James Stavridis, Retired US Admiral

Willy welcomes James Stavridis. He is a retired US Navy Admiral and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and the best-selling author of 2034: A Novel of the Next World War and To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision. He is currently the Vice Chair of Global Affairs, Managing Director of the Carlyle Group, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. James begins discussing his career in the Naval Academy in the late 1970s. Being on a top-five national-ranked team, his coach brought over an experienced Pakistani player, beating him and his members, making it his first lesson on humility. In his freshman year, he decided to be a sailor, much to his father's disappointment, who was a former infantry officer. But the choice paid off 25 years later. The first 20 years of his career were during the Cold War. He described knowing every detail of every Russian warship and conducting tabletop exercises. He points out aircraft carriers as the US's biggest advantage over Russia, while their strong point was undersea warfare. He mentions how the current Russian army is only a shadow of its former self. Due to bombings of US embassies in East Africa, James and his group were tasked to launch Tomahawk missiles on Osama Bin Laden's residence in the late 1990s. The mission failed because Pakistani residents informed Bin Laden of their presence. In 2001, Bin Laden returned fire on the Pentagon, killing many of James' close comrades and friends, ironically in the "safest place in the world." James affirms how Navy men are trained firefighters, able to combat the fire after the bombing. The Pentagon bombing taught James that "life can change forever in an instant," the importance of being ready at all times, and the flexibility in changing strategies. After 911, James was tasked with creating a tactical think tank called Deep Blue, gathering the smartest men in all ranks for a year and a half before becoming a carrier strike commander. The anger fueled James and the rest of the military to implement dramatic changes and innovate, fighting against internal parochialism. He emphasizes the importance of breaking those barriers in times of crisis. He believes the workforce should be challenged, incentivized, and rewarded for new ideas. He uses "innovation cells," having a small number of switched-on people to brainstorm with and compensating them exceptionally for their work. James thinks the US is not paying enough attention to South America, despite engaging with Colombia previously. He explains how South America has untapped potential for natural resources and economic and cultural diversity. Finland and Sweden joining NATO is a formidable threat against Vladimir Putin's war as these nations are highly-skilled air and land fighters, respectively. Their geographical locations and hold on the Arctic are also advantages.
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