What’s shaping the Middle East’s evolving landscape? In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, we’re joined by Hayat Alvi, Ph.D., a professor at the US Naval War College, to explore the factors driving change in the region. We discuss how Iran’s regional strategies are adapting to new challenges and what… Listen ⇢

How do Russia’s and China’s militaries align and differ in today’s world? In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, Mark Cozad, a RAND Corporation senior defence researcher and former US Air Force intelligence officer joins Peter Apps, to explore how NATO’s 1999 Kosovo campaign pushed both nations toward “non-contact warfare,”… Listen ⇢

Ben Connable, a former US Marine and leader of the Battle Research Group, discusses the realities of ground combat and their implications for future warfare. We explore the importance of studying battles like Ukraine’s Irpin River clash to understand tactics, human will, and war’s evolving nature, drawing on his team’s… Listen ⇢

Can Europe’s fragmented defence industry meet the demands of a shifting geopolitical landscape? In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, Stuart Dee from RAND Europe joins Peter Apps to unpack the NATO summit in The Hague, where pledges to raise defence spending to 3.5%–5% of GDP signal a bold shift.… Listen ⇢

What’s really shaping America’s foreign policy under Trump, and how does it ripple out to the rest of us? In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, we are joined with Nikolas Gvosdev, a professor at the US Naval War College sharing his personal insights, as we unpack unpredictable US strategy—from… Listen ⇢

How are drone strikes and precision targeting transforming warfare? In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, George Barrows from the Institute for the Study of War and Brian Carter from the American Enterprise Institute analyse Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web, smuggling drones into Russia to disrupt airfields, and Israel’s strikes on… Listen ⇢

In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, we explore how the British Army is preparing for growing global threats. I’m joined by Nicholas Drummond, a former Army officer and KNDS defence consultant, straight from the Royal United Services Institute’s Land Warfare Conference. We discuss the Army’s bold plans to double… Listen ⇢

Artificial intelligence is reshaping warfare, and in this episode, we explore its profound implications with Michael Nyberg, a professor at the US Army War College, and Tom Crosby, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College. Tom’s sociological view questions if AI could lead to a “post-human” war, eroding… Listen ⇢

In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, Matthew Sperzel and Daniel Shats from the Institute for the Study of War join us to explore rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait. We discuss China’s growing military and diplomatic pressure—daily aerial incursions, coast guard patrols near Taiwan’s islands—and debate if Xi Jinping’s 2027 deadline… Listen ⇢