I have compiled a short list of what I consider the best military education podcasts. To be clear, this means the best podcasts for military thinkers and leaders. These are the podcasts that I recommend most often. In conversations, I find myself frequently referencing podcasts on this list. The list might come as somewhat of a surprise.
My top recommendations are unique for several reasons. They do not focus on specific battles, tactics, or periods in history per se. Instead, they stand out for good quality, frequency, and interesting subject matter. After the top recommendations, are podcasts that are focused on specific battles and historical eras.
Top Recommendations
War College by Reuters
I have been a long time listener to War College. A new episode is released every Thursday. It is usually 30-45 minutes long. The host, Matthew Gault, finds guests that are extremely knowledgeable in a wide variety of niche topics related to foreign policy, tactics, and strategy. His interview style is superb, and the guests have in depth knowledge in their areas of expertise. This podcast is also top rated due to the quality of production.
A recent episode called “What North Korea Wants” was fascinating, and the guest, Professor B.R. Myers, explained the dynamics of North Korea’s motives in rich detail.
War College also looks at off the wall topics like the Standing Rock protests and U.S. intelligence agencies use of psychic individuals to crack codes and find secret documents.
War College is packed with unique and thoughtful content. I highly recommend it for military thinkers looking to learn a broad range of military topics and ideas.
Hardcore History by Dan Carlin
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History is one of the best podcasts in general, and a great one for military scholars and historians. The show only comes out a couple times each year, and episodes are usually part of a series such as “Blueprint for Armageddon”, which focused on World War I. Moreover, they are usually 3-5 hours in length. So a series is the length of a full audio book.
The detail and scope of material in each show is impressive. Also, Dan Carlin is very entertaining, and his style of narration is excellent.
Get started with two of his most recent episodes “Prophets of Doom” and “American Peril“, which are both good stand alone episodes.
The Art of Manliness Podcast
The Art of Manliness podcast is not a military specific podcast. However, there are multiple episodes that deal with military history, leadership, diet, and exercise. As a men’s lifestyle website and podcast, AOM has outstanding content for military personnel. The host releases roughly two episodes each week. He is fascinated with ancient history and has some episodes related to this subject matter.
AOM has featured popular military writers such as Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, author of On Killing, and Robert Coram, who wrote a biography on Col. John Boyd.
Get started with AOM by checking out one of the more recent episodes titled, “War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity.”
EconTalk
This is not a “military” podcast by any means. But, it is incredibly thoughtful, and occasionally touches on military topics. It is important for a military thinker to be well-rounded. EconTalk explores economics, politics, political theory, ethics, and history. The host, Russ Roberts, is a great interviewer, and his guests are outstanding in their respective field of expertise. I recommend this podcast as a way for military thinkers to think outside of the box.
For military specific episodes, I recommend the interview with Leonard Wong on “Honesty and Ethics in the Military.” Another fascinating episode is an interview with Bruce Buena de Mesquita on his book, “The Spoils of War.”
An episode is released on Monday, and they are roughly one hour in length. The production quality is outstanding. Each episode is like sitting in an outstanding college class. Excellent brain food!
World Affairs
This podcast provides thoughtful and in depth weekly interviews on issues of global security. The podcast is typically an hour long, and the episodes encompass a lot of issues involving foreign policy and also some domestic issues.
To be a smart military thinker, it is important to have knowledge in a diverse field of topics. With the World Affairs podcast, military thinkers will understand world issues more clearly. I enjoy each week’s episode tremendously.
Battles and Campaigns
There are a lot of podcasts that focus on specific periods of history and the battles that took place during that time. Most of my preferred podcasts are interview based, which is, of course, my own preference. A lot of the podcasts that involve battles and campaigns feel like a college lecture rather than a back and forth of ideas. As a result, I tend to pick and choose these episodes based on something that I want to study specifically. Unlike, the podcasts listed above, I pick and choose episodes from the lists below.
My recommendations for military history podcasts include the following:
- The Civil War (1861-1865): A History Podcast. I love Civil War history, and this podcast does not disappoint. It has a lot of great information. The hosts are very knowledgeable, and each episode has a nice structure to it.
- Ancient Warfare Podcast. I have started listening to some episodes, and so far I like what I hear. A lot of good information.
- American Military History Podcast. Episodes come out on a weekly basis, and they are roughly 30 minutes in length. I enjoyed the Revolutionary War episodes immensely.
- WWII Podcast. I like this podcast a lot for WWII information. Highly recommend.
Honorable Mention
War on the Rocks is a great podcast. They haven’t put out an episode in a long time. But, when they did, I used to listen immediately. Hopefully, there will be something out soon.
If you have any recommendations, please feel free to e-mail me: tim@professionalmilitaryeducation.com
Finally, the Professional Military Education isn’t too shabby either!!