Ft. Leavenworth Series

General George C. Marshall is arguably one of the most influential American military men to have ever lived. However, he is not known for his battlefield accomplishments, but rather his organizational and diplomatic achievements. From 1939 to his retreat from public life in 1951, Marshall shepherded first the U.S. Army, then the State Department, and […]

In March of 1847 General Winfield Scott led the first large-scale joint operation in U.S. history. Seeking to compel a favorable conclusion to the ongoing war with Mexico, the veteran U.S. Army commander developed an ad hoc partnership with the U.S. Navy to conduct an amphibious landing and assault on the fortress city of Veracruz […]

King Henry II of England (reigned 1154-1189) was the most powerful European monarch of his day, husband to Eleanor of Aquitaine, and father to two successors: Richard the Lionheart and King John. Over the course of 35 years, he successfully warred against neighbors in the Isles and on the Continent, expanding his domains to create […]

At the turn of the 20th century, President William McKinley led the United States' continued expansion abroad through war with Spain over Cuba and the Philippines. His expansion of American power and influence abroad through two subsequent wars attempted to continue shifting the global balance of power dominated for the last few centuries by European […]

Dr. Babb will discuss the wartime leadership of Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) and Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong). Their political and military leadership in the Chinese Civil War, the War Against Japan, and during two crises in the Taiwan Strait encompassed an adversarial relationship that stretched for nearly 50 years. These two leaders not only sought […]

In 1794 the new American republic was beset by a host of “enemies,” foreign and domestic. For George Washington, the greatest of these came from the disgruntled citizens of the Appalachian west who sought to resist the federal government’s ability to collect taxes and codify its powers. The Whiskey Rebellion was the first true test […]

Winston S. Churchill served as a wartime leader in the twentieth century’s two global wars. His posts during the Great War included service as First Lord of the Admiralty, akin to our Secretary of the Navy and, as such, set British naval policy until his removal following the failure at Gallipoli in mid-1915. During the […]

On February 24, 2022 Russian military forces invaded Ukraine under orders from Russian President Valdimir Putin.  This was the largest military operation in Europe since the end of the Second World War. This lecture will focus on Putin, his wartime leadership, and the status of the war in Ukraine. Dr. Sean N. Kalic is a […]

Abraham Lincoln, often characterized as one of America’s preeminent war leaders, was a master politician who intuitively understood the political consequences of any decision.  Yet on matters of strategy, arguably the most important responsibility of a wartime president, Lincoln deferred to his military commanders rather than exercise his authority as commander-in-chief.  His strategy of deference […]