The United States has a new National Defense Strategy. Released about every four years, the document offers a window into the way senior defense officials view the global threat environment and identify US defense objectives. But how will the new strategy be interpreted by allies and partners? What about adversaries and competitors? And does formally delineating US priorities offer a degree of predictability on a contemporary strategic landscape characterized by growing instability and a fraying world order?

To examine the strategy, John Amble is joined on this episode by Frank Hoffman, Mark Cancian, and Pat Sullivan.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Articles referenced during the episode:

"The 2026 National Defense Strategy by the Numbers: Radical Changes, Moderate Changes, and Some Continuities" (CSIS)

"Key Takeaways from the New National Defense Strategy" (WOTR)

Examined exclusively as a military operation, the US raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was a stunning success. In the course of just a few hours, the force package launched, accomplished its objective, and returned to base. But before that could happen, planning and rehearsals that likely took place for months set the stage for the mission’s brief execution. To share their perspectives on the operation, John Amble is joined on this episode by Liam Collins, a retired US Army colonel who spent much of his career in special operations units, and Jimmy Blackmon, also a retired colonel and a former helicopter pilot. Both guests have taken part in numerous missions targeting key combatant leaders in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, and they share their experiences and their insights on the recent operation in Venezuela.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Both training and education have always been key elements of the US Army’s readiness. But as new battlefield challenges arise and new technologies emerge, the character of warfare is changing—and it’s changing faster than ever. Keeping up with those changes—and keeping ahead of adversaries we might fight—means that we have to get training and education right. The Army’s success in tomorrow’s wars will hinge on what we do in classrooms and on training grounds today. To explore that challenge, John Amble is joined by a guest who brings unique perspectives on both education and training to the discussion. Colonel Ethan Diven is the provost of Army University and deputy commandant of the Army Command and General Staff College, and before taking those roles he served as the commander of the operations group at the National Training Center.

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.