The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg War, Terrible and Awful | Interview: Mick Ryan
18 snips
Apr 20, 2026 
Mick Ryan, retired Australian Army major general and author, offers a concise military mind on modern conflict. He discusses Iran’s short war and its limits. He analyzes Russia’s strategy in Ukraine and the gamification of drone warfare. He explores ground robotics, the role of legacy platforms, and what America should have done — and might still need to do — to prepare for future wars.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
U.S. Lacked A Coherent Iran Strategy
- The Trump administration entered the Iran conflict with a single unproven plan and lacked a coherent war-termination strategy.
- Mick Ryan says tactical success didn’t translate to strategy as the U.S. pursued military action without economic and social levers to remove the regime.
Putin Is In A Strategic Hole
- Putin is strategically strained: vast casualties and limited territorial gains undermine any claim of success.
- Mick Ryan compares Russia’s losses to a hypothetical US Iraq scenario to illustrate how unsustainable the situation is for Moscow.
Give Ukraine More Support Sooner
- To shift Putin's calculus, provide more and earlier support to Ukraine including weapons, training, intelligence, and long-range strike.
- Ryan argues helping in critical windows—like late 2022 or now—could have changed the campaign trajectory.