School of War

Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor, veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and author of Courage Can Save Us, joins School of War to discuss the meaning of courage, the enduring value of service, and the challenge of bridging America’s growing political divides. What separates courage from bravery? Can military service help heal a polarized America? And what does principled leadership look like in an age of distrust?

01:28 - Murph challenge

03:08 - Rye's father and Vietnam

05:08 - Defining courage

07:57 - First to Fight

13:49 - Joining the Marines

14:22 - September 11th

17:42 - Bosnia, Africa, and Fallujah

19:16 - Marine commanders

23:52 - Life in Fallujah

26:05 - The With Honor mission

28:29 - America's polarization problem

30:05 - Veterans in politics

33:12 - The civil-military divide

37:23 - Courage in politics

41:57 - Congressman Jared Golden

44:19 - Senator Todd Young

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Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, returns to School of War to discuss the newly released memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. What does the deal actually say? What are its biggest strategic implications? And is it comparable to the JCPOA—or something worse?

01:19 - Paragraph 1: Lebanon and Hezbollah

09:45 - Paragraphs 2–3: Sovereignty and the 60-day clock

11:24 - Paragraph 4: Lifting the blockade

16:37 - Paragraph 5: The Strait of Hormuz

23:48 - Paragraph 6: A $300 billion reconstruction fund

33:49 - Paragraph 7: Ending all sanctions

35:43 - Paragraph 8: Nuclear weapons and enrichment

39:12 - Paragraph 9: Maintaining the status quo

40:44 - Paragraph 10: Oil waivers and sanctions relief

43:48 - Paragraph 11: Releasing frozen funds

46:56 - Paragraph 12: Monitoring compliance

47:52 - Paragraph 13: Negotiating the final deal

50:59 - Paragraph 14: A UN Security Council resolution

51:13 - Squandering battlefield leverage

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Eliot Cohen, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, author of The Strategist: How to Think About War and Politics; and co-host of the Shield of the Republic podcast, joins School of War to discuss the recent agreement between the United States and Iran. Did the United States and Israel accomplish their objectives against Iran? What does the conflict reveal about the U.S. military's readiness for future wars? And did Trump negotiate from a position of strength, or squander one?

01:22 - Eliot Cohen on the war with Iran

03:34 - Judging Trump by outcomes

05:08 - A war 47 years in the making

06:45 - What we don't know about the air campaign

08:08 - Negotiating from strength?

09:10 - Trump's negotiating style

12:05 - Questions about America's conduct of the war

14:31 - The Strait of Hormuz becomes the objective

15:41 - Why the war ended when it did

17:25 - Trump and the nature of war

19:01 - Has Iran succeeded?

23:21 - The decline of the Iranian empire

28:09 - Why Trump got a bad deal

31:36 - Auditing the U.S. military

39:39 - Has warfare been transformed?

42:10 - What should America do next?

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Arthur Herman, senior research fellow at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Founder’s Fire: From 1776 to the Age of Trump, joins School of War to discuss how America’s Founding Fathers helped create a culture of innovation in technology, industry, and warfare. Who are the most important founders of the past and present? What lessons can they teach us about today’s revolution in warfare? And what makes American ingenuity so unique?

02:45 - Defining founders

10:56 - Technology at America's founding

 13:49  - Alex Karp and the founder mindset

14:45 - The creation of Springfield Arsenal

15:40 - Thomas Jefferson and American weapons

19:10 - Today's revolution in warfare

20:53 - AI on the battlefield

21:49 - Why a strong economy matters

24:40 - China's defense industry

26:32  - American industrial policy

29:11 - Lessons from Ukraine

31:29 - Declining competition in weapons manufacturing

33:38 - The burden of weapons regulations

37:50 - Elon Musk's founder mentality

41:52 - The future of American ingenuity

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Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Iran Program and a senior fellow specializing in Iranian security and political issues, returns to School of War to discuss the latest round of fighting between Israel and Iran. Why did this latest wave of Iranian missile attacks feel different? Why does a weakened Iran seem emboldened? Where is the regime most vulnerable? And will politics in Washington prevent the U.S. from doing what is necessary to stop it?

02:30 - Israel in Southern Lebanon

04:37 - Iran's Missile Barrage Against Israel

06:20 - FPV Drone Warfare in Lebanon

08:30 - A New Iranian Strategy?

12:16 - Cover for Terror Proxies

14:14 - The Danger of a Weakened Iran

17:44 - The Nazi Germany Comparison

21:00 - The Wehrmacht's Last Stand

22:07 - Iran's Reaction to Pressure

25:09 - Targets in Iran and Israel

30:15 - Where Is Iran Most Vulnerable?

31:47 - The Iran-Iraq War Analogy

32:44 - Exploiting Divisions in Iran

35:09 - Political Obstacles to Maximum Pressure

38:17 - Trump's Record on Iran Policy

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