School of War

Епизоде

• 
  Why John Boyd Still Matters 18.09.2026 59мин

  John Boyd was one of the most influential military thinkers of the 20th century, and the intellectual godfather of the U.S. Marines’ military strategy. Today, as artificial intelligence continues to transform battlefields in Ukraine and the Middle East, author and retired Marine officer Ian Brown argues that Boyd’s ideas are more relevant than ever. Today, Brown joins Aaron MacLean to discuss how Ukraine is harnessing Boyd’s concept of narrative warfare, what Boyd can teach us about conflict in the age of AI, drones, and precision strikes, and his new book co-authored with Frans P. B. Osinga, Snowmobiles and Grand Ideals. 2:20 Who Was John Boyd?7:25 What Boyd Learned From Dogfighting15:37 From Air Combat to the OODA Loop23:49 Is the OODA Loop Really About Speed?29:33 What Do Blitzkrieg and Insurgency Have in Common?36:44 Surfaces and Gaps41:25 Why Did the Marine Corps Embrace Boyd?48:25 The Marine Corps’ Warfighting Doctrine50:25 Does Modern Warfare Challenge Boyd?53:18 Information as a Weapon53:53 Boyd’s Ideas Meet Drone Warfare54:55 From Nagorno-Karabakh to Ukraine This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  What War Teaches Us—If We Survive It 15.09.2026 1ч 2мин

  People think retired Army Major John Spencer lost part of his ear in combat. He didn’t; he lost it in a fight behind a bar that cost him his spot in the Army Rangers. Spencer went on to serve repeatedly in combat and become one of the country’s leading experts on urban warfare. He joins Aaron MacLean to discuss his origin story and other anecdotes from his new book, Twenty Times I Almost Died, as well as why he thinks the U.S. “is clearly winning” the war in Iran. 3:30 War With Iran 9:43 Battle of Hormuz 10:42 Wartime Stockpiles 12:32 The Stakes of Failure 15:34 Losing His Ear 23:34 Losing the Rangers 25:51 Resilience 28:58 Invading Iraq 33:59 Common Sense in Combat 39:08 The IED Trap 44:25 Battle of Marjah 51:01 Gangs of Baghdad This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company. Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper. Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  ‘We Are Going to War’: H.R. McMaster Remembers 9/11 11.09.2026 56мин

  Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster was on the phone with the Pentagon when the plane struck the building on September 11, 2001. “I thought, Okay, we are going to war,” he recalls. Twenty-five years after 9/11, McMaster joins Aaron MacLean to discuss the wars that followed. Drawing on his experience as a wartime commander and national security adviser, McMaster explains why he considers Afghanistan a self-defeat, how American withdrawal helped enable the rise of ISIS in Iraq, and why he thinks the latest Iran ceasefire was “a big mistake.” 4:39 McMaster on 9/11 7:27 Adapting to Iraq 12:33 Lessons From Iraq 15:13 Counterinsurgency’s Legacy 21:19 The Post-9/11 Wars 23:23 Afghanistan’s “Self-Defeat” 25:07 When America Leaves 29:53 Sustaining Afghanistan 32:14 Defending the Afghan Mission 35:37 The Axis of Aggressors 44:41 Trump’s Messaging About the War 49:07 Politics in the Military This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company. Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper. Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Ten-Minute Warning: The Hypersonic Threat 08.09.2026 44мин

  A Chinese hypersonic missile targeting either U.S. coast would leave room for “about 10 minutes of warning time.” Zachary Krevor, CEO of Stratolaunch, is building vehicles to help the Pentagon learn to detect, track, and intercept this threat. Today, Krevor joins School of War to explain how China and Russia have outpaced the U.S. in hypersonic weapons testing, why AI-enabled missile “swarms” may be on the horizon,  and what it will take for America to defend itself against them. 2:32 What Makes a Weapon Hypersonic? 4:47 The Real-Life Top Gun: Maverick 6:14 From Model Airplanes to Hypersonics 9:09 Why America Stopped Investing in Hypersonics 10:55 Two Types of Hypersonic Weapons 14:09 Glide Bodies vs. Cruise Missiles 15:44 Surviving the Heat of Mach 5 20:20 Testing America’s Hypersonic Technology 23:20 China and Russia’s Hypersonic Advantage 25:24 How to Stop a Hypersonic Missile 29:09 The Coming Age of Hypersonic Swarms 40:38 Can Golden Dome Stop Hypersonic Weapons? This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  What to Expect When You’re Expecting Great Power Conflict 04.09.2026 55мин

  When it comes to world superpowers, Cambridge historian Brendan Simms argues there are only four that matter—and two of them are fading. Today, Simms joins Aaron MacLean to argue that Britain still belongs among the world’s leading powers; why its place among them is “by no means guaranteed”; and why Hitler is no longer the absolute evil against which people define themselves. 4:08 The Four R’s of Great Power 4:29 Defining Great Power 8:09 Iran’s Regional Power 11:44 The Great Powers Return 15:39 The Cold War 17:44 Europe Wakes Up 21:45 American Unipolarity Ends 25:16 Britain’s Great-Power Claim 35:47 The New World Order 38:26 Realism’s Blind Spots 42:07 Losing Postwar Optimism 45:53 A “Post-Hitler World” This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company. Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper. Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Shot Down over Serbia: General Goldfein’s Incredible Story 01.09.2026 1ч 3мин

  The story of Air Force General David Goldfein, who miraculously survived after his plane was shot down over Serbia in 1999, has since become military legend. Today, he joins School of War to recount the harrowing rescue mission that saved him, how he stayed alive  behind enemy lines, and the lessons his remarkable career offers about leadership, airpower, and preparing America for the next war. 2:43 An Air Force Family 3:25 Rejected by the Air Force Academy 6:39 Becoming an F-16 Pilot 8:12 What Makes a Great Fighter Pilot? 12:36 Information Overload in Combat 15:28 Goldfein’s First Combat Mission 19:57 Training for Confidence Under Fire 21:37 A Leadership Lesson from the Gulf War 24:32 Shot Down Over Serbia 28:51 Surviving Behind Enemy Lines 31:48 The Race to Rescue Goldfein 36:22 Guiding the Rescue Helicopter 44:50 The Impact on His Family 48:53 Witnessing the Attack on the Pentagon 51:19 Digitizing the American Military This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Our Foreign Policy Divide Began with the Korean War 28.08.2026 40мин

  More than 75 years after the Korean War, its lessons endure—and divisions over isolationism and American power continue to shape the discourse around modern global conflicts. Dane J. Cash, historian and author of The Forgotten Debate: The Korean War and the Roots of America's Ideological Divisions, joins School of War to explain how the left’s hawk-dove divide during the Korean War foreshadowed the neoconservative break from the liberal consensus during the 1970s and why the political battles of the early Cold War continue to splinter America today. 2:10 America Before the Korean War 3:08 The Debate Over Containment 4:15 Multilateralism vs. Unilateralism 5:29 Did Acheson Invite the War? 8:23 Why North Korea Attacked 8:55 Conservative Criticism of Truman 11:10 Liberal Divisions Over Korea 13:30 The Roots of Neoconservatism 17:14 Truman’s Lonely Middle Ground 19:51 The Right’s Foreign Policy Split 22:05 Taft, Eisenhower, and the GOP 22:58 MacArthur’s Moment 25:31 China Enters the War 30:37 Herbert Hoover’s Foreign Policy Revolt 33:51 Stalemate, POWs, and Ukraine Parallels This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Inside America’s Fight for Drone Dominance 25.08.2026 1ч 11мин

  The U.S. military needs more drones, and it needs to build them without Chinese parts. Today, Defense Innovation Unit Deputy Director Travis Metz joins School of War to discuss how America can build drones quickly, cheaply, and on U.S. soil; what America can learn from Ukraine’s drone war; and the Pentagon’s new billion-dollar effort to upgrade its aging military technology. 2:23 - Why America Is Behind on Drones 4:32 - The Drone Dominance Program 6:51 - Breaking Dependence on China 10:23 - The Different Types of Drones 13:34 - Ukraine’s Mid-Range Strike Revolution 16:00 - Cheap Drones at Long Range 18:47 - AI, Autonomy, and Electronic Warfare 21:47 - How Drone Dominance Works 24:33 - Building an American Drone Industry 33:55 - Lessons From Fort Benning 39:19 - Cheap and Expendable Drones 42:01 - Testing Drones for Different Missions 50:14 - The Next Phase of Drone Dominance 55:09 - How Many Drones Does America Need? 1:02:49 - Recreating Ukraine’s Innovation Cycle This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  When Terrorists Become the Heroes to Young Americans 21.08.2026 41мин

  In prerevolutionary Russia, it was not uncommon for children to dream of becoming terrorists when they grew up. “It was a respected profession,” says Northwestern University professor Gary Saul Morson, who now sees troubling parallels between modern-day America and an era in Russia when terrorism became fashionable and radicals came to see violence as an expression of moral virtue. Today, Morson joins School of War to discuss what Fyodor Dostoyevsky understood about the terrorist mind, why good people can be persuaded to support terrible acts, and what America loses when it stops teaching the history of communism in schools. 3:09 America and Revolutionary Russia 3:47 The Rise of Modern Terrorism 4:38 When Terrorism Became a Respected Profession 6:10 Why Terrorists Had So Much Power 6:22 Why Russian Liberals Failed to Oppose Terrorism 7:26 The Danger of Celebrating Political Violence 9:36 Dostoevsky’s Radical Youth 11:31 Dostoevsky’s Arrest and Mock Execution 13:15 Understanding the Psychology of Revolutionaries 14:29 How Dostoevsky Predicted Totalitarianism 17:55 Why Communism Was Worse Than the Czars 20:11 Why Liberals Must Oppose Extremism 22:02 The Psychology of Left-Wing Totalitarianism 24:53 What Young People Don’t Know About Communism 28:16 How Good People Come to Support Evil 34:06 What Left and Right-Wing Extremists Have in Common 36:17 How Do We Fight Political Extremism? This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Senator McCormick Thinks That America’s Military Is Stuck in the Past 18.08.2026 46мин

  Pennsylvania senator Dave McCormick, a West Point graduate, Desert Storm veteran, and former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, is concerned about America’s wealth gap, which he says is approaching “a version of capitalism I don’t think we want.” Today, McCormick joins School of War for a candid conversation about why the right needs a better answer to socialism, lessons in modern warfare from his recent closed-door meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, and why he regrets his 2002 LA Times op-ed supporting the Iraq War: “I was completely wrong.” 02:01 — From Desert Storm to Princeton 05:05 — Nine Months Traveling the World 06:58 — The “End of History” and the Return of Socialism 08:00 — Can America Remain the World’s Superpower? 09:47 — Is the U.S. Military Stuck in the Past? 12:27 — What Ukraine Is Teaching America About Modern Warfare 13:41 — Rebuilding America’s Defense Industrial Base 17:15 — America’s AI Race With China 22:56 — How AI Will Transform American Jobs 24:03 — Wealth Inequality and the Future of Capitalism 25:56 — Why Socialism Is Appealing to Young Americans 30:52 — The Fight Over AI Data Centers 35:05 — Iran and the Future of the Middle East 41:17 — McCormick: “I Was Completely Wrong” About Iraq 44:08 — Balancing Iran With the Threat From China This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Tanks vs. Drones 14.08.2026 58мин

  Is the tank obsolete? As drones and precision strikes transform modern battlefields, some have predicted that armored vehicles may soon meet the fate of the cavalry charge. Today on School of War, Colonel Jose A. Reyes and Lieutenant Colonel David “Cam” Smith of the 1st Cavalry Division make the opposite case. Drawing on their experience operating and commanding tanks, they join Aaron MacLean to explain how armored vehicles are adapting to an increasingly drone-centric battlefield—and why the future of warfare may still belong to the cavalry. 3:18 — Reyes and Smith’s Backgrounds 8:40 — The History of Tanks and Maneuver 11:15 — Is the Tank Obsolete? 12:43 — “The Tank Is Alive and Well” 15:17 — Combined Arms at Every Echelon 20:12 — Transforming Armored Warfare 27:02 — The Battlefield Data Problem 30:01 — Ukrainian Innovation and Battlefield Data 33:25 — Electronic Warfare and FPV Drones 38:13 — Cheap Drones and the Cost of Defense 42:44 — Armor and the Problem of Attrition 43:49 — The Future of Unmanned Armor 46:51 — Unmanned Resupply and Medevac 48:25 — Casualty Evacuation in Ukraine 52:16 — What the Army Needs Next This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Boris Johnson on Why Europe and America Still Need Each Other 11.08.2026 57мин

  As war in Ukraine grinds towards its fifth year and tensions strain the transatlantic alliance, former British prime minister Boris Johnson says he remains convinced that the West has the power to prevail: “Putin has got to lose.” Today, Johnson joins School of War to discuss how the West can bring the Russian president to the negotiating table, why Europe’s dream of “strategic autonomy” is a “sham, a snare and a delusion,” and why he believes predictions of American decline and Chinese dominance have it backward. 02:20 — When Boris Johnson Knew Putin Would Invade Ukraine 05:46 — Why Europe Didn’t Believe an Invasion Was Coming 09:12 — Did Boris Johnson Stop a Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal? 11:19 — Could Ukraine Trade Land for Peace? 13:43 — What Johnson Saw on Ukraine’s Front Lines 17:06 — How Economic Warfare Could Pressure Putin 18:00 — “Putin Has Got to Lose” 20:00 — The Growing Divide Between America and Europe 22:19 — Can Britain Still Defend Itself? 26:20 —  JD Vance’s Critique of Europe 30:12 — Britain, Free Speech, and the Culture War 34:39 — Can Europe Achieve “Strategic Autonomy”? 39:07 — Why America Should Still Care About NATO 41:01 — The Fight Over the Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia 46:12 — Why Johnson Is Still Betting on America Over China This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Ted Cruz’s Plan to Bring Down Iran’s Regime—and Tucker Carlson 07.08.2026 30мин

  As the American right and left are increasingly pulled toward their ideological extremes, many politicians have chosen to appease the loudest voices in their coalitions even when those voices flirt with or openly embrace antisemitism. Senator Ted Cruz says he’s done playing nice. “If we do not defeat this poison,” he warns, “I believe it will consume the Republican Party just like it has consumed the Democratic Party.” Today, Cruz joins School of War to discuss his strategy for bringing down Iran’s regime, what Tucker Carlson’s splinter from the mainstream right means for conservative politics, and the battle he believes will define the future of the Republican Party.  02:08 - The State of Iran After the War 02:46 - Why Trump Struck Iran 04:13 - Why the MOU Was a Disaster 05:39 - The Post That Triggered an Iranian Bot Campaign 07:24 - Why Cruz Opposed the Iran Deal 08:57 - America’s Next Move in Iran 09:29 - Why the Goal Should Be Regime Collapse 12:01 - Cruz’s Strategy to Bring Down the Regime 13:08 - Why He Wants to Arm Iranian Protesters 15:22 - The Future of America’s Foreign Policy 16:27 - Is the Democratic Party Being Taken Over? 21:32 - The Rise of Antisemitism on the Right 22:50 - Why Tucker Carlson Is “Dangerous” 24:06 - “We Have to Defeat This Poison” 26:34 - Could Tucker Carlson Run for President? This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  Ukraine’s Top Drone Commander on What the Pentagon Keeps Missing 04.08.2026 29мин

  Yuri Fedorenko has spent four years turning a volunteer rifle company into the 429th “Achilles” Brigade, one of the most lethal units in Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Today,  he joins School of War to discuss how the battlefield has evolved since Russia’s full-scale invasion: improvising with commercial drones in 2022, scaling a unit that now hunts targets at an unprecedented scale, what life is like on the front lines, and what the U.S. military can learn from his unit’s drone revolution. This interview was originally conducted in Ukrainian and has been translated and dubbed into English. 02:23 – Yuri Fedorenko on Returning to War 05:08 – Building a Volunteer Unit Overnight 07:37 – Discovering the Power of Drones 09:18 – The Birth of Achilles 11:14 – Ukraine's Drone Revolution 13:12 – How the Unmanned Systems Force Works 17:43 – Why Drone Forces Punch Above Their Weight 18:59 – Inside Russia's Rubicon Drone Unit 21:35 – Beating Rubicon 23:04 – Lessons America Must Learn From Ukraine 25:29 – Why the West Should Train in Ukraine 26:54 – Why 20th Century Warfare Is Obsolete 27:20 – Drones Alone Cannot Win Wars 28:14 – Ukraine's Final Message to America This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  What It’s Really Like Inside Ukraine in 2026, with Aidan Stretch 31.07.2026 49мин

  For months, it was conventional wisdom among large swaths of the American right that Ukraine would inevitably have to cede its Donbas region to Russia to end the war. Now, with Russian morale flagging, “that assumption is just no longer true,” says Aidan Stretch, a CBS News international reporter based in Kyiv. Today, Stretch joins School of War to discuss the state of play on the battlefield, Laura Loomer’s recent change of heart about the war, and how drone warfare has transformed the very idea of the front line as we know it. 02:36 - Is Ukraine Really Winning? 05:58 - Political Turmoil in Kyiv 06:51 - The Fedorov–Syrskyi Power Struggle 12:06 - The Protests That Changed Ukraine's Military 13:11 - Why Drapatyi Replaced Syrskyi 14:07 - Meeting President Zelensky 17:42 - Asking Zelensky if Ukraine Is Winning the War 20:00 - How Ukrainian Protests Force Political Change 24:29 - The Power of Ukrainian Civil Society 27:10 - Laura Loomer's Visit to Ukraine 28:50 - Ukraine's Military Innovation 30:48 - How Ukraine's Military Really Works 33:58 - Ukraine's Mobilization Challenge 37:24 - Why Drone Warfare Is Only the Beginning 41:34 - How the Middle East and Ukraine Wars Intersect 44:47 - Reporting From the Front Lines of Ukraine This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  The Dangerous Pause in Iran, with Mark Montgomery 28.07.2026 40мин

  Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, returns to School of War to analyze the latest military developments across the world. Why has the Iran war entered such a dangerous and uncertain phase? What role will the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea play in its next stage? And what do Iran and Ukraine reveal about the changing shape of global conflict? 02:22 - Why the Iran War Suddenly Paused 04:44 - An Uneasy Ceasefire and Dueling Blockades 05:35 - The Challenge of Escorting Ships Through Hormuz 07:19 - Why America's Convoy Strategy Isn't Working 09:15 - The Navy's Readiness Dilemma 09:59 - Blockade vs. Convoy 12:08 - Why the U.S. Must Take More Risk at Sea 14:10 - America's Munitions Problem 15:05 - The Weapons Shortages Shaping the War 16:29 - America's Drone Defense Gap 21:11 - The Electronic Warfare Deficit 23:13 - The Red Sea and the Houthi Threat 26:15 - How Iran and Ukraine Are Connected 30:37 - Russia's Options for Escalation 35:04 - Is a Long Blockade Better Than Escalation? This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  The Rise of the Navy SEALs, with Ben Milligan 24.07.2026 1ч 1мин

  Ben Milligan, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, Bronze Star recipient, and author of By Water Beneath the Walls: The Rise of the Navy SEALs, joins School of War to discuss the origins and evolution of one of America's most storied special operations forces. How did the Navy SEALs grow out of the Underwater Demolition Teams of World War II? What does it take to become a SEAL? How did the Vietnam War shape the institution into the force we know today? And what role should the SEALs play as the U.S. military shifts its focus from the war on terror to great power competition? 02:10 – Why Ben Became a SEAL 03:34 – Joining Before 9/11 05:17 – Inside BUD/S 09:17 – Who Makes It Through? 11:26 – What Elite Training Builds 14:29 – The Origins of the SEALs 23:18 – The Origins of UDT 27:10 – Korea Changes the Mission 38:06 – Birth of the SEALs 43:36 – Vietnam Transforms the SEALs 47:33 – The Capture-Kill Raid 49:50 – Lessons for the War on Terror 54:36 – Great Power Competition 56:13 – What Makes Special Operations "Special"? 59:31 – The Future of the SEALs This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  How Trump Decided to Go to War with Iran, with Jonathan Swan 21.07.2026 36мин

  Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for The New York Times, joins School of War to discuss the reporting behind his new book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, co-authored with Maggie Haberman. How does Donald Trump make geopolitical decisions? What drove him to join Israel’s war against Iran? How has his thinking on Ukraine evolved? And how does China fit into all of this? 02:23 - Inside Regime Change 05:29 - Trump's View of the World 09:04 - Why Trump Sees Iran Differently 11:25 - Trump's Proxy Strategy 12:44 - Steve Witkoff's Worldview 13:43 - The Principles Behind Iran Policy 14:45 - North Korea vs. Iran 16:15 - Ron Dermer's Prediction 17:58 - Why the 12-Day War Matters 20:48 - Netanyahu's Case for War 25:20 - Trump's Inner Circle on Iran 28:01 - Trump's Turn on Ukraine 30:36 - Trump's Approach to China 31:55 - Taiwan and the China Challenge 33:16 - The Future of Trump's Foreign Policy Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast, or at The Free Press This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System — the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at https://www.palantir.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  ‘The Odyssey’ and the Search for Historical Truth, with James Diggle and John Underhill 17.07.2026 1ч 5мин

  James Diggle, emeritus professor of Greek and Latin at Cambridge University, and John Underhill, professor of geoscience and energy transition at the University of Aberdeen, join School of War to discuss their decades-long search for the real Ithaca of Homer’s Odyssey. Based on their recent Antigone journal article, “In Search of Ithaca,” they explain why the island we’ve called Ithaca for centuries may actually be the wrong one. Can modern geology solve a 3,000-year-old mystery? Have we finally found the true home of Odysseus? And what would that mean for one of the greatest stories ever told? 02:44 – The mystery of Homer's Ithaca 04:45 – Can Homer be treated as history? 06:19 – The Bronze Age world of Odysseus 09:25 – Why modern Ithaca doesn't fit Homer's description 12:02 – Robert Bittlestone's hypothesis 17:15 – The geology expedition begins 23:17 – The million-euro search for Ithaca 28:37 – Disproving the original theory 31:19 – The geological breakthrough 35:09 – The discovery that changes everything 37:22 – Homer never actually calls Ithaca an island 41:24 – Solving a 3,000-year-old mystery 46:22 – Telemachus' journey finally makes sense 50:54 – Would Robert Bittlestone have agreed? 57:43 – The hidden cave Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
• 
  America’s Iran Problem Isn’t Going Away, with Mike Doran 14.07.2026 52мин

  Mike Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, returns to School of War to examine why the war with Iran continues despite devastating military setbacks for Tehran. Is President Trump’s Iran strategy truly different from President Obama’s, or are the similarities overstated? What does the fight over the Strait of Hormuz reveal about the limits of American power? And what does this war tell us about the future of U.S. strategy in the Middle East—and its broader competition with China? 01:22 - Recap of the Iran War 06:03 - Iran's Leverage 09:05 - MoU Misunderstandings 12:28 - The Crux of the MoU Dispute 15:42 - The Nuclear Status Quo 17:58 - Iran's Degradation Since October 7 21:13 - The Democrats' View 22:02 - The Right's View 23:25 - Trump's "Obama-Style" Rhetoric 28:10 - Should America Reimpose the Blockade? 28:53 - The Drone and Ballistic Missile Problem 31:10 - Drone Warfare Has Changed Everything 32:01 - The Vulnerability of America's Gulf Allies 37:21 - Is the MoU Still in Effect? 39:34 - Why Nobody Is Buying Iranian Oil 46:32 - China and the Bigger Picture Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices