Shield of the Republic

Michael O'Hanlon, Philip Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at Brookings and author, joins to debate U.S. grand strategy and whether there is a distinct American way of war. He explores why limited force recurs, how the U.S. adapts under fire, the history of post-1945 strategy and offsets, and why Congress should avoid giving a blank check for a major Iran war while shoring up munitions production.

Jason Burke, journalist and author who has reported on global terrorism for The Guardian, offers a concise mini bio. He traces the origins of contemporary Islamist terrorism back to the late 1960s and 1970s. He explores how global revolutionary currents, Palestinian nationalism, and new technologies shaped performative, transnational violence. He maps state sponsorship, key figures like Mughniyeh, and the movement from secular to religious militancy.

They dig into media coverage and why reporters miss key military context. They unpack tactical wins and worrying gaps like counter-drone failures and unsecured mine storage. They explore munitions depletion, possible endgames for the Iran war, regional fallout, and the chance of a U.S. strategic pivot toward Cuba.

Norman Roule, a 34-year CIA veteran and Iran specialist now at CSIS, joins to dissect Tehran's regional strategy. He breaks down why Iran strikes neighbors, the IRGC versus the regular army, succession challenges, degraded drone and missile stocks, and how Iran misreads rivals and U.S. moves. Short, sharp takes on Iran's messaging, operational limits, and intelligence vulnerabilities.

A probing take on U.S. and Israeli military posture against Iran and the risks of escalation. Analysis of leadership losses in Tehran and Tehran’s internal instability. Close look at Israel’s operational role and how munitions, air defenses, and logistics shape campaign limits. Discussion of global reactions, regional dynamics, and looming congressional and constitutional questions.

Seth Jones, president of CSIS’s Defense and Security Program and author on military tech, explains how America’s defense industrial base fell from WWII surge capacity to peacetime shrinkage. He discusses consolidation of defense firms, U.S. procurement hurdles, munitions shortages highlighted by Ukraine, and China’s massive wartime production capacity.

Frank Dikötter, historian and Hoover Institution senior fellow, discusses his new book on how the Chinese Communist Party rose to power. He explores Soviet support, brutal siege tactics, Stalinist influence on CCP strategy, and the myths that blinded Western observers. Short, sharp takes on violence, logistics, and the propaganda that shaped perceptions.

They roast recent administration blunders and problematic diplomatic picks. They preview the Munich Security Conference and debate U.S. tone there. They examine New START’s lapse and whether arms control has collapsed. They weigh prospects for more U.S. strikes on Iran and analyze Starlink shutdowns affecting Russia and Ukraine. They close with troubling revelations about Epstein and possible national-security links.

Eric and Eliot welcome back friend of the show Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, to discuss her new book, The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States. They explore Kori’s critique of Samuel Huntington’s canonical study, The Soldier and the State, examine George Washington’s consequential resignation of his commission before the Continental Congress, and discuss the role of charismatic but unhinged military figures in American politics, as well as the relationship between civilians and military officers when executing orders.  The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States:https://a.co/d/0biIePiPThe Soldier and the State: The Theory and Politics of Civil–Military Relations:https://a.co/d/0dsgKaLrShield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

They tear into the new National Defense Strategy for being vague, sycophantic, and missing Taiwan. They unpack Trump's Greenland flap and its diplomatic fallout. They analyze Xi’s purge of a top general and what it might mean for the Indo-Pacific. They debate U.S. force movements around Iran and whether strikes or economic quarantines are more likely.