By Ed Salo

Major Ben Griffin, Chief of the Military History Division at the USMA, joins the program to discuss his new book, Reagan’s War Stories: A Cold War Presidency. Dr. Griffin examines the popular fiction that Reagan consumed during his life, and how that influenced his worldview. Griffin argues that the novels of Tom Clancy, Louis L’Amour, and science fiction influenced Reagan’s views of 1980s geopolitics. Dr. Griffin also contends that Reagan used stories as a way to present his political viewpoints to the American public and the world.

Download Sea Control 389 – Reagan’s War Stories with Benjamin Griffin

Links

1. “Reagan’s War Stories – A Cold War Presidency,” by Benjamin Griffin, USNI Press, September 15, 2022.
2. “Red Storm Rising’: Tom Clancy Novels and the Cult of National Security,” by Walter L. Hixson, Diplomatic History 17, no. 4 (1993): 599–613.
3. “Tom Clancy And Ronald Reagan – Two Of America’s Greatest Defenders,” by James Jay Carafano, The Heritage Foundation, October 3, 2013.
4. “Reagan, Reykjavik, and Strategic Imagination,” by Thomas Ricks, Foreign Policy, November 2, 2017
5. “Sea Control 169 – Larry Bond & Dr. Sebastian Bruns on Harpoon, Red Storm Rising and Tom Clancy,” by Jared Samuelson, CIMSEC, April 15, 2020.

Ed Salo is Co-Host and a producer of the Sea Control podcast. Contact the podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.

This episode was edited and produced by Jared Samuelson.

By Jared Samuelson

Dr. Aaron Stein joins Sea Control to discuss his War on the Rocks article calling for expanded basing options in Greece and Cyprus. Aaron Stein is the chief content officer at Metamorphic Media. He is also the author of The US War against ISIS: How America and its Allies Defeated the Caliphate.

Download Sea Control 388 – The Case for More Basing in Greece and Cyprus with Dr. Aaron Stein

Links

1. “At the Seam of Three Regions: The Case for More Basing and Access in Greece and Cyprus,” by Aaron Stein, War on the Rocks, July 29, 2022.
2. “Sea Control 199 – The Eastern Mediterranean Question with Dr. Ioannis N. Grigoriadis and Dr. Jan Asmussen,” by Jared Samuelson, CIMSEC, September 12, 2020.
3. Sea Control 226 – Phase Line Attila with Dr. Ed Erickson & Dr. Mesut Uyar, by Jared Samuelson, CIMSEC, February 14, 2021.

Jared Samuelson is Co-Host and Executive Producer of the Sea Control podcast. Contact him at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.

This episode was edited and produced by Jim Jarvie.

By Jared Samuelson

By Jared Samuelson

Major Matt Graham joins Sea Control to discuss amphibious doctrine, historical case studies of Army-led amphibious operations and a future role for the Army in amphibious operations.

Major Matthew Graham is an active-duty armor officer with combat experience in Afghanistan and is currently a student at the School of Advanced Military Studies. He previously served as an Art of War Scholar at the Command and General Staff College.

Download Sea Control 386 – Tanks in the Surf with Matt Graham

Links 

1. “Tanks in the Surf – Maintaining the Joint Combined Arms Landing Team,” by Major Matthew W. Graham, Association of the United States Army, Land Warfare Paper 147, July 2022.
2. Sea Control 181 – The “Amphibious” 8th in the Pacific War, by Jared Samuelson with Major General Pat Donahoe and Don Chisholm, CIMSEC, June 7, 2020.
3. Sea Control 198 – Australian Amphibious Capability with Colonel Kim Gilfillan, by Jared Samuelson, CIMSEC, September 6, 2020.

Jared Samuelson is Executive Producer of the Sea Control podcast. Contact him at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.

This episode was edited and produced by Nathan Miller.