STRESS, SLEEP, AND STRATEGIC STRENGTH

Curt Brooker and Ron Granieri discuss why sleep is an operational requirement. Using wearables to track biometrics can help the military move past a culture of exhaustion toward data-driven readiness. You can't outwork your body.

Clay Chun & Jackie Whitt present the theories of #JohnBoyd, a contemporary airpower theorist who created the #OODA Loop, a learning approach to reducing uncertainty on the battlefield

Whether leadership views the inter-war period as post-war or pre-war determines where the organization goes.

Successful military organizations are always assessing and adapting; this includes methods of command and control. The joint task forces with constituent air, land, and maritime components currently used by the U.S. military have demonstrated benefits, but are all too often ad hoc structures that take too long to stand up and fight as a cohesive team. Tom Bruscino and Lou Yuengert are in the studio to talk about their recently released manuscript, The Future of the Joint Warfighting Headquarters: An Alternative Approach to the Joint Task Force, which they wrote with fellow authors Eric Bissonette, Kelvin Mote, Matthew Powell, Marc Sanborn and James Watts. Tom and Lou argue that now is the time to create standing, numbered, and regionally aligned joint warfighting headquarters— American Expeditionary Forces (AEFs)—around a command council and a staff organized into Joint centers and cells. They join host Darrell Driver to share the thought process behind the organizational structure and why the U.S. military must become a superior and sustainable joint force sooner than its adversaries.

For many, Afghanistan and the lessons that should have been learned have been overshadowed recently by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. And as much as Ukraine deserves the attention of the world, national security professionals have a duty to learn as much as possible from the successes and failures of Afghanistan. To that end, A BETTER PEACE is extremely pleased to welcome Maj Gen Brian Mennes, the Deputy Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He joins Tom Spahr in the virtual studio to discuss his experiences in Afghanistan during his multiple tours in the theater. Tom and the general served together on three separate tours in Afghanistan and their conversation focuses on the wins that they achieved along the way along with the losses and the eventual fall of the Afghan government in August 2021.

When twins Derek and TJ Baird joined the Army in the '90s, neither of them had any idea what lay ahead. But 26 and 30 years later respectively, one is a colonel and the other a command sergeant major, and it's safe to say the Army has been a great place for them. The Baird brothers join podcast editor Ron Granieri in the virtual studio to tell the story of two very different yet very similar careers serving the nation. Derek and TJ share how they have relied on each other throughout the years for advice and support both as professional soldiers and as brothers. It's a great story of their similar leadership philosophies and styles and decades of service that they plan to continue for decades more.

Has the promise of cost savings due to outsourcing been realized? Or, has the dependence on the private sector caused overall costs to increase?

Editor’s Note: This is our 500th episode. Thank you for being part of this journey, we wouldn't be here without you. Your loyalty and engagement have turned a project into a community. Here’s to the next 500 episodes. Modern warfare transcends tactical victories; it targets the adversary's "will." Sean Heidgerken joins host Tom Spahr to discuss the Army’s newest capability: Theater Information Advantage Detachments, or TIADs. These specialized units integrate experts in cyber, intelligence, psychological operations, public affairs, electronic warfare, civil affairs, and information operations to influence foreign actors and protect friendly information systems. Heidgerken, the commander of the 1st TIAD in the Indo-Pacific, explains that these organizations break traditional military silos by organizing into cross-functional teams. Whether exposing corruption through media or leveraging emerging AI to sense the environment, the TIAD mission is to ensure the Joint Force maintains an advantage in the gray zone of competition. The operations, whether it be psychological operations, electronic warfare, or cyber, have been siloed in those sub-staff sections… which inherently builds a lack of synchronization and coordination across those activities. Sean Heidgerken is a colonel and an Information Operations Officer who has served over 30 years in the U.S. Army. He has deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom four times, supported Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria, supported the evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021, and conducted operations to support Ukraine during the Russian invasion in 2022, as well as operations against the Houthis in Yemen in 2023, and most recently in Operation Midnight Hammer against Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025. He is the commander of the 1st Theater Information Advantage Detachment (TIAD) in the Indo-Pacific theater. Photo Credit: Generated by Gemini

Jeff Rogg joins Tom Spahr to discuss the "intelligence revolution." Beyond new gadgets, cell phones & AI are transforming the state-citizen relationship & modern warfare, turning digital footprints into targeting beacons & tools for cognitive warfare. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-spy-and-the-state-9780197678732?cc=us&lang=en&

CIA officer Sean Wiswesser joins host Tom Spahr to expose the reality of Russian intelligence. Moving past spy myths, they discuss how corruption and "active measures" shape the Kremlin's secret war from Ukraine to Western democracies. Sean's bookhttps://www.usni.org/press/books/tradecraft-tactics-and-dirty-tricks