Soldier Pulse

A weekly podcast featuring analysis of issues critical to Soldiers with experts currently serving in and retired from the U.S. Army.

Testing Unit Medical Readiness at the Joint Readiness Training Center 07/23/2025

Testing Unit Medical Readiness at the Joint Readiness Training Center In this episode, Rick talks with Capt. Victor Velez and Master Sgt. Brad Robinson, two medical services professionals stationed at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. They discuss what it's like to serve as an observer-trainer at a high operational tempo combat training center during "fighting season." Image: U.S. Army via /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692750

Diverse Army Careers Translated to the Private Sector 07/10/2025

Diverse Army Careers Translated to the Private Sector This week, host Nick Keipper is joined by Col. (ret.) Justin Overbaugh to discuss Overbaugh's distinguished and multifaceted Army career from infantryman to intelligence professional to recruiter. They dig into the diverse skill sets he developed along the way and how they translated to the civilian world as he made the transition to the private sector. Image: via DVIDS /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692760

Revitalizing Army Professional Writing 06/25/2025

Revitalizing Army Professional Writing Rick sits down with three soldiers at the heart of the Harding Project, an Army-wide effort to revitalize professional writing. Maj. Emily Lopez, a civil affairs officer; Capt. Thepnakone Souimaniphanh, an incoming Harding fellow; and Sgt. 1st Class Marcel Blood, the deputy director of the Harding Project, share their paths to the Harding Project and what they each expect to do after their time at the project ends. Image: Spc. Taylor Lakey-Tamacori via /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692775

Life in the Famed 82nd Airborne 06/11/2025

Life in the Famed 82nd Airborne Nick sits down with Sgt. 1st Class (ret.) Paul Ross to explore his incredible journey from high school dropout to paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and beyond. They discuss how grit, discipline, and a relentless desire to learn transformed Paul’s life — from humble beginnings to becoming a respected leader in the military and private sector. It’s a candid conversation about resilience, redemption, and the power of experience-driven growth. Image: U.S. Army via /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692785

Working in a Commander’s Action Group 05/27/2025

Working in a Commander’s Action Group Rick sits down with Col. Andy Forney to discuss the Commander's Action Group ("the CAG"). They chat about why each group is unique, how they assist commanders in carrying out their operational focus and strategic vision, and serving in a Commander's Action Group during the Afghanistan withdrawal. Image: /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692795

What It Means To Be a “Mustang” and Other Reflections of Army Service 05/14/2025

What It Means To Be a “Mustang” and Other Reflections of Army Service In this wide-ranging episode, Rick sits down with Nick Keipper, a recently retired officer with experience in the special operations community. They discuss leadership lessons, a no-notice National Training Center rotation, and what it means to be a "mustang" — a rare breed. The episode concludes with a special announcement about the future of Soldier Pulse. Image: via DVIDS /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692805

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 4 04/30/2025

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 4 Jason Dempsey continues his conversation with Army veterans Staff Sgt. Mike McGuinness and Spc. Lucas Gray who served under 1st Lt. Clint Lorance in Afghanistan for the final part of this four-part series. Their conversation this week addresses the incident that saw McGuinness and Gray accused of war crimes and the aftermath of the incident. Image: /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692815

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 3 04/16/2025

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 3 In Part 3 of host Jason Dempsey's conversation with Army veterans Staff Sgt. Mike McGuinness and Spc. Lucas Gray who served under 1st Lt. Clint Lorance in Afghanistan. Their story is the story of the honor and discipline American soldiers commit to but, regretfully, do not always live up to. Mike McGuinness and Lucas Gray reflect on what happened on their last deployment and the aftermath. Their conversation this week sets the scene for the war crime incident. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692820

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 2 04/02/2025

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 2 In the second part of this four-part series, Jason Dempsey speaks with Army veterans Staff Sgt. Mike McGuinness and Spc. Lucas Gray, who served under 1st Lt. Clint Lorance in Afghanistan. Their story is the story of the honor and discipline American soldiers commit to but, regretfully, do not always live up to. Mike McGuinness and Lucas Gray reflect on what happened on their last deployment and the aftermath. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692825

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 1 03/20/2025

Ethical Leadership in the Fog of War, Part 1 Jason Dempsey speaks with Army veterans Staff Sgt. Mike McGuinness and Spc. Lucas Gray, who served under 1st Lt. Clint Lorance in Afghanistan. Their story is the story of the honor and discipline American soldiers commit to but, regretfully, do not always live up to. Mike McGuinness and Lucas Gray reflect on what happened on their last deployment and the aftermath. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692830

Teaching and Leading West Point Cadets 02/05/2025

Teaching and Leading West Point Cadets Rick Landgraf talks with Major Kathryn Hedgecock and Major Andrew Webster about what it's like to serve as an academic instructor at the U.S. Military Academy. They discuss the excitement of teaching West Point cadets about foreign affairs and international politics and describe what attributes the academy is looking for in its cadre. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692835

Improving Army Recruiting 01/22/2025

Improving Army Recruiting On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Rick sits down with Maj. Gen. Deborah Kotulich, the current deputy chief of the Army Reserve, who previously served as the director of the Army Recruiting and Retention Task Force. They discuss how the Army has turned around its recent recruiting challenges as well as the unique capabilities provided by the Army Reserve. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692840

Let’s Talk Promotions 01/10/2025

Let’s Talk Promotions Kate Kuzminski rejoins the podcast to speak with Jason Dempsey about promotions. While promotions might sound simple and straightforward, Jason and Kate take a deep dive into the details- how they've worked in the past and how they might change with new leadership. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692845

Working at Army Futures Command 01/03/2025

Working at Army Futures Command On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Amos Fox sits down with Sgt. Maj. Brian Hester, the command sergeant major at Army Futures Command, headquartered in Austin, Texas. The two discuss how Army Futures Command supports the Army and the joint force, as well as its focus on innovation as a priority, among other topics. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692855

More Than Cocktail Parties and Receptions: Living and Working Abroad as an Army Foreign Area Officer 12/20/2024

More Than Cocktail Parties and Receptions: Living and Working Abroad as an Army Foreign Area Officer On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Rick sits down with Lt. Col. Drew Dornstadter, a foreign area officer serving at the Spanish army headquarters in Madrid. They discuss U.S.-Spanish security cooperation, the role and purpose of U.S. Army foreign area officers, and some common misperceptions about this important career field. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692860

Serving as an OC/T at the National Training Center 12/13/2024

Serving as an OC/T at the National Training Center On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Amos Fox sat down with Col. Ethan Diven to discuss his role as Commander of the National Training Center's Operations Group. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692865

The Multidomain Task Force and US Army Pacific’s 3rd Multidomain Task Force 12/06/2024

The Multidomain Task Force and US Army Pacific’s 3rd Multidomain Task Force The Multidomain Task Force, or MDTF, is one of the Army’s newest formations. The MDTFs are theater-level formations that are signature formation for Army transformation and are helping the Army bring Multidomain Operations (MDO) to life. On this episode of the Soldier Pulse podcast, we welcome Col. Michael Rose, commander of 3rd MDTF at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, to discuss the MDTF. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692875

Day in the Life of an ROTC Professor of Military Science 11/29/2024

Day in the Life of an ROTC Professor of Military Science In this episode of Soldier Pulse, Rick Landgraf talks with Lt. Col. Adam Scher of Seton Hall University and Lt. Col. Ross Warren (Ret.) of the University of Idaho about the unique opportunities and challenges of leading a Reserve Officer Training Corps unit on a college campus. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692880

School of Advanced Military Studies 11/22/2024

School of Advanced Military Studies On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Amos Fox sat down with Col. Dwight D. Domengeaux, Jr. to discuss the ins and outs of the School of Advanced Military Studies. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692885

The Army’s Evolving Recruiting Standards and Their Implications 11/15/2024

The Army’s Evolving Recruiting Standards and Their Implications What’s going on with Army recruiting? Jason Dempsey sits down with Kate Kuzminski and Greg Jaffe to discuss this question and more on this episode of Soldier Pulse. Kate is the Deputy Director of Studies and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society at the Center for a New American Security. Greg Jaffe is a reporter with extensive experience covering the military. He currently works on the Washington Post’s democracy team. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692890

Making More “Data Literate” Army Commanders 11/08/2024

Making More “Data Literate” Army Commanders On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Rick Landgraf spoke with Lt. Col. Erik Davis about increasing "data literacy" across the Army. They discuss what data literacy is, how it can enable Army units to better accomplish their missions, and why data literacy should hold at least as much weight in selecting commanders as does measuring how far someone can throw a 10-pound ball. In his spare time, Erik compiles a series of vignettes called "." /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692895

Tech Outpacing Law 11/01/2024

Tech Outpacing Law On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Amos Fox sat down with Maj. Emily Bobenrieth, Associate Professor in the National Security Law Department at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, to discuss the ways technology is outpacing law in modern war. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692900

Veterans Benefits 10/25/2024

Veterans Benefits On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Jason Dempsey talked with Brig. Gen. Michael Meese (Ret.), who currently serves as the President of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. They discuss life after service and the various benefits veterans are entitled to. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692905

Challenges of Military Families 10/18/2024

Challenges of Military Families On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Jason Dempsey sat down with Col. Miriam Krieger and Kellie Artis to talk about the ins and outs of military families: what is it like to be married while in uniform? What are the challenges of maintaining a family while serving, and how did we get here? /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692910

How To Navigate An Election While Serving 10/11/2024

How To Navigate An Election While Serving On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Jason Dempsey sits down with Col. Heidi A. Urben (Ret.), Maj. Michael A. Robinson, Dr. Risa Brooks to discuss the challenging nature of maintaining the military's non-partisan ethos during an election year, particularly when veterans are on both presidential tickets. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692915

“Fight to get to the Fight”: Contested Logistics in Modern Warfare 10/04/2024

“Fight to get to the Fight”: Contested Logistics in Modern Warfare On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Rick Landgraf sits down with Brig. Gen. Shane Upton, Director of the Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team, and Brig. Gen. Beth Behn, Director of Operations of the G-4 at the Pentagon. We discuss what "contested logistics" means to the Army, the most significant challenges for transforming sustainment in modern warfare, and the focus areas the Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team is working on. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692925

Why Are We Paid This Way? Understanding Military Pay and Pensions 09/27/2024

Why Are We Paid This Way? Understanding Military Pay and Pensions On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Jason Dempsey talked with LTC Brandon Archuleta about all things military pay: the ins, the outs, where it came from, and where it's going. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692930

Special Edition of Military Review: Professional Military Writing 09/20/2024

Special Edition of Military Review: Professional Military Writing In this episode of Soldier Pulse, we talk with Lieutenant Colonel Zach Griffiths and Major Brennan Deveraux about the special edition on professional military writing. This special edition of the Army's official professional journal was released on September 11, 2024. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692935

Battalion Command at Fort Meade 09/13/2024

Battalion Command at Fort Meade On this episode of Soldier Pulse, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Rick Landgraf spoke with Lt. Col. Josh Nunnally about preparing for and carrying out battalion command. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692940

The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment with Colonel Tim Ferguson 09/06/2024

The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment with Colonel Tim Ferguson In this episode of Soldier Pulse, we talk with Colonel Timothy Ferguson, who recently served as the commander of the U.S. Army's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. We discuss how the regiment serves as the Army's preeminent opposing force at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, preparing the Army's brigades and divisions for combat operations across the spectrum of conflict. /episode/index/show/1882852e-1dba-454d-a5ef-5ff01844f45e/id/37692945

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