#237: Literary Lethality with Ian Brown

#237: Literary Lethality with Ian Brown

From MCA Scuttlebutt by MCA Scuttlebutt

April 9, 2026 · 1h 6m

About this episode

Ian Brown discusses his book 'A New Conception of War' and its significance on the Commandant’s Professional Reading List.

Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us and for your continued support. This week, we bring another installment of our new series, Literary Lethality, to the scuttlebutt. In this series, we will be doing a deep dive into the Commandant’s Professional Reading List, exploring various titles and talking with authors about some of the books on the list. Today, we welcome Ian Brown back to the show. Ian has been on a few times, participating in our World of Wargaming series and is one of the most prolific advocates for the benefits of wargaming and robust military education. He is also the author of  A New Conception of War: John Boyd, the U.S. Marines, and Maneuver Warfare  and  Snowmobiles and Grand Ideas: John Boyd’s Vision for Thriving in Chaos . Ian talks to us about  A New Conception of War , the genesis of the project, and what it means to him to have his book on the Commandant’s Professional Reading List three years running. And more than anything, why  A New Conception of War  deserves to be on the Commandant’s Professional Reading List.  Enjoy!&nbsp…

People in this episode

Host: MCA Scuttlebutt

Guest: Ian Brown

Topics covered

  • military education
  • wargaming
  • Commandant’s Professional Reading List
  • literature
  • interviews

Keywords

  • Ian Brown
  • A New Conception of War
  • military education
  • wargaming
  • Commandant’s Professional Reading List

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Marine Corps Association

Books & works: A New Conception of War, Snowmobiles and Grand Ideas: John Boyd’s Vision for Thriving in Chaos

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