Go Bold #66: Lieutenant-General (Ret) Ben Hodges discusses Allied posture for the War in Ukraine

Our podcast is unique in that we regularly feature senior military leaders from Allied Forces, and this episode continues that trend with our guest, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges.General Hodges is a graduate of the West Point Military Academy, and in recent years has been Senior Advisor to Human Rights First, and also serves as NATO Senior Mentor for Logistics. He previously held the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis.I first met Lieutenant-General Hodges in Portugal when he was serving as the Commanding General for US Army Europe. He was kind to extend time to me then, and is continuing that kindness as a guest for this episode where we discuss service in the context of his time in uniform.A notable part of our discussion focuses on the events from Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait, the site of a fatal grenade attack which killed soldiers and left the General with shrapnel wounds.. You'll hear the General describe what happened that night and the chain of events which he said saved his life.We then shift our focus to the war in Ukraine, which General Hodges is eminently qualified to comment on since much of his career was focused on Europe and NATO. We discuss Ukraine's efforts to fight off the Russian invasion, and how allies are postured to repel further Russian aggression with NATO's enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroups and Brigades. The General also shares his thoughts on land warfare as it is evolving from Ukraine, and things that allies could do to help in that effort.It's a wonderful discussion with a globally recognized military expert, so we hope you find our discussion informative.My thanks to Lieutenant-General Hodges for his time, insight and kindness.Go Bold!(Note: Our discussion took place on 18 March 2024)