Retired Special Forces officer Scott Mann shares the incredible story of veterans helping their Afghan partners find their way out of Afghanistan as the Taliban retake the country. These veterans accomplished this harrowing task from their kitchens, cars, and front rooms! Find out how in this episode of Military Matters! For more information on Task Force Pineapple go to www.taskforcepinapple.org Also, check out SOFcast's episode "Reflecting on 9/11 and Afghanistan", available everywhere you listen to podcasts.  

Military Matters

Task Force Pineapple

Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss last week's episode about the broken State Department visa program that foreshadowed the debacle that was their NEO operation. Also, the Tim Kennedy situation and why did the military need civilians to do their job for them? Share your ideas or hit us up with a tip at MilitaryMatters@Stripes.com.

Fast Take: The Mission to Save Our Allies

With the Taliban now in control and U.S. forces withdrawing, Afghans desperate to find a way out turned to U.S. veterans they had served alongside for help. Some of those veterans heeded their call and went to their rescue. Save Our Allies Coalition's Chad Robichaux, Nick Palmisciano, and The Diplomat's Catherine Putz take us into the story of a broken immigrant visa program, a high stakes rescue mission, and the tragic story of how busloads of orphans were left behind... 

The mission to Save Our Allies

In order to tell the next story about the recent Afghan evacuations, we need a little more production time, so we won't have a new episode for you this week. In the meantime, I highly recommend you check out our previous episodes The Battle for Kunduz and its accompanying Fast Take: Kabul Embassy, the Taliban, and the Fall of Afghanistan. Thank you for your patience!

Quick message about this week's episode

Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez discuss what Great Power Competition or GPC means to the military outside of SOF and why this will matter to you! Follow us on Twitter @stripesmmpod or send us your feedback to militarymatters@stripes.com

Fast Take - Great Power Competition and the rest of the DoD

The withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan has signaled a new era in military operations and presence, but we aren't alone. "Great Power Competition" or GPC isn't just some new set of buzzwords, it's a shift in how the DOD will do business in a world of near-peer adversaries. What does GPC mean for today's military? How will it affect SOF operations? What will tomorrow's war really look like?

Great Power Competition - Where does SOF fit in?

Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy talk about the listeners' ghost stories from last episode, talk about their own experiences with the supernatural, and we share three more stories from our listeners! From lights in the sky to deadly phantoms!  Subscribe today!

Fast Take: UFO’s, “El Diablo” and cursed housing!

It's that time again for another Haunted Military Matters! In this episode, we bring you three real ghost stories from our listeners. From roaming spirits of Japan to a ghostly melody from beyond the veil, listen if you dare... Follow Military Matters on Twitter @stripesmmpod and visit stripes.com for your daily dose of news!

Restless Japanese spirits and a melody from beyond the grave

Military Matters hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the previous episode, an interview with Dr. Eric Kurlander about the Nazi fascination with the occult. Could the desire to live in a fantasy world happen again?  Subscribe today and share this podcast!

Fast Take: Nazis, the occult and us?

What do vampires, werewolves and Nazis have in common? Jack Murphy talks with Dr. Eric Kurlander, author of "Hitler's Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich" about the Nazi obsession with the occult and how Hitler convinced a country to abandon science for the allure of mysticism. Subscribe today and never miss an episode!

Pseudoscience, the occult and the rise of Nazi Germany

Hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the three-part Future War: China series and how the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan might have changed the game. Does this generation have what it takes to take on a near-peer adversary like China? How will cyberwarfare play into this? All that and more on this Fast Take.

Fast Take - Future War: China with Jack Murphy and Rod Rodriguez

We return to the third of our three-part future war series on China. Jack Murphy talks with Roger Cliff, a research professor of Indo-Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Army War College and the author of "China's Military Power: Assessing Current and Future Capabilities." You can find Cliff's book on Amazon and everywhere you purchase books. Follow Military Matters on Twitter @stripesmmpod

Future War: War with China...

Former U.S. Special Forces service member and current intelligence professional, Daniel, was recently evacuated from Afghanistan. Daniel shares an insider's view of the Taliban's take-over of the country, the chaos at the US embassy, and how it all went so wrong.  Follow Military Matters on Twitter and Facebook You can follow Rod Rodriguez on Twitter @rodpodrod and Jack Murphy at @jackmurphyrgr

Fast Take: Kabul Embassy, the Taliban, and the fall of Afghanistan

Jack Murphy brings us the story of the battle to save Kunduz from the Taliban and why a Doctors Without Borders hospital was destroyed. Jack talks with Special Forces Medical Sgt. Joshua Middleton about the heroic efforts of the Afghan Commandos and the dismal failures of the Afghan National Army that were the precursor to the recent fall of the Afghan government back into the hands of the Taliban. This story was inspired by the book "Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War" by Jessica Donati. You can follow Jessica on Twitter @jessdonati

The Battle for Kunduz

Hosts Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy discuss the recent events of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. There are some serious tie-ins to any future war with China that can't be ignored. What does a victory over China look like? Is Taiwan the next Iraq or Afghanistan? Follow us on Twitter at @stripesmmpod and shoot us an email at militarymatters@stripes.com

Fast Take: Afghanistan, Chinese espionage, and what does a won war look like?

Welcome to Military Matters, a podcast from Stars and Stripes. Listen as hosts Desmon Farris and Rod Rodriguez explore the topics that matter to service members, veterans, and the people who support them.

hubhopper

Military Matters

hubhopper