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Ben Hodges: Russia Changed Its War—Ukraine Changed Faster
Description
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges joins me to assess how the Ukraine war is changing as winter approaches. We discuss Russia’s growing ability to scale drones and electronic warfare, Ukraine’s faster battlefield adaptation, the vulnerability of Russia’s vast infrastructure, and the political will Europe will need if U.S. support continues to weaken.
Hodges also explains why military culture matters: organizations that punish failure suppress bad news, while learning organizations adapt faster. He argues that Ukraine remains exceptionally strong at innovation and iteration, but still faces a scale problem. He also identifies Russia’s continued strengths in mass and electronic warfare, explains why Russia’s geographic vastness is becoming harder to defend against long-range Ukrainian strikes, and lays out the warning indicators he is watching over the next 90 days.
Chapters
00:00 What’s Different This Winter
01:39 Russia Is Adapting
02:27 Ukraine’s Battlefield Progress
04:45 Who Adapts Faster?
06:29 What Russia Still Does Better
07:06 Russia’s Gray-Zone War
08:19 Is Article 5 Creating Hesitation?
11:14 Can Russia Keep Up With Ukraine?
13:47 Corruption Inside Russia’s Military
15:22 What Makes a Military Learn?
20:07 Russia and Ukraine’s Biggest Vulnerabilities
23:43 What Hodges Is Watching Next
26:10 Final Thoughts
Facts over noise. Context over headlines. Truth over talking points. Principle over partisanship.
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