The Trident

Episode 24: The Race to Mukalla, Arabian Elite Forces and the War Against Al-Qaeda - (book II in a series with Michael Knights)

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Michael Knights and co-host Jane Stokes re-join Dave Brown to discuss the second book in Knight’s series detailing the outcome of a set of modern irregular warfare operations over control of Southern Yemen in 2015. The first book (25 Days to Aden) detailed the Yemeni Houthis’ attempts to take over the port of Aden in their coup against the UN-backed government of the country. Now in the second installment (The Race for Mukalla) Knights recounts the UAE-led campaign in eastern Yemen (2015–2016) to defeat Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and liberate the port city of Mukalla.

Join us for the follow-on discussion about a UAE led Irregular Warfare campaign that highlights legitimacy, tribal engagement, and small-footprint SOF integration in the successful dismantling of a terrorist proto-state.

Co-Host/Guests:

Jane Stokes is an associate professor in the Joint Military Operations Department, College of Distance Education, U.S. Naval War College. She is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, having served over 25 years in both active and reserve components. As a military officer she served as a Marine foreign advisor, attaché, and liaison officer in numerous embassies, and served as International Programs Branch Chief for the CENTCOM J2, working on Security Cooperation efforts and partner engagement with allies and partners. Previously she was the MARCENT Liaison Officer to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Arabic speaker, she also spent almost a decade working for Department of State's Foreign Service, and has extensive experience in the Middle East region with a focus on counterterrorism and foreign policy. She holds a MA from American Military University in Strategic Intelligence, and a MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Jane is the author of Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq, featured on the Marine Corps Commandant’s Professional Reading List, and she has appeared on numerous national media outlets.

Michael Knights serves as the head of research for Horizon Engage, a strategy advisory, and as an Adjunct Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He is the co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Michael has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf states, and regularly briefs government policymakers, congressional committees, and the U.S. military on regional security affairs. He has worked extensively with local military and security agencies on the ground in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Yemen. He previously worked as the head of analysis for a range of security and oil companies, directing information-collection teams in Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, and before that, worked as a defense journalist for the Gulf States Newsletter as well as Jane's Intelligence Review. Michael has written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Journal for Strategic Studies, and CTC’s The Sentinel, as well as other policy news outlets. He holds a doctorate from the Department of War Studies, King's College London.

Articles/References:

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Mukalla-Michael-Knights/dp/1805221515

Maps:

Yemen Geographical Map (1_Yemen-geo.jpg - 1.4 MB)

Yemen Statelets Map (2_Yemen_statelets.jpg - 1.4 MB)

Missile Accuracy Map (3_Safer_Wider.jpg - 1.1 MB)

Post-Strike Imagery Map (4_Safer_Close.jpg - 872 KB)

Marib Counterattack Map (5_Marib_counterattack.jpg - 3.1 MB)

Mukalla Liberation Map 1 (6_Mukalla_liberation_1.jpg - 2.3 MB)

Mukalla Liberation Map 2 (7_Mukalla_liberatiion_2.jpg - 946 KB)

Episode 23: Assessing Russia’s Actions in Ukraine and Syria, 2014-2022 - Implications for the Changing Character of War

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Guest Dr. John Pennell and co-host Dr. Heidi Lane join Dave Brown to discuss Pennell’s book Assessing Russia’s Actions in Ukraine and Syria, 2014-2022, which examines Russia’s broader approach to war—one that blends political warfare, military force, influence operations, and strategic intent.

Co-Host/Guests:

Heidi Elizabeth Lane, Ph.D. is a professor of strategy and policy and director of the Greater Middle East Research Study Group at U.S. Naval War College. She specializes in comparative politics and international relations of the Middle East with a focus on security sector development, ethnic and religious nationalism, counter-terrorism and rule of law in transitioning societies.

John A. Pennell, Ph.D. is a former U.S. Senior Foreign Service Officer (Minister-Counselor rank) with wide experience in global security. Currently, he’s a contractor with the U.S. Department of War’s (DOW) Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) as Editor-in-Chief of PRISM: The Journal of Complex Operations. He’s also a Non-Resident Fellow with the Irregular Warfare Institute (IWI) and a Senior Fellow with Narrative-Strategies. John holds degrees in War & Defense Studies from King’s College London, the National War College and American University. He’s a lifetime member of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and Information Professionals Association (IPA). His book on Russia’s irregular warfare activities in Syria and Ukraine is available from Bloomsbury, Amazon, Waterstones, etc. or on his website at www.drglobalbedouin.com.

Articles/References:

https://www.amazon.com/Assessing-Russias-Actions-Ukraine-2014-2022/dp/1666962236

Episode 22: Resilience and Resistance: Interdisciplinary Lessons in Competition, Deterrence, and Irregular Warfare

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Robert Burrell and John Collison join Dave Brown to discuss this comprehensive volume which provides the first canon for SOF, interagency, and conventional forces to understand irregular warfare, and the emerging areas of Resilience and Resistance within international competition, and deterrence. The book highlights the asymmetric strategies of adversaries to subvert the international order, including the malign activities of the CCP, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations, (and includes case studies on Cuba, Laos, Tibet, and Colombia).

Guests:

Robert S. Burrell, Ph.D. is a resilience and resistance interdisciplinary scholar using data-driven and human-centric methodologies to analyze intrastate conflict ranging from nonviolent protest through belligerency. His methodological frameworks can be found in his new book Resilience and Resistance. He also serves as a 2025 fellow for the Irregular Warfare Initiative. He currently works as Senior Research Fellow with the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida. He has a PhD in history from the University of Warwick and master’s degrees from San Diego State University and the U.S. Naval War College.

John Collison is a Core One contractor supporting Special Operations concept development. John is a retired Army Lieutenant-Colonel with over 26 years of active-duty service in the Civil Affairs and Infantry career fields. He served on the USSOCOM Staff, the Army Staff and held various assignments in both Civil Affairs and Infantry units as an Operations Officer, Executive Office, Company Commander and Platoon leader. John’s overseas assignments and deployments include Cambodia, Egypt, Honduras, Bosnia, Iraq, and Alaska.

Articles/References:

Resilience and Resistance: Interdisciplinary Lessons in Competition, Deterrence, and Irregular Warfare, JSOU Press, July 2025
Authored by: Robert S. Burrell, John Collison, A. Jackson, David Oakley, Brian Petit, Chris Mason, John H. Mongan, David DiOrio, Thomas A. Marks, Aaron Baty, Gabriele Pierini, Christopher Marsh, David Maxwell, Namrata Goswami
Edited by: Robert S. Burrell

Episode 21: Casting Shadows on Darkened Fleets; the Maritime Irregular Fight for International Sanctions Enforcement

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Michelle Bockmann, John Driscoll, and Tomer Raanan join Dave Brown to discuss the so-called ‘shadow fleet’, describing the large, and growing unregulated network of aging oil tankers and cargo ships, (often older than 15 years), that use deceptive practices like turning off maritime tracking systems, faking identities (false flags/names), and using shell companies to operate outside international sanctions, primarily to transport sanctioned oil (like Russian or Iranian) or conduct other illicit trade, while also posing potential major environmental and safety risks due to lack of proper insurance and oversight.

Guests:

Michelle Wiese Bockmann is a Senior Maritime Intelligence Analyst for Windward and London-based energy commodities writer specializing in sanctioned oil flows and the ‘shadow fleet’, (deceptive and illicit shipping practices, and their regulatory, security and legal implications). Bockmann has more than 25 years’ experience across three continents in shipping and oil markets with a focus on the intersection of global shipping and geopolitics, maritime intelligence, and risk & compliance. Michelle has also worked as a journalist and political writer for The Australian, and worked for Bloomberg News, Lloyd’s List, and Fairplay shipping publications.

John J. Driscoll is a 31-year career officer in the U.S. Coast Guard as an expert in maritime law enforcement, theater security cooperation, and maritime and defense policy. Captain Driscoll commanded five USCG Cutters, enforcing U.S. drug, immigration, and fisheries laws, as well as UN Security Council resolutions against Bosnia, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea. He served in defense policy and maritime law enforcement roles, including Chief of Drug and Migrant Interdiction at USCG Headquarters, and Director for Homeland Defense Integration in OSD Policy.

Tomer Raanan is a maritime risk analyst at Lloyd’s List, where his reporting explores how geopolitics and regulation shape seaborne commerce, and how deceptive and high-risk practices are used to evade sanctions and facilitate illicit trade. In 2024, Tomer was named ‘Multimedia Journalist of the Year’ by the Seahorse Freight Association for uncovering a sanctions-skirting LPG shipping network. Before joining Lloyd’s List in 2022 as senior reporter, he worked for a decade in private security.

Articles:

Shadow Fleet: How illicit shipping networks broke global oil trade, S&P Global Energy, YouTube, 22 Sep 2025
Swedish Navy Finds Russian Military Personnel Aboard “Shadow Fleet” Tankers, Sania Kozatskyi, Militarnyi, 16 Dec 2025
EU targets Russia’s shadow fleet with new sanctions, hitting businessmen and companies, AP News, 15 Dec 2025
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: Council sanctions 9 shadow fleet enablers, Press Release, Council of the EU, 15 Dec 2025
Ukrainian drones hit Russia's shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean Sea for the first time, source says, A. Terajima, Kyiv Independent, 19 Dec 2025
Ukraine says it struck Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in Black Sea, K. Gak, C. Danaher, C. Nicholls, CNN, 10 Dec 2025
Ghost Busters: Options for Breaking Russia’s Shadow Fleet, B. Jensen and J. Macias III, CSIS, 15 Dec 2025
US May Target Russia’s “Shadow Fleet” if Kremlin Rejects Peace Plan, Vlad Litnarovych, United 24 Media, 17 Dec 2025
Sinking Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’: Has the Ukraine war reached Senegal?, Sébastian Seibt, France 24, 3 Dec 2025
Seizure of rogue oil tanker off Venezuela signals new U.S. crackdown on shadow fleet, J. Goodman & M. Biesecker, AP via PBS News, 12 Dec 2025
Rogue tankers in Singapore: What are shadow fleets and who uses them?, A. Kozul-Wright, Al Jazeera, 19 Dec 2025
Irregular Warfare at Sea: How Russia’s Shadow Fleet Undermines Maritime Security, A. Rolander, SWJ, 11 Dec 2025

Episode 20: Non-state Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Guest Craig Whiteside and co-host Tim Hoyt join Dave Brown to discuss a recent book on Special Operations capabilities being developed by violent non-state actors, including various militants, mercenaries, and even criminal organizations. Join us for this discussion on the growing and emerging capabilities of the dark side of international security, as we examine the recent book, Non-State Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects, by Craig Whiteside and Ian Rice.

Article:

Non-state Special Operations - Capabilities and Effects, Ian Rice & Craig Whiteside, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2026 - (ISBN 9781032594514)

Guests:

Timothy D. Hoyt, Ph.D. is a Senior Professor at the U.S. Naval War College’s Strategy and Policy Department. Professor Hoyt holds the John Nicholas Brown Chair of Counterterrorism and Academic Director of the Advanced Strategist Program. Publications include articles on the war on terrorism in South Asia, the limits of military force in the global war on terrorism, military innovation and warfare in the developing world, and the impact of nuclear weapons on recent crises in South Asia. He is currently working on a book on American military strategy in the 21st Century, and a study of the strategy of the Irish Republican Army from 1913-2005.

Craig Whiteside is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College resident program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he teaches military officers as part of their professional military education. He is a senior associate with the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and a fellow at the International Centre for Counter-terrorism – The Hague and George Washington's Program on Extremism. Whiteside’s current research focuses on the doctrinal influences on the leadership of the so-called Islamic State movement and its evolving strategies. He is the co-author of The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement (2020). He has a PhD in Political Science from Washington State University and a former U.S. Army officer with combat experience.

Episode 19: Maritime Sabotage: The Hidden War Underseas

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Guests James Langan, Andrew Rolander, and co-host Jahara ‘Franky’ Matisek join Dave Brown to discuss Maritime Sabotage; the deliberate targeting of undersea, pipelines, ports and energy hubs. It’s a story of hidden infrastructure, high stakes and shadowy actors who operate just below the threshold of open war – i.e., maritime irregular warfare.

Articles:

What is known about the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions?, N. Adomaitis & J. Ahlander, Reuters, 22 Aug 2025 (possible paywall)
Italian police arrest Ukrainian man over Nord Stream pipelines blast, K. Connolly, Guardian, 21 Aug 2025
How NATO Patrols the Sea for Suspected Russian Sabotage, D. Michaels, WSJ, 30 Mar 2025 (paywall)
Maritime Sabotage: Lessons Learned and Implications for Strategic Competition, A. Powel et al, CNA, October 2021
Implementing Agreement to Enhance Protection of Critical Undersea Infrastructure, R. Pedrozo, Stockton Center for International Law, 106 INT’L L. STUD. 146 (2025)
Irregular Warfare on the Sea Floor and the Case for National Resilience, A. Rolander, SWJ, 30 May 2025
How to Counter Chinese Sabotage of Taiwan’s Undersea Cables, T. Boyle, Just Security, 20 May 2025
Sensors, AI Possible Solutions to Preventing Undersea Cable Sabotage, S. Magnuson, National Defense Magazine, 13 May 2025

Guests:

Lt. Col. Jahara "Franky" Matisek, Ph.D. is a command pilot with over 3,700 hours in the C-17, E-11 BACN, T-6 and T-53 and is a Project Mercury innovation coach. He was recently a military professor in the National Security Affairs Department at the U.S. Naval War College and served at the U.S. Air Force Academy as an associate professor in the Military and Strategic Studies Department. He has published over 120 articles on warfare, strategy, and national security and been a Fellow at AFWERX, Payne Institute for Public Policy, European Resilience Initiative Center, Modern War Institute, and Irregular Warfare Initiative. He has been a Co-PI on three DOD research projects on security assistance and Russian influence operations.

James Langan is a military policy advisor for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) at the UK Ministry of Defence, where he focuses on hybrid threats such as the Russian Shadow Fleet and sabotage to Critical Undersea Infrastructure. Prior to this he was awarded a Chief of Airstaff Fellowship to complete a MPhil in European Security at the University of Cambridge. He was also the UK militaries’ chief Information Operations and StratCom instructor and deployed as Commanding Officer of the British militaries’ Combat Camera Team during the 2021 Kabul and 2023 Sudan evacuations. James has also worked as a European energy commodities trader and currently participates in the RUSI Maritime Sanctions Task Force. His research interests include Russian political economy, and the history of international sanctions policy.

Andrew M. Rolander is a senior IW analyst for Joint Staff J7 in the Office of Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition (OIWC), responsible for formulating strategy and doctrine for the Joint Force. Andrew has expertise in special forces, intelligence, and para-military operations. He served as an intelligence analyst for the FBI and the CIA, and conducted fellowships on IW with USMC University, Grand Strategy as a George C. Marshall fellow, and History and Statecraft for the Clements Center, University Texas. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in maritime strategy and warfighting with the War Studies Department at King’s College London, and a Doctorate in National Security at the Institute of World Politics.

Episode 18: 25 Days to Aden; The Unknown Story of Arabian Elite Forces at War (a book series with Michael Knights)

Tue, 27 May 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Michael Knights and co-host Jane Stokes join Dave Brown to discuss the first book in a series detailing the outcome of a set of modern irregular warfare operations over control of Southern Yemen in 2015. The first book details the Yemeni Houthis’ attempts to take over the port of Aden in their coup against the UN-backed government of the country. The opposing force preventing this Iranian proxy from threating a second major strategic waterway and potentially impacting global trade through Suez, are the small but highly capable UAE special forces, honed alongside NATO and the US in the fires of Afghanistan. Join us for this fascinating look at capable foreign fighting forces in 25 Days to Aden, by Michael Knights.

Articles:

25 Days to Aden - The Unknown Story of Arabian Elite Forces at War, Washington Institute, January 2023

Guests:

Jane Stokes is associate professor in the Joint Military Operations Department, College of Distance Education, U.S. Naval War College. She is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, having served over 25 years in both active and reserve components. As a military officer she served as a Marine foreign advisor, attaché, and liaison officer in numerous embassies, and served as International Programs Branch Chief for the CENTCOM J2, working on Security Cooperation efforts and partner engagement with allies and partners. Previously she was the MARCENT Liaison Officer to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Arabic speaker, she also spent almost a decade working for Department of State's Foreign Service, and has extensive experience in the Middle East region with a focus on counterterrorism and foreign policy. She holds a MA from American Military University in Strategic Intelligence, and a MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Jane is the author of Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq, featured on the Marine Corps Commandant’s Professional Reading List, and she has appeared on numerous national media outlets.

Michael Knights, Ph.D. serves as the Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He is the co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Michael has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf states, and regularly briefs government policymakers, congressional committees, and the U.S. military on regional security affairs. He has worked extensively with local military and security agencies on the ground in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Yemen. He previously worked as the head of analysis for a range of security and oil companies, directing information-collection teams in Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, and before that, worked as a defense journalist for the Gulf States Newsletter as well as Jane's Intelligence Review. Michael has written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Journal for Strategic Studies, and CTC’s The Sentinel, as well as other policy news outlets. He holds a doctorate from the Department of War Studies, King's College London.

Episode 17: The Janus Protocol: Drones – The New Face of Warfare

Tue, 13 May 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Nolan Peterson and Kateryna Bondar join host Dave Brown to discuss the rapid expansion of drone warfare across numerous conflict zones. Janus, the Roman God of new beginnings, symbolizes the change from one condition to another and from past to future. The two faces of Janus also represent transitions because he could see into the past with one face, and toward the future with the other. This is a perfect metaphor of this momentous shift in technical weaponry unfolding right in front of us. The future of the modern battlefield is here, and it’s most clearly seen in the rapid growth in drone warfare capabilities and the increasing lethality of the current threat environment it is creating.

Articles:

Ukraine drones hunt down Russian soldiers as incursion into Belgorod continues – YouTube/The Sun – 10 Apr 2025 (video)
Battle For Pokrovsk. Ukraine's Drone Pilots Are Trying To Stop Russia | Ukraine Front Line Update, RFE/RL – 7 April 2025 (video)
Ukraine's DIY drone makers are helping fighters on the front lines, E. Beardsley, NPR, 12 Apr 2025
Ukraine Is Making FPV Drones Without Chinese Parts And At Lower Cost, D. Hambling, Forbes, 8 Apr 2025 (paywall)
US Army tests FPV drones in Germany under ‘Project Shiv’, G. Allison, UKDJ, 6 Apr 2025
Ukraine has capacity to produce 5 million FPV drones per year, advisor says, M. Fornusek, Kyiv Independent, 8 Apr 2025
Marine Corps stands up ‘attack drone team’ to take lessons from Ukraine and teach them to grunts, J. Schogol, Task & Purpose, 4 Apr 2025
The century-long reign of the machine gun is over, a Russian strategist argues, M. Peck, Business Insider, 16 Mar 2025 (paywall)
Ukraine’s Future Vision and Current Capabilities for Waging AI-Enabled Autonomous Warfare, K. Bondar, CSIS, 6 Mar 2025
Heven Drones unveils new hydrogen-powered, long range UAV at IDEX, S. Frantzman, Breaking Defense, 13 Feb 2025
Survival of the quickest: Military leaders aim to unleash, control AI, R. Ruitenberg, Defense News, 13 Feb 2025
The Proliferation of Drones in Naval Warfare with Tuneer Mukherjee, W. Mills, CIMSEC, 7 Jan 2025 (Sea Control Podcast)

Guests:

Nolan Peterson is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. He is an independent defense consultant, award-winning journalist, war correspondent, and author who has lived in Ukraine since 2014. As an international correspondent, Peterson has covered conflicts around the world. Apart from his work in Ukraine, he has been embedded with US armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and with the Kurdish Peshmerga during the battle for Mosul in Iraq. He deployed on the USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Syria to report on the coalition air war against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. Peterson is a former US Air Force special operations pilot and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Graduate of the US Air Force Academy, and Middlebury College after two years of study at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. After leaving the US Air Force in 2011, Peterson completed a MA in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where he was a McCormick Foundation fellow.

Kateryna Bondar is a fellow with the Wadhwani AI Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Before joining CSIS, she was an adviser to the government of Ukraine, where she was responsible for implementation of reforms in defense, the financial sector, and innovation ecosystem development. From 2019–2020, she was a fellow of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program at Stanford University. Prior to that, she was a senior project manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she managed technical assistance projects implemented in Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. From 2014–2018, Kateryna was a project manager in the National Reforms Council under the president of Ukraine and the Reform Support Team at Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance. Prior to working in the public sector, she held a position of financial control manager at Microsoft. She holds a MA in IR from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Episode 16: Tangled Tensions; Is Syria the Next Threshing Floor On the Counter-Terrorism Landscape?

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Gen (Retired) Joseph L. Votel, and Dr. Colin P. Clarke join host Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Heidi Lane to discuss the U.S. mission in Syria and the implications for U.S. counter-terrorism in the region and continuing to prevent the re-emergence of ISIS.

Articles:

In Syria, America Should Be Ruthlessly Focused on the Islamic State, J. Votel & E. Dent, WOTR, 17 Jan 2025
Trump Administration’s Counterterrorism Policy Should Begin at Golan Heights, C. Costa & C. Clarke, Cipher Brief, 8 Jan 2025

See Also:

The Danger of Abandoning Our Partners J. Votel & E. Dent, The Atlantic, 8 Oct 2019
How to Protect America After the Syria Withdrawal J. Votel & E. Dent, The Atlantic, 21 Oct 2019

See More:

Beyond Assad: The Rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Syria’s Uncertain Future, R. Rossoukh, Brandeis University, 18 Dec 2024
Israel demands complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, S. Usher, BBC News, 24 Feb 2025
Squeezed between Turkey and Sharaa, Syria's Kurds face stark choices, A. Zaman, Al-Monitor, 13 Feb 2025
Post-Paris Steps in Syria Could Be Decisive, D. Margolin & A. Zelin, Washington Institute, 28 Feb 2025
The Syria Breakdown, Episode Four: Revolutionary Rebuilding and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), A. Zelin, Washington Institute, 28 Feb 2025

Guests:

Joseph L. Votel, General USA, (Retired); Retired four-star general in the U.S Army, and former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Mar 2016 to Mar 2019, where he oversaw military operations across the region, including the campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He also served as the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). During his military career, Gen Votel gained extensive operational experience across the Middle East, the Levant, Central and South Asia, Northern Africa, and the Horn of Africa. Votel is a non-resident distinguished senior fellow on national security at the Middle East Institute.

Colin P. Clarke, Ph.D., Director of Research and Senior Research Fellow at The Soufan Group (TSG), an intelligence and security consulting firm based in New York City. He is also an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT) - The Hague, and a non-resident Senior Fellow in the Program on National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Prior to joining TSG, Clarke was a professor in the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. He frequently appears in the media as a subject expert on global security, conflict, and terrorism, and is the author of several books, including After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future Terrorist Diaspora.

Episode 15: Sun Tzu’s Imperative – to Win Without Fighting; A Strategic Approach

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Rebecca Patterson, Susan Bryant, Ken Gleiman, and Christian Trotti join host Dave Brown to discuss the subject of their recent book "Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century."

“This book presents a framework for an American grand strategy that extends beyond traditional military conflict, focusing on irregular warfare methods that enhance a nation’s influence and legitimacy while weakening adversaries. The authors argue for a comprehensive approach that includes military, economic, and informational statecraft to address a modern competitive landscape…” – Cambria Press

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Articles:

Winning Without Fighting, Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century, Cambria Press, September 2024
A New Playbook for Irregular Warfare: How the United States Can Win Without Fighting, C. Trotti, IWI, 21 Jan 2025
A Grand Strategy Based on Resilience, E. Borghard, WOTR, 4 Jan 2021

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Guests:

Rebecca Patterson, Ph.D. is Professor of Practice of International Affairs and Associate Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. She teaches courses on irregular warfare, strategy, policy, and military operations, UN peace operations, and the political economy of contemporary conflict. Dr. Patterson served as an economist in the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group and the Deputy Director of the Office of Peace Operations, Sanctions, and Counterterrorism at the State Department. She holds a PhD from The George Washington University, a B.S. from United States Military Academy, and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A retired U.S. Army officer with more than 22 years of experience, she served in overseas assignments in Thailand, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Susan Bryant, Ph.D. is Executive Director of Strategic Education International, an educational non-profit that designs and delivers executive education programs for governments and private industry. She also teaches Grand Strategy and Military History at Georgetown University and Defense Policy Making at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and serves as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at NDU. Susan is a veteran of the United States Army having served 28 years on active duty, with more than 20 of them in strategic level assignments.

Jan K. Gleiman (Ken), Ph.D. is Professor of Practice at Arizona State University where he leads research and develops education programs for the Future Security Initiative while teaching in the School of Politics and Global Studies. He teaches courses on irregular warfare, strategy, policy, and military operations. Ken is also the Editor-in Chief of the new Small Wars Journal and online publication committed to advancing the discourse of irregular warfare and national security at the speed of relevance. Ken is a 27-year veteran of the United States Army (Colonel), and both a former Green Beret and Army Strategist.

Christian Trotti is a Master of Arts candidate, Graduate Teaching Assistant, and Graduate Research Assistant at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. His research and published analysis focus primarily on defense strategy, military operations, force planning, irregular warfare, and technological and organizational innovation in national security. Trotti served as a Research Assistant for "Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century".

Episode 14: Unraveling the Gordian Knot; the Power of Network Engagement

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guest Reyes Cole joins host Dave Brown to discuss the subject of Network Engagement, a growing area of doctrinal importance for various types of operational analysis, and one that underpins nearly every operational mission set, as well as every one of the currently identified Irregular Warfare activities.

Articles:

Outmatched - Shortfalls in Countering Threat Networks, D. Doran, NDU Press, JFQ 89, 2nd Quarter 2018
Countering Threat Networks to Deter, Compete, and Win - Competition Below Armed Conflict with Revisionist Powers, V. Oxford, NDU Press, JFQ 95, 4th Quarter 2019
How NATO Can Support Countering Threat Networks, J. Gardner, Counter-IED Report, Autumn/Winter 2013
Joint Publication 3-25 Countering Threat Networks
The Myths of Traditional Warfare: How Our Peer and Near-Peer Adversaries Plan to Fight Using Irregular Warfare, R. Cole, Small Wars Journal, 28 Mar 2019

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Guest:

Reyes Cole Serves as the Irregular Warfare and Competition capability developer and analyst for HQ USMC, within the Ground Combat Element Division, and the Capability Development Directorate (CDD). Mr. Cole has served with the USMC for over a decade as the lead for institutionalizing Irregular Warfare requirements into Marine Corps missions and requirements. Reyes retired in 2012 from the US Army as a LTC after 26 years of service in infantry and Special Forces units. His military service focused on counternarcotics missions at home and abroad, and his background also includes experience in civil affairs, security cooperation, security force assistance, network engagement, countering transnational organized crime, counterinsurgency, stabilization activities, and counter threat finance.

Episode 13: The Dolus Deception: Deepfake Technology and the Fight Against Falsehood & Disinformation

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Dr. Hany Farid and Ted Schlein join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Tim Schultz to discuss deepfake technology and the challenge of the proliferation of fake news and disinformation. One of Aesop’s fables was titled Prometheus and Dolus, or sometimes alternatively titled, On Truth and Falsehood. In the fable, Prometheus can bring to life the figures he creates, and so he makes a sculpture of Truth (Veritas). When he is called away by Zeus, he leaves his workshop in the hands of his apprentice Dolus (the Greek God of Deception). While he is gone, Dolus fashions a replica of Prometheus's Truth, but runs out of clay, so his statue has no feet. When Prometheus returns, he marvels at the flawless likeness and fires both sculptures in the oven. When both figures come to life, Prometheus' Veritas (Truth) walks gracefully forward, while Dolus’ figure remains still - unable to walk. Ever after, Dolus' figure was called Mendacity (Falsehood). This is a fitting description of our topic which concerns the ever-growing area of deepfake digital media, its potential for tremendous negative consequences for domestic and international cybersecurity, its larger potential for societal disruption, and recommendations for how best to address it.

Articles:

California Enacts New Laws to Combat AI-Generated Deceptive Election Content, S. Levi, T. Rosen et al, Skadden, 27 Sep 2024
California Passes Election ‘Deepfake’ Laws, Forcing Social Media Companies to Take Action, NYT, 17 Sep 2024
Deepfakes Are Evolving. This Company Wants to Catch Them All, W. Knight, Wired, 27 Jun 2024
Hany Farid: Creating, Weaponizing, and Detecting Deep Fakes, UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, 3 May 2023 (video)
A Forensics Expert on Princess Kate’s Photo—and How Credentialing Tools Can Help Build Trust in a World of Increasing Uncertainty, H. Farid, TIME, 12 Mar 2024
AI is destabilizing ‘the concept of truth itself’ in 2024 election, P. Verma & G. De Vynck, Washington Post, 22 Jan 2024
Hany Farid: To limit disinformation, we must regulate internet platforms, E. Lempinen, UC Berkeley News, 21 Nov, 2023
Podcast: Hany Farid on deep fakes, doctored photos, and disinformation, H. Farid, Q. Jurecic & E. Douek, Brookings, 24 Jul 2020 (Podcast)
Creating,Using, Misusing, and Detecting Deep Fakes, Farid, H. (2022). Creating, Using, Misusing, and Detecting Deep Fakes. Journal of Online Trust and Safety, 1(4). https://doi.org/10.54501/jots.v1i4.56
CV: https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110075/witnesses/HHRG-116-IF16-Bio-FaridH-20191016.pdf
Ted Schlein’s 2-year-old Ballistic Ventures has already raised a second $360 million fund, J. Bort, TechCrunch, 14 Mar 2024
Cybersecurity investor Ted Schlein: ‘I think the whole landscape needs to be completely rethought’, A. Janofsky, The Record, 22 Apr 2021
Could AI and Deepfakes Sway the US Election?, L. Feiger, WIRED, 6 Sep 2024
The Trouble With Deepfakes: Liar's Dividend, FT Tech Tonic, 22 Aug 2024

Guests:

Timothy Schultz, Ph.D., Col., U.S. Air Force (Retired) - Co-Host

Associate Dean of Academics at the U.S. Naval War College. Dr. Schultz is a retired Air Force colonel and former U-2 pilot, and previously served as dean of the U.S. Air Force's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Tim's research interests include the transformative role of automation in warfare and the impact of technological change on institutions, society and military strategy. He authored "The Problem with Pilots: How Physicians, Engineers, and Airpower Enthusiasts Redefined Flight" and co-edited "Air Power in the Age of Primacy: Air Warfare since the Cold War."

Hany Farid, Ph.D.

Chief Science Officer at GetReal Labs specializing in image analysis, digital forensics, and the intersection of technology and society particularly as it pertains to online harms. Dr. Farid is also a professor at the University of California, Berkeley with a joint appointment in electrical engineering & computer sciences and the School of Information. He is a member of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Lab, Berkeley Institute for Data Science, Center for Innovation in Vision and Optics, Development Engineering, Vision Science Program, and is a senior faculty advisor for the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. His research focuses on digital forensics where he develops computational and mathematical techniques to authenticate digital media and debunk deepfakes.

Ted Schlein

Chairman Ballistic Ventures, & general partner for 25 years at Kleiner Perkins. Ted’s career in venture capital spans more than 30 years in the field of cybersecurity, and his roles as operator, founder, investor and advisor have resulted in the creation of companies that have fundamentally shaped the cybersecurity landscape. Ted also provides counsel to the U.S. intelligence community, serves on the Board of Trustees at InQTel, and he is a board member of the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s Advisory Committee. Ballistic Ventures is the embodiment of Ted’s vision for how venture capital can play a crucial role in the continual fight for a free and secure digital future.

Episode 12: Playing with Fire: Election Violence in the U.S. in 2024 & Beyond

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Professor Jacob Ware joins host Col. Dave Brown and Dr. Timothy Hoyt to discuss both current manifestations of and potential future episodes of election violence in this presidential election cycle. Quoting from one of Professor Ware's recent articles, "counterterrorism scholars and analysts have predicted for [some time] that the 2024 presidential election would provide a particularly volatile flashpoint for election violence. The near-assassination of Trump demonstrates the accuracy of these concerns—but they are only part of the story."

The conversation ranges from how political rhetoric framed in existential terms drives these outcomes, the staggering percentages of the U.S. polity that feel violence might be necessary to fix U.S. political problems, and identifies potential target orientations before, during, and after the election. This timely discussion focuses on the growth and significance of both realized and potential political violence in our country as we move into this important election season, and beyond.

Articles/Reference:

Election Violence Is Already in Full Swing, J. Ware, Lawfare, 22 Sep 2024
Opinion: Trump assassination attempts are just the beginning. Imagine what is coming after the election, J. Ware & C. Clarke, L.A. Times, 17 Sep 2024
How Bad Will Political Violence in the U.S. Get? B. Hoffman & J. War, Foreign Policy, 28 Jun 2024
Preventing U.S. Election Violence in 2024, J. Ware, CFR, 17 April 2024
Political Violence Becomes America's New Norm - But is Still Shocking, A. Zurcher, BBC, 15 Sep 2024
2 Virginia Guardsmen Are Running a Rural Anti-Government Militia, S. Beynon, Military.com, 5 Sep 2024
Could Civil War Erupt in America?, R. Agrawal, Foreign Policy, 29 Aug 2024 (video)
Iran Hack Illuminates Long-Standing Trends—and Raises New Challenges, R. DiResta, Lawfare, 26 Aug 2024
Two Ex-Marines Sentenced for Terror Plot to Attack Power Grid, N. Slayton, Task & Purpose, 27 Jul 2024
FBI Probing Trump Rally Shooting as ‘Domestic Terrorism’ as RNC Opens, Al Jazeera, 15 Jul 2024

Guests:

Timothy D. Hoyt, Ph.D. – Co-Host

Senior Professor at the U.S. Naval War College’s Strategy and Policy Department. Professor Hoyt holds the John Nicholas Brown Chair of Counterterrorism and Academic Director of the Advanced Strategist Program. Publications include articles on the war on terrorism in South Asia, the limits of military force in the global war on terrorism, military innovation and warfare in the developing world, and the impact of nuclear weapons on recent crises in South Asia. He is currently working on a book on American military strategy in the 21st Century, and a study of the strategy of the Irish Republican Army from 1913-2005.

Jacob Ware

Research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where he studies domestic and international terrorism and counterterrorism. Together with Bruce Hoffman, he is the author of God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America. In addition to his work at CFR, Ware is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he teaches a class on domestic terrorism, as well as at DeSales University. He also serves on the editorial boards for the academic journal Studies in Conflict & Terrorism and the Irregular Warfare Initiative at the Modern War Institute at West Point, and was a spring 2024 visiting fellow at the University of Oslo's Center for Research on Extremism.

Episode 11: Viribus Mari Victoria: The U.S. Naval War College – 140 Years of Excellence

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:00:00 -0400

In this special episode, on the occasion of the 140th Anniversary of the U.S. Naval War College, we take a break from the annals of Irregular Warfare and focus on the historical legacy and significance of this storied institution. Viribus Mari Victoria: or from the Latin (Victory thru Sea Power) is the motto of the college, and Dr. John Hattendorf and Dr. John Maurer join host COL Dave Brown as they reflect on the oldest continuing institution of its kind in the world. The Naval War College is a national treasure, and quoting its founder, Admiral Stephen Luce, its legacy and task today, remains to; “broaden an officer’s views, extend his mental horizon on national and international questions, and give him a just appreciation of the great variety and extent of the requirements of his (or her) profession.”

Reference:

Sailors and Scholars - The Centennial History of the U.S. Naval War College by John B. Hattendorf, B. Mitchell Simpson, III, John R. Wadleigh. Newport, R.I. : Naval War College Press ; 1984

Guests:

John B. Hattendorf, D.Phil., D.Litt., L.H.D., F.R.Hist.S.

Professor Emeritus, and former Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History from 1984 to 2016, Professor Hattendorf also served as Chair of the College’s Advanced Research Department, Chair of the Maritime History Department, and Director of the Naval War College Museum. A former Surface Warfare Officer, he earned degrees in history from Kenyon College, Brown University, and the University of Oxford. He is the author or editor of more than 50 books, including "Sailors and Scholars," and the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History."

John H. Maurer, Ph.D.

The Alfred Thayer Mahan Distinguished University Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy at the college. He also served as the Chair of the Strategy and Policy Department, where he led a major reform of the College’s curriculum on strategy. He is a graduate of Yale University and holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is the author or editor of books examining the outbreak of the First World War, naval rivalries and arms control between the two world wars, and a study about Winston Churchill’s views on British foreign policy and grand strategy. He is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and served as executive editor of Orbis: A Journal of World Affairs. He also serves on the Academic Board of Advisers of The International Churchill Society, and has served on the Secretary of the Navy’s advisory committee on naval history.

Episode 10: Shadows of 9/11: Simmering Threats & Dormant Dangers

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Marking the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, guests Dr. Tim Hoyt and Dr. Craig Whiteside join host Col. Dave Brown as they revisit their policy roundtable 2019 article, “Retrospect and Prospect: On Endless War,” and continue their discussion and analysis of not only how American thinking and counter-terrorism efforts have evolved, but that the simmering threats of Al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State still deserve continued monitoring.

Articles:

Policy Roundtable: 17 Years After September 11, R. Evans et al, TNSR, 11 Sep 2018
Non-state campaigning: Islamic State’s guerrilla warfare doctrine, C. Whiteside, et al, Jul 2024
The Persistent Threat of Global Terrorism, P. Brookes, GIS Reports, 4 Apr 2024
Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Office of DIA, 5 Feb 2024
The Terrorism Warning Lights Are Blinking Red Again, G. Allison & M. Morell, Foreign Affairs, 10 Jun 2024
Where Do We Stand with Al-Qaeda and ISIS? International Salafi Networks in 2024, A. Byers, Small Wars Journal, 16 Jun 2024
‘ISIS Isn’t Done With Us’: Arrested Tajiks Highlight US Fears of Terror Attack on US, K. Lillis & J. Campbell, CNN, 14 Jun 2024
The Islamic State: Background, Current Status, and U.S. Policy, Congressional Research Service, May 2024

Guests:

Timothy D. Hoyt, Ph.D.

Craig Whiteside, Ph.D.

Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College’s resident program at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a senior associate with the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups, and a fellow at the International Centre for Counter-terrorism – The Hague, and George Washington's Program on Extremism. Whiteside’s current research focuses on the doctrinal influences on the leadership of the so-called Islamic State movement and its evolving strategies. He is a former U.S. Army officer with combat experience in the Middle East.

Episode 9: The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 09:00:00 -0400

In conjunction with the 2024 Maritime Symposium: Exploring Our Maritime Strategies II, guests Royal Navy Commodore Adrian Fryer (Ret.) and Mr. Evan Curt join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Jon R. Huggins to discuss security threats to shipping, particularly energy exports sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Listen to this episode to gain an overview of the security threats within this critical maritime strait, and to global maritime commerce.

Articles:

Co-Host:

Jon R. Huggins is an Associate Professor for International Programs at the U.S. Naval War College. As the founding Director of the Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) program during the height of the Somali piracy crisis, his organization’s research was featured by the BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Al Jazeera. OBP was also a key contributor to the release of 44 piracy hostages held in Somalia for up to four years. He later worked across four continents as a maritime security consultant for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Maritime Organization, the G7++ Presidency and the commercial shipping industry. A career Navy P-3 Naval Flight Officer, he directed multi-squadron flight operations for Operation Enduring Freedom, and also served on the NATO and EU Military Staffs in Brussels, 7th Fleet HQ, and was a Federal Executive Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a member of the CNO Executive Panel staff.

Guests:

Evan Curt

Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs, Republic of the Marshall Islands. In 2012, Mr. Curt joined International Registries, Inc.’s Maritime Services Group as Maritime Security & Investigations Coordinator and in 2015 was promoted to Ship Security Manager. In 2021, Mr. Curt was promoted to Vice President, Maritime Security. In this role, Mr. Curt is responsible for issues relating to the ISPS Code and related maritime security issues and initiatives including piracy and armed robbery against ships, maritime terrorism, stowaways, contraband smuggling, and maritime cyber risk management. He serves as a delegate to many maritime security working groups coordinated and supported by shipping industry associations, NATO, coalition naval forces, and the IMO. Mr. Curt earned his M.A. in Maritime Security from Coventry University, his M.B.A. from Arizona State University, and his B.A. in Business and International Studies from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Curt is a certified ISO 9001:2008 Lead Internal Auditor and ISPS Code Security Officer.

Adrian Fryer

A 31-year career warfare officer in the Royal Navy with a wide range of operational and academic experience. Sea Commands included HMS TYNE on UK Maritime Security duties, HMS CLYDE in the South Atlantic and Falkland Islands, and the T45 destroyer HMS DAUNTLESS, which served as Air and Missile Defense Commander to the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Battle Group conducting counter IS operations in the Gulf. Operational Commands included: Captain Patrol, Underwater Exploitation and Diving; 1st Command of the International Maritime Security Construct and Coalition Task Force Sentinel (Middle East); Commander UK Forces and UK Maritime Component Commander (wider Middle East); and Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest naval operational partnership (for which he was awarded the U.S. Legion of Merit). He is an alumnus of the Advanced Command and Staff Course (Shrivenham), the Executive Alliance Business School (Manchester), and the U.S. Naval War College, where he later taught Joint Military Operations.

Episode 8: The Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:00:00 -0400

In conjunction with the 2024 Maritime Symposium: Exploring Our Maritime Strategies II, guests Capt. Joe Baggett, Nadwa Al-Dawsari, and Evan Curt join host Col. Dave Brown to discuss the Houthi attacks on global shipping vessels and U.S. warships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in the Red Sea. Listen to this episode to gain an overview of the threat to this critical maritime region.

Articles:

DIA Report on Houthi Attacks and Pressure on International Trade, USNI News, 13 June 2024
65 countries affected by Houthi attacks in Red Sea, including Iran, A. Helou, Breaking Defense, 13 Jun 2024
Maritime Terrorism Is on The Rise Whether We Notice it or Not, The Diplomatic Courier, 23 May 2024
Ending the Houthi Threat to Red Sea, N. Al-Dawsari, Casey Cooms, et al, American Enterprise Institute, 26 Mar 2024
IntelBrief: Iran and the Houthis Issue New Threats to Commercial Shipping, The Soufan Center, 26 Mar 2024
Escalating Houthi attacks could affect 90% of world trade, ABC News, 21 Feb 2024

Guests:

Nadwa Al-Dawsari

A veteran researcher, conflict analyst, and policy advisor, Nadwa Al-Dawsari has 20 years of experience in Yemen and the Middle East. She is a Nonresident Scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and a Fellow at the Center on Armed Groups. She advises policymakers, donors, and humanitarian organizations, and her insights are widely published by the top think tanks in the United States and Europe. In her previous roles, Nadwa served as a senior conflict advisor to the World Food Program, a Yemen Country Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, the founding Director at Partners Yemen, a MENA advisor at Partners Global, and a Senior Program Manager at the National Democratic Institute. Nadwa’s research focuses on Yemeni and regional conflict dynamics, including the impact of U.S. foreign policy, internationally led peace efforts, counterterrorism, and aid on regional stability, amidst the rise of non-state armed actors and proxy warfare.

Capt. Joseph Baggett, USN

Commanding Officer of the U.S. Navy’s Surface Warfare School and former senior staff officer for MOC-D C5F. Capt. Baggett served on a number of U.S. naval vessels including the USS Klakring (FFG 42); USS Stout (DDG 55); USS Barry (DDG 52); USS Anzio (CG 68); He also was commanding officer of the Destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61). Shore tours include service on the staff of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet as lead exercise planner in Future Plans; lead requirements officer for the Littoral Combat Ship - Mine Warfare Mission Package, at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; and the operations officer for the Deployable Training Division on the Joint Staff (J7); Most recently he served as chief of staff for USNAVCENT / C5F and the MOC-D. He currently serves as the Commanding Officer of Surface Warfare Schools Command (SWSC).

Evan Curt

Episode 7: Dire Straits – Maritime Attacks in the Red Sea & the Persian Gulf

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 09:00:00 -0400

In anticipation of CIWAG’s 2024 Maritime Symposium: Exploring Our Maritime Strategies – II, scheduled for June 24-25, Guest Dr. Ian Ralby joins host Col. Dave Brown to discuss the two great maritime straits in the Middle East. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf currently share several things; both are under threat and both have tremendous implications related not only to global shipping, but by extension, the entire global economy.

Listen to this episode to gain an overview of the threats to these two critical maritime regions. Join us for more in-depth discussion, at our Maritime Symposium 24-25 June, by registering here.

Articles:

Maritime Terrorism Is On The Rise Whether We Notice It Or Not, The Diplomatic Courier, 23 May 2024
IntelBrief: Iran and the Houthis Issue New Threats to Commercial Shipping, The Soufan Center, 26 Mar 2024
Escalating Houthi Attacks Could Affect 90% of World Trade, ABC News, 21 Feb 2024

Guest:

Ian M. Ralby, Ph.D. is a globally recognized expert in maritime law and security, especially addressing evolving threats, maritime strategy, and the global maritime economy. In addition to being founder and CEO of I.R. Consilium, providing advice and assistance on maritime and resource security, he is also a Fellow at the Center on Maritime Strategy in partnership with the Navy League, and an affiliate of several institutions including the U.S. Naval War College, the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies, and the Institute for Security Governance. He previously spent 6 years as an Adjunct Professor of Maritime Law and Security at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies, and served 5 years as a subject matter expert on Maritime Crime for the United Nations Office on Drugs and the Global Maritime Crime Program.

Selected Publications

Episode 6: Navigating Arctic Ambitions - Frozen Water & Warming Seas

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Dr. Lawson Brigham and Dr. Rebecca Pincus join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Walter Berbrick to discuss the growing importance of the Arctic Sea as an area of economic resources, Trans-Arctic shipping routes, and a potential zone of international security concerns. This episode will touch upon items relating to the Arctic Council, Arctic development, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine War, and a new era of peace and security in the region. Tune in to hear our participants’ thoughts on threat activity in the High North, along with the need for increased strategic considerations and updated U.S. policy directions.

Articles:

New Challenges for the Bering Strait, L. Brigham, USNI Proceedings Vol.150/5/1,455, May 2024.
Polar Points No. 27 | New Era of Arctic Cooperation, L. Brigham & R. Pincus, Wilson Center, 4 Apr. 2024.
360° View of Policies Needed to Secure Shipping Chokepoints, M. Kennedy, J. Macaron, Wilson Center, et al. (R. Pincus, co-author), 13 Feb. 2024.
The IMO Polar Code: Safety and Environmental Protection for Polar Waters, L. Brigham, USNI Proceedings Vol.150/1/1,451, Jan. 2024.
Agency Challenges and Implications with a US Extended Continental Shelf, L. Brigham, Wilson Center, 19 Dec. 23.
Polar Institute Director Rebecca Pincus on 'What Is Strategic Competition?', R. Pincus, Wilson Center, 5 Jan. 2024.
Arctic Militarization and Russian Military Theory, M. Petersen & R. Pincus, Orbis, Volume 65, Issue 3, 2021, Pages 490-512.
Security and geopolitics in the Arctic: The Increase of Hybrid Threat Activities in the Norwegian High North, G. H. Gjorv, Hybrid CoE, March 2024.
400+ Allied, Joint Special Operations Forces Secure the Arctic, M. Carey, DVIDS, 14 Mar. 2024.

Co-Host:

Walter Berbrick, Ph.D. Senior national security executive, strategist, and advisor with two decades of experience leading teams in policy, intelligence, military and academic communities at the highest levels of government. He currently serves as an analyst in the War Gaming Department in the U.S. Naval War College, and was a previous professor at the college. Walter has held national security roles at the State Department and Pentagon and served for 10 years in the U.S. Navy.

Guests:

Lawson W. Brigham, Ph.D. Global Fellow in the Wilson Center's Polar Institute in Washington, DC. He is a researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Fellow at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Center for Arctic Study & Policy. Captain Brigham was a career Coast Guard officer and commanded four cutters including the icebreaker Polar Sea on Arctic & Antarctic expeditions. During 2004-09 he was chair of the Arctic Council's Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment. He is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and earned his PhD at Cambridge University. Dr. Brigham is a Council on Foreign Relations member and a former member of the National Academies Polar Research Board.

Rebecca Pincus, Ph.D. Director of the Polar Institute at the Wilson Center, and previously on the faculty at the U.S. Naval War College, where her research focused on Arctic security and geopolitics. Dr. Pincus also worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, as an Arctic and Climate Strategy Advisor. A Fulbright Fellow in Iceland, conducting research on Arctic states and security, she was previously on the faculty at the Coast Guard Academy and worked on polar policy for the U.S. Coast Guard, at the Center for Arctic Study and Policy. Widely published and a contributing author for the 5th National Climate Assessment, she has also testified before Congress and the U.S.-China Commission on security and defense in the polar regions.

Episode 5: Wagner - The Rise and Fall of a Russian Mercenary Group

Tue, 07 May 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Dr. Colin Clarke and Raphael Parens join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Christopher Faulkner to discuss the Wagner Group’s rise and fall, as well as what’s happened to the group since the death of its leader in August 2023. Private military companies (PMCs) have been around for decades, but Russia’s use of these private military entities has become an increasingly prominent feature of its overall foreign policy, and the Kremlin has made extensive use of them across the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and Ukraine. One of the most well-known of these PMCs in security circles is the infamous “Wagner Group,” which burst on the international scene in 2014, but became increasingly visible after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Articles:

Wagner Group: Where Are They Now?, C. Clarke, C. Faulkner & R. Parens, FPRI, 29 Nov 23
Commentary: “Who Thinks Wins”: How Smarter U.S. Counterterrorism in the Sahel Can Pay Dividends for Great Power Competition, C. Faulkner, R. Parens & M. Plichta, CTC Sentinel, Apr 23 – Vol 16 – Issue 4
How Russia’s Wagner Group Is Fueling Terrorism in Africa, C. Clarke, Foreign Policy, Jan 25.
After Prigozhin: The Future of the Wagner Model in Africa, C. Faulkner, R. Parens & M. Plichta, CTC Sentinel, Sept 23 – Vol 16 – Issue 9
Mercenary Shocks: What the War in Ukraine Will Eventually Mean for Africa?, R. Parens, WOTR, 17 Feb 23
Niger’s Pivot to Moscow: What’s Next for US Engagement in Africa?, R. Parens, C. Faulkner & M. Plichta, FPRI, 5 Apr
The West Needs to Prepare for the ‘Next Wagner’ in Africa, C. Faulkner, R. Parens & M. Plichta, WPR, 20 Jul 23

Guests:

Colin P. Clarke, Ph.D., Director of Research and Senior Research Fellow at The Soufan Group (TSG), an intelligence and security consulting firm based in New York City. He is also an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT) - The Hague, and a non-resident Senior Fellow in the Program on National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Prior to joining TSG, Clarke was a professor in the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. He appears in the media frequently to discuss global security, conflict, and terrorism, and is the author of several books, including After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future Terrorist Diaspora.

Raphael Parens, Fellow in FPRI’s Eurasia Program and an international security researcher focused on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He specializes in African security, paramilitary groups, and Eurasian security. Raphael has been published in Foreign Affairs, West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel magazine, War on the Rocks, and FPRI. His work was recently published in a French-language anthology, Les défis sécuritaires en Afrique. He has been cited in the U.S. Congressional Testimony, and he has been interviewed for a variety of pieces on the Wagner Group.

Episode 4: Against All Enemies – Foreign and Domestic; the Growth of Far-Right Extremism in America

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Dr. Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Timothy Hoyt to discuss the modern growth of Far-Right terrorism in the United States; its definitions and distinctions, historical roots, major groups, recruitment, connections to U.S. military services, international expansion, and policy options in confronting these emerging militant movements.

Articles:

God, Guns, and Sedition - Far-Right Terrorism in America, B. Hoffman & J. Ware, Columbia University Press, Jan 2024
Why the Far-Right Terrorist Threat Is Often Misunderstood and Underestimated, B. Hoffman & J. Ware, CFR, 26 Feb
The Urgent Mission to Counter Military Extremism, B. Hoffman & J. Ware, U.S. NEWS, 19 Jan 2024
How the United States Became a Leading Exporter of White Supremacist Terrorism, B. Hoffman & J. Ware, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sept 23
The Terrorist Threats and Trends to Watch Out for in 2023 and Beyond, B. Hoffman & J. Ware, CTC Sentinel, Nov/Dec 2022, Vol 15, Issue 11.

Guests:

Bruce Hoffman, Ph.D. Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis senior fellow for counterterrorism and homeland security at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He has been studying terrorism and insurgency for almost half a century. He is a professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and professor emeritus of terrorism studies at the University of St Andrews; and the George H. Gilmore Senior Fellow at the US Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center. He is the author of a number of books including Inside Terrorism, 3rd edition.

Jacob Ware: Research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where he studies domestic and international terrorism and counterterrorism. He was previously a research associate for counterterrorism at CFR. In addition to his work at CFR, Ware is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he teaches a class on domestic terrorism. He also serves on the editorial boards for the academic journal Studies in Conflict & Terrorism and the Irregular Warfare Initiative at the Modern War Institute at West Point.

Episode 3: Blue Water Horizon: Building Maritime Capacity in the Indo-Pacific

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Jada Fraser and Dr. Scott Edwards join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Curtis Bell to analyze the continuing and growing need for broad and comprehensive maritime collaboration to protect shared commerce and increase security across the vastness of the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific.

Articles:

The Quad, AUKUS, and I2U2 formats: Major lessons from mini-laterals; J. Fraser, M. Soliman, 28 Jun 23
An Allied Coast Guard Approach to Countering CCP Maritime Gray Zone Coercion; J. Fraser, 29 Mar 23
Prospects for the Quad Coast Guards to Cooperate Toward Implementation of the Free and Open Indo- Pacific Vision; J. Bradford, K. Koga, S. Edwards, 12 Jun 23
Fragmentation, Complexity and Cooperation: Understanding Southeast Asia’s Maritime Security Governance; S. Edwards, April 2022
Surrounding the Ocean: PRC Influence in the Indian Ocean; D. Baruah, 18 Apr 23
The Indo-Pacific Strategy: 2 Years Later; U.S. Dept of State, 14 Feb
The Indian Ocean Strategic Map, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Freq Updated.

Guests:

Curtis Bell, Ph.D. – Associate Professor and Director of the Maritime Security and Governance Staff Course at the U.S. Naval War College. He has worked on five continents and presented to audiences including the African Union and United Nations. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Economist, several academic journals. He is also the founder of Stable Seas, and developer of the Maritime Security Index.

Jada Fraser: Graduate student in Asian Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs. Ms. Fraser recently studied Japanese in Tokyo and served on an internship with US Indo-PACOM command. She is an author in her own right on aspects of countering China maritime coercion and particularly security alliance partnering in the Pacific.

Scott Edwards, Ph.D.: Lecturer at the University of Reading and Research Fellow at the Yokosuka Council on Asia Pacific Studies. Dr. Edwards’ research and publication interests center on Southeast Asia’s maritime issues and the building of maritime security governance, within the Indo-Pacific. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham, and was formerly a postdoctoral research associate at both the University of Bristol and at the University of Leeds.

Episode 2: The Edge of Tomorrow: Analyzing Emerging IW Trends

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guests LTG David Barno and Dr. Nora Bensahel join host Col. Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Timothy Hoyt to analyze emerging trends in the character of Irregular Warfare (IW), as seen in the on-going conflicts in both Ukraine and Gaza.

Article: Learning from Real Wars: Gaza and Ukraine - War on the Rocks, D. Barno & N. Bensahel, War on the Rocks, Dec 6, 2023.

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Guests:

Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Retired): Professor of Practice at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is also a contributing editor and columnist for War on the Rocks, and adjunct researcher at the Institute for Defense Analyses. General Barno completed a thirty-year active-duty Army career where he commanded at every level, culminating as the overall U.S. and coalition commander in Afghanistan from 2003-2005.

Nora Bensahel, Ph.D.: Professor of Practice at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Contributing editor and columnist for War on the Rocks. She is an expert on U.S. defense policy, military operations, and the future of warfare. She and her co-author, retired Army Lieutenant General David Barno, have written over 100 articles on the changing character of war and contemporary challenges facing the US military; also, Adaptation Under Fire: How Militaries Change in Wartime.

Episode 1: Words Matter: Irregular Warfare Definitions and Constructs

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Guests Robert S. Burrell, Richard Tilley, and David H. Ucko join host Col. Dave Brown to discuss the definition of Irregular Warfare (IW), its changing construct in DoD, and its overall utility. The group touches on the broader dimensions of the “competition” space indirectly affecting both IW and the larger international security environment.

Article: A Full Spectrum of Conflict Design: How Doctrine Should Embrace Irregular Warfare, Robert S. Burrell, March 14, 2023

Article: JP 1 Volume 1, Joint Warfighting, 27 August 2023

Article: Redefining Irregular Warfare: Legitimacy, Coercion, And Power, David H. Ucko and Thomas A. Marks, Oct 18, 2022

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Guests:

Robert S. Burrell, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Joint Special Operations University with several years of adult learning and teaching experience at the graduate and undergraduate level. My area of expertise and scholarship includes international diplomacy and human intelligence, as well as military history, theory, and doctrine. Previously, I taught history at U.S. Naval Academy. I am also the former editor-in-chief of special operations doctrine. A retired Marine with combat experience, I am an Asia-Pacific expert with 12 years living and working in Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Thailand, as well as a diplomatic tour at the U.S. Embassy in Australia.

Richard Tilley serves at the J7 office of IW & Competition. Formerly the principal advisor to Chairman Joint Chiefs and Joint Staff concerning ability to wage IW sustain campaigns of strategic competition against our adversaries. Directed CJCS’ Joint Irregular Warfare Assessment. Led efforts to institutionalize and integrate IW and strategic competition capabilities and activities across the Joint Force and in coordination with interagency, multinational, and other domestic and foreign interorganizational partners. Prior to joining the Joint Staff in 2021, Richard served as a strategist in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security analyzing adversarial competitive strategies and orienting the Department’s sensitive activities and special operations. Previously served as the national security advisor to a senior member of the HASC, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

David H. Ucko, PhD is a Professor at the College of International Security Affairs (CISA) of the National Defense University, Washington DC, where he teaches irregular warfare and strategy to international military and civilian practitioners. From 2019-2023, he was the chair of CISA's Department of War & Conflict Studies (WACS) and, from 2018-2022, the Director of the Regional Defense Fellowship Program, whereby he led the College's international deployment of mobile education teams. Dr. Ucko is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and a senior visiting fellow at the Department of War Studies, King's College London.