School of War

David, a U.S. military veteran who has been fighting voluntarily alongside Ukrainian forces, joins School of War to discuss how four years on the front lines have transformed modern warfare. How has combat in Ukraine changed since Russia’s 2022 invasion? Why have first-person view drones become the defining weapon of the war? What misconceptions does the West still have about the Russian military? And what lessons must the United States absorb before its next major conflict?

02:49 - David’s military history

05:56 - What brought David to Ukraine

07:37 - Russia's failed invasion of Kyiv

10:24 - How Ukraine turned the tide in 2022

17:04 - How Ukraine adapted to Russia's invasion

19:06 - America's role in Ukraine's early success

23:59 - How the battlefield has evolved since 2022

28:15 - Experiencing Russian artillery 

37:22 - From artillery warfare to drone warfare

40:41 - Why FPV drones are terrifying

44:20 - The modern "gray zone" 

49:26 - Why Russia is still a military threat

01:00:49 - What Ukraine must do to survive

01:11:41 - Is the U.S. military learning the right lessons?

01:15:55 - The future of warfare and America's defense industry

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Richard Bell, historian, professor at the University of Maryland, and author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, joins School of War to discuss how the American Revolution became a global conflict that stretched from Boston to the Caribbean, Europe, India, and beyond. How did George Washington's strategy force Britain to fight a world war? Why was France's intervention decisive to American victory? And what does the revolution reveal about the nature of coalition warfare?

00:53 - Rick Bell's background

02:05 - The American Revolution was a global war

06:09 - What led to the Boston Tea Party

12:45 - Patriot motivations

14:38 - Who was Edmund Burke?

16:50 - Britain divided over the Revolution

20:47 - Why France backed the Patriots

23:45 - France and Spain vs. Britain

27:01 - The Caribbean: Britain's crown jewel

30:08 - The forgotten theater of the Revolution

35:49 - Washington's global coalition strategy

38:55 - Germany and the Hessian soldiers

41:50 - The Patriots' European officers

43:10 - The myth of guerrilla warfare

44:50 - Final thoughts

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Sal Mercogliano, professor of history at Campbell University and host of the What’s Going on with Shipping YouTube channel, joins the show once again to discuss Iran's renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Why is the ceasefire already beginning to unravel? What is Iran trying to accomplish by asserting control over the strait? And what could the long-term consequences be for global trade, energy markets, and freedom of navigation?

02:11 - New arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz

05:19 - Humanitarian situation for sailors

06:53 - Jobs at sea and AI

08:05 - New rounds of violence

11:02 - Route options for ships

13:30 - Why did the ceasefire break down?

15:05 - Iran asserts control over the strait

16:10 - Why were these ships targeted?

19:08 - Strait of Hormuz as a strategic choke point

21:49 - What Iran learned from the Houthis

23:21 - Why energy prices haven't spiked

28:20 - Impact on developing nations

29:13 - The endgame in the Strait of Hormuz

33:22 - U.S. naval presence in the Gulf

36:26 - Iran's maritime protection racket

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Dr. John Mitani, professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and recipient of the Charles R. Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award, joins School of War to discuss the violent chimpanzee civil war he documented among the Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda. What caused one of the world's largest chimpanzee communities to turn on itself? What does chimpanzee warfare reveal about the origins of human conflict? And what separates humans from our closest living relatives?

02:39 - How Dr. Mitani became an ape researcher

04:02 - Why chimpanzees?

05:13 - Humans' closest living relatives

08:38 - The Ngogo chimpanzees

09:31 - The chimpanzee civil war begins

13:35 - Living among wild chimpanzees

17:09 - Territorial patrols and warfare

22:34 - Why the chimpanzee community split

26:26 - How chimpanzees fight

29:14 - The strategy behind chimp warfare

31:24 - Why full stomachs lead to war

33:10 - Land, food, and reproduction

37:27 - Infanticide and the mystery of female survival

39:26 - When civil war becomes permanent

41:13 - What chimpanzees teach us about human nature

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Earlier this year, Aaron MacLean visited Ukraine, where he met with Georgian Legion commander Mamuka Mamulashvili. What happens when a boy goes to war at 14 years old? What does a lifetime of fighting Russians teach you about how they operate? And what lessons should the West be learning from war in Ukraine?

02:18 - Growing up in Soviet Georgia

03:53 - Russia's invasion of Abkhazia

07:59 - Capture and torture by Russian forces

10:24 - The First and Second Chechen Wars

13:49 - Killing a Russian soldier for the first time

17:32 - Force vs. diplomacy

18:14 - Georgia's wars with Russia

20:19 - The 2008 Russo-Georgian War

23:47 - Georgian support for Ukraine

24:39 - Mixed martial arts

29:53 - Founding the Georgian Legion

33:33 - The defense of Hostomel Airport

43:32 - How drones have transformed warfare

50:45 - Russian disinformation

52:27 - Why Ukraine will ultimately win

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