The Spear

In this episode, Dr. Charlie Faint sits down with retired Lieutenant Colonel Andre Rivier, a former infantry officer and foreign area officer, to discuss a military career that took him from combat operations in Iraq to diplomatic assignments across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. An immigrant who enlisted in the US Army at seventeen before attending West Point, Andre reflects on his early experiences leading soldiers in Kosovo during the September 11 attacks, commanding an infantry company in Iraq, and discovering the importance of understanding the cultural, political, and social dynamics of military operations. He then describes his transition into the Army's FAO community, sharing insights from his assignments as a military attaché and security cooperation officer in Fiji, Laos, and other Pacific nations. Drawing on lessons from his military service, Andre argues that successful leaders must be comfortable operating in ambiguity, willing to challenge their assumptions, and capable of understanding the world through perspectives other than their own.

In this episode with host Dr. Charlie Faint, retired Colonel Pat Howell reflects on a career that took him from the 82nd Airborne Division and conventional engineer units to the 75th Ranger Regiment, strategic planning in Afghanistan, Joint Special Operations Command, and ultimately leadership of the Modern War Institute at West Point. Pat describes how strong noncommissioned officers and demanding organizations shaped his approach to leadership, particularly the need to balance leading by personal example with stepping back to supervise the larger mission. He discusses his intellectual development at West Point and beyond before recounting his experience as a lead planner for the International Security Assistance Force under General Stanley McChrystal and reflectiong on his later service with Joint Special Operations Command and as director of MWI. Throughout the conversation, he returns to several enduring lessons for military professionals: accomplish the mission while taking care of soldiers, remain intellectually curious, learn to evaluate facts and assumptions rigorously, and develop critical-thinking skills that remain useful regardless of how warfare changes.

In 2010 Kevin Mott's unit arrived in Afghanistan's Kunar province for a deployment that would see months of hard fighting. At one point, he was even wounded so badly—shot in the head, four fractured vertebrae, a broken leg, a torn labrum—that he was sent back to the United States for medical care. Several months later, he managed to be cleared to return to his unit in Afghanistan. After he did, the battalion conducted a mission aimed at clearing an area known to have a strong Taliban presence. Kevin shares the story of his platoon's heavy fighting as they worked their way toward their objective of Barawala Kalay.

In 2007, United States Marine Captain Kyleanne Hunter was flying an escort mission above Marines operating in western Iraq. When the Marines on the ground discovered a massive weapons cache—and a large group of armed insurgents protecting it—she found herself in a situation that challenged her as a pilot and changed the way she and her fellow Marines flew in Anbar province. She joins this episode to share the story.

Air Force pararescuemen, also known as pararescue jumpers or PJs, are special operations forces known for their wide range of professional skills and for their motto, "that others may live." In this episode of The Spear, retired Air Force Master Sergeant Aaron Love joins MWI's Charlie Faint for a detailed discussion about the PJ career field. This wide-ranging conversation covers the PJ assessment and selection pipeline, the role of PJs in combat as well as in non-combat search and rescue situations, and life after military service.