The Jedburgh Podcast

Before ground forces can advance, the battlefield has to be shaped. Air defenses have to come down. Enemy weapons have to be destroyed. And the adversaries' will to combat America has to be lessened. This is the job of field artillery; a branch of the US Army where speed, distance, precision, and results determine who controls the battlefield before ground forces ever make contact.From Fort Bragg, NC, the 18th Field Artillery Brigade leads the Army’s rapidly deployable artillery units. As the largest HIMARS brigade, its soldiers must be prepared to deploy anywhere in the world within 10 days of notification and deliver long-range precision fires in support of the XVIII Airborne Corps, its divisions, and Special Operations Forces.Fran Racioppi sat down with the command team of Colonel Andy Hercik and Command Sergeant Major George Cabrera, to talk about what it takes to maintain readiness as the battlefield rapidly changes. After two decades of counterinsurgency, field artillery is now leading in large-scale combat operations where kilometers matter, ammunition and logistics can determine operational reach, and the ability to shoot, move, communicate, and survive has become unforgiving.Drones have made the battlefield increasingly transparent. A cell phone can expose a position. A lingering electromagnetic signature can make a HIMARS crew a target. The answer isn't abandoning the fundamentals. It's executing them better, while using lessons from today's conflicts to change how soldiers train and how the Army develops the capabilities required for tomorrow.We also discuss what true integration between conventional forces and Special Operations looks like, why the targeting process has to bring every capability together from the beginning, and the responsibility of NCOs and officers to build a formation that doesn't simply comply with standards, but understands why those standards keep soldiers alive and make them lethal.When the call comes, there won't be time to prepare. 18th Field Artillery Brigade has to be ready.Highlights00:00 Introduction01:12 Mission of the 18th Field Artillery Brigade04:16 NCO Leadership and Force Readiness05:38 Subordinate Units and Capabilities09:55 Refocusing on Core Field Artillery Basics13:49 Passing Down Lessons Learned14:40 Interoperability and Special Operations Forces Integration22:31 What Separates the 18th FA Brigade24:58 Joint Force Integration26:15 Modernization, Innovation, and Ammunition Investment30:15 Drone Warfare and Signature Management36:02 Culture of Commitment and the Warrior Mindset41:15 Driving Decision-Making and Warfighting ReadinessQuotes“We have to be ready to deploy, fight, and win within 10 days of notification.”“We are the Army’s largest HIMARS brigade with 54 HIMARS launchers.”“We’re going to first look to strip away adversary air defense and then kill what’s killing us.”“It’s much more effective to destroy a launcher than to try to intercept an incoming missile.”“Divisions are maneuvering in order to fire.”“We now have to be prepared to operate in a completely transparent battlefield.”“What we’re trying to do is avoid being at this point on the Earth where the enemy missile hits when it hits.”“Shoot, move, communicate, clean up our electromagnetic spectrum.”“Making sure soldiers understand the visibility of their signature.”“Be more survivable, which then lets us be more lethal, because we’re able to retain more combat power.”Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.

How do we define success on the battlefield? While many have labeled America's efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan failures, that narrative ignores some of the most remarkable successes ever achieved by U.S. Army Special Forces.In this episode, Fran Racioppi sat down with retired Green Beret Colonel Frank Sobchak, professor at the U.S. Naval War College and author of Training for Victory, to discuss the principles behind one of Special Forces' most enduring missions: building partner forces capable of securing their own future. Drawing on decades of operational experience and extensive historical research, Frank explains why success is rarely determined by firepower alone, but by trust, relationships, and leaders willing to invest in others.We explore why language, cultural understanding, consistency, and strategic empathy are far more than soft skills - they are combat multipliers that determine whether an advisory mission succeeds or fails. Frank breaks down why partnering alongside allied forces in combat remains the gold standard for developing capable militaries, how advisor continuity builds the trust required for honest conversations, and why empowering local leaders from the very beginning creates lasting success long after American forces have departed.Our conversation also challenges the conventional narrative surrounding Iraq and Afghanistan by highlighting overlooked success stories like the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, an organization built through years of patient advising and partnership. Finally, we examine what Frank calls "Cold War 2.0" and how the changing character of warfare—from drones and artificial intelligence to digital surveillance—only reinforces the enduring importance of the human domain. Highlights: 0:00 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast3:54 The Importance of Language9:13 Cultural Astuteness in Special Forces13:26 Training Partner Forces21:45 Host Nation Perspective25:00 Advisor to Partner Ratios30:38 The Importance of Combat Advising33:22 Defining Combat Effectiveness36:52 US Maintaining Global Order41:41 Writing Training for VictoryQuotes:“If you don’t speak the language, it really complicates things.”“There were times when I felt like I’m at a disadvantage because I’m speaking through an interpreter.”“You have to understand their perspective.”“It is those personal connections and those relationships that really matter.”“We fought 10 Iraq wars, one year at a time.”“These are risks that commanders and leaders have to look for, identify, recognize, and take action.”“Anytime you’re doing FID or security force assistance and you’re working with partners, it is two steps forward, one step back.”“The host nation actually really did like when the same people came back because that gave them consistency.”“I would put it at a company to an ODA.”“Combat advising still is the gold standard.”“Our profession is all about risk.”“The character of war is changing, but the nature of war is immortal.”“I firmly believe that the world is a far better place with America leading it.”The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

Romania is one of America’s key allies in the fight for Eastern Europe. Romanian Special Forces are critical to the success of that mission; and the partnership between United States Special Operations and our Romanian counterparts sits at the center of that strategy.From the Global Special Operations Symposium in Athens, Greece, Fran Racioppi sat down with Major General Claudiu Dobocan, Commander of the Romanian Special Operations Forces, to discuss how Romanian Special Operations are combatting Russian aggression and holding the line in Europe.General Dobocan shared his perspective on strengthening SOF partnerships, advancing interoperability, and building modern capabilities that allow allied forces to operate seamlessly together. He spoke about Romania’s place within NATO, the importance of trust and shared mission across borders, and the need for Special Operations units to remain agile and prepared for the full spectrum of emerging threats.From combating hybrid threats to maintaining readiness alongside allied SOF elements, General Dobocan emphasized that success today depends on relationships, shared understanding, and the willingness to stand together in the face of uncertainty.Highlights0:00 Introduction1:26 Welcome to GSOF Europe 20253:21 Mission of Romanian Special Operations Forces8:45 Evolution of technology in SOF10:45 Eliminating Human-in-the-Loop?13:35 Changes in military tactics16:57 Romanian Special Forces Mission18:44 Why Join the Romanian Army?20:06 NATO Alliance Importance25:24 Leading against a Global ThreatQuotes“We were created by cooperation between Romanian Ministry of Defense and US SOCEUR.” “Interoperability, no one really talks about what that really means.” “Words carrying value carry meaning.”“Industry defines the speed of technological development.”“The strategic game changer is generative AI.”“I’m scared of the moment when everything is passed to AI.”“I don’t think swarming is going to be the next way of doing battle.”“Our mission is to be a strategic level instrument that helps with reaction to crisis and building partnerships and capabilities in the region.”“10th Group and 20th Group came around and showed us what right looks like so I signed up.”“It’s a tool that kind of prevents conflict.”“NATO is the umbrella under which we share a lot of things that otherwise we cannot discuss about.”“When you talk about the good work NATO has done, you have to talk about the standards.”“We have to be deterrent on our part, but capable to move from military assistance type of missions into a very kinetic one.”Special thanks to the Global Special Operations Foundation for hosting us in Athens. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.