In the first episode of Season 2 of the “How to get on a Watchlist” podcast, we sit down with Major General Mick Ryan to discuss how military invasions happen, the surprises that can await invading forces, and how countries that are being invaded can defend themselves. Major General Ryan retired from the Australian Army last year. A graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the U.S. Marine Corps University Command and Staff College and School of Advanced Warfighting, he has commanded at platoon, squadron, regiment, task force, and brigade level. General Ryan was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his leadership of Australia’s first reconstruction task force in Afghanistan. He completed his 35-year career with the Australian Army and transitioned to the Army Reserve in 2022. He is an adjunct fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC and a non-resident fellow at the Lowy Institute. He is also the author of War Transformed, released in 2022, and White Sun War, released in 2023, with a book on Ukraine coming in 2024.
Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts, by RSS feed, on Youtube, or listen right here:
How to Invade a Country – How to get on a Watchlist
If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Please also consider supporting our work via a Patreon subscription (getting you access to early releases and other perks), or by tipping us on Ko-fi. While the topics we discuss here are often shrouded in secrecy and security classifications, we really hope you’ll tell your friends about us!
Books and media mentioned during the episode, and suggestions for further research on this topic:
- War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict (Mick Ryan)
- White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan (Mick Ryan)
Additional geopolitical reading suggestions can be found on our 2023 reading list.
Purchases made using the links in this article earn referrals for Encyclopedia Geopolitica. As an independent publication, our writers are volunteers from within the professional geopolitical intelligence community, and referrals like this support future articles.
The hosts:
Lewis Sage-Passant is a researcher in the field of intelligence and espionage, and a former British Military Intelligence Officer. Lewis holds a PhD from Loughborough University in intelligence studies, and is an adjunct professor in intelligence at Sciences Po Paris. He has extensive experience working and living in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions in a variety of geopolitical analysis and intelligence roles, supporting the energy industry, the financial sector, leading technology firms, and the pharmaceuticals sector. He has appeared in numerous news outlets, including the BBC, France24, CNBC, The New Arab, El Mundo, GQ, and others, discussing intelligence, geopolitics, and security topics.
Aleksandra Szylkiewicz is a multilingual security and intelligence professional based in France, currently serving as Geopolitical Intelligence & Travel Security Manager at an international luxury fashion conglomerate. She is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris, where she completed a degree in International Relations/International Security, and has experience providing threat monitoring and geopolitical analysis to public and private entities across various sectors and regions, producing actionable intelligence and decision-making support. She has lived in Mexico and in various countries across Europe.
The production team:
Producer: Edwin Tran
Researcher: Alex Smith
Additional credit goes to several unnamed members of the Encyclopedia Geopolitica team, as well as our colleagues in the intelligence and security community who helped to make this podcast possible
If you liked this episode, don’t forget to sign up to our mailing list and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Please also consider supporting our work via Patreon. While the topics we discuss here are often shrouded in secrecy and security classifications, we really hope you’ll tell your friends about us!
Encyclopedia Geopolitica 