Professional Military Education

Visiting Normandy and touring the beaches from D-Day, June 6, 1944, is a powerful experience. It is an experience that all American citizens should plan to do. There are incredible stories of American servicemembers that left their homes to serve and sacrifice for a cause greater than themselves. It is important to remember and honor these heroes. Many people do this every year as there are approximately 1.7 million people who visit the Normandy American Cemetery annually. In this podcast episode, I speak with a tour guide, Yannick Sterke, who gives tours of the Normandy battlefields. In the summer of 2022, I took a three day tour with Yannick. He is a wealth of knowledge. He showed our group significant places including Omaha beach, Utah beach, Point du Hoc, and Saint Lo. At each place, he told us about the history of D-Day and the invasion of Normandy with a lot of powerful stories. Yannick and I kept in touch and he agreed to do an interview to talk about the history of World War II, D-Day, the Battle of N

In the year 1780, South Carolina was in the grip of violence and turmoil. On December 3, 1780, General Nathanael Greene assumed command of the southern department from General Horatio Gates. Gates, the hero of Saratoga, had struggled in the Carolinas most notably at the disastrous battle of Camden. The Continental Congress relented to General Washington’s preferred commander: Nathanael Greene. Thus, Greene left his post at West Point and traveled south. General Greene had a series of challenging decisions in front of him. How was he going to rebuild a nearly destroyed army? How was he going to recruit and train his forces to eventually challenge General Cornwallis? The task ahead of him was daunting. In the face of overwhelming odds, he made a militarily unorthodox decision: He split his army in half. In command of the other half of his army was General Daniel Morgan, a brawler from the Virginia backcountry. Morgan was a veteran of the French and Indian War. He was captured and held as a POW after the failed

General Jason Q. Bohm (Maj. Gen., USMC) is the author of a recently published book entitled Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775-1777. In this interview, we discuss why and how the Marine Corps was founded on November 10, 1775. General Bohm explains that General Washington did not initially support the Marines. However, the Marines played a pivotal role during the “Ten Crucial Days.” This was the period from December 25, 1776, through January 3, 1777. It included key battles at Trenton, Assunpink Creek, and Princeton. The Marines’ heroic actions and fighting spirit helped General Washington during one of the lowest points of the Revolutionary War. Furthermore, it firmly established the Marines’ reputation as America’s premiere fighting force.  In this interview, we discuss the following: The Marines were supposed to be used for a naval campaign against the British in Halifax, Nova Scotia. General Bohm tells us why it never happened.   Samuel Nicholas. We know him a

The American Guerillas series continues with part two: “The Sword of the Lord and Gideon”. After the British invasion of South Carolina, American forces had their backs to the wall. But many Patriot militia units refused to give up. They fought valiantly using guerilla style tactics. In this episode, we discuss those tactics in depth.  This episode will cover the following:  The Battle of Musgrove’s Mill The Battle of Kings Mountain and the legend of the Over Mountain Men The Swamp Fox, Francis Marion’s campaign in the low country The Battle of Blackstock’s Plantation Key leaders on the American side: Colonel Isaac Shelby, Colonel William Campbell as well as Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion  Key leaders on the British side: Major Patrick Ferguson After listening to this episode, subscribe and stay tuned for American Guerillas Part Three.  Business update: My company, Alexandria History Tours, provides history tours in Old Town Alexandria, VA. We have a George Washington tour, a Revolutionary War tour, plus

This is the first episode in a series on the Revolutionary War in the Carolinas. The series is called “American Guerillas” and part one is titled “War in the Carolinas”. This episode will cover a lot of ground and begin with an overview of the American Revolution up until the British invasion of Charleston in 1780. After a summary of the major milestones of the Revolution, the episode will cover the following:  Why the British shifted their strategy to the Carolinas Key leaders on the British side: Cornwallis and Tarleton Key leaders on the American side: William Moultrie and Horatio Gates Siege warfare tactics that the British used to take Charleston The massacre at the Waxhaws The Battle of Camden Battlefield tactics during the Revolutionary War After listening to this episode, check out “American Guerillas Part Two: The Sword of the Lord and Gideon”. Business Update: Alexandria History Tours is open for business, providing history tours in Alexandria, VA. We have a George Washington tour, a Revolutionary

Col. Grant Newsham (USMC-Ret.), has a warning for America: China is at war with us. It is time for Americans to understand that China does not believe war starts with the deployment of missiles, tanks, and infantry. From the perspective of the People's Republic of China (PRC), war has already begun. Furthermore, over the last several decades, China has used influence operations, economic policies, political warfare, and lawfare to cripple America. The results have left American communities jobless with rampant drug use, deaths of despair, and social disfunction. As one example, fentanyl related drug overdoses caused 70,000 American deaths in 2021. This number is higher than the number of Americans killed during the Vietnam War. The chemical components of fentanyl are manufactured in China.     After decades of economic growth and political warfare, China has undergone one of the most significant military build-ups during a period of "peace." What are their next moves? As China has trained, mobilized, and buil

On December 19, 1777, George Washington led the Continental Army onto a high plateau twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After fighting the British at the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown, Washington entered camp with a little over 12,000 soldiers. By mid-February, that number had dropped in half. Disease ravaged camp. Soldiers starved. Many of them were down to their last shirt. Some walked into camp barefoot. As if the problems couldn’t get worse, most soldiers didn’t know if or when they would get paid for their service.  Despite the many difficulties, General Washington was determined to pull the army through the winter. He faced multiple threats to his command both from within the army and from Congress. Although Valley Forge did not involve any large battle, the army faced one of its toughest challenges of the Revolutionary War. If it could survive and hold together, then the American fight for independence would continue.   Through a combination of leadership and determination, Wa

Wake Island was the site of a famous battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. By December 7, 1941, it was a small (but growing) naval air station (NAS). The construction and development of the island began in January 1941. As Pacific Fleet Commander, Admiral Kimmel, recognized the vulnerability of the island, Marines were brought in to defend it in August 1941. On December 8, 1941, the Japanese attacked Wake Island with a series of aerial bombardments. On December 11, the Japanese attempted their first invasion of the island. But they were soundly defeated. The Marine defenders bloodied a much larger Japanese task force. Additionally, the fighting men of Wake won the first tactical victory of the Pacific and gave America hope that it could fight back and win. This was a much-needed morale boost only a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It would take the Japanese task force another 12 days with two aircraft carriers and 1,000 more landing forces to overwhelm the Marines defending the island and f

Is the United States Military weak? The Heritage Foundation has fired a shot across the bow with its “2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength.” The Index concludes that the U.S. military in its current posture is “weak.” The Pentagon might not like the report. But, my guest, Dakota Wood, is calling things as they are rather than the way people would like them to be.  “Nobody likes their baby being called ugly. But the facts are what they are.” -Dakota Wood The 2023 Index starts with an assessment of the operating environment from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. Dakota explains that the Index is looking at American military power within a two major-regional conflict (MRC) framework. The Index analyses enemy threats through the lens of “intent and capability.” The focus is on Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and terrorist groups like ISIS. The Index then shifts to a detailed overview of each U.S. military branch in terms of capacity, capability, and readiness. After grading each branch individually, the Index comes u

How did the U.S. recover from the devastation of Pearl Harbor and win one of the most epic battles in naval history? Was war in the Pacific inevitable or were there diplomatic off ramps? Why did Japan attack America on December 7, 1941? Did America really know in advance that an attack was coming? My guest Dale Jenkins helps answer these questions in his book, Diplomats and Admirals. We speak at length about these topics in our interview. I thought our deep dive into the Battle of Midway was especially fun. Additional topics include: Diplomatic breakdowns that led to war between the U.S. and Japan How the Japanese were able to carry out the Pearl Harbor attack with “total surprise” U.S. intelligence that broke Japanese codes and learned about the Japanese plans at Midway How the U.S. won the Battle of Midway and nearly lost it all U.S. heroism at the Battle of Midway Lessons on leadership to include Admiral Nimitz’s battle plan  The principles of carrier tactics and how carrier battles were fought and won D

Stuart Scheller served in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer for seventeen years. His five deployments included combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. When he was a Lieutenant Colonel, Scheller served as a battalion commander at the Marine Corps School of Infantry (SOI). In the summer of 2021, U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan. The withdrawal was poorly planned and hastily executed. The Taliban took over the entire country and surrounded Kabul airport. As Marines scrambled to secure the airport, a suicide attack caused the tragic deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers. Frustrated by these events, Stuart Scheller felt compelled to speak out. He made a public video that criticized military leadership. Shortly after releasing the video, he was fired from his job as a battalion commander. He then publicly resigned from the Marine Corps and continued to be critical of both the military and Marine Corps leadership. As a result, he was placed in the brig and court-martialed before leaving the Marine Corps in Decem

In this interview, Grant Newsham discusses the state of the Japanese military as well as current events in the Indo-Pacific theater. Grant has first-hand experience helping develop the Japan Self-Defense Force’s (JSDF) amphibious capabilities. In this interview, we cover the following: An overview of the JSDF and why it has been underfunded and underappreciated for years. Why the Japanese needed to improve their amphibious capabilities and improve their joint operations.  Shifting attitudes in Japan toward the military How Grant and other American liaison officers worked to improve the JSDF  Differences in American and Japanese approaches to training with a specific focus on Exercises Dawn Blitz and Iron Fist from 2013 The current state of the JSDF and ability to work with U.S. armed forces nearly a decade later We also talk current events including: Analysis of China’s 20th Communist Party Congress How China’s zero COVID policy is designed to condition the population for hardship and to eliminate resistan

On this episode of the PME podcast, I welcome back Ian Easton. Ian recently published a book called The Final Struggle: Inside China’s Global Strategy. Topics of discussion include: The prospect of China invading Taiwan and an update from Ian’s first book, The Chinese Invasion Threat Is Xi Jinping on drugs? Hard to tell. But Ian does mention that his dad and sister were purged. He also spent seven years living in a cave. We discuss “Xi Jinping Thought” which is Marxism infused with Xi Jinping’s worldview and his political philosophy. How China and Xi Jinping use euphemisms to promote dark ideas. For example, the idea of constructing “A Community of Common Destiny for all Mankind.”  U.S. policies toward China and how previous administrations have and have not recognized threats from the PRC How TikTok poses a direct threat to U.S. national security China’s social credit system which uses big data analytics and mass surveillance How China uses predatory economic policies to its benefit while hurting the U.S.

Former Navy officer, Thibaut Delloue, has seen firsthand the problems that have plagued the US surface Navy for years. His book, The Wardroom, begins as a memoir. However, it turns into a straightforward assessment of issues that have led to several high-profile accidents, which included the collisions of the USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald. Both warships crashed in 2017 and resulted in the deaths of 17 sailors.  We discuss Thibaut’s experience as a surface warfare officer (SWO) to include his training and lack thereof. Thibaut served on the destroyer USS Carney. His experience included tracking Russian submarines and battling ISIS in Libya. Topics of discussion also include:  An overview of the surface Navy and the areas of operations known as “fleets” How a Navy officer becomes a SWO Why the current training and readiness pipeline is insufficient The inability of the surface Navy to be ready for future wars unless changes are made The leadership and command climate within the surface Navy that priori

In this interview with Professor Kerry Gershaneck, we discuss his book, Political Warfare: Strategies for Combating China’s Plan to ‘Win without Fighting’. The book was published in 2020 by the Marine Corps University (MCU) press. Topics include: The history of “political warfare” and its roots going back to Vladimir Lenin and the Soviet Union United Front Work and its use as a political warfare tool Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideology and the character of China’s regime China’s overall strategy and tactics to “win without fighting” How America used political warfare during the Cold War and then abandoned it in the 1990s China’s influence in American business, film, education, and media The origins of “One China” policy and how China is applying it to influence geopolitics  A brief history of Taiwan after the Chinese civil war  America’s changing diplomatic relations with China and Taiwan during the Cold War  Current events related to China and Taiwan and the near term prospect for an invasion Political

In this episode of the PME Podcast, I interview Wesley Morgan. Wes is a journalist and author, who wrote a book called The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley. The book draws on hundreds of interviews and firsthand accounts from former commanding officers to the soldiers that spent months in the field. The Hardest Place provides a unique insight into many of the mistakes that drew the American military deeper into eastern Afghanistan as well as the country more broadly. In reflecting on and learning from 20 years of war in Afghanistan, this book is a must read.   Topics of discussion include: How the U.S. got involved in the Pech Valley and how operations grew larger over time The evolution of American strategy from a counterterrorism mission to counterinsurgency The difficulty of obtaining accurate and reliable intelligence How the military got caught in the middle of tribal disputes Challenges with command and control  The U.S. experience in the Pech vs. the Soviet expe

This episode of the PME Podcast focuses on the U.S. Navy. My guest is Dr. Henry “Jerry” Hendrix, and he is the author of a book called To Provide and Maintain a Navy. In this interview, we discuss the many challenges that the U.S. Navy faces. Dr. Hendrix thinks that America needs to get serious about the threats from Russia and China in the maritime domain. He argues U.S. defense policy has been too land focused and neglected maritime strategy.    Additional topics include the following: The link between the concept of the “free sea”, natural law, and individual liberty Current laws of the sea to include the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)  How America’s strategic outlook has shifted from being Naval focused to “continental” focused The evolution of both China and Russia’s ambitions from territorial to maritime  The development of China’s Navy and their goal to become a “blue water” Navy The decline of the U.S. Navy in the post-Cold War era  U.S. shipbuilding infrastructure relative

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

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 unit sustained nine casua

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 multiple deployments to Ope