A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

It has been recognized since antiquity that victory in war often goes to those who best organize "the sinews of war" (money, equipment, and supplies). Yet at the U.S. Army War College the Defense Management course that teaches these topics has often been maligned. For a time, a heavy focus on acronym-heavy process caused many students to roll their eyes and ask, "Why do I have to learn this? I'm not a force manager, or budgeteer, or program manager etc." Tom Galvin and Doug Waters are in the studio to explain how the course is evolving to better demonstrate why everybody needs a little Defense Management in their lives. In one of the final components of the core curriculum, War College students get a healthy dose of the other strategic triad -- force structure, readiness, and modernization. Galvin and Waters join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss how this course is changing and why everybody needs to just eat their academic spinach because the students are going to "speak defense management" in their coming assignments.

Singer, songwriter, musician, podcaster and politician John Roderick is back in the studio with podcast Editor Ron Granieri for part two of their conversation. The discussion started in part one focusing on John's experiences during the National Security Seminar at the U.S. Army War College. But talk eventually moved to John and Ron's thoughts about podcasting. The host of two very well subscribed shows, John points to the power of conversation in our lives. Often the dialogue that leads to open minded examination of new ideas, podcasts can be the mode of communication that reaches the masses, tests ideas, promulgates concepts or sometimes just entertains and passes the time. For some it can be their legacy, for others their pulpit and for many their therapy, regardless of their purpose, the reports of podcasting's death are greatly exaggerated. Well now wait a minute, we're now treading on dangerous ground and treading on dangerous ground that's where all the progress is. You don't make progress by just walking around in circles inside the temple you have to get out. You have to move. John Roderick cohosts the podcasts The Omnibus Project with Jeopardy host Ken Jennings, and Roderick on the Line with pundit Merlin Mann. He’s also the frontman of indie band The Long Winters. He lives in Seattle. Ron Granieri is an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE. Photo Description: The many faces of John Roderick (Top Left) performing at the City Winery in New York City during his One Christmas at a Time Tour; (Top Right) podcast art for Roderick on the Line; (Bottom Right) Merlin Mann and John Roderick -- Roderick on the Line, 2012; (Bottom Left) John Roderick Live at The Chapel, San Francisco CA - Jan 17, 2020; (Center) podcast art for The Omnibus Project Photo Credit: (Top Left) Terry.r.robinson via Wikimedia Commons; (Top Right) @RoderickOn; (Bottom Right) David Lee via flickr; (Bottom Left) michaelz1 via flickr; (Center) Susan Roderick

Each year, in the final week of instruction at the U.S. Army War College there is a four day event that takes place known as the National Security Seminar (NSS). The resident seminars grow by six to seven members apiece as approximately 160 invited guests from many walks of life across the country join the students to engage in candid dialogue about national security issues, the U.S. military and the viewpoints of the citizenry of the nation. The new seminar members typically have no close association with the military and are invited via a nomination process. The four day itinerary includes distinguished speakers covering topics of civil-military relations, globalization, foreign policy, international security issues and the role of the United States in the world. The guests are able to attend several social events where the conversation is less formal and they close their week with a staff ride tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. In 2022 one of those guests was John Roderick, a musician, singer, songwriter, podcaster and politician. He was in podcast editor, Ron Granieri's seminar and he's in the studio today to share his experiences during his four days in Carlisle. This is part one of a two part episode.

We'll wrap up back to school week at the U.S. Army War College with the re-release of a great discussion between Ed Kaplan, Mike Baim and former Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline E. Whitt, to highlight the contributions of the U.S. Army War College's Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP). In a time when the nation sees increasing political divides and claims that the civil-military gap is ever widening, this program reaches out to reverse the trend. Ed and Mike explain how each academic year a joint cohort of military officers and national security professionals reach out to colleges and town halls across the nation to introduce War College students to audiences that may have little direct knowledge of the military. Their goal is to have reasoned and thoughtful discussions with the society they serve and protect. And for more than 50 years the Eisenhower Program has succeeded in closing that gap with both the rising and established generations in those communities. Ed Kaplan moved on to become the Dean of the School of Strategic Landpower, but the ESCP is still going strong under the leadership of Col Leon Perkowski in the Department of National Security and Strategy. If you're interested in participating in the program or if your institution is interested in potentially scheduling a speaking engagement with the ESCP, you can contact Col Perkowski at leon.perkowski@armywarcollege.edu

Yesterday began the first full week of instruction for the resident course at the U.S. Army War College. Introductions are done, orientation is over and another year of Boatyard Wars is in the books. Now students will begin to flex intellectual muscles that they may not have stretched for a few years. The editorial team thought we could help get things rolling with the strategic re-release of a few articles and podcast episodes that highlight the Carlisle Experience, the reasons War Colleges exist, useful tools for thinking, and additional programs available throughout the year. In this War Room Podcast, “Why War Colleges?” Andrew A. Hill interviews the 50th Commandant of the U.S. Army College, U.S. Army Major General Bill Rapp to discuss the history, roles, and responsibilities of war colleges to develop future strategic leaders, both military and civilian, and to develop ideas that address current and future needs of the defense enterprise. They explore why the Army’s performance during the Spanish-American War necessitated the Army War College’s founding, and how it has evolved in the century since.

A BETTER PEACE welcomes author and analyst Ali Wyne to the studio for a conversation about the intricacies of the concept of great power competition as a policy framework. He joins our new Editor-In-Chief, J.P Clark, for a fast-paced discussion of the ideas laid out in his new book America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition. It's a fascinating conversation well timed to the actions of both Russia and China and the responses of U.S. leadership. The essence of strategy is trade-offs. Ali Wyne is a senior analyst with Eurasia Group's Global Macro-Geopolitics Practice.  A term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project, he is the author of the new book America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition (Polity, 2022).

It's the tail end of the change of command season. Beloved (or not so beloved) commanders are moving on to new opportunities. New faces are taking over, watching, assessing, trying to get a feel for the team and the mission. WAR ROOM isn't a full fledged military organization (think military adjacent) but the time has come for our "change of command." Jacqueline Whitt, our outgoing Editor-In-Chief, is moving on to new and exciting opportunities with the U.S. Department of State and we're taking a moment to hear her final thoughts on her time with WAR ROOM. She's joined in the studio by her successor J.P Clark, a familiar face, longtime friend and former member of the editorial team. Podcast editor Ron Granieri moderates the conversation that renews the purpose of WAR ROOM, examines what the team has been able to accomplish over the last five years and what the future holds. Join us in saying farewell to Jackie and wishing her all the best in her future endeavors and welcoming J.P. as he shares his thoughts for moving forward without missing a beat. And take a read of Jackie's farewell letter we posted yesterday.

From 10-12 May 2022 the War College hosted the first annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners the symposium displayed original research and presented solutions to senior leaders about how landpower can help achieve national objectives in the future. As part of symposium Army leadership asked the United States Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project faculty to address the future role of strategic landpower. Taking up that challenge seven members of the USAWC class of 2022 participated in the integrated research project as part of their Masters in Strategic Studies degree research requirement and presented their results at the symposium to amplify their work. A BETTER PEACE has organized two podcast sessions with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the strategic landpower symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this second episode to discuss shaping the theater are Tim Clark, Curtis Perkins and Tim Sikorski. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss a variety of aspects pertaining to landpower to include the theater army's role in the information environment, sustainment modernization in multi-domain operations and logistics challenges in the INDOPACOM theater. The second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is set for 9-11 May 2023 and there is a call for papers due by 15 January 2023. Registration can be accomplished online. The theme will be the "Role of Strategic Landpower in Future Joint and Combined Operations."

From 10-12 May 2022 the War College hosted the first Annual Strategic Landpower Symposium. Bringing together students, scholars and practitioners the symposium displayed original research and presented solutions to senior leaders about how landpower can help achieve national objectives in the future. As part of symposium Army leadership asked the United States Army War College Strategic Landpower Integrated Research Project faculty to address the future role of strategic landpower. Taking up that challenge seven members of the USAWC class of 2022 participated in the integrated research project as part of their Masters in Strategic Studies degree research requirement and presented their results at the symposium to amplify their work. A BETTER PEACE has organized two podcast sessions with those students to discuss their projects, their relationship to the strategic landpower symposium and possible implications for the future of U.S. security policy. In the virtual studio for this first episode to discuss shaping the theater are Phil Baker, Gregory Foxx, Kirk Sanders and Carl Zeppengno. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss a variety of aspects pertaining to landpower to include, the National Guard State Partnership Program, special operations persistent forward presence, theater ISR operations and Marine Advance Based Operations alongside Army landpower doctrine. The second annual Strategic Landpower Symposium is set for 9-11 May 2023 and there is a call for papers due by 15 January 2023. Registration can be accomplished online. The theme will be the "Role of Strategic Landpower in Future Joint and Combined Operations." 2023 Strategic Landpower Symposium Home Page - https://csl.armywarcollege.edu/landpower/default.aspx

Don't ask, don't tell (DADT) was signed into law November 30, 1993 by the Clinton administration. It was a compromise measure intended to allow lesbian, gay and bisexual service members to serve in the U.S. military without discrimination or harassment as long as they didn't disclose their orientation, or engage in homosexual conduct or same sex marriage. Unfortunately in practice the policy often failed to live up to its intended purpose. In 1993 Dixon Osburn and Michelle Benecke founded the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network with the goal of repealing DADT and eliminating any service bans on gay and lesbian U.S. military personnel. Dixon is in the studio today with Editor -in-Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss the eventual repeal of DADT and Dixon's book Mission Possible: The Story of Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Looking after your family is a full time job. And all too often it's easy to lose yourself in that job and forget about your own wellbeing. In this episode Faith and Lynda discuss the importance of the often overlooked relationship between mind, body, spirit and the health and wellness of the military spouse. Joining in this story are Giovanna Reyes-Alexander and Payal Talwar. Giovanna is an Army spouse who holds multiple degrees in nutrition and dietetics and has shared her knowledge in these areas with people from across the globe. Payal Talwar is married to a Soldier in the Indian Military and brings her expertise in Neuro Linguistic Programming, Life and Performance coaching and training, and is a Law of Attraction trainer. Learn how to set an intention for the day when you first wake up, because body and mind are part of the same system and have to work in tandem.

It's time for the last installment of the AY22 Eisenhower Series. Brian Dudley and Kevin Payne join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to share their thoughts on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the U.S. Army. In keeping with the Federal government and DoD the Army is continually revising its DEI policies "with the aim of maintaining a vibrant workforce that represents the wide-ranging backgrounds of the American people." Brian and Kevin describe how their personal and professional experiences and studies have influenced their thoughts on DEI.

If you're new to the military it can be a flurry of bizarre and foreign traditions and actions that make very little sense. Imagine if you're also new to the United States. Join Faith and Lynda for their conversation with Melanie Wilhite, German by birth and an Army spouse by marriage, she is a certified Army Family Team Building Master Trainer. They're joined by Rebecca Lockhart and she adds her perspective as a former Navy brat and current Army Spouse who embraces military life. Military traditions provide a welcome sense of belonging to all spouses regardless of rank or experience and comfort in knowing what to expect.

What went wrong in Afghanistan? Did anything go right? We're definitely not going to thoroughly answer those questions in a thirty eight minute podcast episode, but any answer to those questions should feed the greater question - What can the United States in general and the Army in particular learn from the nation's experience in Afghanistan? A BETTER PEACE welcomes three members of the Eisenhower Series College Program (ESCP) to share their experiences while deployed to and in support of operations in Afghanistan. Matt Adamczyk, Rob Greiner and Kevin Payne join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to discuss the issues they encountered in conjunction with Operation Enduring Freedom and the subsequent operations in Afghanistan.

Historically, every PCS meant a job change or flat out job lost for military spouses. But times have changed and a new environment means more opportunities for employment and fulfillment. Get linked in to this episode where Faith and Lynda talk employment with Heather Kline, a Talent Acquisition Contractor with Client Solution Architects and retired Navy Human Resource Officer. Then there’s Meredith Smith, an Air Force spouse currently working as the Deputy Director for Community Events and Programs on the military spouse team at Hiring Our Heroes (HOH). Learn how to navigate resource overload, address resume gaps, and don’t give those employers a reason to say no!