#military-strategy
292 episodes
#5671: Why Armies Still Fight With Paper Maps
Paper maps mean opposite things: prudence in Finland, a broken supply chain in Russia. Same artifact, opposite story.
#5649: Who Actually Controls Europe's B61 Bombs?
The US parks B61 bombs in six allied countries — but never hands over the keys. How nuclear sharing is engineered to not require trust.
#5575: Why 1930s Riveters Carried Bigger Pouches Than You Do
A catcher's mitt made of metal, a red-hot rivet you can't look at, and the 90-year-old tool list that never changed.
#5440: What Does a Space Force Actually Do All Day?
Rockets get the coverage, but the real work happens at consoles on the ground. What 15,000 Guardians actually do.
#5439: Life at 76 Degrees North: Inside Pituffik Space Base
A few hundred people, four months of darkness, and a $100M-a-year mission on thawing permafrost.
#5109: Inside Israel's Snap Drills: Rehearsing the Worst Day
What actually happens when a country rehearses its own worst day? Inside the surprise, the planning, and the October 7 lessons reshaping Israeli dr...
#5085: Was the System Built for a Slow Prime Minister?
Moving past blame to ask whether governance systems assume leaders won't fail.
#5084: Three Hours in the Dark: Scrutiny or Scapegoat?
Was the scrutiny of Netanyahu's response on Oct 7th legitimate accountability or a witch hunt? We explore the dangerous rush to judgment.
#5069: When Probes Can Punish: Israel's Inquiry Dilemma
Why Israel's state commissions can blame—but often fail to deliver—and what Australia, the UK, and the US do differently.
#5068: The PM's Diary: 3 Hours, 2 Versions, 1 Hard Question
An edited official diary, a three-hour gap, and what we actually owe leaders in a crisis.
#5040: The 130,000-Person Secret: Beyond Oppenheimer's Story
The Manhattan Project wasn't just physicists on a mesa. It was 130,000 workers, secret cities, and an industrial effort we rarely hear about.
#5037: Why the Russia-Ukraine War Grinds On: Attrition & Escalation
The Russia-Ukraine war has become a war of attrition. Why hasn't the West stopped it? A deep dive into the frozen front, energy strikes, and diplom...
#5036: What Happens to a War When the World Stops Watching?
Why do wars fade from our minds? We explore the structural forces behind attention decay and how Russia exploits it.
#5006: How Undercover Units Vanish in Plain Sight
Why a vegetable truck works better than a spy car — and the razor-thin margin between success and disaster.
#5005: How Hamas Lost Its Own Security Chief
The raid that captured Hamas's internal security chief reveals a brutal system that failed at its core mission.
#4951: Hostage Situations: Hollywood vs. Reality
Are hostage situations as common as movies make them seem? The surprising numbers and what they actually look like.
#4950: The Siege: Ancient Warfare’s Darkest Tactic
From Roman circumvallation to Gaza — how sieges became war crimes, yet persist.
#4948: Why Mercenaries Keep Wars Going
How for-profit armies become stakeholders in endless war.
#4946: When Settler Violence Became a Pattern
How a 90% closure rate on complaints reveals a system designed for impunity.
#4945: What Actually Counts as a War Crime?
A ground-up look at IHL, the Geneva Conventions, and where the law leaves room for genuine disagreement.
#4943: When Rome Didn't Have a Standing Army
The Roman Republic fought constantly but disbanded its army every year. So when did standing armies actually begin?
#4941: Can a Former General Topple Netanyahu?
Gadi Eisenkot launched a new party in August 2026. Here's why his military credentials might actually threaten Netanyahu's coalition.
#4940: The Right-Wing Spoiler Who Could Unseat Netanyahu
A hardline general launches a party that might accidentally hand the left a government.
#4938: What's the Point of War Laws?
Exploring the tension between clear treaty obligations and fuzzy battlefield enforcement.