A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

Last week on March 29th the nation observed National Vietnam War Veterans Day. This week we'd like to share a conversation with Jan Scruggs, the man who conceived of and eventually built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. A combat veteran of the Vietnam War himself, Jan tells the incredible story of his motivations, obstructions, collaborations and finally success in creating a striking symbol of the conflict and its cost that is visited by over 3 million people each year. He Joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss his experience in Vietnam and the post traumatic stress he suffered upon his return. Jan tells the story of his mission to recognize the sacrifices and losses of his generation and to help heal the people that are sent out to fight their nation's wars.

Let's be honest - the study of strategy can, at times, be a tedious thing. For those of us who haven't dedicated their lives and/or careers to understanding the detailed workings, intricate interplay and parlance of the strategic realm it can be a downright drag. But what if you could comprehend it all via an amazing space opera? What if the Empire, the Rebellion, the Romulans, the Klingons, the Federation, the Spice Trade and the Apes of a futuristic Earth all had something to teach you about strategy? What if the Federation could make conversations about discrimination and diversity much easier to discuss in a learning situation? Jon Klug and Steve Leonard so firmly believed that science fiction offers both a mirror and a possible guidebook for students of strategy and leadership that they gathered up a bunch of friends and colleagues and they put a book together on the topic. Jon and Steve join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss To Boldly Go: Leadership, Strategy, and Conflict in the 21st Century and Beyond. The three of them examine the genesis of the project, what they've learned along the way and they set out to answer the age old questions Kirk or Picard? Khan or Q? Buck or Flash? The Empire or The First Order? FACT CHECK - Jon Klug mentions that Dino De Laurentiis owned the rights to Star Wars. What Jon was trying to convey was that De Laurentiis owned the rights to Flash Gordon, and he refused to sell them to George Lucas who had hopes to create a new Flash Gordon movie. Instead Lucas was forced to create a little project he eventually called Star Wars.

For many, Afghanistan and the lessons that should have been learned have been overshadowed recently by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And as much as Ukraine deserves the attention of the world, national security professionals have a duty to learn as much as possible from the successes and failures of Afghanistan. To that end, A BETTER PEACE is extremely pleased to welcome Maj Gen Brian Mennes, the Deputy Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He joins Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to discuss his experiences in Afghanistan during his multiple tours in the theater. Tom and the general served together on three separate tours in Afghanistan and their conversation focuses on the wins that they achieved along the way along with the losses and the eventual fall of the Afghan government in August 2021.

Sanctions. They're the talk of the town right now as the world watches Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Social media and the news networks are full of "experts" sharing their opinions on every aspect of sanctions associated with the current world situation. Should they have happened sooner? Did the West wait long enough? Are they too harsh? Should they be much tougher? Is there a clear criteria for Russia to comply with to have them removed? Will they ever completely go away? A BETTER PEACE welcomes Mark Duckenfield, former Department Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy to discuss the topic. Mark holds a PhD in political science from Harvard University where he specialized in European political economy. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to look at sanctions from a historical perspective. When have sanctions worked? When have they failed? What are the necessary conditions of economies, cultures and people that will enhance or stymie the effects of economic sanctions?

Chinese leaders have struggled to develop coherent policies toward Eurasia for centuries. And the work of building a policy for the larger Central Asian region has serious implications for the building of the modern Chinese state. Beijing's efforts to reduce the influence of the Uyghur population of Xinjiang Province is a perfect example of the failing policies of the region. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Zenel Garcia to discuss his latest book China’s Western Frontier and Eurasia The Politics of State and Region-Building. Zenel joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to examine how China has attempted to handle its western frontier through a series of state-building initiatives. Their conversation looks at how China's region-building project in Eurasia has been complicated by the collapse of the USSR, increasing globalization, and the party’s professed concerns about terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

What if everything around you, every element of your daily life could be weaponized against you and your nation? Space, cyberspace, civil society - all tools and arenas available to the enemy in addition to the traditional domains of warfare. That's the premise of the new book Old and New Battlespaces: Society, Military Power, and War authored by Jahara "Franky" Matisek and Buddhika Jayamaha. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Franky to the virtual studio to discuss how this concept impacts the nature and character of war. He joins podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine what this all means for policy, planning, recruitment and a host of issues for military and political leaders to consider moving forward.

As we wind down Black History Month the Editorial Team thought it most appropriate to re-release this and one other podcast on Executive Order 9981. Originally released in July 2018, the 70th anniversary was a great reminder to examine the official order to desegregate the military and consider how far we've come and what still must be accomplished. This podcast is the second of two commemorating the seventieth anniversary of EO 9981 and its influence over the U.S. armed forces today. WAR ROOM welcomes Brigadier General Earl Simms, U.S. Army Retired, whose thirty-three year career culminated as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute. BG Simms relays his experiences as an African-American officer in the early days of integration and his perspectives on the state of race relations in the U.S. military and society today. Army War College Professor of Leadership and Cultural Studies Chuck Allen moderates.

WAR ROOM isn't a news outlet and we don't do up to the minute reporting. But when Dr. Joel Hillison came to us last week and wanted to discuss the ongoing situation on the Ukraine border we happily welcomed him back to the podcast. Joel joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the BETTER PEACE virtual studio to discuss what it takes to be truly effective deterring an adversary. It's often easier to declare your enemy irrational, maniacal. or power hungry than it is to try and understand their motivation or point of view. Joel tries to apply strategic empathy (and years of NATO experience and study) to place himself in the shoes of Russian leadership to better grasp what is driving their thought process and actions. The goal is to determine what is important, what is threatening, what consequences are too painful, and where is there room to negotiate? At the time of this episodes release tensions are still high with limited hostilities continuing along the border and avenues of communication still open. Joel and Ron's hope is that at the moment you listen to this episode the conversations are still ongoing, because the alternative is not good for anyone.

In honor of  Black History Month the Editorial Team thought it most appropriate to re-release this episode on Executive Order 9981. Originally released in July 2018, the 70th anniversary was a great reminder to examine the official order to desegregate the military and consider how far we've come and what still must be accomplished. July 26, 1948 saw a landmark event in U.S. military history, President Harry Truman's signing of Executive Order (EO) 9981 directing the desegregation of the armed forces. Preceding the Civil Rights Act by more than a decade, this Executive Order was a groundbreaker -- recognizing both the exemplary performance of African-Americans during World War II and their acceptance by white officers. In "Executive Order 9981 at 70: Desegregating the Armed Forces," WAR ROOM welcomes Major General William Walker, Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard, who shares how integrating the armed forces opened doors for him and other African-Americans. U.S. Army War College Professor of Leadership and Cultural Studies Chuck Allen moderates.

Admit it. In your most self-aggrandizing dreams you're as charming as Sydney Bristow, as lethal as Jason Bourne, and as intuitive and intellectual as Jack Ryan. If Austin Powers was anywhere in that mix you might want to keep that to yourself. But you know that real life spies don't really live like that. Right - you know that? A BETTER PEACE welcomes author, analyst and educator Amy Zegart to the virtual studio to set the record straight on the realities of the intelligence world in the digital age and talk about her new book Spies, Lies and Algorithms. She joins our own Gen Lester to discuss what real intelligence work looks like, what the role of AI is in the future of information collection and analysis and what intelligence priorities should look like going forward.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In light of the current situation on the Ukraine/Russia border the WAR ROOM Editorial Team thought it was a good time to revisit an incredibly well informed discussion of NATO. We're re-releasing this enlightening discussion between Stanley Sloan and Ron Granieri. And while we're at it we'd be remiss if we didn't point to our NATO Archive where you can find another sixteen articles and episodes on different aspects of NATO. In discussing NATO and our European allies, burden sharing has been a hot topic for the last several years under the current administration. But the fact of the matter is that burden sharing has been an area of concern since the inception of NATO and throughout it's development. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Stanley Sloan to the studio to discuss the current state of NATO and a way ahead for the organization. Sloan, a subject matter expert on NATO and transatlantic relations, joins podcast host Ron Granieri to examine the history of U.S./NATO relations, the growth in membership and the current and future implications for all of its member nations as well as Russia.

As the situation on the Ukrainian/Russian border seems to worsen and families and nonessential staff prepare to evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, pundits are throwing around the concepts of U.S. credibility and reputation. Interestingly our Editor-in-Chief, Jacqueline Whitt, sat down in the virtual studio last week to discuss this very topic with podcast editor, Ron Granieri. Intuition might suggest that events like Vietnam, Iraq and last year's withdrawal from Afghanistan would seriously damage U.S. reputation on the world stage. Jackie and Ron discuss the reality of how the U.S. is viewed, how these events have created greater internal partisan divisions and how difficult crafting a strategic message is in the modern day world of hyper-connectivity.

A BETTER PEACE is happy to welcome back Tanya Roth to the virtual studio. She sits down with our Editor-in Chief Jacqueline Whitt to discuss her new book, Her Cold War. In her book, Tanya examines how the roles and norms surrounding servicewomen in the U.S. military have morphed over the decades. She and Jackie discuss the opportunities women have gained through hard fought battles for equality in the national defense realm. From noncombatants to proven military leaders, women have come a long way since the late 1940s and there is still further to go.

In 2019 we published our first holiday message. It was a reprint of the words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill on Christmas Eve in 1941 as he stood beside President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the South Portico of the White House. Last year we published President Franklin D. Roosevelt's words from his 1942 Christmas Eve message. At the risk of returning to the well one too many times, this year it seemed all too appropriate, in the 80th anniversary year of the attack on Pearl Harbor, to highlight FDR’s message from Christmas Eve 1941. There are so many things that you can choose to be mad or scared about in the world today. There have been too many lines drawn, dividing even friends and families. In truth the only thing that will get us all through this adversity is just as FDR closed his speech 80 years ago, the “conviction of the dignity and brotherhood of man which Christmas Day signifies more than any other day or any other symbol.” The staff of WAR ROOM hopes, as we do each year, that you and your loved ones can find reason for cheer this season. We hope that you have good will towards your neighbors and pride in those who risk their lives daily both overseas and at home, defending our liberties, caring for the aged and ill among us, delivering packages, and keeping vital services open. This year we are presenting this holiday message both as an article as well as a podcast episode. You can listen to the original recording of the messages of President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill below and on your favorite podcatcher.

On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 affirming the "important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding." Here at WAR ROOM we have addressed the importance of Women in Peace and Security time and again and this episode visits the topic once more. Today on A BETTER PEACE we welcome a woman who has championed the values set forth by the resolution. Over a forty year period, Major General, retired, Kristin Lund, was the first woman to be promoted to the rank of major general in the Norwegian Army, the first woman to command a United Nations peacekeeping operation and the first woman to be inducted into the U.S. Army War College International Fellows Hall of Fame. She joins our podcast editor Ron Granieri in person in the studio to discuss her experiences in the joint/multinational force conducting peacekeeping operations around the world throughout the years.