MWI Book Club

Project Maven

John Amble and Theo Lipsky — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 23:00:04 +0000

In 2017, the Department of Defense launched Project Maven with the aim of integrating artificial intelligence into military operations. Both the project's backstory and its consequences promise to teach us much about modern warfare and the US national security enterprise. On this episode, John Amble and Theo Lipsky explore these lessons via a close read of Katrina Manson's new book, Project Maven: A Marine Colonel, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare.

Have any thoughts of your own to add? Ideas of what to consider next? Don’t hesitate to reach out at john.amble@westpoint.edu or theodore.lipsky@westpoint.edu.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - The podcast logo and its WWII poster inspiration
(00:03:02) - Welcome to the MWI Book Club
(00:04:18) - Listener feedback and housekeeping notes
(00:07:01) - Introducing Project Maven by Katrina Manson
(00:09:57) - Executive summary of Project Maven
(00:11:42) - Part one: framing the technology discussion
(00:15:13) - How the military historically related to technology
(00:18:41) - AlphaGo, Move 37, and the AI light bulb moment
(00:23:49) - Early AI applications: drone surveillance and screeners
(00:27:12) - Project Maven's launch and the intelligence vs. operations divide
(00:32:33) - Speed, field-to-learn, and building Maven Smart System
(00:35:18) - Computer vision, transformers, and large language models
(00:38:51) - Part two: AI, data, and the character of war
(00:41:03) - The hunt for data and dumpster diving for hard drives
(00:43:03) - Does tactical data scale to strategic AI uses?
(00:49:47) - Data retention, access, and applicability problems
(00:54:33) - Ukraine, Donahue, and workflow as the key to success
(00:56:05) - Part three: the leadership factor
(00:58:36) - Cukor's early bureaucratic maneuvering and Palantir origins
(01:05:42) - The Breakfast Club, Bob Work, and field-to-learn philosophy
(01:13:47) - Bureaucratic blowback and the rise of the JAIC rivalry
(01:17:09) - Team building, maverick culture, and personal costs
(01:23:27) - Harnessing the private sector and the Google controversy
(01:30:03) - Assessing Cukor's maverick leadership style
(01:33:01) - Back matter: margin notes on war and Google's identity
(01:37:05) - Saved rounds: personal anecdotes behind Project Maven
(01:41:55) - Bonus reads and closing remarks

Hadji Murat

John Amble and Theo Lipsky — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:28:52 +0000

A venerable critic called it "the best story in the world." It is also these days among the most forgotten. Join cohosts Theo Lipsky and John Amble as they break down the story, the meaning, and the lessons of Leo Tolstoy's late-in-life masterpiece about counterinsurgency, Hadji Murat.

Chapters

(00:00:06) - Introduction to the MWI Book Club
(00:00:37) - Introducing Hadji Murad and Tolstoy
(00:04:38) - Tolstoy's Life and Military Background
(00:10:05) - Tolstoy's Writing Career and Spiritual Journey
(00:14:05) - Plot Summary of Hadji Murad
(00:18:18) - Part One: Hadji Murad Comes In From the Cold
(00:22:31) - Russian Soldiers and the Fortress Dynamics
(00:26:15) - Prince Vorontsov and the News of Hadji Murad
(00:29:32) - The Wood Felling Incident and Officer Vanity
(00:34:29) - The Cost of Fictional War Reports
(00:39:49) - Part Two: Vorontsov and Counterinsurgency Optimism
(00:49:11) - Meeting of Vorontsov and Hadji Murad
(00:53:50) - Loris-Melikov's Interview with Hadji Murad
(00:58:30) - The Tsar, Vanity, and Bureaucratic Distortion
(01:03:21) - Part Three: The Raids and Their Human Cost
(01:06:55) - Major Petrov, Butler, and Shamil's Self-Deception
(01:13:39) - Hadji Murad's Final Decision and Death
(01:20:59) - Aftermath and Literary Reflection
(01:24:46) - Back Matter: Margin Notes
(01:29:33) - Fun Facts and Personal Reflections
(01:34:27) - Bonus Reads and Episode Closing

The Forever War

John Amble and Theo Lipsky — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 06:52:31 +0000

In 1974, a young Vietnam veteran wrote a science fiction novel about the future of warfare. The novel changed science fiction forever. But more than a half century later, can The Forever War still teach us about war and leadership? Join MWI Book Club cohosts John Amble and Theo Lipsky as they look for answers in the novel's plot and its depiction of military technology—from artificial intelligence to unmanned systems to personnel management.

Chapters

(00:00:06) - Book Club
(00:00:36) - The Forever War: A Book Review
(00:03:42) - The Forever War
(00:06:05) - Part 1 of The Battle of the Planet
(00:07:42) - The Transition From Civilian to Soldier: Part 1
(00:13:59) - Training and War
(00:16:35) - The First Casualties in 'Battlefield'
(00:18:33) - Battle Training and the First Battle
(00:25:17) - Part 1
(00:25:44) - The Forever War, William Mandela
(00:32:31) - The Book of William and Mary Gay Potter
(00:37:12) - In The Civil Military Divide, Part 3
(00:40:36) - Haldeman: The Search for Leadership
(00:50:38) - The End of The War: Technology and War
(01:00:09) - Beyond The Final Battle
(01:03:03) - The Forever War, Steven Spielberg
(01:05:53) - Haldeman on The War in Vietnam Part 3
(01:09:19) - The End of The Dark Knight
(01:11:40) - Bookmarking the End
(01:12:45) - The Odyssey: Moral Injuries
(01:15:18) - In the Dark Ages of War
(01:17:18) - On the Draft and the Brain Drain
(01:19:21) - The Forever War: A Literary Classic
(01:21:35) - The Forever War: A Response to Starship Troopers
(01:23:44) - Bonus Reads: Tolstoy's Complaint
(01:25:44) - The Book Club

Defeat Into Victory

John Amble and Theo Lipsky — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:04:28 +0000

In 1942, the Japanese Army dealt the Allies a humiliating defeat in Burma. By 1945, the British 14th Army—a formation of such low priority its soldiers called it the Forgotten Army—had retaken the country. How did this extraordinary reversal happen? Join MWI Book Club cohosts John Amble and Theo Lipsky as they look for answers in the memoir of the officer who led Allied troops through it all. His name was Field Marshal William Slim, and his memoir is called Defeat into Victory. Don't hesitate to let us know what you think of the Burma Campaign, Slim's leadership, and what books you'd like us to read next.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Book Club
(00:00:36) - The Book Club: Defeat Into Victory
(00:01:12) - The Life of Viscount William Slim
(00:02:59) - Defeating In Burma: A Military History
(00:06:29) - Notes on 'Battle of Burma'
(00:08:08) - Why Burma mattered in the War
(00:11:41) - William Slim: The Battle of Burma
(00:13:57) - Battle of the Satang Bridge
(00:21:40) - The Art of Retreating
(00:31:18) - Defeat Into Victory, Part 3
(00:35:17) - Battle of Burma, First Half
(00:42:34) - Battle of Burma, Part 2
(00:48:58) - Battle of Burma: The Logistics Challenges
(00:53:15) - Jute Para-lights
(00:53:51) - Three Things That Deterred the Japanese
(00:55:06) - William Slim on Morale
(01:00:05) - Battle of Imphal and the Battle of Kohima
(01:13:00) - The Battle for Burma
(01:17:01) - Post-Independence: The Future of War
(01:20:01) - Command Relationships during the First World War
(01:20:44) - Slim's Battle for Burma
(01:25:07) - William Slim: His Saved Rounds
(01:28:18) - Bonus Read: Dynamo Triumph and Tragedy in Nazi Occupied
(01:31:10) - The Book Club

The Caine Mutiny

John Amble and Theo Lipsky — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:57:22 +0000

Welcome to the MWI Book Club, a podcast dedicated to the proposition that a military that reads books is a military that wins wars. This first episode considers a classic of World War II fiction—Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize–winning bestseller, The Caine Mutiny. Join cohosts John Amble and Theo Lipsky as they consider what The Caine Mutiny can teach us today about the meaning of command, loyalty, and military service. Don't hesitate to let us know what you think and what books you'd like us to read and discuss next.

Chapters

(00:00:06) - The Book Club
(00:00:36) - The Book Club
(00:01:38) - Introducing the Book Review Podcast
(00:02:33) - The Cane Mutiny
(00:05:29) - The Kane Mutiny: A Literary Review
(00:08:56) - The Misfits: The Kane Mutiny
(00:11:25) - The Mind Sweeper, Book 1
(00:14:36) - Willie Keith in the Navy, Part 1
(00:19:21) - On a Mine-Seeking Ship
(00:20:28) - The Navy in Slaughterhouse
(00:25:25) - Willy's First Year in the Army
(00:26:17) - The New Order: Sailing Under Captain Quig
(00:30:11) - The Right Way to Loyally Serve
(00:31:50) - Captain Quig's Four Ways of Doing Things
(00:32:50) - The Cane: A Novel Review
(00:39:03) - The Right to Dissent
(00:42:38) - The Battle of the Coral Sea
(00:45:11) - The Battle of the Philippine Islands
(00:50:33) - The Making of The Mutiny
(00:54:26) - The Court Martial of the Mutineers
(00:56:42) - The Navy Court Martial: A Review
(01:05:43) - The Color of Command: A Novel
(01:10:30) - The Code of the Cane
(01:13:59) - Final Thoughts on The typhoon
(01:16:54) - Herman Wolk
(01:18:54) - Book Review
(01:22:12) - The Cane Mutiny
(01:25:22) - The Book Club

Introducing the MWI Book Club

John Amble and Theo Lipsky — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:14:20 +0000

Welcome to the MWI Book Club, a new podcast from the Modern War Institute at West Point. The podcast is based on a simple premise—that an army that reads is a better prepared, more effective, and more lethal fighting force. In each episode, the show's hosts choose one book—fiction or nonfiction, new or old, cult classic or bestseller—and extract its lessons for modern warfighters.

Military reading lists tell you what to read. The MWI Book Club helps you get the most out of each book.

Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

Chapters

(00:00:12) - The MWI Book Club