Ep 250: Jeremy Armstrong on Ancient Rome’s Myths and Warfare
Jeremy Armstrong, Professor of Classics & Ancient History at the University of Auckland and author of Children of Mars: The Origins of Rome's Empire, joins the show to discuss the early history of Rome, the role of family and clan in the structure of its military, the transition from monarchy to republic, and the nature of warfare during this formative period.
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Times
02:28 The Problems of Early History
06:05 Warfare in Early Rome: A Complex Picture
11:52 The Importance of Myths in Roman Identity
15:01 Aeneas and Romulus: Founding Figures of Rome
18:00 The Significance of Aeneas in Roman Culture
20:48 The Function of Rome
33:09 The Role of Land and Mobility in Early Rome
36:07 Understanding the Monarchy and Military Structure
42:32 Transition from Monarchy to Republic
53:26 The Impact of the Sack of Rome
1:01:27 Shifting Towards Imperial Ambitions
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Ep 249: Mick Ryan on the Ukrainian Way of War
Major General Mick Ryan, Australian Army (retired), Senior Fellow for Military Studies the Lowy Institute and author of the Futura Doctrina substack, joins the show to discuss the current state of the Ukraine war. We cover tactical innovations, the challenges of operations and strategy, the structure of the Ukrainian military, the political landscape under Zelensky, and the industrial capabilities of both Ukraine and Russia.
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Times
00:00 State of Play
02:28 Tactical Innovations and Challenges in Ukraine
05:38 The Role of Drones
08:36 Russian Tactical Innovations and the Rubikon Units
11:45 Historical Parallels: Lessons from World War I
14:37 The Thousand Bites Approach: Russian Strategy Explained
17:46 Ukrainian Brigade Composition and Organizational Changes
23:19 Understanding the Ukrainian Military Structure
29:47 Challenges in Casualty Ratios and Manpower
37:37 Long-Range Strike Capabilities and Adaptation
40:29 Strategic Thinking in the Ukrainian Military
46:18 Industrial Base and Support Dynamics
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Ep 248: Marc Milner on D-Day and the US-UK Battle for Hegemony
Marc Milner, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of New Brunswick and author of Second Front: Anglo-American Rivalry and the Hidden Story of the Normandy Campaign, joins the show to discuss the turbulent passing of the torch of Western hegemony during WWII.
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Times
02:50 1917
10:52 American Battle Monuments Commission
14:31 FDR and the British Empire
21:36 American views on the Nazis
30:40 FDR at the Tehran Conference
35:42 Plans Before the Invasion of France
40:48 The British Empire and National Strategy
50:25 Churchill and the Russians in 1944
56:00 A Sophisticated Understanding of Imperial Politics
01:00:18 Revisionist Views of WWII
01:06:00 Communist and Fascist Extremism
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Ep 247: Nicholas Wright on the Brain Science of War
Nicholas Wright, neuroscientist and author of Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain, joins the show to explore the implications of neuroscience for warmaking.
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Times
01:20 Neurology
02:57 Intelligence Defined
07:06 Mapping the Brain
17:05 How Modeling Happens
27:15 Outthinking and Outlearning the Enemy
30:25 Prioritization and Survival
35:15 Fear and the Fall of France in 1940
44:48 Enhancing Military Training
49:47 AI and Its Impact on Human Cognition
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Ep 246: Veterans Day Special — Remembering Angus MacLean
Host Aaron MacLean pays tribute to his father, World War Two and Vietnam Veteran Angus MacLean. This memorial originally ran in the publication Engelsberg Ideas.
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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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