School of War

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Nov 2026

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In School of War, CBS News National Security Analyst and Free Press columnist Aaron MacLean sits down with secretaries of state, top military historians, war planners, and key political decision-makers to help understand the lessons of war. Tune in as School of War takes you to the front lines. Aaron MacLean is a former senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Visit our Substack for episode transcripts Follow along on Instagram

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November 6, 202657 min

Flying America’s Most Controversial Aircraft

Is it a plane or a helicopter? The MV-22 Osprey has features from both, but that’s not what makes it one of the most controversial aircraft in the American military. Its history of deadly crashes has earned it a reputation as a dangerous machine, but former Marine Corps pilot Bubba Scott takes a different view Today, Scott joins School of War to explain why he believes the Osprey is “unfairly maligned,” what makes it so revolutionary, why the Marine Corps depends on it, and what it takes to fly one of the most demanding aircraft in military aviation. From a terrifying near-collision to harrowing nighttime landings, Scott offers a rare look inside the cockpit—and the extraordinary skill, training, and leadership required to operate at the limits of modern military aviation. 04:11 – Becoming a Marine Osprey Pilot 09:05 – A Lesson in Marine Corps Toughness 12:54 – Why the Military Needed the Osprey 18:54 – Operation Eagle Claw and the Osprey's Mission 24:07 – Is the Osprey Really Dangerous? 27:07 – The Osprey's Safety Record 30:46 – What Is It Like to Fly an Osprey? 34:34 – The Challenges of Flying the Osprey 38:56 – A Near-Fatal Midair Collision 46:35 – America's Night-Flying Capabilities 50:18 – American Military Excellence 52:20 – Leadership Lessons From the Cockpit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

November 3, 20261 hr 6 min

Israel’s Fight in the North

Reporting from northern Israel, Aaron sits down with two unidentified Israeli army officers and Druze community leader Tamir Murad to explore the threats facing the country’s northern frontier. From drones changing the battlefield to the plight of Syria’s Druze, their conversations reveal how closely war touches everyday life. As one Israeli army officer puts it, “There’s no distance between the front line and home. Home is the front line.” 01:10 — Tamir Morad on Israel’s Druze 02:50 — Four generations of service 07:28 — October 7 11:02 — Hezbollah rockets and tunnels 13:55 — Majdal Shams and Druze identity 17:29 — Violence in Suwayda 25:06 — A Druze state? 36:28 — Israeli officers on the 1973 war 39:57 — Lessons from Ukraine 42:07 — Hezbollah’s drones 50:02 — AI on the battlefield 54:15 — Israel’s Syrian buffer zone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 29, 20261 hr 18 min

Why Another Iran Strike Looks Inevitable

Will Iran cost Republicans the midterms? What happens when half of the GOP turns against Israel? Middle East expert Mike Doran returns to School of War for a wide-ranging discussion of these questions as the midterms threaten to widen divisions on the American right over foreign policy. Taking aim at Tucker Carlson’s influence, Doran argues that the consequences of this divide reach far beyond Israel: “It sets us against ourselves, Americans against Americans, conservatives against conservatives.” He and Aaron MacLean explore the stakes of another escalation with Iran and when it might unfold, the future of America’s alliances, and what it all means for 2028. 03:59 Trump’s Next Move on Iran 11:29 Can Trump Force a Deal? 17:24 What Iran Really Wants 20:26 Is Renewed War Inevitable? 26:58 Targeting Iran’s Refineries 30:36 Trump, Putin, and Russian Oil 37:55 Israel and Turkey’s Rivalry 45:05 The Fight Over Syria 51:35 The Right Turns on Israel 53:19 The Debate With the NatCons 1:00:09 What Should Conservatives Defend? 1:10:56 Can America Find the Center? This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 27, 20261 hr 26 min

What Israel’s Election Is Really About, with Haviv Rettig Gur

“It feels like an election where the nature of the country, the future of this foundational ethos of solidarity, is at stake,” says Haviv Rettig Gur. The Free Press Middle East analyst and host of Ask Haviv Anything joins Aaron MacLean in Jerusalem to explore the history behind the election’s deepest divisions. From Zionism’s origins as a rescue project to the military service that shapes its leaders, Gur explains the shared responsibility that built Israel—and why Israelis fear it is unraveling. What does Benjamin Netanyahu offer voters that his opponents don’t? And can a country united against its enemies agree on what it owes its own citizens? 02:05 What Is Zionism? 09:53 Herzl’s Warning 15:13 A Jewish Rescue Project 26:38 Visions of the Jewish State 30:24 Netanyahu’s Security Message 35:21 American Jews and Israel 43:32 Military Service and Political Power 47:41 The Foundations of Israeli Democracy 52:40 The Ultra-Orthodox Draft Fight 1:01:42 The Army and Israeli Identity 1:12:35 What’s at Stake in the Election? 1:21:23 Antisemitism in America This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 23, 202649 min

Sweden’s Secret Army

Sweden joined NATO in 2024. What took them so long? Historian Johan Wennström, author of The Stay Behinds: Sweden’s Cold War Guardians, joins Aaron MacLean to uncover how Sweden secretly collaborated with NATO for decades while remaining publicly neutral for fear the Soviet Union would invade Finland if they did. With Russia threatening Europe again, Wennström discusses the history of Sweden’s balancing act, how it built an army of sleeper cells, and whether NATO membership risks giving countries a false sense of security. 03:13 The Soviet Threat 08:00 Was Sweden Neutral? 15:52 Sweden in World War II 20:10 Sweden’s Military Might 20:50 Building the Resistance 25:11 Legalizing a Secret Army 28:35 Soviet Invasion Plans 33:05 The Resistance Leaders 37:09 Is Europe Prepared? 41:09 Was NATO a Mistake? 42:41 The Case for Deterrence 44:29 Preparing for Defeat This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 19, 202643 min

Can Ukraine Win Without America?

Russia is losing ground in eastern Ukraine and suffering mounting casualties. So why is the White House handing Vladimir Putin a lifeline? Retired Australian Army major general Mick Ryan, author of the newsletter Futura Doctrina, joins Aaron MacLean to examine the links between the Iran war and Ukraine, and explains why Ukraine’s battlefield successes aren’t translating into political advantage. Putin’s best hope, Ryan argues, is getting Donald Trump on his side: “He’s tried everything else and it hasn’t worked.” Could Washington give Putin what his army can’t? 03:07 Ukraine and Iran 05:58 Putin’s American Lifeline 08:04 Rising Diesel Prices 11:22 Ukraine’s Starlink Dependence 13:30 Satellite Speed Limits 18:00 Russia’s Jet-Powered Drones 19:40 Ukraine Without America 22:34 Stalled Peace Talks 25:39 Economic Warfare Against Iran 31:08 Ukraine’s Counteroffensive 36:40 Adapting on the Battlefield 39:14 China’s Lessons From War This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 16, 20261 hr 7 min

The Making of Xi Jinping

During the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist Party purged Xi Jinping’s father and subjected him to 16 years of persecution and imprisonment—so how did the current president of China emerge more devoted to the party than ever? “It’s like a comic book villain origin story,” says Aaron MacLean. Today, Joseph Torigian, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping, joins School of War to explore the strange and dark story of China’s current president, the brutality of Mao’s China, and how it all shaped the power dynamics in Beijing today. 03:24 – The Xi Family and Communist Loyalty 08:14 – Why Xi Jinping Never Abandoned the Party 10:05 – China's Revolutionary Origins 13:23 – The Books That Shaped Xi Jinping 18:34 – Why China Embraced Communism 22:13 – Xi Zhongxun's Rise and Near-Execution 29:21 – Mao's Loyalty Test 35:30 – The Great Leap Forward and Famine 45:14 – Xi Jinping's Brutal Childhood 47:38 – His Father's 16 Years of Persecution 52:11 – Mao and the Cultural Revolution 59:17 – The Xi Family's Tragedy This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 13, 20261 hr 3 min

When, Not If: The Baltics Prepare for War

In the Baltics, war with Russia is no abstraction. Putin could take Lithuania’s capital if he achieved surprise, the nation’s army commander told Aaron MacLean. This week, Aaron travels through Lithuania and Latvia to speak with Brigadier General Nerijus Stankevičius, Lithuanian defense Minister Robertas Kaunas, and Latvian foreign minister Baiba Braže about why Lithuania is amending its constitution to allow weapons of mass destruction on its soil, what schoolchildren are learning in their war-preparedness exercises, and what each country is doing now to make sure they’re ready if war comes.  02:58 — Brig. Gen. Nerijus Stankevičius 04:25 — Russia Could Take Vilnius 06:03 — How Lithuania Would Fight 09:58 — “Never Again” 14:14 — Robertas Kaunas, Lithuania’s Defense Strategy 17:28 — Drones, AI & the Eastern Flank 22:31 — Nuclear Deterrence 23:58 — Preparing the Whole Country 29:16 — A Message to Putin 31:29 — Baiba Braže, Latvia on the Front Line 36:12 — Drones Over Latvia 37:28 — Joining Latvia’s National Guard 40:30 — Russia’s “Sub-Conventional” War 48:46 — What If Russia Wins in Ukraine? 55:54 — Can Russia Be Pressured Into Peace?  This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 9, 202649 min

Rebuilding America’s War Machine

America is running low on munitions, its shipyards can’t keep pace, and the materials its weapons depend on too often run through China. Michael Cadenazzi is the Pentagon official charged with turning that around, putting billions of dollars behind the factories, materials, and supply chains that make America’s military power possible. He joins School of War to explain how the Pentagon plans to ramp up weapons production, attract private investment, and break decades of bad habits in how the Pentagon does business. Cadenazzi is confident America can still mobilize its industrial might for a major war, but he warns that waiting until the shooting starts would be “way more expensive in blood and treasure.” The race to rearm is on, and the question is whether America can win it before the next great-power war begins.  03:40 – America's Industrial Decline 06:15 – Dependence on China 09:12 – Pentagon Spending 12:40 – Rare Earth Production 16:59 – Defense Supply Chains 20:41 – Weapons Manufacturing 23:26 – High-End Weapons vs. Mass 28:01 – Blood and Treasure 31:56 – Private Investment 34:58 – Outproducing China 41:29 – Pentagon Equity Stakes 45:00 – Managing Investments This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 8, 202635 min

What Happened Inside Russia’s Plague Lab?

A young researcher in Siberia has died under mysterious circumstances, raising questions about a potential lab leak. Russia won’t say how it happened. Marshall Billingslea, former Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control, says Moscow has scrubbed news reports, had officials walk back talk of an outbreak, and kept the World Health Organization in the dark. He joins School of War to fill in what the Kremlin won’t, taking us inside Russia’s expanding bioweapons program and the institute at the heart of the mystery, which defectors say ran a covert effort to weaponize the disease and make it resistant to antibiotics. He also explains how Moscow thinks about using these weapons, how China is building a program of its own, and why the most frightening of them pose a risk even nuclear weapons don’t. 2:32 — Mystery at a Russian Plague Lab 5:29 — Russia’s Bioweapons Program 7:14 — Weaponizing Plague 10:39 — How Russia Would Use Bioweapons 13:01 — Smallpox and Ebola 15:07 — Controlling the Spread 16:40 — “Your Vaccines Wouldn’t Have Worked” 18:20 — A Soviet Bioweapons Defector 20:30 — Why Bioweapons Bans Are Hard to Verify 24:58 — Irkutsk and Wuhan 29:48 — Another Pandemic? 32:45 — China and North Korea This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices