General Stanley McChrystal on Military Leadership and Policymaking

General (ret.) Stanley McChrystal, former JSOC commander and commander of the U.S./NATO troops in Afghanistan, joins the podcast for a discussion of his career. General McChrystal reflects on his role serving at the Pentagon while the U.S. invasion of Iraq was planned, his often-tense relationship with the Obama administration, and his decision to speak out on the current president. Also in this episode: what future military leaders should learn from his firing, the military’s relationship with the press, and what civilian policy students should know about the military. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of civil-military cooperation in America.

This podcast is in no way intended to reflect the official positions of the Department of Defense or any other military entity.

Further reading/listening:

Obama’s Wars, Bob Woodward

Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, Robert Gates

My Share of the Task, Stanley McChrystal

Episode 302, The Axe Files with David Axelrod

Credits:

Thomas Krasnican, host

Nick Paraiso, host

Haz Yano, engineer and producer

Alec MacMillen, engineer

Aishwarya Kumar, producer

Mary Martha Maclay, producer

Sarah Claudy, creative consultant

David Raban, publisher

Special thanks to Jess Blankshain, Jim Golby, Morgan Wade, and David Axelrod.