Chasing Ghosts: An Irregular Warfare Podcast

I will be pausing Chasing Ghosts from its fortnightly cadence of issuance for the remainder of the year.I am taking the time to regroup and focus on the new occasional podcast series, WarNotes: A Conflict Podcast as a companion podcast focusing on conventional conflict and strategic thought.I think the new election results may be the time for the western military complexes to take a knee and refocus and re-calibrate strategic and grand strategic opportunities in addressing the real-time shortfalls in facing Revolutions in Military Affairs (RMA) that are littering the battlefields of the 21st century.My first WarNotes series will be a comprehensive survey of how to fix the broken, shattered and most expensive paper tiger in the history of the world, the US military complex.The Fixing Fight Club series will be weekly until I finish the survey.The US is at a crossroads: continue to invest and spend on exquisite platforms that will simply be missile sponges in the emerging salvo competition landscape or retool a more thoughtful application of military power in concert with rationally extrapolating second and third order effects to stymie the pristine track record of military failure and stalemate since 1945.I suggest the American military complex has a mere generation to reset its arthritic, sclerotic and top heavy platforms and stratagems before irrelevance and abject systemic military failure becomes the sole avenue left.You can find the WarNotes podcast at my substack or look for it on your podcast vendor of choice.My SubstackEmail me at [email protected]

Mark Booher at Pearl Snap Tactical interviewed me discussing irregular warfare and the threat to the homeland.We discuss irregular warfare and the impacts of an up-sized catastrophic attack on the US homeland. We riff on and discuss my "Storming America" series (episodes 37, 41-43 and 49-50) on the CG podcast.The election results don't change the imminent danger but may alter the warp and woof of the probability and timeline of attack.Pearl Snap Tactical interview can be found here:https://substack.com/home/post/p-150848439?source=queueI talk about William Forstchen's "Day of Wrath" and Kurt Schlichter's "The Attack".References:William Forstchen Day of WrathKurt Schlichter The AttackMatt Bracken:Enemies Foreign and Domestic.Foreign Enemies And Traitors.Domestic Enemies: The Reconquista.The Red Cliffs of Zerhoun.Castigo Cay.Eric Frank Russell The WaspMichael Z. Williamson The Weapon (and the entire Freehold series)Ernest R. May Strange Victory: Hitler’s Conquest of FranceRobert Heinlein The Moon is a Harsh MistressRobert Asprey War In The Shadows: The Guerrilla In HistoryMy SubstackEmail at [email protected]

I am the Smedley D. Butler Fellow for Military Affairs at the Libertarian Institute.They asked me to comment on the recent podcast interview between Ben Shapiro and Niall Ferguson which of course, was a reaction to Darryl Cooper's (Martyrmade Podcast) recent appearance on Tucker Carlson.I find members of the academic historian cartel (even "right of center" types like Ferguson) are horrified that non-credentialed historical observers are weighing in on the consequences of war in history. I urge everyone to deprogram yourselves and listen to the rogue but right historians like Martyrmade and ProfCJ's Dangerous History podcasts to get the better and more accurate view of what actually happened in the past that shapes our present.Here's what you must realize about war: wars are won by the least incompetent forces and the world will not be shiny and new at the conclusion but it will different.I address some of these issues.I would urge you to listen to CG podcast Episode 052 on Churchill for a more in-depth indictment of His Nibs.My blogging at the Libertarian Institute.My SubstackWrite me at [email protected]

The trillions dollar fragile American military complex is in big trouble in big war.It doesn't work.Robotics and drones are the new "low tech" answer to the First World's exquisite military platforms that are over priced and have the same provenance of battleships planet-wide in January 1942.Autonomous targeting will become more and more relevant as the speed of munitions increases and the salvo competition costs are driven down.Hypervelocity munitions are here to stay.The life of the light infantryman will change significantly since for the first time in human history, the cost of hunting individual soldiers and small groups of soldiers in an effective fashion has reached a cost in concert with technology [I will treat this with more detail in a future episode on the end of the legacy infantryman].In my next podcast, we will discuss how to recover from the current collapse."Quantity has a quality all of its own." - Thomas A. Callaghan Jr.References:A Retrospective on RMA, 2000-2020.The Russian Reconnaissance Fire Complex Comes of AgeArmy Futures Command Concept for Fires 2028Christian Brose The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech WarfareDaniel Bolger Why We Lost: A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan WarsCraig Whitlock The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the WarMy Substack.Email at [email protected].

Robotics and drones are the new "low tech" answer to the First World's exquisite military platform that are over priced and have the same provenance of battleships planet-wide in January 1942.The electronic emissions environment in future conflicts will be a two-way street that will put any active acquisition sensors and attached effectors in the hazards if they emit and remain in one place.Autonomous targeting will become more and more relevant as the speed of munitions increases and the salvo competition costs are driven down.Hypervelocity munitions are here to stay.The life of the light infantryman will change significantly since for the first time in human history, the cost of hunting individual soldiers and small groups of soldiers in an effective fashion has reached a cost in concert with technology [I will treat this with more detail in a future episode on the end of the legacy infantryman].The Russian Strike Reconnaissance Complex has come of age and the Russians have one of the most effective fires synchronization modalities on Earth. The system is now battle proven in the first near-peer and peer conflict of the 21st century.Fires synchronization is the effective coordination of sensors and effectors in near-real time or real time in a hostile non-permissive combat environment to bring the metal on target."Quantity has a quality all of its own." - Thomas A. Callaghan Jr.References:A Retrospective on RMA, 2000-2020.The Russian Reconnaissance Fire Complex Comes of AgeArmy Futures Command Concept for Fires 2028Christian Brose The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech WarfareLester Grau & Charles K. Bartles The Russian Way of War: Force Structure, Tactics, and Modernization of the Russian Ground ForcesDavid Glantz Soviet Operational and Tactical Combat in Manchuria, 1945 (Soviet (Russian) Study of War)David Glantz Soviet Military Operational Art: In Pursuit of Deep Battle (Soviet (Russian) Military Theory and Practice)Georgii Samoilovich Isserson G.S. Isserson and the War of the Future: Key Writings of a Soviet Military TheoristMy Substack.Email at [email protected].

This is an episode to examine what Churchill really did for the West after witnessing the emotional & ahistorical outbursts by the usual suspects after Darryl Cooper from the Martyrmade Podcast appeared on Tucker Carlson on 2 SEP 2024.I am simply addressing the claims of Churchill as "the chief villain" which I think was hyperbolic (Cooper accedes to this) because I think Churchill was one of many villains during WWII. I am a reluctant Anglophile and I think historical revisionism is a healthy reaction to triumphalist historiography in the West that has made questioning accepted narratives a scholar crime.Listen to the interview yourself before arriving at any conclusions.References:William Manchester The Last Lion Box Set: Winston Spencer Churchill, 1874 - 1965Andrew Roberts Churchill: Walking with DestinyDavid Reynolds In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World WarJohn Charmley Churchill: The End of Glory : A Political BiographyJohn Charmley Churchill's Grand Alliance: The Anglo-American Special Relationship 1940-57Gordan Corrigan BLOOD, SWEAT AND ARROGANCE: The Myth's of Churchill's WarMadhusree Mukerjee Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War IIThomas Ricks Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for FreedomPatrick J. Buchanan Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the WorldNicolai Tolstoy Victims of Yalta: The Secret Betrayal of the Allies: 1944-1947Robert A. Pape Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in WarRalph Raico on Rethinking ChurchillThe Libertarian Institute BlogMy SubstackEmail at [email protected]

This is an episode to examine what cell structures look like and the methodologies of guerrillas and insurgents use to conduct clandestine or covert action.I further discuss traditional, subversive, critical cell and mass-oriented and unconventional cell structures. We visit some historical parallels and why the US and the West may not catch the next wave of terror in America (not cooked up by the clownish FBI like the Whitmer disaster).References:How They HuntAQ Training ManualThe IRA GreenbookHunting the SleepersAn Analysis of Al-Qaida TradecraftModeling Terrorist Networks - Complex Systems at the Mid-RangeUnderstanding the Form, Function, and Logic of Clandestine Insurgent and Terrorist Networks: The First Step in Effective Counternetwork OperationsHR Kedward In Search of the Maquis: Rural Resistance in Southern France, 1942-1944George Millar Maquis: An Englishman in the French ResistanceIan Wellsted SAS with the Maquis: In Action with the French Resistance, June–September 1944Stephen Biddle Nonstate Warfare: The Military Methods of Guerillas, Warlords, and MilitiasMy SubstackEmail at [email protected]

My Storming America Series covers the gamut of what the spontaneous attack in the US will look like when terror cells launch a simultaneous attack on the US homeland.I cover it in Episodes 37, 41-43 and 49-50 of my Chasing Ghosts podcast.This is an episode to examine what you can do about the coming civil unrest in America. I discuss some of the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) the free range human can employ to prepare and protect themselves for the coming unpleasantness.I further discuss weapons, kit, preps and training to prepare for what I consider the inevitable conflict emerging in the West. One morning we will all wake up to simultaneous attacks by bad actors across the country on soft targets, if you agree with that morbid notion, you have an obligation to act since you are warned.References:Richard Feynman's Cargo Cult Commencement Address at CalTech 1974Water Filter: Katadyn Pocket Water Filter for Backpacking, Group Camping & Emergency PreparednessGunshot Trauma Kit/IFAK: EVERLIT Advanced Emergency Trauma Kit, CAT GEN-7 Tourniquet Tactical IFAKMy Vehicle Kit: North American Rescue Squad Medics Kit (CCRK) w/ Free Retractable Shears Leash (Multicam)Rations: Humanitarian Daily Ration MRE Case 10 pack, Inspection Date 1/2024 or Better.https://premierbodyarmor.com/blogs/pba/understanding-body-armor-ratingshttps://backofbeyondsite.wordpress.com/2024/08/02/ammo-inventory/INTERVIEW WITH C. REED KNIGHT, JR.: PART 2Gordon L. RottmanWorld War II Allied Sabotage Devices and Booby TrapsWorld War II Axis Booby Traps and Sabotage TacticsWilliam Forstchen Day of WrathKurt Schlichter The AttackKarl DahlFactionFaction: With the CrusadersMatt Bracken:Enemies Foreign and Domestic.Foreign Enemies And Traitors.Domestic Enemies: The Reconquista.Eric Frank Russell The WaspMichael Z. Williamson The Weapon (and the entire Freehold series)My SubstackEmail at [email protected]

My Storming America Series covers the gamut of what the spontaneous attack in the US will look like when terror cells launch a simultaneous attack on the US homeland.I cover it in Episodes 37, 41-43 and 49-50 of my Chasing Ghosts podcast.This is an episode to examine what you can do about the coming civil unrest in America. I discuss some of the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) the free range human can employ to prepare and protect themselves for the coming unpleasantness.I wanted to add a great note from one of my listeners [H/T to MG] that is a great addition to the recommendations for an entry price point Stoner platform. Be sure to get a red dot.I would like to bring one thing to your attention. Garand Thumb did a video on the Palmetto State Armory (PSA) $400 AR-15 platform. Title of video: "How Many Rounds Will A 400 Dollar AR-15 Last"?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHGtjx_2qbQHe matched up the PSA upper to a lower that allowed automatic fire to speed up the test. The rifle performed flawlessly into the 6500 rnds fired range to include engaging targets out to 700m to demonstrate barrel wear conditions.Now consider that your high end AR platform will start experiencing problems in the 10-12 thousand rounds fired range and cost 3-4x the price of the PSA AR platform. For that same high end AR price you could purchase 3-5 of the PSA's rifles.My key takeaway from the video, for new gun owners and/or strict budget due to our current economic decline and late stage empire, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend someone to buy 1-2 PSA rifles, a quality optic, and a 1-2 thousand rounds and yet still be under the price of a high end AR and it's high end optic normally paired.References:https://backofbeyondsite.wordpress.com/2024/08/02/ammo-inventory/INTERVIEW WITH C. REED KNIGHT, JR.: PART 2William Forstchen Day of WrathKurt Schlichter The AttackKarl DahlFactionFaction: With the CrusadersMatt Bracken:Enemies Foreign and Domestic.Foreign Enemies And Traitors.Domestic Enemies: The Reconquista.The Red Cliffs of Zerhoun.Castigo Cay.Eric Frank Russell The WaspMichael Z. Williamson The Weapon (and the entire Freehold series)Ernest R. May Strange Victory: Hitler’s Conquest of FranceRobert Heinlein The Moon is a Harsh MistressRobert Asprey War In The Shadows: The Guerrilla In HistoryMy SubstackEmail at [email protected]

***Apologies; this episode appears to have some technical issues that I will address on return to my home studio; I am on the road right now.***Fires synchronization is the effective coordination of sensors and effectors in near-real time or real time in a hostile non-permissive combat environment.The West has no working system to coordinate its artillery, air and Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) assets in a peer or near-peer fight that works.The Russians do.The Russian Strike Reconnaissance Complex has come of age and the Russians have one of the most effective fires synchronization modalities on Earth. The system is now battle proven in the first near-peer and peer conflict of the 21st century.Fires synchronization is the effective coordination of sensors and effectors in near-real time or real time in a hostile non-permissive combat environment to bring the metal on target."Quantity has a quality all of its own." - Thomas A. Callaghan Jr.References:The Russian Reconnaissance Fire Complex Comes of AgeArmy Futures Command Concept for Fires 2028Christian Brose The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech WarfareLester Grau & Charles K. Bartles The Russian Way of War: Force Structure, Tactics, and Modernization of the Russian Ground ForcesDavid Glantz Soviet Operational and Tactical Combat in Manchuria, 1945 (Soviet (Russian) Study of War)David Glantz Soviet Military Operational Art: In Pursuit of Deep Battle (Soviet (Russian) Military Theory and Practice)Georgii Samoilovich Isserson G.S. Isserson and the War of the Future: Key Writings of a Soviet Military TheoristMy Substack.Email at [email protected].