
The Spear
by Modern War Institute at West Point
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On the show
From 13 epsHosts
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Psychological Operations in Combat and on the Joint Staff
Aug 27, 2026
Unknown duration
Explosive Ordnance Technician in Training and Combat
Aug 13, 2026
Unknown duration
Joint Planner for Security Assistance Group–Ukraine
Jul 30, 2026
Unknown duration
The Crucible of Innovation in the Indo-Pacific
Jul 16, 2026
1h 09m 21s
Observer, Coach, Trainer at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center
Jul 2, 2026
44m 42s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/27/26 | Psychological Operations in Combat and on the Joint Staff | In this episode, Colonel Chaveso “Chevy” Cook sits down with MWI's Charlie Faint to recount a career that took him from a South Carolina JROTC classroom to West Point and then on to combat deployments, the psychological operations career field, academia, and ultimately the Joint Staff, where he advised senior national security leaders on nonkinetic effects. Chevy reflects on how early mentors, wartime service, and unconventional assignments taught him to see military problems from increasingly broader perspectives, describing his philosophy that luck is really the combination of preparation and opportunity. He discusses the distinctive role of psychological operations, where influence and communication can accomplish national-level missions without relying on lethal force, as well as his work integrating capabilities such as cyber, space, deception, and information operations to provide strategic options for national leaders. The conversation also explores his commitment to education, professional writing, character development, and mentorship, including his belief that leaders must be capable communicators and continually level up as their responsibilities grow. Chevy closes by encouraging young leaders to understand who they authentically are without allowing their present identity to limit who they can become, emphasizing a career-long theme of preparation, intellectual growth, service, and investment in others. | — | ||||||
| 8/13/26 | Explosive Ordnance Technician in Training and Combat | Dr. Charlie Faint sits down with EOD officer Michael Villahermosa in this episode for a wide-ranging conversation about combat, leadership, professional growth, and service. Villahermosa traces his path from an unsuccessful attempt at Special Forces selection to becoming an explosive ordnance disposal technician, deploying to Afghanistan during the surge, and eventually earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal for Valor after taking charge of a ground element under fire and helping prevent fellow soldiers from walking into an ambush. Drawing on experiences as both an enlisted NCO and commissioned officer, he emphasizes calm leadership under pressure, competence, humility, accountability, mutual trust, and the importance of officers empowering their NCOs rather than micromanaging them. The discussion also explores his transition from NCO to officer through Green to Gold, his EOD Happy Captain social-media presence, the value of professional writing and the Harding Project, and his current work mentoring ROTC cadets. Throughout the episode, Villahermosa returns to a simple leadership philosophy: learn from mistakes, listen to experienced NCOs, remain humble, communicate calmly, and strive to become the kind of leader you needed when you were younger. | — | ||||||
| 7/30/26 | Joint Planner for Security Assistance Group–Ukraine | In this episode, Colonel Tiffany Bilderback joins MWI's Charlie Faint to discuss a career defined by coalition building, strategic leadership, and service alongside partner forces from countries like Germany, Iraq, South Korea, and Ukraine. She also describes working in the special operations community and at the Pentagon, and providing military medical assistance to the COVID-19 national response. The bulk of the episode focuses on her time as the J5, or joint plans officer, for Security Assistance Group–Ukraine. Drawing on experiences advising Iraqi forces, supporting whole-of-government pandemic operations, commanding a multifunctional medical battalion, and helping develop Ukraine’s corps-level command structure during an active armed conflict, Tiffany reflects on the importance of humility, empathy, professional military education, and building trust with allies. She shares firsthand observations of Ukrainian resilience, explains why leader development remains essential even in the midst of combat, and offers practical leadership lessons on accountability, lifelong learning, and choosing opportunities that open more doors than they close. | — | ||||||
| 7/16/26 | innovationmilitary strategy+3 | Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dale Hunter | 1st Multi-Domain Task ForceArmy | Indo-Pacific | 1st MDTFanti-access+3 | — | 1h 09m 21s | ||
| 7/2/26 | modern warfaremilitary training+3 | Captain Francis Ambrogio | Joint Multinational Readiness CenterNATO+1 | GermanyKorea | Armytraining+7 | — | 44m 42s | ||
| 6/18/26 | military operationsIndo-Pacific strategy+4 | Lieutenant Colonel Tiane Garner | Multi-Domain Effects Battalion1st Multi-Domain Task Force+1 | PhilippinesIndo-Pacific | Multi-Domain Effects BattalionIndo-Pacific+7 | — | 44m 42s | ||
| 4/20/26 | long-range precision firesmultidomain operations+5 | Lieutenant Colonel Ben Blane | Army | Indo-PacificPhilippines | long-range precision fireshypersonic weapons+7 | — | 46m 00s | ||
| 4/6/26 | leadershipmilitary culture+4 | Curt Donaldson | 75th Ranger RegimentModern War Institute+1 | IraqAfghanistan | Ranger Regimentleadership+6 | — | 47m 37s | ||
| 3/24/26 | leadershipcombat experience+4 | John Faunce | — | IraqAfghanistan | leadershipcombat+6 | — | 1h 07m 06s | ||
| 3/10/26 | military servicecombat deployments+3 | Marty Skovlund | 75th Ranger Regiment | South Dakota | Ranger missionsIraq+5 | — | 1h 01m 54s | ||
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| 2/10/26 | identitymilitary service+5 | Ayman Kafel | US Army | IraqLebanon+1 | combat interpreterIraq+6 | — | 1h 06m 02s | ||
| 1/16/26 | route clearancecounterbattery fire+4 | JJ Pinter | West Point | IraqMontana | route clearancecounterbattery+6 | — | 55m 35s | ||
| 11/19/25 | combat surgeryAfghanistan+4 | Fred Lough | ArmyGlobal War on Terror+1 | AfghanistanFOB Shank+1 | combat surgeryAfghanistan+6 | — | 47m 31s | ||
| 9/10/25 | military operationscasualty evacuation+3 | Captain Sal Sferrazza | — | AfghanistanHelmand Province+1 | combat rescueAir Force+5 | — | 1h 20m 36s | ||
| 8/29/25 | leadership lessonspersonnel management+3 | Scott Filbert | 75th Ranger RegimentWest Point+1 | Afghanistan | Ranger RegimentAfghanistan+5 | — | 1h 17m 22s | ||
| 8/8/25 | combat missionstrust+3 | Jeff Marshburn | 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment | MosulIraq | MosulIraq+5 | — | 1h 08m 35s | ||
| 7/31/25 | The Battle of Barawala Kalay | 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. | — | ||||||
| 6/19/25 | A Marine Platoon in Anbar Province | In 2004, Tim Strabbing was a lieutenant and platoon commander in the Marine Corps, deployed to an area just outside Fallujah in Iraq's restive Anbar province. On his platoon's very first patrol, they were ambushed by enemy fighters, earning his Marines a baptism by fire and setting the tone for a difficult deployment ahead. He joins this episode to share the story of one particularly eventful 48-hour period. | — | ||||||
| 6/5/25 | Escort Mission Over Anbar | 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. | — | ||||||
| 5/22/25 | Forward Air Controller in Ramadi | In this episode of The Spear, retired Marine officer David Berke joins to share a story from 2006, when he was a forward air controller attached to an Army unit in Ramadi, Iraq. During a movement-to-contact patrol, they began to take fire, and his job became especially important. He declared the TIC—troops in contact—and two Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornets headed their way to provide close air support. Listen as he tells the story, explaining what it's like to work with the pilots in the air to engage the enemy in support of the ground force. | — | ||||||
| 5/7/25 | Air Force PJs at War | 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. | — | ||||||
| 4/25/25 | Easter Offensive, 1972 | During the Vietnam War, the 1972 Easter Offensive was a major operation launched by North Vietnam to destabilize South Vietnam and strengthen its own hand in ongoing peace talks in Paris. The offensive was particularly noteworthy due to its duration and ferocity as well as the extensive use of tanks by North Vietnam, a rarity during the Vietnam War. In this episode, retired Colonel Rick Cassidy recounts a battle and his role in it during this pivotal period, which resulted in him receiving a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal for valor. | — | ||||||
| 4/10/25 | Surprise on the Kunar River | In this episode Maj. John A. Meyer shares a story from his first deployment, in 2007, to Afghanistan. On July 27, his platoon and a group of Afghan National Army soldiers were moving along the road next to the Kunar River during a squadron mission to secure the valley. The Afghan soldiers began to cross a bridge when they looked down and saw a group of enemy fighters. The massive fight that ensued would involve the other platoons of Meyer's B Troop, as well—matched up against an enemy force three times the size of their own. | — | ||||||
| 3/28/25 | Rescue Mission in Kunar | This episode of The Spear features a conversation with Josh Webster. A US Army officer, he previously served as a US Air Force pararescueman—a member of an elite part of the Air Force whose mission includes rescuing and providing medical treatment to wounded military personnel. He shares a story from 2010 in Afghanistan, when his team was called on to evacuate casualties thirteen times during a day of intense fighting. | — | ||||||
| 3/12/25 | Navy Cross in Iraq | In this episode, Brian Chontosh, a retired Marine Corps officer, details the circumstances of an intense and complex combat operation in Iraq that involved Brian and his Marines using captured enemy weapons to clear an entrenched hostile force that ambushed their convoy. Brian ultimately received the Navy Cross, one of the top valor award in the US military, for his actions that day. | — | ||||||
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