Sailors use needle guns to remove rust from the anchor chain of the USS Porter at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Feb. 23, 2019. — https://www.defense.gov/observe/photo-gallery/igphoto/2002093852/

It has been quite awhile since we recorded and published an episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast, and, truth be told, it shows in this episode.  Of course we suggest that you tune in anyway, and listen to Bob Hein and Phil Walter (whose microphone was too close to his mouth) knock of their rusty podcasting skills as they discuss challenges that President Biden will face during the next four years.  Topics cussed and discussed on this episode include:

– COVID19 and its use as leverage in foreign policy

– Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific Region

– Russia and its threat or lack thereof

– Iran!  Iran!  Iran!  (Said like Jan Brady “Marcia!  Marcia!  Marcia!”)

– Violent Extremism

– 4+1, 1+4, and other bumper sticker math problems that attempt to oversimplify U.S. national security priorities

– Discussing the gifts that Bob and Phil received for Christmas which include a yodeling pickle

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here. You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed.

On this episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast, Bob Hein and Phil Walter interrogated former CIA Officer Alex Finley on her new book, “Victor in the Jungle,” which follows her first book, “Victor in the Rubble.”  Key Intelligence Questions posed to Alex during this interrogation include:

– Who has the worst travel claim processing in D.C., the CIA, the military, or defense contractors?

– What does fictional character and intelligence operative Victor Caro do when he is tired of the Total War on Terror in West Africa?

– What did a young Alex Finley do as a child to prepare for life in the CIA?

– Has the CIA forgotten the art of spying?

– After over a decade and a half fighting the war on terror, do intelligence services have the tools for great power competition?

– Does the CIA really have cat fashion shows?

– Are there metrics that can measure the value of an intelligence report?

– What is the danger of management consultants in the national security arena?

– How do terrorist organizations get rid of undesirables?

– Where and when are Alex’s book launch parties going to occur?

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here. You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed.

On this episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast Bob Hein, Steve Leonard, and Phil Walter discussed Hollywood, the U.S. Military, and Civil-Military Relations.

Issues touched on and quotes from this episode include:

– Hollywood, the strategic communications branch of civil-military relations.

– World War 2 gave us movies of epic battles, now we get damaged Veterans and rogue super soldiers.

– The damaged Veteran sells, and that is the most important lesson in Hollywood.

– Is Hollywood’s depiction of broken Veterans tied to the clarity of the objectives pursued in the war?

– Is Stripes the quintessential Cold War Movie?

– The strength of the Desert Storm movie “Three Kings” was its accurate portrayal of a tension pneumothorax.

– Does “The Hurt Locker” capture the reality of the Iraq war or further the rogue warrior adrenaline junkie myth (or both)?

– Is the HBO series “Generation Kill” the most accurate portrayal of a modern forward military unit?

– Would anybody watch a movie about military staff officers?

– Why are there no movies about Medal of Honor winners from Iraq and Afghanistan?

– Where is the Army in “Save the World “ movies like Battleship, The Last Ship, and Independence Day?

– Gran Torino is the quintessential veteran movie.

And much more!

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here. You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed below.

Image from The Research Library and Archive, Sir John Soane’s Museum, London — https://www.soane.org/collections-research/research-library-and-archive

This episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast focuses on great books.  More specifically, what Bob Hein, Steve Leonard, and Phil Walter think are great books.  The Divergent Options trio determined what their favorite books were in the categories of Policy, Strategy, Tactical, Most Gifted, and Most Personal and decided to share them with our amazing listeners.  Though only Bob and Phil were able to attend this episode of the podcast, Steve provided his favorites as well.  You can see all of the books on the spreadsheet below.

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here. You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed below.

Image from https://niskanencenter.org/blog/future-liberalism-politicization-everything/

In 1988 General Paul X. Kelly, a retired United States Marine Corps General, made it known that he endorsed candidate George Bush for President of the United States.  That simple endorsement broke open the dam, emboldening future generations of retired Generals and Admirals to make their views known during each election cycle.  What are the impacts, good or bad, when retired military Generals and Admirals stand on stage to support a candidate for President?  What impacts do these endorsements have on the military members still serving?  Can or should anything be done about these endorsements?  Join Bob Hein and Steve Leonard as they discuss these issues and more on this episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast!

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here. You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed below.

Image: http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/us-mission-creep-syria-iraq/

What is mission creep?  What are some examples of mission creep?  What are some effects of mission creep?  Why does the military seem to bat clean up for the rest of the Executive Branch when national security problems rear their ugly heads?  Bob Hein and Steve Leonard discuss these issues and more on this episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast!

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here. You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed below.

In this episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast Bob Hein and Steve Leonard interview Dr. Kori Schake the Deputy Director-General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies regarding her newest book “Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony.”  We then wander into other potential hegemonic shifts of the future, (is there potential for an Indian hegemony?), what can be done to secure American hegemony for the future, interpreting the end of August Cole and Peter Singer’s novel “Ghost Fleet,” why Kori writes, her time raising cows in California, and how to improve the State Department.

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here. You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed below.

In this episode of The Smell of Victory Podcast Bob Hein leads the way in a discussion focusing on maritime competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China while Steve Leonard and Phil Walter sprint to keep up!

This episode begins with a brief overview of A.T. Mahan and Julian Corbett and the differences between Sea Control and Power Projection.  Your trio of hosts then takes four ideas Andrew Marshall posed in his 1972 RAND paper “Long-Term Competition with the Soviets: A Framework for Strategic Analysis” and discusses them in a United States and People’s Republic of China maritime competition context.  Per Andrew Marshall:

Mahan, Corbett, Marshall, and even Bob Hein’s preferred cigar brands (Montecristo and My Father) are discussed in this episode!

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here.  You can also listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed below.

RSS Feed for The Smell of Victory Podcast by Divergent Options

While Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2017, Divergent Options co-founder Bob Hein listened to a lot of podcasts.  Along the way, he asked himself, “Why not a Divergent Options podcast?”

Bob completed his thru-hike and has taken the helm on a new line of effort at Divergent Options, a podcast called The Smell of Victory.

The Smell of Victory podcast debuts with 58 minutes of Phil Walter, Steve Leonard, and Bob Hein discussing the United States National Security Strategy (NSS).  They begin by noting the requirements for an NSS established in 50 U.S. Code § 3043, and then examine the “Strategy in a Regional Context” portion of President Donald Trump’s NSS, which begins on page 45 of the document.  As always, Divergent Options’ content does not contain information of an official nature nor does the content represent the official position of any government, any organization, or any group.  

You can listen via Sticher by clicking here, or iTunes by clicking here.  You can also can listen on our website by clicking play below or download The Smell of Victory to your favorite podcatcher via our RSS feed below.

RSS Feed for The Smell of Victory Podcast by Divergent Options