Insider: Short of War

Episodes

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  Are US Security Partnerships Poisoned Chalices? Implications for US Strategy 21.10.2026 21m

  This episode examines how US security partnerships with misaligned allies can inadvertently invite rival coercion and destabilizing proxy conflict. It outlines how Washington can resolve intertwined security dilemmas by prioritizing interest alignment and bolstering partner capacity.
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  Beyond Kinetic Dominance: “Cognitive Coherence” in Irregular Warfare 05.10.2026 21m

  This episode explores how cognitive coherence dictates the success of irregular warfare campaigns by aligning military actions with local cultural expectations. Listeners will learn why tactical dominance falls short without strategic cultural alignment, drawing on historical examples from Afghanistan and Colombia.
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  Defense Industrial Mobilization Needs More than Startups and Drones 21.09.2026 22m

  This episode examines why defense industrial mobilization requires robust state acquisition institutions rather than relying solely on startups and drone tech. It explores procurement challenges facing middle powers and how states can effectively translate defense budgets into lasting military capability.
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  To Disrupt Russia’s Shadow War, Follow the Money 16.09.2026 23m

  This episode examines how Russia leverages illicit financial infrastructure, cryptocurrency rails, and criminal networks to power covert operations across Europe. It highlights actionable strategies for Western intelligence to track, target, and disrupt these state-linked financial pipelines.
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  Ukraine’s Drone Diplomacy: Turning Battlefield Expertise into Strategic Leverage 14.09.2026 18m

  This episode examines how Ukraine translates its frontline counter-drone innovations into critical strategic leverage across Western and Gulf defense partnerships. It highlights the growing military and economic value of Kyiv’s operational expertise in countering low-cost unmanned aerial systems.
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  25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks 11.09.2026 18m

  Twenty-five years after 9/11, al-Qaeda remains an expanding global threat despite the deaths of key leadership. This episode explores the group’s persistent ideology, active franchises, and enduring political impact across the West.
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  Before Rogers' Rangers: Legitimacy, Partnership, and the Limits of External Sponsorship 09.09.2026 22m

  This episode explores how 18th-century French-Canadian partisans built effective irregular warfare partner forces through local legitimacy and aligned interests rather than central military command. It contrasts this historic model with modern Special Operations Forces dilemmas to explain why tactical success fails without durable strategic political commitments.
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  Mind the Gap: Asymmetric Maritime Warfare in Southeast Asian Chokepoints 08.09.2026 22m

  This episode examines how the U.S. and regional partners can utilize low-cost, asymmetric maritime warfare in Southeast Asian chokepoints to disrupt adversary supply lines. It evaluates partner-led, U.S.-led, and militia-based execution pathways designed to impose high financial and operational costs during a protracted conflict.
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  Cornered, Not Conquered: Turkish Intelligence and the End of the PKK Insurgency 04.09.2026 22m

  This deep dive analyzes how Turkish intelligence leveraged persistent drone surveillance alongside political negotiations to bring an end to the PKK insurgency. It demonstrates why raising the cost of armed struggle must be paired with political off-ramps to achieve lasting resolution
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  Russian Psychological Operations and Informational Warfare in the Middle East and North Africa 02.09.2026 25m

  This episode analyzes how Moscow utilizes state-backed media and digital disinformation to weaponize regional grievances across the Middle East and North Africa. It details Russian psychological operations designed to undermine Western influence and reframe regional conflicts to serve strategic interests.
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  Terrorism After Ideology 01.09.2026 21m

  Contemporary terrorism is increasingly defined by fluid, transactional proxy networks rather than rigid ideological movements. This episode examines how state-backed hybrid warfare operates under terrorist branding and why modern security architectures must urgently adapt.
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  Meaning, Myth, and Force Design in U.S. Special Operations 28.08.2026 19m

  This episode examines the institutional evolution of U.S. Army Special Forces, balancing Cold War origins against post-9/11 policy demand. It outlines how strategic utility reshaped organizational identity and what capabilities a modern irregular warfare force requires today.
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  A Case for Cyber Privateering 26.08.2026 21m

  This episode explores how authorizing private cyber actors could deter state-sponsored cyber exploitation and recover trillions in stolen digital assets. It details a modern constitutional and regulatory framework for issuing letters of marque in cyberspace.
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  What Iran's Crypto Insurance Proposal Means for Irregular Warfare and Shipping in Asia 24.08.2026 10m

  This episode analyzes Iran’s Bitcoin-denominated ”Hormuz Safe” proposal and its broad implications for irregular warfare, maritime security, and financial compliance. It outlines how this digital toll creates an operational dilemma for commercial shipping while setting a precedent for other strategic chokepoints like the Strait of Malacca.
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  Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal is Becoming More Vulnerable 21.08.2026 21m

  This episode examines how regional instability and militant pressure are eroding the long-standing barriers protecting Pakistan’s nuclear weapons enterprise. Listen to discover why insider threats and tactical mobility pose an urgent challenge to global nonproliferation.
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  Why Iranian Propaganda Is Getting Uncomfortably Good 19.08.2026 18m

  This episode examines how state actors leverage Lego animations, dark internet humor, and cognitive warfare techniques to shape public perception. We break down why these viral formats bypass critical evaluation and what this shift means for the future of digital influence operations.
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  Mexico’s Network War—Without a Network Strategy 17.08.2026 22m

  While cartel decapitation strategies fail to break organized crime ecosystems, Mexico can transform its security by engaging friendly and neutral civil networks. This deep dive explores how a whole-of-society network strategy can fundamentally alter the conflict’s trajectory.
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  AI in Cyber Conflict: Short-term Offensive Opportunities, Long-term Defensive Advantage 14.08.2026 21m

  This episode explores how AI in cyber conflict shifts the balance of power, offering brief offensive windows before ultimately favoring long-term defensive stability. Discover why AI’s strengths in pattern recognition often outshine its unpredictable offensive capabilities.
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  The Future of Conflict and Special Operations Forces 12.08.2026 16m

  This episode explores how rapid technological shifts, persistent gray-zone competition, and accelerating innovation are dissolving traditional military advantages. It argues that Special Operations Forces (SOF) must shed legacy habits to serve as vital "coherence agents" and "adaptation engines" capable of navigating the critical seams between emerging systems, strategy, and human judgment.
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  Irregular Warfare Is Not A Thing 10.08.2026 23m

  This episode argues that "irregular warfare" is an artificial construct rather than a cohesive concept, which has led to muddled doctrinal definitions that create strategic and policy confusion. To resolve this, author JP Clark proposes breaking the term down into four distinct, practical conversations centered on real-world problems: managing irregular adversaries, forces, situations, and methods.