Ron@cognitivewarriorproject.com

Too Many Good Podcasts Not to Discuss: Update

Too Many Good Podcasts Not to Discuss: Update

Are you looking for something new to listen to? This week there are simply too many good podcasts not to discuss them. So instead of multiple posts, I thought I would just consolidate them into one place so you can pick and choose to your liking. I have not yet listened to them all, but definitely will, and I will update this post as I work my way through the rest of them over the week.

Probably the most important podcast you could listen to today. You cannot be frustrated enough at Congress’ dereliction of duty IRT ship building. There are glimmers of life, but not enough if our current Cold War turns hot.

Eric Chewning and Thomas Moore of HII join the show to discuss America’s military shipbuilding challenges, and their potential solutions.

Monday was the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, while this story is not about Auschwitz, it is an incredible story about resistance, leadership and survival. Definitely worth a listen, an incredible story. ⁦

Diana Mara Henry and Gabe Scheinmann join the show to discuss the new book I Am André: German Jew, French Resistance Fighter, British Spy, which charts the astonishing, brave, and tragic World War II career of ‘André’ Joseph Scheinmann.

Not finished yet but this is too good not to share. “You are trying to make professional forces in an unprofessional state.” ⁦

⁩ SFA=FID. FID=(M)+(L) in DIMEFIL. DIMEFIL=GPC Nobody really wants to do FID, but it is essential in GPC.

After twenty years of America’s post-9/11 wars and the US military’s struggle to build capable and effective security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is an important discussion taking place about what role security force assistance should play for the United States in the very different strategic environment that is taking shape. Will it be a mission that we’ll be required to do in order to compete with Russia and China? Or will it become tangential to our preparations for large-scale combat operations? And given the challenges we faced over the past two decades, what needs to happen to achieve better outcomes in the future? Will Reno, a professor of political science at Northwestern University, and Franky Matisek, a military professor of national security affairs at the US Naval War College, have researched the topic deeply, including conducting hundreds of interviews in the field. They join this episode to discuss their findings.

There are a lot of updates here, but the general feeling is pretty negative on Ukraine and a French trained Ukrainian unit fell about mostly due to desertion….
Mike Kofman joined Ryan for a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges faced by both Ukraine and Russia this year. They discuss losses on both sides, manpower challenges, the importance of following the discourse in Ukraine, the Russian economy, and whether the Russian pace of operations will clearly slow down.
This is today’s drive home from work.
Chris, Zack, and Melanie got together to talk about the second Trump administration’s agenda in the Western Hemisphere. What interests does the United States have in Latin America? Should the United States be pushing back on China’s activities in the region? If so, what carrots and sticks can the United States offer countries there? And will the administration officials eager to focus on the region be able to sustain that focus, when so many other parts of the world are competing for U.S. attention?
I am looking forward to this one.
***UPDATE*** This was very good. If you are at all interested in countering China and the South China Sea, this is for you! The most interesting part was the discussion about maritime counterinsurgency vs. insurgency in regards to the Philippines – China South China Sea dispute.  

RAND’s senior behavioral scientist Todd Helmus joins Jim Carouso and Ray Powell to explain how China exploits the maritime “gray zone” to pursue its aggressive and expansionist policies without triggering open conflict.

They examine how China’s competitors have seen their sovereignty eroded and their influence wane by remaining passive in the face of gray-zone aggression. They discuss the crucial role of assertive transparency and affirmative engagement in illuminating these activities in order to counter them, while also building resiliency and international support against them.

Haven’t listened to this one yet but generally, I try to listen to each on that Edmund Fitton-Brown is on.
Bill is joined by show regular Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss Edmund’s latest analysis for Long War Journal: The role of Iraqi Shia militias as proxies in Iran’s Axis of Resistance.
Lieutenant Colonel Liam Walsh is currently the commander of the 4th Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment, “Manchu.” In this episode of The Spear, Liam speaks with MWI’s Charlie Faint about his experiences in reacting to an IED strike in Iraq and responding to a Taliban attack on a forward operating base in Afghanistan, and how a series of setbacks during a rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center helped him understand the power of “yet.”
Sergeant Major Chuck Ritter overcame a series of bad decisions in his youth—as well as a rough start to his Army career—to become a highly successful Special Forces senior noncommissioned officer. In this episode, Chuck joins MWI’s Charlie Faint for a discussion about resilience, personal responsibility, motivation, good leadership, and the circumstances that led to Chuck receiving the Purple Heart three times, as well as the Bronze Star and Silver Star medals for valor in combat. He also offers his perspectives about critical thinking, the utility of storytelling, and the dangers of hubris.
This was really good.
There has been a cultural sea change over the last year when it comes to health in America. It is shepherded by an unexpected coalition of nutritionists, longevity experts, wellness influencers, holistic and functional medicine doctors, moms wearing babies and natural deodorant, mushroom shamans, and some vaccine skeptics. They’ve gathered under the banner of Make American Healthy Again, or MAHA, and they’re here to tell us that plastic cutting boards, Diet Coke, and pasteurized milk—all things that once seemed perfectly normal in American life—are actually killing us.