Guests Michael Knights and co-host Jane Stokes join Dave Brown to discuss the first book in a series detailing the outcome of a set of modern irregular warfare operations over control of Southern Yemen in 2015. The first book details the Yemeni Houthis’ attempts to take over the port of Aden in their coup against the UN-backed government of the country. The opposing force preventing this Iranian proxy from threating a second major strategic waterway and potentially impacting global trade through Suez, are the small but highly capable UAE special forces, honed alongside NATO and the US in the fires of Afghanistan. Join us for this fascinating look at capable foreign fighting forces in 25 Days to Aden, by Michael Knights.

Articles:

• 25 Days to Aden - The Unknown Story of Arabian Elite Forces at War, Washington Institute, January 2023

Guests:

Jane Stokes is associate professor in the Joint Military Operations Department, College of Distance Education, U.S. Naval War College. She is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, having served over 25 years in both active and reserve components. As a military officer she served as a Marine foreign advisor, attaché, and liaison officer in numerous embassies, and served as International Programs Branch Chief for the CENTCOM J2, working on Security Cooperation efforts and partner engagement with allies and partners. Previously she was the MARCENT Liaison Officer to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Arabic speaker, she also spent almost a decade working for Department of State's Foreign Service, and has extensive experience in the Middle East region with a focus on counterterrorism and foreign policy. She holds a MA from American Military University in Strategic Intelligence, and a MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Jane is the author of Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq, featured on the Marine Corps Commandant’s Professional Reading List, and she has appeared on numerous national media outlets.

Michael Knights, Ph.D. serves as the Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He is the co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Michael has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf states, and regularly briefs government policymakers, congressional committees, and the U.S. military on regional security affairs. He has worked extensively with local military and security agencies on the ground in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Yemen. He previously worked as the head of analysis for a range of security and oil companies, directing information-collection teams in Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, and before that, worked as a defense journalist for the Gulf States Newsletter as well as Jane's Intelligence...

Guests Nolan Peterson and Kateryna Bondar join host Dave Brown to discuss the rapid expansion of drone warfare across numerous conflict zones. Janus, the Roman God of new beginnings, symbolizes the change from one condition to another and from past to future. The two faces of Janus also represent transitions because he could see into the past with one face, and toward the future with the other. This is a perfect metaphor of this momentous shift in technical weaponry unfolding right in front of us. The future of the modern battlefield is here, and it’s most clearly seen in the rapid growth in drone warfare capabilities and the increasing lethality of the current threat environment it is creating.

Articles:

• Ukraine drones hunt down Russian soldiers as incursion into Belgorod continues – YouTube/The Sun – 10 Apr 2025 (video)
• Battle For Pokrovsk. Ukraine's Drone Pilots Are Trying To Stop Russia | Ukraine Front Line Update, RFE/RL – 7 April 2025 (video)
• Ukraine's DIY drone makers are helping fighters on the front lines, E. Beardsley, NPR, 12 Apr 2025
• Ukraine Is Making FPV Drones Without Chinese Parts And At Lower Cost, D. Hambling, Forbes, 8 Apr 2025 (paywall)
• US Army tests FPV drones in Germany under ‘Project Shiv’, G. Allison, UKDJ, 6 Apr 2025
• Ukraine has capacity to produce 5 million FPV drones per year, advisor says, M. Fornusek, Kyiv Independent, 8 Apr 2025
• Marine Corps stands up ‘attack drone team’ to take lessons from Ukraine and teach them to grunts, J. Schogol, Task & Purpose, 4 Apr 2025
• The century-long reign of the machine gun is over, a Russian strategist argues, M. Peck, Business Insider, 16 Mar 2025 (paywall)
• Ukraine’s Future Vision and Current Capabilities for Waging AI-Enabled Autonomous Warfare, K. Bondar, CSIS, 6 Mar 2025
• Heven Drones unveils new hydrogen-powered, long range UAV at IDEX, S. Frantzman, Breaking Defense, 13 Feb 2025

Guests Gen (Retired) Joseph L. Votel, and Dr. Colin P. Clarke join host Dave Brown and co-host Dr. Heidi Lane to discuss the U.S. mission in Syria and the implications for U.S. counter-terrorism in the region and continuing to prevent the re-emergence of ISIS.

Articles:

• In Syria, America Should Be Ruthlessly Focused on the Islamic State, J. Votel & E. Dent, WOTR, 17 Jan 2025
• Trump Administration’s Counterterrorism Policy Should Begin at Golan Heights, C. Costa & C. Clarke, Cipher Brief, 8 Jan 2025

See Also:

• The Danger of Abandoning Our Partners J. Votel & E. Dent, The Atlantic, 8 Oct 2019
• How to Protect America After the Syria Withdrawal J. Votel & E. Dent, The Atlantic, 21 Oct 2019

See More:

• Beyond Assad: The Rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Syria’s Uncertain Future, R. Rossoukh, Brandeis University, 18 Dec 2024
• Israel demands complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, S. Usher, BBC News, 24 Feb 2025
• Squeezed between Turkey and Sharaa, Syria's Kurds face stark choices, A. Zaman, Al-Monitor, 13 Feb 2025
• Post-Paris Steps in Syria Could Be Decisive, D. Margolin & A. Zelin, Washington Institute, 28 Feb 2025
• The Syria Breakdown, Episode Four: Revolutionary Rebuilding and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), A. Zelin, Washington Institute, 28 Feb 2025

Guests:

Joseph L. Votel, General USA, (Retired); Retired four-star general in the U.S Army, and former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Mar 2016 to Mar 2019, where he oversaw military operations across the region, including the campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He also served as the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). During his military career, Gen Votel gained extensive operational experience across the Middle East, the Levant, Central and South Asia, Northern Africa, and the Horn of Africa. Votel is a non-resident distinguished senior fellow on national security at the Middle East Institute.

Colin P. Clarke, Ph.D., Director of Research and Senior Research Fellow at The Soufan Group (TSG), an intelligence and...