General Joe Votel

From Five Questions for a General by Modern War Institute at West Point

December 24, 2025 · 48 min

About this episode

General Joe Votel reflects on his military career and discusses key leadership principles and the evolving nature of warfare.

Welcome back to Five Questions for a General, a production of the Modern War Institute at West Point. This series features specially selected cadet hosts who are given an incredible professional development opportunity—to sit down with senior military officers and ask carefully crafted questions about everything from leadership to their unique experiences while serving, to their expectations about the future of war.In this episode, Cadet Zach Olson hosts retired General Joe Votel, who led such units as the 75th Ranger Regiment, the Joint Special Operations Command, US Special Operations Command, and US Central Command.General Votel reflects on a career shaped by trust, adaptability, and disciplined leadership across the full spectrum of modern conflict. Drawing on experiences commanding both special operations and conventional forces, he discusses the enduring importance of decentralized decision-making, strong relationships, and transparent communication in complex, fast-moving environments. General Votel also explores how leaders should balance human judgment with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, the evolving role of special operations in great power…

People in this episode

Host: Zach Olson

Guest: General Joe Votel

Topics covered

leadership
military operations
trust
adaptability
communication
artificial intelligence
great power competition
Middle East strategy

Keywords

military leadership
special operations
decentralized decision-making
professional development

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Five Questions for a General

Places: the Middle East