This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strate...
Ep 170: Evan Mawdsley on WW2 in the Central Pacific
Evan Mawdsley, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and author of Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory, joins the show to discuss the successful 1944 U.S. naval campaign through the Central Pacific in World War II.
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• 01:36 Introduction
• 02:27 The Central Pacific
• 11:15 Carrier air power
• 14:31 Embracing the task force
• 20:00 Replenishment at sea
• 24:28 A campaign for airbases
• 27:56 Limiting loss
• 33:38 Spruance & Mitscher
• 38:36 Japanese defense doctrine
• 45:58 Parallels today
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Ep 169: Dmitry Filipoff on Naval Warfare in 2025
Dmitry Filipoff, associate research analyst at the Center for Navy Analyses, joins the show to discuss the U.S. Navy surface component and the grave challenges it faces.
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• 01:19 Introduction
• 02:09 Lessons from the Red Sea
• 06:35 Friendly fire
• 10:55 Depletion
• 13:45 2027
• 18:07 How do fleets fight?
• 21:47 Scope and scale
• 24:57 “Catastrophic destruction”
• 29:00 The first few hours
• 34:30 Scripted exercises
• 37:15 Managing the chaos
• 41:34 Failing constructively
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Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
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Ep 168: Nadège Rolland on China’s Vision of Strategic Space
Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow, China Studies, at the National Bureau of Asian Research and author of Mapping China's Strategic Space, joins the show to discuss how to better understand the geopolitical premises of China’s strategic elites.
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• 01:36 Introduction
• 02:04 Strategic space
• 05:05 Mao’s strategic vision
• 11:12 Origin points
• 17:10 Geopolitical dimensions
• 20:25 Finding answers
• 26:35 Encirclement
• 33:55 Core interests
• 38:56 China’s end goal
• 45:37 Multilateralism
• 49:04 Risk and overextension
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Ep 167: Dan Blumenthal and Kyle Balzer on China’s Nuclear Buildup
Dan Blumenthal and Kyle Balzer, co-authors of The True Aims of China’s Nuclear Buildup for Foreign Affairs, join the show to discuss the geopolitical implications of China’s increasing and diversifying nuclear arsenal.
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• 01:24 Introduction
• 02:40 China’s buildup
• 05:05 American perception
• 07:28 What is nuclear strategy?
• 11:49 Geopolitical vision
• 16:28 Shaping the world order
• 18:41 Restoring American credibility
• 25:10 Imagining failure
• 30:24 Prospects
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Ep 166: Rachel Kousser on Alexander the Great
Rachel Kousser, professor of Classics and Art History at the City University of New York and author of Alexander at the End of the World, joins the show to talk about the violent, brilliant, complex career of Alexander the Great.
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• 01:27 Introduction
• 01:59 Early years and conquest
• 05:45 Pragmatic opportunist
• 09:20 Persepolis burning
• 11:48 Darius
• 14:36 Alexander in the field
• 19:30 Understanding the geography
• 25:56 Dreamer
• 29:50 “A war of choice…”
• 32:57 Building something new
• 34:36 Breaking point
• 38:00 King with consent
• 41:48 Harnessing strength
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Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history. Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and former China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras. The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader.
Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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