AXIOMATIC INTELLIGENCE: NOT YOUR ORDINARY AI
U.S. Army War College researchers warn that data overload and unpredictable large language models are hampering battlefield decision‑making. They propose “axiomatic AI,” a deterministic system that pulls verified facts from trusted Army data sources using formal logic instead of probabilistic prediction. A partnership with defense‑tech firm Onebrief offers a testbed within the Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) framework. If adopted, the approach could streamline planning, improve running estimates, and let commanders focus on judgment rather than data wrangling.
AT THE SPEED OF RELEVANCE: REFORMING PROCUREMENT
In this episode of A Better Peace, host Dr. Tom Galvin and three Carlyle Scholars—Lt. Col. John Williams, Col. Jeremy Jackson, and Col. Antonio Ilario—explore how the U.S. Army can more effectively integrate disruptive technologies like AI, drones, and robotics....
BEAN-COUNTING WON’T DO: MAKING SENSE OF MODERN MILITARY COMPETITION
Ian Bowers and Henrik Stålhane Hiim argue that counting ships, budgets or platforms no longer captures the true intensity of U.S.–China military competition. They propose shifting analysis to each nation’s operational concepts – the strategic roadmaps that define how future wars...
ESCAPING THE READINESS TRAP: RESHAPING THE RESERVES
In this episode of A Better Peace, Colonel Steve Ternoski hosts three authors of the Army Reserve 4.0 research project—Colonel Kiana Pritchard, Lt. Col. Brandon Collins, and Colonel Colleen Vermeulen—to discuss the Reserve’s “readiness trap” and a proposed tiered‑readiness model (Ready‑Now, Expand‑Tomorrow, Indoor‑Always). The...
STRESS, SLEEP, AND STRATEGIC STRENGTH
In this episode of A Better Peace, Colonel Kurt Brooker discusses the critical role of sleep, stress, and recovery for warfighters, highlighting how chronic sleep deprivation undermines health and readiness. He explains the physiological differences between deep and REM sleep,...
A STORY OF FAILURE
U.S. Army lieutenant colonel George J. Fust recounts a 12‑year‑old officer’s interview that ended in failure because his polished performance masked a lack of self‑awareness. Senior leaders halted the interview, calling out his inauthenticity and reminding him that the organization...
JOHN BOYD AND THE “OODA” LOOP (GREAT STRATEGISTS)(RE-RELEASE)
In this episode of the War Room podcast, Jacqueline Witt and Dr. Clay Chun explore Colonel John Boyd’s legacy, focusing on his famed OODA (Observe‑Orient‑Decide‑Act) loop and its evolution from a fighter‑pilot decision‑making tool to a broader strategic model. They...
THE FUTURE IS EXPEDITIONARY: JOINT WARFIGHTING HQ (RE-RELEASE)
In this episode, Dr. Tom Braschino and Professor Lou Younger argue that the U.S. military’s reliance on ad‑hoc Joint Task Forces (JTFs) hampers rapid, effective response to emerging threats. They propose establishing permanent, numbered, regionally aligned expeditionary headquarters—modeled after historic...
LESSONS OF AFGHANISTAN: A CONVERSATION WITH MG BRIAN MENNES (RE-RELEASE)
In this 41‑minute conversation, Major General Brian Menes reflects on the two‑decade U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, explaining why the rapid collapse of the Afghan security forces and the Taliban’s takeover was not surprising given limited government legitimacy and weak rural...
REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP FROM TWO MIRROR IMAGES (RE-RELEASE)
In this 36‑minute episode, identical twins Colonel Derek Baird and Command Sergeant Major T.J. Baird—one an officer, the other a senior enlisted leader—discuss what leadership means in today’s U.S. Army. Drawing on their parallel yet distinct careers, they share stories...
MILITARY MIGHT AND THE DEFENSE MARKETPLACE (RE-RELEASE)
In this episode of A Better Peace, host Jacqueline Witt and historian Dr. Jennifer Middlestott explore the evolving relationship between the U.S. military and the private market, from Revolutionary-era reliance on civilian suppliers to the massive in‑house production of World...
TIADS AND TARGETING THE ADVERSARY’S WILL
In this episode of A Better Peace, Colonel Sean Heidegger, commander of the first Theater Information Advantage Detachment (TIAD) in U.S. Army Pacific, explains how the Army is institutionalizing information operations to shape adversary will across the competition continuum. He...
THE FLEETING PHOENIX WHY GRAND STRATEGY IS IMPOSSIBLE IN A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC
George Acree argues that a constitutional republic’s electoral cycles and free press make a single, decades‑long grand strategy impossible, but this volatility is the system’s greatest strength. He contrasts the United States, where each administration reshapes foreign and defense policy,...
THE INTELLIGENCE REVOLUTION: INDIVIDUALS AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF INFLUENCE
In this episode, Dr. Tom Spahr talks with intelligence historian Dr. Jeff Rog about the "intelligence revolution"—the rapid transformation of intelligence gathering and analysis driven by technology, from early professionalization to modern digital surveillance. Rog traces the historical tension between...
THE PRICE OF STRATEGIC HUBRIS: HELL IN A VERY SMALL PLACE (DUSTY SHELVES)
Bernard Fall’s 1966 classic Hell in a Very Small Place examines the 1954 siege of Dien Bien Phu, showing that victory hinges on correctly identifying the strategic problem, massing the right technology and combined‑arms, and fully resourcing the will to win. The French misread...