In School of War, CBS News National Security Analyst and Free Press columnist Aaron MacLean sits down with secretaries of state, top military historians, war planners, and key political decision-makers to help understand the lessons of war.
Tune in as School of War takes you to the front lines.
Aaron MacLean is a former senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Israel’s Fight in the North
#12 trending · History
Reporting from northern Israel, Aaron sits down with two unidentified Israeli army officers and Druze community leader Tamir Murad to explore the threats facing the count
Nov 3 1 h 06 min
Why Another Iran Strike Looks Inevitable
Will Iran cost Republicans the midterms? What happens when half of the GOP turns against Israel? Middle East expert Mike Doran returns to School of War for a wide-ranging
Oct 29 1 h 18 min
What Israel’s Election Is Really About, with Haviv Rettig Gur
“It feels like an election where the nature of the country, the future of this foundational ethos of solidarity, is at stake,” says Haviv Rettig Gur. The Free Press Middl
Oct 27 1 h 26 min
Sweden’s Secret Army
Sweden joined NATO in 2024. What took them so long? Historian Johan Wennström, author of The Stay Behinds: Sweden’s Cold War Guardians, joins Aaron MacLean to uncover how
Oct 23 49 min
Can Ukraine Win Without America?
Russia is losing ground in eastern Ukraine and suffering mounting casualties. So why is the White House handing Vladimir Putin a lifeline? Retired Australian Army major g
Oct 19 43 min
The Making of Xi Jinping
During the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist Party purged Xi Jinping’s father and subjected him to 16 years of persecution and imprisonment—so how did the curren
Oct 16 1 h 07 min
When, Not If: The Baltics Prepare for War
In the Baltics, war with Russia is no abstraction. Putin could take Lithuania’s capital if he achieved surprise, the nation’s army commander told Aaron MacLean. This week
Oct 13 1 h 03 min
Rebuilding America’s War Machine
America is running low on munitions, its shipyards can’t keep pace, and the materials its weapons depend on too often run through China. Michael Cadenazzi is the Pentagon
Oct 9 49 min
What Happened Inside Russia’s Plague Lab?
A young researcher in Siberia has died under mysterious circumstances, raising questions about a potential lab leak. Russia won’t say how it happened. Marshall Billingsle
Oct 8 35 min
Michael Oren: October 7 and the Cost of Defending Israel
Three years after October 7, the deadliest terror attack in Israeli history looms large over the Jewish state’s upcoming election. Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. M
Oct 6 45 min
What the Dutch Empire Reveals About America Today
How do you fight a superpower you can’t afford to stop trading with? The Dutch faced that problem at the start of the 17th century in their war against Spain, and their a
Oct 2 1 h 02 min
How the Middle East Got So Screwed Up, with Simon Sebag Montefiore
“Let’s whisper it,” said historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. “The Trump blockade is working.” It can be hard to parse the state of play in the Middle East amid escalating r
Sep 29 1 h 14 min
America’s Aging Shipyards Are a Crisis Waiting to Happen
If America wants to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty, it needs to build more warships. China currently dominates global shipbuilding—producing vessels at a scale the United St
Sep 25 47 min
The Middle East After America?
Could Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey form a “Muslim NATO?” Pakistan has the nuclear arsenal, Saudi Arabia has the wealth, and Turkey has the NATO-trained military—“yo
Sep 22 48 min
Why John Boyd Still Matters
John Boyd was one of the most influential military thinkers of the 20th century, and the intellectual godfather of the U.S. Marines’ military strategy. Today, as artifici
Sep 18 59 min
What War Teaches Us—If We Survive It
People think retired Army Major John Spencer lost part of his ear in combat. He didn’t; he lost it in a fight behind a bar that cost him his spot in the Army Rangers. Spe
Sep 15 1 h 02 min
‘We Are Going to War’: H.R. McMaster Remembers 9/11
Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster was on the phone with the Pentagon when the plane struck the building on September 11, 2001. “I thought, Okay, we are going to war,” he r
Sep 11 56 min
Ten-Minute Warning: The Hypersonic Threat
A Chinese hypersonic missile targeting either U.S. coast would leave room for “about 10 minutes of warning time.” Zachary Krevor, CEO of Stratolaunch, is building vehicle
Sep 8 44 min
What to Expect When You’re Expecting Great Power Conflict
When it comes to world superpowers, Cambridge historian Brendan Simms argues there are only four that matter—and two of them are fading. Today, Simms joins Aaron MacLean
Sep 4 55 min
Shot Down over Serbia: General Goldfein’s Incredible Story
The story of Air Force General David Goldfein, who miraculously survived after his plane was shot down over Serbia in 1999, has since become military legend. Today, he jo
Sep 1 1 h 03 min
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Where School of War ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Nov 4, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
One of the great things about retiring is having more time to brush up on my history knowledge and stay current on geo-politics. I was only introduced to Aaron & his podcast this past spring, when I paid to hear him speak with Niall Ferguson at the NY Historical. It was well worth the expense —- despite the abuse I received from my wife (“You spent $70 on WHAT! ! ! “)
It is now my second favorite podcast. I really enjoy the tone, even balance and sheer depth of his discussions with a wide range of experts across the global military and political spectrum. It strikes me as very timely and invaluable given everything going on in the world today.
Mannin13 · Oct 2026
I’ve never served and I’m not a particularly keen student of military history, but despite the title that doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the show. Aaron and his guests break things down in a way that someone like me can understand. It’s also a history show, too! Fascinating content.
RedbirdCraig · Aug 2026
Compared to other podcasts that discuss defense related issues, the guests of this show seem to always advocate for maximalist approaches that advocate for use of force as a solution to almost all problems. It’s a lot of knowledgae and interesting conversation underscored by a bevy of assumptions and ideology that feels very black and white. Worth a listen, but take everything with a grain of salt.
TheWatchGuard1 · Jun 2026
Aaron is incredibly knowledgeable, well connected and a great communicator. Listening to his podcast is very informative and feels free from any partisan talking points, but rather sticks with some of the objective facts on the ground.
Justin_Fath · May 2026
Have been listening to this show for a couple of years, and while unsurprising, I am disappointed in the Bari Weissification of this show that has occurred. The show has become overtly partisan in favor of neoconservative views and maximalist interventionist policies rather than focusing on what should be non-partisan military affairs, history, and technology. I will not be continuing to listen to this show if the blatantly partisan slant of allowing partisan actors a mouthpiece with zero pushback continues. If the host - who I believe is capable of this and has the capacity for excellent work - pushes back on overtly curated talking points devoid of nuance, diversifies the guests that appear on the show, and returns to a focus on military affairs, technology, and history as opposed to partisan foreign policy punditry, I think this show could be great once again.
Zachattack895 · Aug 2026
If you were expecting to come and get nuanced, expert opinions, especially given these kinetic and dynamic times, this place isn’t it. Everything is presented in the most maximalist US/Israeli frame, all actions and motivations are asymmetrically judged, selectivity and confirmation bias abound. There’s a place for this kind of tripe, I suppose, but if you’re actually wanting analysis and to be informed, this ain’t it. Useful mainly to understand what the Beltway establishment narrative is.
ecook · Apr 2026
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