Episode 16: America in the Arctic: Foreign Policy and Competition in the Melting North
The Arctic encompasses not only the territory of eight countries, but also vital geological features and strategic waterways that have made the region an area of ecological concern and geopolitical contestation.To help navigate these waters, The Debrief talks with Dr. Mary Thompson-Jones, a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer and professor and chair of Women in Diplomacy and National Security, who is the author of America in the Arctic: Foreign Policy and Competition in the Melting North (Columbia University Press, 2025).
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Episode 15: Economic and National Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce
Today, economics is more a part of the national security equation than it has ever been. Trade, science, technology, innovation, and supply chains – to name a few issues – intersect with national security with more depth, breadth, and frequency every year. As a consequence, U.S. economic agencies are increasingly called to the table to solve national security challenges.To help understand these many connections and what economic security looks like in practice at the highest levels of decision-making, The Debrief spoke with Don Graves, who served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce from 2021-2025.
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Episode 14: Perspectives on the Indian Ocean Region
Admiral Verma offers an overview of the growing importance of the Indian Ocean basin—stretching from South Africa across the Middle East and South Asia to Southeast Asia—for global security. In particular, how will developments in this region of the world become more important for U.S. national security?------------------------Guest:Admiral (Ret) Nirmal Verma served as Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 2009-2012 and concurrently held charge as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee from June 2011. His afloat appointments include commands of a frigate, a destroyer and aircraft carrier INS Viraat. His assignments as Flag Officer include an operational theater command, and policy formulation on budget management, acquisitions and human resources. Post retirement he served as India's High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Canada. The Admiral is currently a U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Distinguished International Fellow at the U.S. Naval War College.
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Episode 13: Always Above: Space Force and the New Frontiers of an Increasingly Contested Warfighting Domain
Synopsis:The Space Force is the United States’s newest military service branch, established in 2019 to secure the nation’s interests in space. Organized within the Department of the Air Force, the Space Force joins a number of organizations within the Department of Defense operating within what is an increasingly contested warfighting domain. Joining The Debrief to help navigate the changes to the United States’s posture toward this new frontier is Dr. David Burbach, associate professor of national security affairs and the inaugural director of the Space Studies Group at the U.S. Naval War College.About the Speaker:Professor Burbach teaches the politics of U.S. foreign policy, space security and international relations. His scholarly interests include civil-military relations, defense planning and the relationship between international security and technology, particularly space and nuclearpolicy. Before joining the Naval War College faculty in 2007, he taught at the Army's School of Advanced Military Studies and also worked for several policy analysis and information technology organizations.Watch The Debrief Episode 13 on YouTubeThe views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.
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Episode 12: Rise of the Machines? Implications of New Tech On-And Off-The Battlefield
Synopsis:How have new technologies, such as autonomous drones and applying artificial intelligence, changed how strategists and policymakers view conflict in the 21st century? While they have had clear impacts in the tactical and operational levels of war, how game-changing are they when it comes to strategic objectives? Are we in thrall to "strategic myths" arising from technological determinism? Join us for this important conversation.About the Speaker:LTC Paul Lushenko is an Assistant Professor and Director of Special Operations at the U.S. Army War College. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in International Relations from Cornell University. He also holds an M.A. in Defense and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, an M.A. in International Relations and a Master of Diplomacy from The Australian National University, and a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy. Paul has deployed continuously, directing intelligence operations at the Battalion, Combined Task Force, and Joint Task Force levels. In his most recent operational assignment, Paul served as the Senior Intelligence Officer for the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan and was also responsible for shaping the coalition’s strategy to defeat the Islamic State and helping to regionalize U.S. counterterrorism policy and strategy. Paul is a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member, Adjunct Research Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute. He is the co-editor of Drones and Global Order: Implications of Remote Warfare for International Society (2022), which is the first book to systematically study the implications of drone warfare on global politics. He also has a book forthcoming on the public’s perceptions of legitimate drone strikes, entitled The Legitimacy of Drone Warfare: Evaluating Public Perceptions (2024).The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.
The Debrief is a production of the faculty of the National Security Affairs Department of the U.S. Naval War College examining critical topics and highlighting the important discussions surrounding U.S. national security and international engagement.
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