanya Bellinger and LtCol Brendan Neagle speak with a variety of experts to explore theory and history of war, focusing on lessons applicable to the modern strategist.

The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.

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S2 · E4
Friday · 39 min
Episode 21: The Profession of Arms: Defining Military Professionalism
How do we define military professionalism, and what makes a military professional? This episode of Strategy Matters explores this important topic, interwoven with many of the themes and the historical cases in the Strategy and War course. The host, Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, talks with two professors at the Strategy and Policy Department who specialize in the topic: Dr. Marybeth Ulrich and LTC Jonathan Romaneski, Ph.D. To lay the groundwork for a better understanding of military professionalism, the episode begins with a brief theoretical and historical review. Then it explores ongoing challenges surrounding the issue: from civilian oversight and the so-called unequal dialogue between the political and military realms to free speech and the military’s neutral role in the state. It ends with a discussion of why military professionalism matters in the 21st century. GUESTS: Dr. Marybeth Ulrich is a professor and chair of the Strategy and Policy Department. Her publications include Democratizing Communist Militaries: The Cases of the Czech and Russian Armed Forces (University of Michigan Press). Her research focuses on strategic studies, democratization, Eurasian security, NATO, and civil-military relations. Appointments as Senior Fellow at the U.S. Air Force Academy and West Point’s Modern War Institute focus on education for military service in a democracy. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois and is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Lt. Col. Jonathan Romaneski, PhD, is an Army Aviation officer. He graduated from James Madison University in 2005, where he majored in history. His operational experience includes multiple combat deployments to Baghdad and to RC-South, Afghanistan, as well as six years in Germany and an AH-64D battalion command in Fort Wainwright, AK. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in military history from The Ohio State University, with minors in the early American Republic and diplomatic history. He has prior teaching experience in military and international history at West Point. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, the US Navy, or the US Naval War College.
S2 · E3
August 28 · 55 min
Episode 20: Britain’s Southern Campaign and the Fight for America
This episode of Strategy Matters supplements the Strategy and War case study on the American War for Independence with a close look at the Southern Campaign. Host LtCol Brendan Neagle is joined by Dr. Stan Carpenter, Dr. Andrew Zwilling, and Dr. Joshua Meeks. Stan, author of Southern Gambit: Cornwallis and the British March to Yorktown, walks through why Britain turned south in 1778, how the campaign unfolded, and Cornwallis's fateful march into Virginia. Andy and Josh describe how the Southern Campaign existed as one theater within a broader, global Anglo-French contest. The conversation closes with the campaign's aftermath at Yorktown and the Battle of the Chesapeake, and with each guest's key takeaways for the contemporary strategic environment. Guests: Dr. Stan Carpenter is a Professor Emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College. He publishes on leadership, naval history, and military history. He is the author of Southern Gambit: Cornwallis and the British March to Yorktown. Dr. Joshua Meeks is a professor of strategy and policy in the College of Distance Education at the U.S. Naval War College. His expertise is on the French Revolution and Napoleonic France, with a focus on the Mediterranean. Dr. Andrew Zwilling is a professor of strategy and policy in the College of Distance Education at the U.S. Naval War College. His areas of expertise include the British Empire, Colonial America, and early modern Europe. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, the United States Navy, or the U.S. Naval War College.
S2 · E2
August 25 · 47 min
Episode 19: Pericles: Strategist or Squill-Head?
This episode of Strategy Matters examines the strategic leadership of Pericles during the Peloponnesian War. Host Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger is joined by Dr. Michael Pavković and Dr. Robert Stone, who open with Pericles' background, the geopolitical context and his position within the Athenian political system. The conversation turns to the defensive strategy he designed for Athens as a maritime power trying to offset Sparta’s strengths as a land power. The guests then assess how far that approach shaped Athenian conduct in the later stages of the war. After asserting that Pericles was always depicted with a helmet to conceal a sea onion-shaped head, the guests draw connections between Pericles’ experience and the contemporary strategic environment, presenting lessons for the modern strategist. Guests: Dr. Michael F. Pavković currently serves as Vice Admiral William Ledyard Rodgers Professor in Naval History in the Strategy and Policy Department at the college. He received his B.A. in history and classics from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He has presented papers at national and international conferences and has also published a number of articles, book chapters and reviews on topics relating to ancient, early modern and Napoleonic military history. He is co-author of "What is Military History?" (Polity Press, 3rd edition, 2017). He is currently writing a book on sea power in the ancient world. Dr. Robert Stone is an Assistant Professor of Humanities in the Hamilton School. He previously taught at the U.S. Naval War College. His research focuses on Thucydides’ account of the Peloponnesian War for insights into strategic culture and democratic decision making. His writings have appeared in numerous journals, including History of Political Thought, Review of Politics, the U.S. Naval War College Review, and the Journal of the History of Ideas. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College.
S2 · E1
August 24 · 49 min
Episode 18: Decisive Point or Ulcer? The Theorists on Secondary Theaters
This episode of Strategy Matters takes up one of the recurring strategic choices of war: whether to open a secondary theater of operations. Host LtCol Brendan Neagle is joined by Dr. Tim Hoyt and Dr. Kevin McCranie for a discussion that supplements the Strategy and War’s case studies on Carl von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Julian Corbett, Alfred Thayer Mahan, and Mao Tse-Tung. The guests define what makes a theater “secondary” and work through how each theorist would answer that question. The conversation closes by applying these frameworks to the contemporary strategist, weighing how a military strategist should judge the line between a valuable economy-of-force effort and a sideshow that turns into an ulcer. Guests: Dr. Tim Hoyt is a Professor of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College, where he holds the John Nicholas Brown Chair of Counterterrorism and serves as Academic Director and Senior Mentor of the Advanced Strategist Program. He writes extensively on great power competition, irregular warfare, and terrorism. Dr. Kevin McCranie is the Philip A. Crowl Professor of Comparative Strategy and a former chairman of the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College. He specializes in maritime history and strategy and is the author of Mahan, Corbett, and the Foundations of Naval Strategic Thought. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College.
S1 · E17
February 13 · 49 min
Episode 17: Between Strategic Rivalry and Uneasy Cooperation: How the Relationship Between Iran and Iraq Shapes the Modern Middle East
This episode of Strategy Matters focuses on the regional dynamic between Iran and Iraq and supports the case study on America and the Greater Middle in the Strategy and Policy Course. Host Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger discusses this consequential relationship between the two neighboring countries with historian Dr. Samuel Helfont and political scientist Dr. Shanin Berenji. The episode begins with a historical discussion of the sources of strategic rivalry between Iran and Iraq. The two countries share almost 1,000 miles of border, have long-lasting disputes about waterways, and fought a prolonged and bloody war in the 1980s. Then the host and the guests explore the role Iran played during the US occupation of Iraq (2003-2011). The discussion also touches on the accuracy of the popular perception, in recent years, of Iraq as a client state of Tehran, as well as the state of today’s Iraqi politics and relations with the United States. Finally, the experts outline the influence the current instability in Iran may have on the region. Guests: Samuel Helfont is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy in the Naval War College program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Helfont holds a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University. His research focuses on international history and politics in the Middle East, especially Iraq and the Iraq Wars. He is also interested in Israeli, maritime, and post-Cold War global history. He is the author of The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, October 2025), Iraq against the World: Saddam, America, and the Post-Cold War Order (Oxford University Press, 2023), and Compulsion in Religion: Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies in Iraq (Oxford University Press, 2018). He co-edited (with Lisa Blaydes) Ba‘thist Iraq through Archives: Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities (Stanford University Press, forthcoming 2026). In 2023, Helfont received the Naval War College’s research award, presented annually to the faculty member whose scholarship demonstrated the highest level of excellence over the past three years. In addition to this academic background, Helfont served as an intelligence officer in the US Navy and Navy Reserve. An Iraq War veteran, he completed deployments both afloat and ashore in the Middle East. He also served on Middle Eastern and counterterrorism missions at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Office of Naval Intelligence, among other commands. He is a Golden Shellback. Shahin Berenji is an Assistant Professor in the Strategy and Policy Department. He earned his Ph.D. and MA from the University of California Los Angeles and his BA from the University of Southern California. Before arriving at the Naval War College, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Albritton Center for Grand Strategy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A & M University. From 2020 to 2022, he worked at Southern Methodist University where he served as a Visiting Assistant Professor and Colin Powell Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Science and the John G. Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs. He studies foreign policy decision-making and diplomacy and has a specialization in the Cold War and regional expertise in the Middle East. His research has been published in such academic journals as International Security and Security Studies, and his commentary and op-eds have been featured online with West Point’s Modern War Institute, the National Interest, and E-International Relations. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College.
S1 · E16
February 12 · 1 hr
Episode 16: Henry Kissinger and Cold War Strategy
In this episode of Strategy Matters, we explore Henry Kissinger’s impact on the Late Cold War, focusing on how his background and scholarly interests shaped his emphasis on balance-of-power politics, strategic stability, and the alignment of strategy with capabilities. Host Brendan Neagle is joined by two professors at the United States Naval War College: Dr. Richard Moss and Dr. Marc Genest. The discussion highlights Kissinger’s central role in advancing détente, orchestrating the opening to the People’s Republic of China, and practicing triangular diplomacy to exploit the Sino-Soviet split (which we also learn is the name of a mixed drink). Lastly, the guests examine Kissinger’s belief in stability as a guiding principle of international order and his reliance on personal and informal diplomacy, drawing lessons for today’s great-power competition. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Dr. Richard Moss is a professor in the Russian Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College. He has a PhD in history from George Washington University and specializes in U.S.-Soviet relations during the Cold War. His book “Nixon's Back Channel to Moscow: Confidential Diplomacy and Detente” traced the role Kissinger played in providing the diplomatic back channels that led to a thaw in the Cold War. Dr. Marc Genest is the Forrest Sherman Professor of Public Diplomacy in the Strategy and Policy Department at the US Naval War College. He has a doctorate in international politics from Georgetown University and has written numerous books and articles on international relations, strategic communication, American foreign policy and public opinion.
S1 · E15
February 2 · 46 min
Episode 15: The Reality of War with Limited Objectives: The US Media and Vietnam
In this episode of Strategy Matters, we explore whether US media coverage influenced the course of the US involvement in Vietnam. Host Vanya Eftimova Bellinger is joined by the historians Dr. Nicholas Evan Sarantakes and Dr. Cavender Sutton. The discussion reveals that, contrary to later perceptions, the Saigon Press Corps largely supported the war. The animosity between the military and media came later, rather a product of the blame game after the fall of South Vietnam. The US media could not ignore the difficulties the US forces encountered, a situation made worse by the US political and military leadership’s failure to communicate a clear and realistic strategy. Outlining the difficulties of war with limited objectives, the host and the guests discuss the need to rethink communication and home front preparedness when embarking on such a war. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Dr. Nicholas Evan Sarantakes is a Professor at the Strategy and Policy Department and earned a B.A. from the University of Texas, an M.A. from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, all in history. He is an award-winning author with multiple publications. His most recent book, The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War (2025), is a groundbreaking account of this crucial campaign from the American, Japanese, and, significantly, Filipino perspectives. Dr. Cavender Sutton is currently an assistant professor at the US Air War College, but previously served as a Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow in the Strategy and Policy Department (2024-2025). He received his B.A. in History from the University of Georgia, his M.A. in History from East Tennessee State University, and his PhD in Military History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before his academic career, Dr. Sutton served four years in the United States Marine Corps, during which he deployed to Afghanistan twice. His forthcoming book is The Road to Hue: US Marine Combined Action Platoons and the Battle that Changed the Vietnam War.
S1 · E14
January 23 · 55 min
Episode 14: Reassessing Chiang Kai-shek: Strategy, Defeat, and Legacy
This episode of Strategy Matters focuses on Chiang Kai-shek, the often-overshadowed rival of Mao Zedong, to assess his leadership, ideology, and strategic legacy. Host Brendan Neagle is joined by historians and Strategy and Policy Professors Ken Swope and Anatol Klass. The discussion provides a broad spectrum of factors that affected Chiang’s strategic decision making and effectiveness as a leader. The episode explores Chiang’s ideological foundations, his relationship with the United States, and the influence of Madam Chiang. The conversation concludes by examining how Chiang is viewed today in China and Taiwan, and by drawing broader strategic lessons relevant to modern strategists. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Dr. Kenneth Swope earned his B.A. at the College of Wooster (OH) and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. A specialist in the military history of late imperial China and East Asia, he has previously taught at Marist College, Ball State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. He also served as the Dr. Leo A. Shiffrin Chair of Naval and Military History at the United States Naval Academy. Dr. Swope has lived and conducted research in Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China, and South Korea. He has published numerous books and articles on Ming-Qing dynasty military history, including the award-winning, Struggle for Empire: The Battles of General Zuo Zongtang, published by the Naval Institute Press. He is currently working on a book on the Three Feudatories Revolt (1673-1681) in China Dr. Anatol Klass is an assistant professor in the Strategy & Policy Department. He studies modern Chinese history and is writing a book about the bureaucratic development of the institutions through which the Chinese state engages with the world and the professional identities of experts working within those institutions. He has a Ph.D. in history from Berkeley and held fellowships at Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, and the Columbia-Harvard China & the World Program. His research has been published in the International History Review and Cold War History, and his writing has appeared in the Washington Post and Foreign Policy.
S1 · E13
January 21 · 25 min
Episode 13: Propaganda in WWII: The Strategic Lessons for Winning the Information Battlefield
In this episode of Strategy Matters, we explore the legacy of the forgotten World War II propaganda hero, Sefton Delmer, to uncover best practices for shaping the information domain. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger talks with the Ukrainian-born British journalist Peter Pomerantsev, the author of How to Win the Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler. In the episode, Pomerantsev disavows common misunderstandings about propaganda and misinformation. He explains how and why the Industrial Revolution and advanced technology made people more susceptible to them. Pomerantsev also summarizes some of Delmer's provocative yet effective ideas for understanding the role of propaganda in modern war. Finally, the guest explains why the information warfare feels so new and overwhelming, and how strategists can navigate it. Guest Peter Pomerantsev is a Ukrainian-born British journalist, author, and TV producer. Pomerantsev has written two books about Russian disinformation and propaganda—Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible (2014), and This Is Not Propaganda (2019). His most recent book, How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler (2024), discusses the life and legacy of Sefton Delmer, a British propagandist during World War II. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guest: Peter Pomerantsev is a Ukrainian-born British journalist, author, and TV producer. Pomerantsev has written two books about Russian disinformation and propaganda—Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible (2014), and This Is Not Propaganda (2019). His most recent book, How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler (2024), discusses the life and legacy of Sefton Delmer, a British propagandist during World War II.
S1 · E12
January 20 · 36 min
Episode 12: Interwar Learning: An Interview with Trent Hone, Author of “Learning War”
This episode of Strategy Matters aligns with the Interwar Case 5 of the Strategy and Policy Course: The Interwar World. Co-host Brendan Neagle interviews Trent Hone, the author of Learning War and Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific. The interview focuses on U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps adaptation in the interwar period between World War I and World War II. The discussion includes a description of complex adaptive systems, the influence of constraints on effective efforts at adaptation, aligning incentive systems with the desired outcomes, and the importance of communicating a clear objective. The interview closes with Mr. Hone proposing some key takeaways for the modern strategist from the U.S. Navy’s experience in the interwar period. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The U.S. Navy, or U.S. Naval War College. Guests: Trent Hone is a Vice President with ICF and an award-winning naval historian. He works with organizations to improve their art of practice, increase effectiveness, and accelerate learning. He is the author of Learning War: The Evolution of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1898-1945, Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific, as well as books on Leyte Gulf, Guadalcanal, and the Navies of World War I.
S1 · E11
January 16 · 50 min
Episode 11: NATO and the Warsaw Pact: Collective Security in the Post - WWII World
In this episode of Strategy Matters, we explore the strategic logic behind the formation of NATO in the aftermath of World War II. The discussion examines the post-World War world from Western and Soviet perspectives and highlights how economic challenges, political instability, and ideological competition shaped early Cold War security decisions. Guests Dr. David Stone and Dr. Timothy Hoyt emphasize the alliance as a solution to European post-war challenges and contrast NATO with earlier failed efforts at collective security. The episode closes by exploring enduring lessons about alliance credibility and the importance of aligning all instruments of national power in coalitions. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Dr. Timothy Hoyt, Ph.D. is the John Nicholas Brown Chair of Counterterrorism and, since 2019, has also served as the Director of the Advanced Strategy Program at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the author of numerous publications on irregular warfare, COIN and counterterrorism, and South Asia. Dr Hoyt also serves as the Deputy Editor of The Journal of Strategic Studies. Dr. David Stone, Ph.D., the William E. Odom Professor of Russian Studies, joined the Strategy and Policy Department in 2015. He received a B.A. from Wabash College and a Ph.D. in history from Yale. He previously taught at Kansas State University. His book “Hammer and Rifle: The Militarization of the Soviet Union” (2000) won the Shulman Prize and the Best First Book Prize of the Historical Society. He has also published “A Military History of Russia” (2006) and “The Russian Army in the Great War: The Eastern Front, 1914-1917” (2015). He edited “The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945” (2010). He is the author of several dozen articles on Russian military history and foreign policy.
S1 · E10
Dec 16, 2025 · 48 min
Episode 10: World War on the Peripheries: Strategic Lessons from Colonial Theaters in WWI
Episode ten of Strategy Matters aligns with the fourth case study in the Strategy and Policy Course at the Naval War at the U.S. Naval War College. Much of the case study focuses on the European theaters of World War I, but in the podcast, we are exploring the extra-European or colonial theaters of the conflict. Although distinct, they were seldom decisive. Nonetheless, the colonial theaters in WWI hold many lessons for today’s strategists, including the complexities of peripheral theaters and irregular warfare, the role of seapower in a global conflict, and recruitment and motivation to fight. The host, Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, is joined by two professors from the Strategy and Policy Department: Dr. Tim Hoyt and Dr. Jesse Tumblin. A renowned expert on irregular warfare, Dr. Hoyt examines why, despite much action in the colonial theaters, they failed to break the stalemate or shift the balance between the belligerents. A historian of the British Empire, Dr. Tumblin discusses how the dominions provided it with manpower and enormous resources, but also challenged the empire’s institutions and war strategy. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Dr. Timothy Hoyt, Ph.D. is the John Nicholas Brown Chair of Counterterrorism and, since 2019, has also served as the Director of the Advanced Strategy Program at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the author of numerous publications on irregular warfare, COIN and counterterrorism, and South Asia. Dr Hoyt also serves as the Deputy Editor of The Journal of Strategic Studies. Dr. Jesse Tumblin, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of strategy and policy specializing in political and military history, ideas of security, and the current and former British world. He earned a Ph.D. and M.A. from Boston College and a B.A. from the University of Tennessee. He is a past fellow in international security studies at Yale University. He is the author of “The Quest for Security: Sovereignty, Race, and the Defense of the British Empire, 1898-1931” (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and an article on Britain’s attempts to secure its Indo-Pacific empire, which won the Saki Ruth Dockrill Memorial Prize for international history from the Institute for Historical Research, University of London.
S1 · E9
Dec 11, 2025 · 47 min
Episode 9: Napoleon in the American Mind: How European War Shaped U.S. Strategy
Episode Nine of Strategy Matters aligns with the third case study in the Strategy and Policy Course at the Naval War at the U.S. Naval War College. In this episode, we shift our focus on the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars to explore how the military and political upheavals of 1793–1815 shaped strategic thinking in the early American republic. Although the United States stayed largely out of the European conflicts, American leaders watched them closely, and the era profoundly influenced how they understood war, strategy, and national power. Host Brendan Neagle is joined by three guests from the Strategy and Policy Department: Dr. George Satterfield, an expert on European military history, Dr. Jon Romaneski, a military historian focused on early U.S. military history, and Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, scholar of Clausewitz and co-host of Strategy Matters. The episode closes with key takeaways from each guest on Napoleon’s enduring relevance for contemporary strategic thought. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent theviews of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Dr. George Satterfield, Ph.D. holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Illinois (2001) and an M.A. in history from Illinois State University. Before joining the Strategy and Policy Department, he taught history at the post-secondary level in New York and New Jersey. In 2006, he was a faculty member at Hawaii Pacific University, and at the same time, he won a distinguished book award for his book “Princes, Posts, and Partisans: The Army of Louis XIV and Partisan Warfare in the Spanish Netherlands, 1673-1678 (Leiden: Brill, 2003).” Professor Satterfield has expanded his interests to include modern European history, general military and naval history, counterinsurgency and NATO. Lieutenant Colonel Jon Romaneski, U.S. Army, is a military professor in the US Naval War College’s Strategy and Policy Department. He is a U.S. Army Aviation officer whose previous command and staff positions include extensive time in Europe, the U.S. Military Academy, Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Cavazos, Texas. His most recent assignment was his battalion command tour in Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He has a BA in history from James Madison University and a PhD in military history from the Ohio State University. Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, Ph.D. earned a Ph.D. in history at King’s College, London. Bellinger is the author of “Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman Behind the Making of On War” (Oxford University Press USA, 2015). She is the winner of the 2016 Society for Military History Moncado Prize for her article, “The Other Clausewitz: Findings from the Newly Discovered Correspondence between Marie and Carl von Clausewitz.” She is the first scholar to work with the newly discovered correspondence between the Clausewitz couple. Before transitioning to academia, Bellinger worked as a journalist and international correspondent for various European outlets.
S1 · E8
Oct 9, 2025 · 58 min
Episode 8: Interview with John Ferling, Author of Whirlwind and Shots Heard Round the World
This is a special episode of the Strategy Matters Podcast. Host Brendan Neagle talks with historian Dr. John Ferling to explore the strategic lessons of the American Revolution. This special episode reaches back to provide additional perspective on the third Strategy and War case study at the U.S. Naval War College. Although the timing of this episode does not align directly with the American Revolution case study, Dr. Ferling’s insights illuminate many of the course themes that cut across the entire course. Drawing on his books Whirlwind and his new work Shots Heard Round the World, Ferling assesses the Revolution’s strategic environment and international context and the central choices both sides faced at the outset of the conflict. Dr. Ferling dives into the challenges of forging a cohesive strategy from competing colonial interests, George Washington’s strengths and weaknesses as a strategic leader, and how diplomacy combined with military operations to shape the war’s trajectory. He also provides perspective on some of the strengths of British military decision-making, particularly by General Henry Clinton. The conversation closes with reflections on the Revolution’s most important strategic principles and why they still matter for today’s strategists. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of War, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Dr. John Ferling is a leading historian of the American Revolution who spent most of his four-decade academic career at the University of West Georgia, where he taught courses on Colonial America, U.S. military history, and the Revolution. The author of numerous works, including Whirlwind and Shots Heard Round the World, Ferling has long combined scholarship with a passion for writing accessible history. His career began with two years teaching high school in Texas before moving into higher education in Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and ultimately Georgia. In 2013, he received the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities in recognition of his lifetime contributions to history and civic culture. A lifelong baseball fan, the first major league game he saw was between Pittsburgh and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a game in which Jackie Robinson scored the winning run. For twenty years he timed his research trips to Boston so that the Red Sox were in town. He has a picture of Fenway Park proudly displayed in his office.
S1 · E7
Sep 24, 2025 · 31 min
Episode 7: WWII in Europe: Between Political Visions and Operational Realities
In episode seven, Admiral (ret.) Lars Saunes and Dr. Michelle Paranzino discuss how the outcome of the Second World War shaped the politics and security in Europe. This episode complements the Second World War case study within the Strategy and War course. It also addresses one of the primary themes in the study of war: the strategic implications of military operations. The United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union fought as allies, but they also had different visions for the world after the defeat of Nazi Germany. Their leaders, the so-called ‘Big Three,’ Franklin D Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, also had to consider operational and logistical challenges when seeking to fulfill them. Admiral Saunes and Dr Paranzino consider alternative scenarios for military operations on the continent and why they were not taken. Finally, the guests highlight that although understanding the agreement the Allies achieved at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 can help us grasp Vladimir Putin’s logic, it is not a good guide for achieving peace in Ukraine or navigating current security challenges. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Defense, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Rear Admiral (ret.) Lars Saunes was born in Alesund, Norway. He retired from the Navy from the position as Chief of Royal Norwegian Navy August 2017 and is now CNO Distinguished international fellow at the USNWC. He is a Submariner by trade and has held different command position on Kobben and Ula class submarines. He has been the commander of the Norwegian task group, Chief Naval operations at joint HQ, Commander submarine operating authority, Commandant and commander of the Norwegian Coast guard as well as Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy. He has served as the head naval section of the Norwegian defense high command/join and the Norwegian defense research Institute. Michelle Paranzino, earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied U.S. foreign policy, Soviet history and Cold War Latin America. She has published numerous articles and book chapters and is the author of "The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War: A Short History with Documents" (Cambridge: Hackett, 2018). She grew up in Los Angeles, earning her B.A. in history at UC Santa Cruz and an M.A. in history at Cal State Northridge. She has held fellowships at the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College and is currently working on a book about the war on drugs.
S1 · E6
Sep 17, 2025 · 59 min
Episode 6: Dilemmas of Strategic Imagination: The Ottoman Empire's Role in World War I
In Episode 6, Dr. Burak Kadercan and Dr. Jesse Tumblin explore the current case study in Strategy and War Course, World War I, from a different angle: the strategic challenges the Ottoman Empire faced. At its height, the Ottoman Empire ruled on three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it lost much of its European domains and struggled to modernize. The possession of one of its former provinces, Bosnia and Herzegovina, led to the clash between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, which snowballed into World War I. Throughout the war the Allies targeted the Ottoman Empire with a series of peripheral campaigns in the Balkans and the Middle East. Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger and her guests explore valuable strategic lessons these campaigns offer. At the end of the war, Great Britain and France divided the Ottoman domains in the Middle East among themselves, leading to many of the issues continuing to plague the region through the current era. Also, the guests discuss how the modern Turkish Republic emerged from the ashes of World War I largely due to the vision and leadership of one of the heroes from the Dardanelles/Gallipoli Campaign, Mustafa Kemal, later known as Atatürk. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Defense, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Burak Kadercan is an Associate Professor who holds a PhD and MA in political science from the University of Chicago and a BA in politics and international relations from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Kadercan specializes in the intersection of international relations theory, international security, military-diplomatic history, and political geography. Prior to joining the Naval War College, he was Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Reading (United Kingdom) and Assistant Professor in International Relations and Programme Coordinator for the MA in international security at Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). Dr. Kadercan’s scholarly contributions have appeared in International Security, Review of International Studies, International Studies Review, International Theory, and Middle East Policy. Dr. Kadercan is the author of Shifting Grounds: The Social Origins of Territorial Conflict (Oxford University Press, 2023). Jesse Tumblin is an assistant professor of strategy and policy specializing in political and military history, ideas of security, and the current and former British world. He earned a Ph.D. and M.A. from Boston College and a B.A. from the University of Tennessee. He is a past fellow in international security studies at Yale University. He is the author of “The Quest for Security: Sovereignty, Race, and the Defense of the British Empire, 1898-1931” (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and an article on Britain’s attempts to secure its Indo-Pacific empire, which won the Saki Ruth Dockrill Memorial Prize for international history from the Institute for Historical Research, University of London.
S1 · E5
Sep 10, 2025 · 40 min
Episode 5: From Humiliation to Hegemon: The Influence of 1894-1905 on Chinese Strategy
Episode five features Dr. David Stone and Dr. Kenneth Swope from the U.S. Naval War College, who examine how two pivotal conflicts between 1894 and 1905 reshaped China’s place in East Asia. This episode compliments the Russo-Japanese War case study within the Strategy and War Course. While examining the period between the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), the guests trace China’s struggle to modernize its military, the heavy costs of defeat by Japan, and the growing shadow of Russian ambitions in the region. Dr. Stone and Dr. Swope first explore how the Sino-Japanese War sets the stage for the Russo-Japanese War and then how both conflicts influenced Chinese and Russian strategic thought. The episode closes by drawing connections between these two wars and power dynamics in East Asia today. Cover art: Frederick W. Rose and Kisaburō Ohara, "Kokkei Ō-A Gaikō Chizu: A humorous diplomatic atlas of Europe and Asia" (1904). Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Defense, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Professor David R. Stone, the William E. Odom Professor of Russian Studies, joined the Strategy and Policy Department in 2015. He received a B.A. from Wabash College and a Ph.D. in history from Yale. He previously taught at Kansas State University. His book “Hammer and Rifle: The Militarization of the Soviet Union” (2000) won the Shulman Prize of ASEEES and the Best First Book Prize of the Historical Society. He has also published “A Military History of Russia” (2006) and “The Russian Army in the Great War: The Eastern Front, 1914-1917” (2015). He edited “The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945” (2010). He is the author of several dozen articles on Russian military history and foreign policy. Kenneth M. Swope is a Professor of Strategy and Policy who graduated with a B.A. from the College of Wooster (OH) in 1992. He earned his M.A. (Chinese Studies, 1995) and Ph.D (History, 2001) at the University of Michigan. Professor Swope previously taught at Marist College, Ball State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. He served as the Dr. Leo A. Shifrin Chair at The United States Naval Academy in 2019-20. A specialist on the military history of Ming-Qing China (1368-1911), Dr. Swope has published numerous books and articles including Struggle for Empire: The Battles of General Zuo Zongtang (Naval Institute Press, 2024), which received the "Book of the Year" prize from The Samuel B. Griffith Foundation for the Study of Chinese Military History, and a Distinguished Book Award from The Society for Military History.
S1 · E4
Sep 3, 2025 · 39 min
Episode 4: A Fort Between Two Waters: Symbolism, Strength, and Strategy in a Hybrid War
Guests Katrina Ponti and Jonathan Romaneski join host Brendan Neagle to unpack the historical significance and strategic effects of operations at Fort Ticonderoga during the American War of Independence. The discussion complements the course materials for American War of Independence case study in the Strategy and War Course at the U.S. Naval War College. The guests explore how the fort’s capture by irregular colonial forces in 1775 revealed the outsized psychological impact of seemingly small operations and the advantages of decentralized execution for insurgents. The discussion then turns to British strategic adjustments and the difficulty of distinguishing between a military objective’s perceived symbolic importance and its true strategic value. Finally, the conversation draws broader lessons on irregular and hybrid warfare, connecting Ticonderoga’s story to modern dilemmas such as gray zone conflicts and the enduring need for adaptability in military planning. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Defense, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Katrina Ponti, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow in the Strategy and Policy Department. She earned her Ph.D. in history from the University of Rochester in 2022. Before joining the Strategy and Policy Department, she was an Ernest May Postdoctoral Fellow at the Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School. Dr. Ponti has published on topics related to the diplomatic and maritime history of the early United States. In addition to her interests in history and policy, she is a trained historical archaeologist. She is an award-winning poet for her fifth grade work about Fort Ticonderoga: Rainy Day at the Mountain Lake Rainy day at the mountain lake What should we do today? Should we go to a fort From that long ago day? Where cannons were brought from one state to the next Over mountains that nearly touch the sky LTC Jonathan Romaneski, U.S. Army, is a military professor in the US Naval War College’s Strategy and Policy Department. He is a U.S. Army Aviation officer whose previous command and staff positions include extensive time in Europe, the U.S. Military Academy, Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Cavazos, Texas. His most recent assignment was his battalion command tour in Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He has a BA in history from James Madison University and a PhD in military history from the Ohio State University.
S1 · E3
Aug 20, 2025 · 49 min
Episode 3: Strategic Leadership Matters: Demosthenes and Brasidas in the Peloponnesian War
Guests Michael Pavković and Josh Hammond join host Vanya Eftimova Bellinger to profile the strategic leadership of two of the most compelling figures of the Peloponnesian War: Demosthenes and Brasidas. They compare Brasidas’s formative experiences in Sparta with Demosthenes’s in Athens, exploring how these backgrounds shaped each man’s approach to strategic leadership. The discussion highlights key qualities of effective strategic leaders, including the ability to balance boldness with prudence, exceptional creative and critical thinking skills, and the capacity to reassess, adapt, and decide faster than the adversary. A central theme is the adaptability required to transition from a successful tactical commander to an effective strategist. Careful listeners will also enjoy a surprisingly apt Guns N’ Roses analogy. Guests Professor Michael F. Pavković currently serves as Vice Admiral William Ledyard Rodgers Professor in Naval History in the Strategy and Policy Department at the college. He received his B.A. in history and classics from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He has presented papers at national and international conferences and has also published a number of articles, book chapters and reviews on topics relating to ancient, early modern and Napoleonic military history. He is co-author of "What is Military History?" (Polity Press, 3rd edition, 2017). He is currently writing a book on sea power in the ancient world. Cmdr. Josh Hammond graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in classical languages and the U.S. Naval War College with an M.A. in national security and strategic studies. While at NWC, he received the Adm. Richard G. Colbert Memorial Prize for professional writing and research. A career naval flight officer, he has over 2,300 hours and 500 carrier landings in the F-14D and F/A-18F in support of numerous operations in the Arabian Gulf and Western Pacific. Other assignments include air operations officer on USS Carl Vinson and an exchange assignment with the Royal Navy in carrier doctrine development.
S1 · E2
Aug 13, 2025 · 49 min
Episode 2: (Mis)reading Mahan: Strategy and Sea Power, Past and Present
Guests John Maurer and James Holmes join host Vanya Eftimova Bellinger to discuss the influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan’s theories on the strategic environment of the twentieth century and beyond. The guests definitively settle the question of how to pronounce Mahan’s name correctly before diving into how various strategic leaders applied, or misapplied, Mahan’s theories to the formulation of maritime strategy. After analyzing the historical cases of Germany and Japan’s application of Mahanian theories, Dr. Maurer and Dr. Holmes turn their attention to how these ideas influence great power competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Guests: Professor John H. Maurer is the Alfred Thayer Mahan Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy and served as the Chair of the Strategy and Policy Department at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. James Holmes holds the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College and served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. A former U.S. Navy surface-warfare officer, he was the last gunnery officer in history to fire a battleship’s big guns in anger, during the first Gulf War in 1991. He earned the Naval War College Foundation Award in 1994, signifying the top graduate in his class. His books include Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Book of 2010 and a fixture on the Navy Professional Reading List.

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