Michael Gordon is the author of Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State. He is currently a National Security Correspondent with The Wall Street Journal. He has covered wars and conflicts for over 35 years with The Wall Street Journal and previously with The New York Times. In this interview, we discus the last decade of conflict against the Islamic State in which the United States applied a “by, with and through” strategy. This strategy supported Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian Democratic Forces with U.S. advisors in the field as well as multiple intelligence and air assets. Topics covered include the following: The conditions that allowed ISIS to capture territory in Iraq and Syria The capture of Mosul followed by the U.S. developing a strategy to respond The “By, With and Through” strategy that the U.S. employed based on a Special Forces concept to back local forces in the field of combat Where the term “Degrade and Destroy” came from and the strategic implications of how it shaped into “Operation Inherent Resolve” Michael discusses his frontline view of the conflict while embedded with Iraq’s Counterterrorism Service (CTS) and Kurdish Peshmerga forces The early struggle to take back Mosul and how it led to Lieutenant General Townsend’s “Tactical Directive One” The difference between the Battle of Mosul and the Battle of Raqqa How the U.S. and Russia faced off in Syria The current state of “Operation Inherent Resolve” and the current disposition of the Islamic State Lessons learned from “Operation Inherent Resolve” Michael Gordon Bibliography: Degrade and Destroy: The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama COBRA II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq The Generals’ War Article: “How the War Against ISIS Was Won” Follow and contact Michael Gordon: Twitter: @mgordonwsj LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgordonwsj/ E-mail: Michael.gordon@wsj.com and mgwsj@protonmail.com HELP SPREAD THE WORD! If you like the interview and want to hear others, subscribe in iTunes, Spotify, or Audible. Support the show with written reviews, share on social media, and through word of mouth. To request additional shows or guests, e-mail me: tim@professionalmilitaryeducation.com Check out the website: www.professionalmilitaryeducation.com
In this interview, I speak with Dave Palka. Dave is an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps. When he was a Captain, he commanded Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, NC. In March 2016, Echo Battery was inserted into northern Iraq. They formed Task Force Spartan and were given the mission of providing artillery fires to support Iraqi Security Forces preparing for the Battle of Mosul. Over the course of 67 days, Echo Battery endured indirect fire from enemy rockets as well as complex combined arms attacks. In the process, they fought back and fired over 2,000 artillery rounds that set the initial stages for the battle that would lead to ISIS losing Mosul and eventually all their territorial claims to parts of Iraq and Syria. Echo Battery was one of the first combat units to fight on the ground in Iraq since U.S. forces left in 2011. Echo Battery fought hard as the enemy rocketed their position with 122mm Katyusha rockets. Due to enemy fire, the...
After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, the United States has pulled out all military forces. The pullout was a debacle. Thirteen Americans tragically lost their lives due to improper planning. There is no proper way to describe the withdrawal from Afghanistan other than one of the worst foreign policy failures in American history. But there were many years of groundwork leading up to the failure. Now lessons must be learned from our experience in Afghanistan. America needs to study them quick. My guest, Mike Nelson, quotes the late, great Charles Krauthammer who said, “Decline is a choice.” We must choose to be better, and we can start by learning from 20 years of war. My interview with Mike is a crucial step to learning from the last 20 years. In doing so, we firmly commit to restoring American national pride and strategic competence. About the guest. Mike Nelson is a Visiting Fellow at George Mason University’s National Security Institute and an Army Special Forces veteran with ...
This interview was a discussion with Olivia Garard. Olivia annotated and edited Carl von Clausewitz’s Theory of the Combat. This is a lesser-known work by the great Prussian military writer, who is best known for his book On War. In this work, we see where Clausewitz’s theories about tactics and combat took shape. Olivia’s Annotated Guide is meant to provide military thinkers with a useful tool to work through Clausewitz’s theories. She says reading Clausewitz is like a “mental field exercise.” About Olivia: She served in the Marine Corps for six years as a UAS officer. She finished her service in the Marine Corps as a Captain. Prior to the Marine Corps, she received a BA from Princeton University and an MA from King’s College in London. She is a writer at War on the Rocks and at Strategy Bridge. The best way to keep up with her work is by following her on Twitter @teaandtactics. In the interview, we discuss: Olivia’s motivation to join the Marines. How she became interested in Clausewitz Who is Clausewitz and why should anyone care about him? What is war? What does it mean to have a “theory” of combat? The destructive act and the decisive act Clausewitz on the offense and defense Clausewitz on what a “moral” force means Thoughts on leadership Reflections on Clausewitz and current events from cyber threats to China and Taiwan Thoughts on esprit de corps And we briefly touch on the concept of “Trinity of War”. This was a very informative and interesting interview with someone who is extremely knowledgeable on the topic. Get the book in PDF format here: https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/GuidetoTactics-web.pdf Article on sleep in the Marine Corps Gazette: https://mca-marines.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Magic-Pill.pdf To get a hardcopy, go to the following website: https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Publishing/Marine-Corps-University-Press/Shopping-Cart/ or email mcu_press@usmcu.edu with name and address and request for copies. To follow Olivia, check out @teaandtactics on Twitter. HELP SPREAD THE WORD! If you like this interview, and want to hear others, subscribe in iTunes, Spotify, Audible, or Amazon podcasts. Support the show with written reviews, share on social media, and through word of mouth. To request additional shows or guests, e-mail me: tim@professionalmilitaryeducation.com Check out the website: www.professionalmilitaryeducation.com
My guest today is an infantry Master Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. He has led Marine infantry units on multiple combat deployments. Since he was a young Marine, he has been working on marksmanship and striving for weapons proficiency. We talk about his career from Marine Corps Weapons Training Battalion in Quantico, Virginia to Infantry Unit Leader’s Course (IULC) in Camp Pendleton, CA. Throughout his time in the operational forces and Marine Corps schoolhouses, MSgt Reilly has provided thousands of hours of instruction on marksmanship and trained thousands of Marine leaders and infantrymen. Topics we cover include: How MSgt Reilly became interested in Marine Corps marksmanship and his experience in the Marine Corps The fundamentals of marksmanship How the Marine Corps marksmanship program evolved over the last two decades Breaking institutional ways of thinking and training for combat effectiveness We discuss different weapons systems and their evolution Ballistics a...
Dr. Victor Davis Hanson joins me to discuss the state of military education. Throughout the interview, we touch on a lot of issues from the current state of military readiness to the lack of military education in colleges and universities. Dr. Hanson is a military historian, classicist, and author of numerous books on military history. It was good to let him speak his mind on a variety of important topics. I appreciate his candor and willingness to share his insight that comes from a lifetime dedicated to studying history. Key Topics include: How to get people interested in military history The importance of military history to understanding human nature Epaminondas and the downfall of Sparta A discussion of leaders to study including General Ulysses S. Grant and General William T. Sherman A discussion on the causes of war Why is military history neglected by most colleges and universities? Dr. Hanson’s candid assessment of today’s military and the issues that it faces What the he...
In this interview, I spoke with The Honorable Juan Zarate. The topic: Money! Juan was the first-ever assistant secretary of the treasury for terrorist financing and financial crimes. We speak about his work at the Treasury Department in the post-9/11 period. During this time, Juan played a critical role in using the Treasury’s resources to go after terrorist financing. Additionally, the Treasury assisted in tracking down money that Saddam Hussein and his cronies had moved and hid outside of Iraq. Additionally, Treasury’s role became much more expansive beyond the Global War on Terror. In fact, we discuss how the Treasury became a much more formidable influencer of foreign policy against countries like Iran and North Korea. The legacy of these policy shifts continues to this day. Key Topics include: Juan’s background and his work at the Treasury Department Historical examples of financial leverage being used tactically Treasury’s evolving role after 9/11 Pursuing terrorist financ...
In this episode of the PME Podcast, I speak with General Robert Spalding (USAF- Ret.). General Spalding wrote a book called Stealth War: How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept. General Spalding’s knowledge of China stretches back to his early years as a Major in the Air Force when he lived and studied in China. In recent years, he served in the National Security Council (NSC) where he was the Senior Director for Strategy. His work at the NSC included crafting the 2017 National Security Strategy and initiatives on 5G technology to protect what General Spalding considers America’s most vital resource... data! In this interview, we discuss a wide range of topics including: The nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and how their ideas of warfare span across the domains of politics, economics, higher education, technology, and communications. A look at the book Unrestricted Warfare published by two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Colonels in the late 1990s Why China adv...
What are the chances that China invades Taiwan? Do they plan on invading soon? If so, how would they do it? My guest is Ian Easton, the author of The Chinese Invasion Threat. In the interview, we talk at length about the possibility of a Chinese invasion. Ian is well-versed in the issue having spent many years living and studying in Taiwan. He possesses a wealth of knowledge. In his book, he dives deep into the details of what an invasion would look like. Among the many topics we cover are the following: The nature of Taiwan’s democratic government and advanced economy The Chinese Civil War between the Communists and Nationalists that caused the current day split How America’s diplomatic relations toward Taiwan evolved throughout the Cold War How equipped and ready is Taiwan to defend itself from an invasion The many domains in which China is seeking to lay the groundwork for an invasion Why an invasion is extremely difficult, and lessons learned from World War II How China under ...
“Marine, get packed. You’re going to the field,” the Gunny says. The Marine shudders. The last time he went to the field his gear got wet and he spent days soaked and cold. When the rain stopped, the wind picked up, and he spent the night shivering so hard that he thought his teeth would fall out. On the final movement back to civilization, his pack dug into his shoulders and caused him to fall behind and the Company Gunnery Sergeant screamed at him to keep up or else... Back in the barracks, his feet remained blistered and he spent the weekend getting over an illness that he developed toward the tail end of the field op. This Devil Dog needs some guidance. Going to the field can be daunting if one does not understand fieldcraft. Many infantry schools spend a lot of time in the field, but fieldcraft does not receive a lot of formal training. My guest, Staff Sergeant Skaggs, has spent years taking the best tips and techniques and compiling them into a useful “how-to” guide. He h...