In 2005, then Colonel H. R. McMaster commanded the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment during the Battle of Tal Afar. At the time, the city was a key stronghold for al-Qaeda in Iraq and a staging ground for fighters and suicide bombers crossing into northwestern Iraq from Syria. Operation Restoring Rights was launched to clear insurgents, restore order, and protect the civilian population from the sectarian violence ravaging the city. It is often referenced as a model example of the clear, hold, build approach to counterinsurgency. McMaster joins this episode to share his uniquely insightful perspective on the battle—how the fight was shaped by lessons from Fallujah, how his team integrated Iraqi security forces and tribal leaders, and how planning focused not just on clearing the city but holding it and restoring life afterward.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, one of its first targets was the city of Mariupol. Despite being outnumbered by—and less well equipped...
This episode features John Spencer's discussion with Col. Douglas Winton, chair of the Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations at the US Army...
On the morning of March 7, 1988, three members of the Palestine Liberation Organization hijacked a bus full of Israeli women traveling to work...