Earlier this week we published a podcast episode that addressed information/misinformation as a threat to homeland security. In keeping with that theme WAR ROOM welcomes back Mari Eder with a new series she’s calling After the Info-Apocalypse. This time Mari is looking at Big Tech and its exercise of control over consumer data and privacy, their ability to manipulate information platforms and their massive power in the global marketplace. This first installment sets the stage to discuss the problem of how society holds Big Tech accountable.
Tag Archives: Strategic Leadership
DEFENDING THE HOMELAND IN THE CYBER AGE
Since its birth, the United States has benefited from the protection of two vast oceans to the east and west. The events of 9/11, of course, brought new attention to the defense of the homeland and recent cyber attacks redefined thoughts of secure borders. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Matt Cavanaugh, Franky Matisek and Bert Tussing to the virtual studio to discuss their part in the Homeland Defense Institute. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to examine how information is being used to divide and attack the civilian population. They look at examples of cyber attacks and the use of misinformation in Eastern Europe and discuss how Information as a part of DIME has come to the forefront in the cyber age.
NATIONAL SECURITY FOR ALL: GIRL SECURITY
WAR ROOM has presented our readers and listeners with a number of discussions in the past on Women in Peace and Security. In this episode our Editor-in-Chief, Jacqueline Whitt sits down in the virtual studio with Lauren Buitta, founder and CEO of Girl Security. Lauren began her career as a policy analyst in 2003, and she quickly recognized the underrepresentation of women in the national security arena. In response, she launched Girl Security – the only organization dedicated to advancing girls, women, and gender minorities in national security through supportive pathways. Their conversation includes the barriers young women encounter as well as the incredibly successful mentorship program Girl Security has developed to counter mindsets and misrepresentations.
LEADERSHIP 2040: A PATHWAY TO THE FUTURE EP 3
A little over two years ago we sat down with the students and advisors of Integrated Research Project (IRP) #6. Their task was to examine leadership development requirements in the multi-domain operations environment in the year 2040. Due to a hardware malfunction we thought we had lost the recordings of these conversations, but just recently we were able to recover the files. Though the conversation has a couple of dated references, we thought the topic was still worth airing. A BETTER PEACE is happy to welcome Chance Geray, Tim Monroe and Jason Schmidt to the studio for the last of three episodes to discuss what the team found looking forward twenty years. In this final episode they tie together all of the research findings from the IRP. They look at current leadership development trends, the challenges of the future battle environment and what has to be done to ensure that the U.S. continues to have the most capable leaders for tomorrow. They’ll lay the foundation for the changes necessary to ensure U.S. military leadership is prepared for future warfare and peacekeeping.
LEADERSHIP 2040: A PATHWAY TO THE FUTURE EP 2
In the last episode we introduced you to Integrated Research Project (IRP) #6. A little over two years ago we sat down with the students and advisors of the study to examine leadership development requirements in the multi-domain operations environment in the year 2040. Due to a hardware malfunction we thought we had lost the recordings of these conversations, but just recently we were able to recover the files. Though the conversation has a couple of dated references, we thought the topic was definitely worth airing. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Jason Schmidt, Rick O’Donnell and Greg Hillebrand to the studio for the second of three episodes to discuss what the team found looking forward twenty years. In this episode they look at how the military has traditionally developed leaders and current trends in that arena. They’ll lay the foundation for the changes necessary to ensure U.S. military leadership is prepared for the challenges of future warfare and peacekeeping.
LEADERSHIP 2040: A PATHWAY TO THE FUTURE EP 1
A little over two years ago we sat down with the students and advisors of Integrated Research Project (IRP) #6. Their task was to examine leadership development requirements in the multi-domain operations environment in the year 2040. Due to a hardware malfunction we thought we had lost the recordings of these conversations, but just recently we were able to recover the files. Though the conversation has a couple of dated references, we thought the topic was definitely worth airing. A BETTER PEACE is happy to welcome Greg Hillebrand, Tim Monroe, and Chance Geray to the studio for the first of three episodes to discuss what the team found looking forward twenty years. In this first episode they look at some of the biggest changes in the environment that will affect leadership requirements of the future. They’ll lay the foundation for the changes necessary to ensure U.S. military leadership is prepared for the challenges of future warfare and peacekeeping.
APPEAL TO THE MASSES, DISPEL THE MYTHS: ARMY MARKETING
Every year the U.S. Army seeks out 125,000 to 140,000 new recruits to maintain the desired end strength and capability of the force. In order to do that the Army Enterprise Marketing Office has to craft a message that appeals to a broad audience across the shrinking qualified U.S. population. All the while the Army has to compete with the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines and now the Space Force also trying to attract the most qualified recruits from the U.S. citizenry. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Matt Lawrence and John Horning to the virtual studio to discuss the myths and challenges Army marketing has to contend with. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to look at what it takes to create a message campaign that entices high quality personnel and dispel the myth that the Army is “the bureaucratic meat grinder of the underprivileged.”
LEADING WHILE HURTING: BALANCING PERSONAL TRAGEDY WITH COMMAND
Personal tragedy is a fact of life when leading people in the military. Sooner or later someone in your organization is going to lose a parent, a spouse or a child. There are resources and training available to assist the service member and their family to deal with the grief. But what happens when it’s the leader that suffers personal tragedy. And worse how do they deal with the unique circumstances of the loss of an unborn child? WAR ROOM welcomes E. Miranda Hernandez and Julie Sposito-Salceies to examine the distinctive situation of a commander balancing the responsibilities of command with the unexpected end of a pregnancy.
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE: REBUILDING CULTURAL CAPABILITIES – AGAIN
Anyone paying attention to the last two decades of conflict has to acknowledge that understanding culture is important. Even if you think that culture is just that “squishy sh*t”, you’ve got to be honest that it’s difficult to understand enemy intent, analyze how best to train an allied force or comprehend the will of the people if can’t even grasp the basics of the cultural foundations of those populations. And yet the DoD and the individual service components have a strange on-again, off-again relationship with the understanding and instruction of culture. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Kerry Fosher, Lauren Mackenzie and Allison Abbe to the virtual studio to discuss the role of cultural programs in military training and their new book The Rise and Decline Of U.S. Military Culture Programs 2004 To 2020. The three join podcast editor Ron Granieri to look at how the services have created and re-created cultural training programs over and over again seemingly forgetting lessons learned time and again.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-113-MESSAGE-IN-A-BOTTLE-REBUILDING-CULTURAL-CAPABILITIES-AGAIN-Transcript.pdf
LINCOLN AS STRATEGIST: EXERCISING THE ELEMENTS OF NATIONAL POWER
WAR ROOM welcomes back featured contributor, Mari K. Eder to take a look at the strategic accomplishments of President Abraham Lincoln. Inspired by a print of Lincoln signing the famous Lieber Code, Mari examines how each of the President’s strategic actions were designed to preserve the Union. From the Land Grant College Act, to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the Lieber Code itself, Lincoln employed all elements of national power at his disposal to try and bring the Confederate states back to the Union and end the war.
THE EU AS 27 ANGRY MEN: ACT NOW OR FOREVER LOSE YOUR PEACE
In the world of international policy, coalitions are key. Gaining consensus in matters of security lends legitimacy and unity of purpose to actions. But in the European Union most Common Security and Foreign Policy (CSFP) decisions require unanimity over some form of majority vote. WAR ROOM welcomes David Haugen, Audrey Laden, and Craig McFarland to examine the necessary changes to the Treaty on European Union to effectively counter emerging threats and ensure survival of the EU.
WELCOME BACK TO THE PENTAGON….
Often dubbed the “five sided puzzle palace”, the Pentagon didn’t earn the nickname because it’s an easy place to navigate — both physically and organizationally. Uniformed members need time to adapt to their new assignments in the building, but they have a common language, shared experiences and tribes they can lean on. Imagine the experience of a civilian entering the maze as a new staff-member returning to the Pentagon from a D.C. think tank. What would you tell them to aid their success? Cathal O’Connor has some experience in the Pentagon and he’s here to offer some advice. Geared towards that civilian staff-member there is plenty of great information for anyone that is heading to serve in the corridors of the United States Department of Defense.
FACE IN THE MIRROR: AN ETHICS CODE FOR THE ARMED FORCES
Historically the U.S. military has enjoyed the trust and respect of its citizenry at levels well above other U.S. institutions. And while that confidence is still high the trust has decreased significantly over the last decade. Reed Bonadonna is concerned that unless the military addresses an ethics problem it will only get worse. To remedy the issues he has observed, he proposes an explicit code of ethics for the Department of Defense that leaves little room for interpretation while supporting the values of the Constitution, human rights and decency.
WE’RE SO META: PODCASTING ABOUT PODCASTING
Name a topic or an interest and you can probably find a podcast about it. With over 2 million podcasts and more than 48 million episodes somebody is talking about something you want or need to hear. Today we’re talking about our little corner of the podosphere. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Mary Foster, Abram Trosky, and Jacqueline Whitt to the virtual studio to talk about how they incorporate podcasts and podcasting in the classroom. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to discuss how the medium can be used to share information in support of educational objectives as well as its utility in developing better communicators.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-081-WERE-SO-META-PODCASTING-ABOUT-PODCASTING-Transcript.pdf
CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP AND THE RISK FOR MILITARY CULTISM
In the heat of the moment, adrenalin rushing, emotions coursing, a charismatic leader can motivate followers to do things they never thought possible. Unfortunately that charisma can lead them to do something they never should have done. WAR ROOM welcomes back Assad Raza to look at the concept of military cultism as it relates to charismatic leadership. He examines what can happen to ethics, groupthink, innovation and self awareness when a leader’s vision is absolute and unquestionable.
LEADERSHIP IS NOT A BUZZWORD
The Army has allowed the word leadership to become a buzzword, devoid of real meaning. It is used indiscriminately and applies to what is essentially management or command. That’s what Thomas Williams says and he’s concerned that this misuse of the word has produced failures such as the recent events at Fort Hood. Williams makes the case that it is past time to revise our thinking and to teach leadership as something distinct from management or command.
READINESS EFFECTS ON THE U.S. ARMY OCONUS DURING COVID-19
EDITOR’S NOTE: The current temporary theme we are using only credits a single author. This article was written by Gregory Gharst and Jose Velazquez How has U.S. Army leadership ensured overseas readiness during this pandemic? Since January 2020 and as of 6 August 2021, approximately one person (0.73) in the U.S. has died of COVID-19 […]
DOS 101: FOREIGN POLICY ADVISORS
To many people the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is as foreign as the countries in which our embassies are placed. Fortunately, we here at A BETTER PEACE know some people, and on this episode we welcome Andrea Gastaldo to share her experiences as the Director of the Department of State’s Political-Military Bureau Office of State-Defense Integration (PM/SDI). That particular office may not be familiar to most military folks but the Foreign Policy Advisor or POLAD program that Andrea is responsible for probably rings a bell. She joins our own Associate Editor Amanda Cronkhite in the next installment of this multi-part series to discuss the details of a program that probably has more direct contact with the military and combatant command leaderships than any other office in DOS. Andrea has served as a POLAD to the Commanding General of U.S. Army North and has experience around the world in such places as South Africa, Belarus and New Zealand. Her current position finds her recruiting and mentoring future POLADs and that experience makes her the perfect guest to conduct the next installment of what we’re calling DOS 101.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-094-DOS-101-FOREIGN-POLICY-ADVISORS-Transcript.pdf
FREE OF BIAS? ARMY OFFICER EVALUATIONS
In April 2020 we published an article that argued for the removal of the official photo from the Army’s promotion and selection process. The goal was to eliminate a source of bias from the process and the Army took notice and removed the photo requirement. Bonnie “Buffie” Clemente joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to discuss how the officer evaluation system still has sources of bias that have to be addressed to ensure a true meritocracy. Buffie brings to bear her years of experience with evaluations and promotion boards to identify both conscious and unconscious forms of bias in the system and the way ahead to try and minimize their impact.
TRANSCRIPT: https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/21-062-FREE-OF-BIAS-ARMY-OFFICER-EVALUATIONS-Transcript.pdf
THE ERA OF CONSTANT COMPETITION – PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES
Competition. In the midst of the 2020 Summer Olympics it seems a very relevant topic. But the rules and goals of the Olympic games are well spelled out, as opposed to competition in the national security realm. WAR ROOM welcomes Tom Harper and Jim Armstrong to examine what competition between the West and Russia and China looks like. They argue that the U.S. and U.K. need to update the principles of war to adequately adapt to the changing character of war and continuous competition.