The Baby Boomers weren’t heroes
My father had a low draft number and always told me he couldn’t see himself trudging through the jungle with a machete. It was the early ‘70s and Vietnam would be over soon, but young Americans were s...
13 Apr 201732min
One tank to rule them all
War nerds love tanks. The battlefield behemoths drove onto the scene in the early days of World War I, replaced the cavalry and became synonymous with war. But which one is the best? This week on the ...
4 Apr 201734min
Islamic State’s drone fleet
For the past decade, unmanned aerial vehicles have been a cornerstone of America’s campaign against Islamic insurgents in the Greater Middle East. Predator and Reaper drones crisscross the globe firin...
30 Mars 201723min
The growing rift between Trump and his intelligence agencies, and why it’s cause for concern
Even before he took office, Donald Trump was denigrating the U.S. intelligence community – in large part because of its investigation into Russian influence on the presidential election, which challen...
22 Mars 201727min
How spreading democracy keeps dictators in power
For his views on democracies and dictatorships, he’s been called a cynic. But NYU professor Alastair Smith doesn’t think that makes him wrong. This week on War College, Smith debunks popular ideas abo...
15 Mars 201728min
The Case for Leaving Afghanistan
After thousands of American lives, literally billions of dollars and more than 15 years, the U.S. can’t seem to quit its longest war in Afghanistan. With no end in sight, no word on strategy from the ...
9 Mars 201726min
Ethical behavior on the battlefield
Growing up, I was always told the military's job was to “kill people and break stuff.” It’s a maxim that gained popularity in the United States at the end of the Vietnam War. But total war with few ru...
28 Feb 201732min
The Bannon effect and a brief history of the National Security Council
U.S. President Donald Trump’s first month in office has ushered in a whirlwind of change. One bit of procedural change raised eyebrows among the national security crowd. At the end of January, Trump r...
22 Feb 201721min
