Junior Commanders and Future War with Brigadier Mick Ryan AM

Grounded Curiosity

This podcast features great insights from Brigadier Mick Ryan AM. The podcast begins with Brigadier Ryan discussing his roles in the Australian Army including as Commander 1st Brigade, and building networks through educational opportunities at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College at Quantico and John Hopkins University in Washington D.C. Listen to Brigadier Ryan discuss war’s enduring nature, social media, professional development, and military education. The podcast ends with a timely warrie about our media. Follow Brigadier Ryan on Twitter: @LearningArmy On future war: “At its heart, warfare will continue to be a human endeavor. I don’t see anything that will change the essential nature of warfare which is about human beings seeking to impose their will on others. Those who believe that wars will be won through entirely technical means ... demonstrate a lack of understanding of history and … human beings.” On the role of junior commanders: “Our junior leaders need to be prepared for an environment that will constantly change … Whilst technical proficiency in their trade will always be very important, it will be their intellectual proficiency and their intellectual breadth which will provide them with the capacity to respond to change and more importantly, respond to shock because we are always going to be surprised - surprise is an enduring element of warfare.” On nurturing our own professional education and development: “We can’t afford an officer corps that is built on just receiving professional education interventions. It needs to be one that is constantly out there seeking opportunities to learn, to engage with other people, to develop intellect ... at the end of the day, we need to build officers that have a committed learning culture from day one.”