A Better Peace: The War Room Podcast

If [President Mnangagwa] wants a genuine legacy of someone who has restored Zimbabwe to great prominence, he has an opportunity here, but ... they have to show us. For nearly four decades, Robert Mugabe reigned over the African nation of Zimbabwe, a reign that ended as the result of a struggle over his succession followed by a military coup. But unlike military coups elsewhere, Zimbabwe's was bloodless and long-time minister Emmerson Mnangagwa would assume the Presidency peacefully. U.S. Army War College Director of African Studies Chris Wyatt tells the long and complicated story of how the transition occurred and what it means for the future of Zimbabwe and relations with African Union and United States. WAR ROOM podcast Editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-020-Wyatt-Whitt-Zimbabwe-Coup.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here.   Chris Wyatt is a colonel in the U.S. Army and is the Director of African Studies at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is the WAR ROOM podcast editor. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo: Protesters demonstrate outside the Embassy of Zimbabwe in London to call on the leader of the country Robert Mugabe to resign on November 18, 2017 in London, England. Photo Credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

I would urge your listeners ... Don't fall under this illusion that there are easy military answers to difficult geo-political questions. WAR ROOM welcomes Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Boot is a critic of the Trump Administration, and during this podcast he challenges the President's approach to national decision making. He expresses concerns that the Administration's approach is ill-suited to today's challenges. He also directs some of his concerns toward military officials, especially on the potential of the U.S. to become too enamored with military solutions. Could the U.S. find itself again embroiled in unconventional fights where tactical successes are undermined by strategic setbacks? WAR ROOM podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-024-Max-Boot-NDS.mp3   You can also download the podcast here.   Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Jacqueline E. Whitt is the WAR ROOM podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump and his senior national security staff attend a briefing with senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in October 2017.  Photo Credit: Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images

[COOK SAID,] 'These faces. I didn't get to know all their names. They joined my platoon, and many of them were dead by morning.' For forty-six years after the Korean War, veteran John A. Cook would be haunted by the memories of fighting and of his fellow soldiers being killed or wounded. What is now recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD had no name at the time, and veterans like Cook had nowhere to turn to get help. Instead, as the horrific images of war would waken him at night, he began drawing those images on paper as a way of dealing with his inner pain. The resulting collection of his "Midnight Drawings" are now in the possession of the Army Heritage and Education Center, and the subject of this podcast. Jim McNally, AHEC's Curator of Art, tells this powerful, moving story with Jacqueline E. Whitt, War Room podcast editor.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-004-McNally-Whitt-DS-Cook-artwork.mp3   You can also download the podcast here. Click here to access the Army Heritage and Education Center page on the Cook "Midnight Drawing" collection. Below is the drawing referenced in the podcast, titled "Mattson - Head and Back Wounds."   Jim McNally is Curator of Art at the Army Heritage and Education Center. Jacqueline E. Whitt is the WAR ROOM podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Image: Close-up of "Mattson - Head and Back Wounds" by John A. Cook. Posts in the "Dusty Shelves" series: BOOK LOVERS NEED APPLY: A DUSTY SHELVES PODCASTHOW A HOMING PIGEON SAVED THE LOST BATTALION OF WORLD WAR I (DUSTY SHELVES)COOK’S ‘MIDNIGHT DRAWINGS’ AND THEIR HAUNTING VIEWS OF WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)BUILDING THE CONTINENTAL ARMY: VON STEUBEN’S “BLUE BOOK” (DUSTY SHELVES)RECEIPT: BOMB, ATOMIC, 1 EACH (DUSTY SHELVES)NSC-68: THE POLICY DOCUMENT THAT SHAPED THE COLD WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)RIDGWAY’S MEMO: “WHY WE ARE HERE” (DUSTY SHELVES)

What becomes the dominant narrative? [The Vietnam War has] been examined principally through American eyes. The Tet Offensive was an important event during the U.S. war in Vietnam. After three years of direct involvement by U.S. combat troops, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were convinced that the relationship between the U.S. and South Vietnam was fragile, and that military action could drive a wedge between them. This could bring about an uprising by the South Vietnamese people against their own government and severely weaken the ARVN, the South's military. Despite being arguably a military victory for the U.S. and its South Vietnamese ally, the Offensive was ultimately a strategic defeat. WAR ROOM welcomes U.S. Army War College Professor of Security Studies Dr. Frank Jones to discuss why this is so and what it means for the U.S. fifty years later.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-018-Jones-Whitt-Tet-50th-Anniversary.mp3   You can download a copy of the podcast here.   Frank Jones is Professor of Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and WAR ROOM's podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo: Leathernecks of the 3d Bn., Fourth Marine Regiment salute fallen Marines during Memorial Services held at Khe Sanh. The unit of the 3d Marine Division was joined by soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Memorial Services. Photo Credit:  SSgt Fred Lowe III, U.S. Marine Corps, accessed via DoDLive.mil Posts in the "Anniversaries" series: ON BEING A ‘DIFFERENT’ KIND OF COMMAND — AFRICOM AT 10 YEARS (PART 2)THE TET OFFENSIVE: 50 YEARS LATEREXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: DESEGREGATING THE ARMED FORCESEXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: WHAT INTEGRATION MEANS FOR TODAY’S MILITARYREFLECTIONS ON THE HUE CITY MASSACREREMEMBERING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGELOOKING TO THE PAST TO CHANGE THE FUTUREEXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: DESEGREGATING THE ARMED FORCESEXECUTIVE ORDER 9981 AT 70: WHAT INTEGRATION MEANS FOR TODAY’S MILITARY

In the podcast, "We Won, Now What? Securing the Victory," WAR ROOM welcomes Bill Flavin and Scott Braderman from the U.S. Army War College's Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute to discuss preparations for future post-conflict scenarios. They examine the history of U.S. stabilization efforts and discuss how joint doctrine is evolving to meet the challenges.

I tell people today that history makes you smarter, but your heritage makes you prouder. The U.S. Army War College routinely hosts senior military and civilian leaders who come to meet and work with faculty and students on matters of national security, strategic leadership, and professional military education. WAR ROOM is pleased to welcome Gen Robin Rand, U.S. Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command who graciously accepted our invitation to come to the studio and provide his perspectives on strategic leadership. WAR ROOM Social Media Editor Buck Haberichter moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-005-Rand-Haberichter-Senior-Leader-Perspectives.mp3 You can also download a copy of the podcast here.   General Robin Rand, U.S. Air Force, is commander of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command and Commander, Air Forces Strategic - Air, U.S. Strategic Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Buck Haberichter is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and is WAR ROOM's Social Media Editor. Photo Credit:  Senior Airman Hailey R. Staker, U.S. Air Force Releases from the Leader Perspectives series: A TRANSATLANTIC PERSPECTIVE ON NATO (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)OBSERVATIONS FROM NATO’S NORTHERN FRONT (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)ALLIES ARE MORE THAN FRIENDS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)THE CHALLENGES OF KEEPING SPACE SECURE (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)TENSIONS AND PARADOXES FACING SENIOR LEADERS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)LEADING AND WINNING IN GREAT POWER COMPETITION (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)LEARNING ABOUT LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE CLASSICS (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)WHAT IT TAKES FOR COLONELS TO BE SUCCESSFUL (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)BALANCING BETWEEN CIVILIAN LIFE AND SERVICE IN THE NATIONAL GUARD“WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THERE” — AND OTHER CAUTIONARY TALES FOR LEADERSWHEN THE MILITARY IS NOT IN CHARGE: DEFENSE SUPPORT TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES

[VON STEUBEN] WAS THE RIGHT MAN AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND THE RIGHT TIME. In the next installment of in our Dusty Shelves series, "Building the Continental Army: Von Steuben's 'Blue Book'," Jack Giblin and Jacqueline E. Whitt tell the story behind the Continental Army's first training manual. Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian Army officer who volunteered to come to the American colonies and serve as inspector general for the Continental Army. His book, entitled Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States would become the standard U.S. Army drill manual through 1812.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/18-003-Giblin-Whitt-DS-vonSteuben-Blue-Book-Final.mp3   You may also download a copy of the podcast here. Click here to access a full PDF version of the Blue Book (warning: 26MB!). Or, click here to access the Blue Book at the U.S. Library of Congress, which allows access to individual pages.   Jack Giblin is the Chief of Visitor and Education Services at the Army Heritage and Education Center. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and WAR ROOM podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Image: Portrait extracted from "Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben," by Ralph Earl 1786 (public domain) via the U.S. National Park Service. Inside cover of the Blue Book from the U.S. Army website. Composite assembled by Tom Galvin.   Posts in the "Dusty Shelves" series: BOOK LOVERS NEED APPLY: A DUSTY SHELVES PODCASTHOW A HOMING PIGEON SAVED THE LOST BATTALION OF WORLD WAR I (DUSTY SHELVES)COOK’S ‘MIDNIGHT DRAWINGS’ AND THEIR HAUNTING VIEWS OF WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)BUILDING THE CONTINENTAL ARMY: VON STEUBEN’S “BLUE BOOK” (DUSTY SHELVES)RECEIPT: BOMB, ATOMIC, 1 EACH (DUSTY SHELVES)NSC-68: THE POLICY DOCUMENT THAT SHAPED THE COLD WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)RIDGWAY’S MEMO: “WHY WE ARE HERE” (DUSTY SHELVES)  

In the podcast, "Army War College Roundtable on the New(?) National Security Strategy," four faculty from the U.S. Army War College engage in dialogue about the Trump Administration's "A New National Security Strategy for a New Era", released in December 2017. Beyond focusing on the content of the strategy itself, they look at it through a historical lens. What is new and what is unchanged from previous strategies may be surprising.

This inaugural episode of the Great Captains series focuses on George Washington from his early career aspirations as a colonel in the British (!) Army to leadership of the American Revolution. Throughout, Washington's ability to learn from previous failure, understanding of British weaknesses, concern for his troops helped him overcome the uncertainty about the revolution's success. Len Fullenkamp and Andrew A. Hill discuss.

Operation Christmas Drop is an annual air drop training mission that also serves a humanitarian purpose for those living among remote Pacific Ocean islands.

This is a hand receipt unlike any other. … Imagine instead of signing for an office key or a computer, … you’ve just taken responsibility for the first atomic weapon. Military historian Con Crane tells the story behind an unusual hand receipt, showing the transfer of responsibility of the components of the ‘Little Boy’ atomic weapon to Thomas Ferrell, Deputy Director of the Manhattan Project. Mr. Ferrell kept the receipt in his wallet for the rest of his life, and it eventually came into possession of the Army Heritage and Education Center. A fascinating story of bureaucracy at work! War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/17-102-Crane-Whitt-Atomic-Bomb-Hand-Receipt-RLS.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here. Below is a graphic of the hand-receipt.   Con Crane is a military historian with the Army Heritage and Education Center and associated editor of War Room. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Photo: Photograph of a mock-up of the Little Boy nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945.  Photo Credit: U.S. National Archives. Posts in the "Dusty Shelves" series: BOOK LOVERS NEED APPLY: A DUSTY SHELVES PODCASTHOW A HOMING PIGEON SAVED THE LOST BATTALION OF WORLD WAR I (DUSTY SHELVES)COOK’S ‘MIDNIGHT DRAWINGS’ AND THEIR HAUNTING VIEWS OF WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)BUILDING THE CONTINENTAL ARMY: VON STEUBEN’S “BLUE BOOK” (DUSTY SHELVES)RECEIPT: BOMB, ATOMIC, 1 EACH (DUSTY SHELVES)NSC-68: THE POLICY DOCUMENT THAT SHAPED THE COLD WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)RIDGWAY’S MEMO: “WHY WE ARE HERE” (DUSTY SHELVES)

In the podcast, “How Strategic Intelligence Has Changed Since 9/11,” War Room welcomes special guest Michael Morell, former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010-2013, culminating a thirty-three year career in the agency. This included being with President George W. Bush during 9/11 and witnessing the deliberations of key strategic decisions that followed. Dr. Genevieve Lester, the De Serio Chair for Strategic Intelligence at the U.S. Army War College, moderates.

[PRESIDENT TRUMAN] WAS INTERESTED IN TAKING A LOOK AT AMERICA'S POSITION IN THE WORLD. In 1950, competition between the U.S. and its Allies and the Soviet Union was growing in intensity. Concerned over debt and seeming fragility of post-World War II peace, President Truman felt was time to re-examine “our objectives in peace and war and the effect of these objectives on our strategic plans.” The resulting document, National Security Council Report no. 68, would become the foundation of national security policy through the Cold War. Dr. Tami Davis Biddle examines the policy and the individuals responsible for its preparation, particularly Paul Nitze and George Kennan. She also discusses NSC 68 as an example of grand strategy and why it is so difficult to craft such a powerful and broad national security policy today. War Room podcast editor Jacqueline E. Whitt moderates.   https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/17-105-Biddle-Whitt-NSC-68-RLS.mp3   You can also download a copy of the podcast here.   Tami Davis Biddle is Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Army War College. Jacqueline E. Whitt is Professor of Strategy and the U.S. Army War College and War Room's podcast editor. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Image composed by Tom Galvin. Eagle photo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, cover of NSC 68 from the Truman Presidential Archives. Posts in the "Dusty Shelves" series: BOOK LOVERS NEED APPLY: A DUSTY SHELVES PODCASTHOW A HOMING PIGEON SAVED THE LOST BATTALION OF WORLD WAR I (DUSTY SHELVES)COOK’S ‘MIDNIGHT DRAWINGS’ AND THEIR HAUNTING VIEWS OF WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)BUILDING THE CONTINENTAL ARMY: VON STEUBEN’S “BLUE BOOK” (DUSTY SHELVES)RECEIPT: BOMB, ATOMIC, 1 EACH (DUSTY SHELVES)NSC-68: THE POLICY DOCUMENT THAT SHAPED THE COLD WAR (DUSTY SHELVES)RIDGWAY’S MEMO: “WHY WE ARE HERE” (DUSTY SHELVES)  

The 2017 release of a television series on Vietnam War from director Ken Burns has renewed interest and controversy surrounding the purpose of the war and its effects. In this podcast, military historian, retired U.S. Army War College professor, and Vietnam veteran Len Fullenkamp presents his perspective on why the U.S. became involved. He also discusses the social and political change that happened at the same time, and how institutions such as education and political structures changed as a result. What does the Vietnam experience teach us about matters of national security policy today? What should military leaders learn from Vietnam so they may better render best military advice to their civilian overseers? The success of the Fifties was giving away to the uncertainty of the Sixties, and we were fighting a war that frankly was a peripheral event.   Len Fullenkamp is a military historian and retired Professor of National Security Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Andrew A. Hill is editor-in-chief of War Room. The views expressed in this production are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Photo: American youths stage a rally 30 November 1965 in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. protesting United States military involvement in the Vietnam war. Photo Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

War Room welcomes Dr. Rob Farley, author of Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force, to discuss and critique the National Security Act of 1947 which included the establishment of an independent Air Force. Was it wise to separate the Air Force from the Army and pursue an unrealized promise of airpower solving national security problems on its own? Is the interservice rivalry that followed more destructive than helpful – and did the Goldwater-Nichols Act do enough to mitigate it? What can one learn from the establishment of an independent air force when considering new or emerging domains such as space or cyber? These and other questions are debated under the moderation of Dr. Mark Duckenfield, Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. When the military is pressed into offering solutions, one of the things that comes out of the tool kit is airpower, because we have an entire bureaucracy dedicated to airpower.   Rob Farley is an assistant professor at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. Mark Duckenfield is the Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Photo credit: Cecilio Ricardo/U.S. Air Force