School of War podcast

School of War

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. Visit our Substack for episode transcripts Follow along on Instagram

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. Visit our Substack for episode transcripts Follow along on Instagram

 

#259

Ep 256: Nadia Schadlow on Strategic Depth

Nadia Schadlow, former Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for... more

12 Dec 2025

38 MINS

38:17

12 Dec 2025


#258

Ep 255: Roya Hakakian on the Islamic Revolution

Roya Hakakian, author of  [Assassins of the Turquoise Palace] (https://a.co/d/j4PONwe) and... more

09 Dec 2025

52 MINS

52:54

09 Dec 2025


#257

Ep 254: Frank Gavin on History and Statecraft

Frank Gavin, Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor and Director of the Henry A. Kissing... more

05 Dec 2025

54 MINS

54:15

05 Dec 2025


#256

Ep 253: Michael Pack on the Battle of Fallujah

Michael Pack, President and CEO of Palladium Pictures LLC and director of [The Last 600 Me... more

02 Dec 2025

55 MINS

55:45

02 Dec 2025


#255

Ep 252: Andrew Lambert on the British Empire’s Strategic Challenges and America’s Today

Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies, King... more

28 Nov 2025

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:01

28 Nov 2025


#254

Ep 251: John Lee on Ukraine, Peace, and What China Wants

John Lee, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute,  joins the show to discuss the Trump admi... more

25 Nov 2025

47 MINS

47:39

25 Nov 2025


#253

Ep 250: Jeremy Armstrong on Ancient Rome’s Myths and Warfare

Jeremy Armstrong, Professor of Classics & Ancient History at the University of Auckland an... more

21 Nov 2025

1 HR 05 MINS

1:05:42

21 Nov 2025


#252

Ep 249: Mick Ryan on the Ukrainian Way of War

Major General Mick Ryan, Australian Army (retired), Senior Fellow for Military Studies the... more

18 Nov 2025

50 MINS

50:12

18 Nov 2025


#251

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 o... more

14 Nov 2025

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:46

14 Nov 2025


#250

Ep 247: Nicholas Wright on the Brain Science of War

Nicholas Wright, neuroscientist and author of [Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War S... more

11 Nov 2025

52 MINS

52:42

11 Nov 2025


#249

Ep 246: Veterans Day Special — Remembering Angus MacLean

Host Aaron MacLean pays tribute to his father, World War Two and Vietnam Veteran Angus Mac... more

10 Nov 2025

13 MINS

13:49

10 Nov 2025


#248

Ep 245: Edward Luce on Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Twentieth Century

Edward Luce, U.S. national editor and columnist at the Financial Times and author of [Zbig... more

07 Nov 2025

52 MINS

52:25

07 Nov 2025


#247

Ep 244: Oren Cass on a Strategy of Reciprocity

Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and author of the article [A Gr... more

04 Nov 2025

57 MINS

57:41

04 Nov 2025


#246

Ep 243: Alexander Mikaberidze on Russia’s Failed Battle with Turkey… in 1809

Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History at LSU Shreveport and contributor to [An Unavo... more

31 Oct 2025

52 MINS

52:16

31 Oct 2025


#245

Ep 243: Joshua S. Treviño—Is Trump After Regime Change in Venezuela?

Joshua S. Treviño, Chief Transformation Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and ... more

28 Oct 2025

41 MINS

41:30

28 Oct 2025


#244

Ep 242: Michael Sobolik on On Donald Trump’s Trade War with China

Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and author of [Countering China’s Great... more

24 Oct 2025

47 MINS

47:52

24 Oct 2025


#243

Ep 241: Julian Jackson on Nazi-Occupied France and Pétain

Julian Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Modern French History at Queen Mary University of Lo... more

21 Oct 2025

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:34

21 Oct 2025


#242

Ep 240: Lance R. Blyth on Mountain Warfare

Lance R. Blyth, command historian at the North American Aerospace Defense Command and auth... more

17 Oct 2025

56 MINS

56:55

17 Oct 2025


#241

Ep 239: Charles C. Mann on How the System Works

Charles C. Mann, author of [“How the System Works”] (https://www.thenewatlantis.com/public... more

14 Oct 2025

58 MINS

58:14

14 Oct 2025