In this episode, we discuss:
-Woods’ definition of professional military education (PME)
-The need for all leaders in a unit to emphasize PME
-The purpose of PME
-How PME in the Marine Corps changed from the early 1970s to the early 1980s
-What good PME programs look like
-The lack of emphasis of PME in the Marine Corps in the immediate years following Vietnam
-Woods’ exposure to maneuver warfare and interactions with then-Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) Mike Wyly at Amphibious Warfare School (AWS)
-How LtCol Wyly stood out from the other staff at AWS
-Woods’ experience with decision games at AWS
-How Woods got into hobby wargaming as a lieutenant
-How wargaming predisposed Woods to embracing Wyly’s teaching and maneuver warfare
-How well the Marine Corps taught decision-making during Woods’ time as a company-grade officer
-A deep dive on the free-play force on force exercises that the 2ndMarine Division held while then-Major General Al Gray was its commanding general
-How free play exercises terrified some senior unit leaders
-Woods’ role in planning the Ft Pickett exercises
-The role of umpires and observers in these exercises
-How the 2ndMarine Division led free play exercise critiques
-How observers helped with the “I shot you.” “No, I shot you.” problem of free play exercises
-How to avoid public shaming in a free play after-action review
-How Al Gray created an atmosphere where free play could thrive in the 2ndMarine Division
-How Gray attempted to build a consensus on maneuver warfare in the division
The genesis of the 2ndMarine Division Maneuver Warfare Board and the famous
“ambush” of Al Gray at the Camp Lejeune officers club
-Woods’ views on Bill Lind
-Woods’ experiences with Colonel John Boyd
-How Woods’ involvement with the maneuver warfare movement affected his career
-Woods’ experience serving as the aide-de-camp to Al Gray
-Why Al Gray’s attention shifted away from promoting maneuver warfare toward creating MEU (SOCs)
-The insights that Woods gained about general officers as an aide
-What made Al Gray a standout among senior leaders
-Woods’ thoughts on the prospects of another intellectual renaissance in the Marine Corps
-The likelihood of a future US-China war
-What future warfare may look like
-Woods’ thoughts on the maneuver vs attrition dichotomy
