Sat, 30 December 2006
The
Iraq Study Group Report's Recommendations Sections gives a total of 79
recommendations for how the US should proceed in Iraq. Diplomatically,
the US should do more by launching the New Diplomatic Offensive
accompanied by the creation of a Support Group (full of regional and
world powers) in order to discuss and compromise on a variety of
issues. This support group should include Iran and Syria because, even
though the White House has problems with their respective governments,
both countries would benefit from negotiating since both countries put
a lot of effort into Iraq. Also, the US should threaten withdrawal whenever the Iraqi Government does not reach its benchmarks on time (these include the ratification of the Petroleum Law, the Militia Law, etc.). Even if it does reach these benchmarks, though, the US should begin a gradual rollback of forces. First, active combat forces should be moved into Iraqi Army Brigade protection roles, Iraqi Army training roles, and Iraqi Army support roles (Special Operations, Air Support, etc.). Then, these training forces should also be slowly pulled out of Iraq as the Iraqi security forces gain more power. By early 2008, the US should be 100% training and 0% occupation. The Iraq Study Group is a bipartisan commission led by James Baker and Lee Hamilton. This episode summarizes the recommendations section of the Iraq Study Group Report. The previous episode featured the Iraq Study Group's assessment of the current situation. For more information, read: Iraq Study Group Report Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and the International Research and Publishing Corporation |
Sat, 23 December 2006
The Iraq Study Group Report's Assessment section is an excellent
summary of post-war Iraq. Some topics addressed include the division
of the country into Kurd, Shiite, and Sunni regions, the lack of unity
in Parliament, the powerful hold that Muqtada Al-Sadr has on Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the fierce fight over oil revenues, the lack
of Iraq's own security force, and so on. The Iraq Study Group is a bipartisan commission led by James Baker and Lee Hamilton. This episode summarizes the assessment section of the Iraq Study Group Report. The next episode will feature the Iraq Study Group's recommendations for how we should proceed. For more information, read: Iraq Study Group Report Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and the International Research and Publishing Corporation |
Mon, 18 December 2006
The United States Secret Service was originally founded (in 1865) as an
anti-counterfeiting unit in the Treasury Department. However, once
President McKinley was assassinated, the Secret Service assumed
presidential protection duties. As of 2002, the Secret Service
(Special Agents and the Uniformed Division) is part of the Department
of Homeland Security. They are also part of Marine One, Air Force One,
and Cadillac One (all of which are described in this episode). Throughout their history, the Secret Service has witnessed and/or foiled many assassination attempts including ones on: Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, Ford, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush Jr. For more information, read: http://www.secretservice.gov/ http://people.howstuffworks.com/air-force-one2.htm http://www.aboutfamouspeople.com/article1135.html http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/assassin.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4535911.stm http://www.guardian.co.uk/georgia/story/0,,1487041,00.html The American Presidents by David Whitney Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and the International Research and Publishing Corporation |
Sun, 10 December 2006
Viktor Anatolyevich Bout is the world's most notorious arms dealer
since the end of the Cold War. His success lies in the fact that
Russia had many arms depots and planes lying around after the end of
the arms race. Bout was able to take advantage of this and build an
air empire which could carry arms to all sides at a moments notice in a
reliable fashion. Bout's clients include: the United States, the
United Nations, Angola, Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Taliban,
Northern Alliance, Somalia, and so on. Despite the INTERPOL warrant
for his arrest, Viktor Bout is still conducting both legal and illegal
operations because world leaders rely on him to do their dirty work for
them. For more information, read: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2006/11/09#segment68592 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=22995421&site=ehost-live Movie: Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and International Research and Publishing Corporation |
Wed, 29 November 2006
Mao and the Chinese Communist Party's victory was both psychological
and physical. The psychological is a combination of power vacuum in
rural China, the incompetency of the GMD, and the populist policies of
Mao. The majority of this episode is my opinion on why the final
reason is the most important. The physical relies on 3 major campaigns
conducted by the Communists: Liaoshen, Huaihai, and Pingjin. The final
few minutes of this episode discuss this Chinese Civil War (1945-1949).For more information, read: Mao's China and After by Maurice Meisner Dictionary of Battles by David Chandler ABC Clio: Chinese Civil War Military History Podcast is sponsored by: Armchair General Magazine, International Research and Publishing Corporation, and Axis and Allies Reserves |
Sat, 25 November 2006
Listen to "The Lion of the North"Gustavus Adolphus II the Great, the Lion of the North, was an innovator as the king of Sweden and the commander of its armies. His innovations include the conscription system, the tribute system, the squadron-based organization system, the Swedish infantry weaponry, and the artillery regiment system. All of these useful improvements were demonstrated during the Baltic Campaigns and during the Thirty Years War. One example is the Battle of Breitenfield, in which he defeated a larger Holy Roman Empire Army, despite the fact that one of his allies fled during the battle. He was killed a few years later in another one of his victories, the Battle of Lutzen. The Lion of the North (the name was given to him by Protestants in Germany) is, without a doubt, the greatest commander in Swedish history and the greatest commander in the 1600s. For more information, read: Military Anecdotes by Max Hastings Dictionary of Battles by David Chandler Extreme War by Terrence Poulos Galenet: Adolphus ABC-Clio: Adolphus Military History Podcast is sponsored by: Armchair General Magazine, International Research and Publishing Corporation, and Axis and Allies Reserves |
Sat, 18 November 2006
There have only been two medal of honor winners in Operation Iraqi
Freedom thusfar (despite the Iraqi War having lasted just as long as US
involvement in WWII, when there were 464 medals awarded). They are the
3rd and 4th medals awarded since the Vietnam War.
Paul Smith: http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2005/Medal-of-Honor/ http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SS_040505_Honor,00.html http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110008153 http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/paulrsmith_cit.htm Jason Dunham: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/10/medal.honor/index.html http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2087 Military History Podcast is sponsored by: Armchair General Magazine, International Research and Publishing Corporation, and Axis and Allies Reserves |
Sat, 11 November 2006
In the history of archery, the title for most important invention
probably goes to the English Longbowmen (or the Mongolian Recurve Bow
which you can learn more about in the "Mongolian Fighting Tactics"
episode). English Longbowmen brought about the end of the
cavalry-dominated era and retained dominance over Europe for a period
of around 300 years. Specifically, they allowed the English to
dominate the French at the battles of Crecy (1346), Poitiers (1356),
and Agincourt (1415). Though the English eventually lost the Hundred
Years War, the English Longbowmen still made their mark.For more information, read:
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Sat, 4 November 2006
Propaganda has been used in war since the beginning of war itself.
Alexander the Great used it, Genghis Khan used it, the Catholic Church
used it, the American Founding Fathers used it, Joesph Goebbels of Nazi
Germany used it, and the United States currently uses it.There are three types of propaganda: white, grey, and black. There are many techniques for propaganda, including: assertion, bandwagon, card stacking, glittering generalities, lesser of two evils, name calling, pinpointing the enemy, plain folks, testimonials, and transfers. For more information, read: World Book (1992): P Foreign Affairs (May/June 2006): Saddam’s Delusions http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/proptech.htm http://en.thinkexist.com/quotations/propaganda/ http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Propaganda Military History Magazine: June 2002 Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General and International Research and Publishing Corporation |
Sun, 29 October 2006
The Naval Ages: Galleys, Sails, Steam, Missiles. This episode focuses on the third naval age, the Naval Age of Steam.The Third Naval age began with ironclad battleships, also known as pre-dreadnoughts, which effectively used artillery guns, iron plating, and steam power. The keynote war of this naval era is the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), specifically the Battles of Tsushima Strait and Port Arthur. Once the HMS Dreadnought was created, the dreadnought battleship era of the Naval Age of Steam began. This era would last until WWII. The keynote battle of this era was the Battle of Jutland in WWI. The Third Naval Age ended in WWII as a result of the aircraft carrier, which replaced battleships as the principle ship of the fleet. For more information, read: Dictionary of Battles by David Chandler World Civilizations: 9th Edition The Pacific War Companion by Daniel Marston Europe at War: A "Red Book" of the Greatest War of History Submarine by Drew Middleton Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and International Reserach and Publishing Corporation |
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