This is the final episode of the DODReads: What are you Reading? podcast. Thank you for listening! In Episode 63, host Tim Bettis interviews General Stanley McChrystal, USA (Ret.) on risk, learning from history, and the importance of language skills. General McChrystal is an Army Ranger who led Joint Special Operations Command and Commanded the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and United States Forces - Afghanistan before his retirement in 2010. He is the Founder  of the...

In Episode 62, host Bryan Wittmeyer interviews retired U.S. Army General George Casey, the 36th U.S. Army Chief of Staff and the commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq from 2004 to 2007. The two discuss General Casey's philosophy on leadership and the skills leaders need today to succeed in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment.  Book Recommendations: The Revolution Trilogy, Rick Atkinson The Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson The Mitch Rapp Saga (fiction),...

In Episode 60, Julie Stabile interviews Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment and Energy Resilience, Richard Kidd. They discuss how to develop climate literacy, the role of junior leaders in the response to climate change, and how to manage a diverse portfolio. The DOD’s Climate Adaptation Plan discussed was released on October 7, 2021 and is linked below. Recommendations The Stranger by Albert Camus Operation Barbarbossa and Germany’s Defeat in the East by David...

In Episode 59, Ryder Ashcraft interviews Rear Admiral Kenneth Bernard of the U.S. Public Health Service. They discuss the ability of government agencies to respond to a public health crisis, future biosecurity threats that may affect readiness, and how to plan for future challenges. Book Recommendations: Warnings, R. P. Eddy and Richard A. Clarke Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari Interested in an interview with a particular leader? Have a question you’d like to hear...

In Episode 58, Julie Stabile interviews Vice Admiral Sandra Stosz, USCG (Ret.), the author of Breaking Ice and Breaking Glass. They discuss character development, lifelong learning, and how to continually grow as a leader. Book recommendations: Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard Make Your Bed, Admiral William McRaven The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown How Women Rise, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin The One-Minute Manager,...

In Episode 57, Ryder Ashcraft interviews Lieutenant General Michael Plehn, USAF the President of the National Defense University. They discuss higher education opportunities, the value of working with periphery allies, and the future of joint and interagency cooperation. Book Recommendations: -How the Word is Passed, Clint Smith -Hungry Ghosts, Jasper Becker -Arms and Influence, Thomas Schelling -The Innovator's Dilemma, Clayton Christensen -Silver, Sword and Stone, Marie...

In Episode 56, host Tim Bettis interviews retired Air Force Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan, the Inaugural Director of the Department of Defense's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). The two discuss graduate school, the implications of AI for international relations, and why reading broadly is crucial for leader development. Book Recommendations:  -The Long Game, Rush Doshi -The Myth of Artificial Intelligence, Erik Larson -Atlas of AI, Kate Crawford -A Brief History of...

In Episode 55, Ryder Ashcraft and Phoebe Kotlikoff interview Admiral James Foggo, USN (Ret). They discuss working with allied partners, the importance of building relationships on the peripheries, and operating in the Arctic in an era of Great Power Competition. Admiral Foggo Book Recommendations: -Oil & War: How the Deadly Struggle for Fuel in WWII Meant Victory or Defeat, Robert Goralski and Russell W. Freeburg -The War Lords and the Gallipoli Disaster: How Globalized Trade Led...

In Episode 54, Bryan Wittmeyer interviews Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, USA (Ret.) the Pershing Chair for Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), an organization dedicated to ensuring a strong and enduring transatlantic alliance rooted in democratic values and principles. He served 38 years in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer, commanding at every level from Platoon to Brigade Commander, including three operational deployments.  They discuss challenges facing...

In episode 53, the Season 3 kickoff, Ryder Ashcraft interviews Ambassador Kristie Kenney, the former Ambassador to Ecuador, the Philippines, and Thailand. They discuss the first month of leadership at a new posting/command, the importance of interagency operations during crisis management, and the relevance of Asia in foreign policy. Interested in an interview with a particular leader? Have a question you'd like to hear answered? Contact us @DODReads or [email protected]. Finally, head...

Thanks for a wonderful Season 2! DODReads: What are you Reading? will be back in July 2021 with new content and new voices for Season 3! If you haven't already, please take the time to leave us a review. Now is the perfect time to give us feedback, contact us @DODReads or [email protected]. Finally, head to DODReads for more resources, free books, and interviews with military authors. The views presented in this episode are those of the participants and do not reflect the views of the...

In episode 52, Brigid Calhoun interviews Deborah Lee James. From December 2013 through January 2017, Ms. James served as the 23rd Secretary of the United States Air Force with responsibility for 660,000 military and civilian personnel and a budget of nearly $140 billion. She was the second woman to ever lead a military service in the United States. Prior to this role, she served as President of Science Applications International Corporation’s (SAIC) Technical and Engineering sector. Ms. James...

In episode 51, Ryder Ashcraft is joined by Ambassador Nicholas Burns, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. They discuss the relationship between the Department of Defense and the Department of State, the challenges the United States faces from the Great Power Competition, and the importance of alliances in a changing threat environment.

In Episode 50, Ryder Ashcraft interviews Dr. Nancy Sherman, a Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, where she specializes in ethics, the history of moral philosophy, moral psychology, military ethics, and emotions. They discuss Dr. Sherman's experience as the inaugural Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the United States Naval Academy and her work creating the ethics program and Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. They also discuss her new book, Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons...

In episode 49, Ryder Ashcraft sits down with Major General Bruce Scott, United States Army (Ret.). MG Scott is the president and CEO of the George and Carol Olmsted Foundation, a scholarship program that sends active duty officers overseas for a cultural immersion tour. They discuss the benefits of earning a graduate degree abroad and the military's diplomatic mission.

In episode 48, Ryder Ashcraft interviews Admiral Mike Rogers, USN (Ret.), the former head of the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command. They discuss how a lifelong commitment to reading influenced his career, the future of U.S. cyber capabilities, and implications for collaboration between the government and private sector in the cyber domain.

In episode 47, Brigid Calhoun interviews Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of the New York Times bestsellers Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield and The Dressmaker of Khair Khana. Ashley’s War is currently being developed into a major motion picture at Universal Studios. Her most recent book, The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage and Justice, tells the story of Kurdish women who served as America’s ground force partners in the...

In episode 46, Eugene Yang interviews Mr. Brian Murphy of the Department of Homeland Security. They discuss his depth of experience in counterterrorism both abroad and domestic, the intersection of law enforcement and the Intelligence Community, and the importance of continued education throughout a career. Before being appointed to the Senior Executive Service of the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Murphy spent 20 years as a Special Agent in the FBI. 

In episode 45, Brigid Calhoun interviews Lieutenant General Tom Spoehr, USA (Ret.) director of the Center for National Defense at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. They discuss LTG Spoehr’s baptism by fire as a platoon leader in Grenada in 1983, his role in the 2011 U.S. troop drawdown in Iraq, and David L. Roll’s biography George Marshall: Defender of the Republic.

In episode 44, Eugene Yang interviews General David Petraeus, United States Army (Retired). General Petraeus served at the highest levels of the military during crucial periods of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including as the commander of ISAF, Commander, US Forces - Afghanistan, US Central Command, and as Commanding General, Multi-National Force - Iraq. After the military he served as the Director of the CIA, and is now a partner in the global investment firm KKR and Chairman of the KKR...

In episode 43, Ryder Ashcraft interviews Lieutenant Colonel Rebecca Patterson, United States Army (Retired). LTC Patterson is the Associate Director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. They talk about topics such as gender and disability, overseas service, and the history of nation building in the United States Army. Listeners can also check out LTC Patterson's book, Challenge of Nation-Building: Implementing Effective Innovation in the U.S. Army from World War II to...

In episode 42, Brigid Calhoun interviews Father Dominic Legge, a Catholic priest in the Dominican Order of Preachers. Fr. Dominic is an Army veteran, former DOJ lawyer, and director of the Thomistic Institute in Washington, D.C. They discuss the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas and how philosophy can help with military decision-making and taking care of people. Thomistic Institute: https://thomisticinstitute.org Aquinas 101: https://aquinas101.thomisticinstitute.org

In episode 41, Brigid Calhoun interviews Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Michael A. Grinston. SMA Grinston was sworn in as the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army on August 9th, 2019. He has held every enlisted leadership position in artillery, ranging from cannon crewmember to command sergeant major. He is a native of Jasper, Alabama and enlisted in the Army in 1987. They discuss the enlisted side of the Army Talent Management Program, why Soldiers should be life-long learners with "growth...

In episode 40, Eugene Yang and Ryder Ashcraft interview the 15th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Russell Smith, as part 2 of our 3-part series interviewing Senior Enlisted Leaders from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.  They cover topics such as the recent changes to the Sailor of the Year promotion allocations, Navy talent management, and how to learn from different perspectives within our ranks.  Follow MCPON Russell Smith on Twiter @NavyMCPON