The Ancient Art of Modern Warfare

Exploring how the practice of war changes while the fundamental nature and principles of war are unchanging. Host is COL Chris Mayer, USA RET, former member of the Advance Warfighting Working Group and the U.S. Government's expert on Private Military Companies. Includes Strategy, Revolution in Military Affairs, Hybrid Warfare, Cyber warfare, mercenaries, PMSC, Laws and Customs of War

The Ancient Art of Modern Warfare is a government podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Ancient Art of Modern Warfare, a government show with 100 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #142

  Is Hizballah a Mercenary Organization (E141)

  Jul 16, 202632 min

  The common definition of a mercenary is a soldier paid to fight in an armed conflict for a country that is not his or her own. The terrorist organization Hizballah operates in Lebanon, fighting against Israel, with financial, material and organizational support from Iran, and frequently under the direction of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Under the common definition, could Hizballah be considered mercenaries fighting for Iran? Royce de Melo, Doug Brooks, and I discuss this question in this episode of the Ancient Art of Modern Warfare. References: Hague 1907: Convention (IV) respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its annex: Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land. The Hague, 18 October 1907. (definition of lawful combatant) https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/hague-conv-iv-1907 Article 47, Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions, 1977 (definition of mercenary) (The United States is not a party to this Protocol) https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977?activeTab=1949GCs-APs-and-commentaries United Nations Mercenary Convention: International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-convention-against-recruitment-use-financing-and&ved=2ahUKEwi47cCQ6M-VAxV4M1kFHX_OGsAQFnoECA0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1fCthlNI1AV0DjEGZmeTVl (As of the date of this episode, only 38 governments had ratified this treaty. Only two NATO countries are parties to the convention.) Music: Liszt, F., and the USMC Band, Les Preludes. Public Domain Kiilstofte, P. Mercenaries, Machinamasound (Licensed)

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #141

  War Is Irrational (E140)

  Jun 16, 202610 min

  Is war rational? The great philosopher of war, Carl von Clausewitz, was a product of three schools of education: the classical tradition of Aristotle, the enlightenment philosophers such as Kant, and the practical experience of Napoleon. Each of these three challenged and opposed the other two. His work, On War expresses this tension and opposition. In his effort to develop a comprehensive theory of war, he had to deal with the many instances where the reality of war seemed to defy any coherent framework, where the things which should happen in war are contradicted by what actually happens. (This fits with his assigning the element of probability and chance to the military leg of his famous triad.) “Consequently,” he wrote, “it would be an obvious fallacy to imagine war between civilized peoples as resulting merely from a rational act on the part of their governments…” If it did, he concluded, then in the end, war would never need to be fought. But wars are fought. Is war itself then, irrational? Music: Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain) Copland, A. & United States Marine Band. (2000) Fanfare for the Common Man. unpublished, Washington, DC. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, (Fair use for educational purposes.)

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #140

  The Rational Actor Model (E139)

  Jun 9, 202611 min

  Since at least the 1940’s, policy and strategic thinking uses the so-called rational actor model in determining what competitors and partners may do, how to respond to them, and how they may react in return. Even considering variations to that model to explain less than optimal choices by these actors, there appears to be enough irrationality by state and non-state actors to call into question whether continued use of the rational actor model is itself rational. Music: Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain) Copland, A. & United States Marine Band. (2000) Fanfare for the Common Man. unpublished, Washington, DC. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, (Fair use for educational purposes.)

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #139

  Wars of Choice? (E138)

  Jun 1, 202610 minS0

  <p>I haven’t posted for a few weeks mostly because the current armed conflict with Iran poses a lot of questions that I don’t have answers for. One thing I might have an answer for is the question about wars of choice. Recently, this term is used in a way that implies that this armed conflict is illegitimate or unethical. Like many terms used by any faction with intended political impact, the term is left undefined. Without defining terms there can be no logical argument. Rather, the intent is an appeal to emotion, rather than reason. In this epis...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #138

  Cyber-Mercenaries (E136)

  May 14, 202617 minS0

  <p>Any quick net search for the term “cyber mercenary” will result in dozens, if not hundreds of entries. These concerns largely focus on the effect these persons or entities have on personal freedoms, economic activity, and the ability of hackers and States can work together to undermine human rights. What about cyber mercenaries and warfare? Can – or do – real mercenaries of the cyber domain of warfare actively participate in combat? If so, how can they disrupt armed conflict or undermine whatever humanitarian principles still exist in warfare? It took the international community years to catch up on the use of priva...

  ListenShow Notes

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.