The Spear

Dr. Charlie Faint

johnamble@gmail.com

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Booking Overview

The Spear, from the Modern War Institute at West Point, features first-person accounts from senior military leaders and veterans about combat decision-making, leadership under stress, and the lived realities of fighting. For PR professionals, it’s a niche but high-credibility platform for defense, security, and military-expertise voices who can speak personally about operations and training-relevant lessons.

Metrics

Episodes: 218

Frequency: Irregular

Rating: 4.8/5.0

Estimated listeners: 10k-100k

Gender skew: Male

Location: USA

Contact Information

johnamble@gmail.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Dr. Charlie Faint - Host of The Spear, the Modern War Institute at West Point podcast. Provides expert framing for guests’ personal combat experiences, focusing on decision-making under stress, the combat experience, ...

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

high
Typical Credentials:  
Senior active-duty or retired U.S. (and allied) military leaders, especially those with direct combat experience and/or command roles; often senior enlisted leaders, special operations/SOF leaders, or commanders tied to specific capabilities (e.g., long-range precision fires).
Required Achievements:  
Command experience at battalion/regiment level, Direct participation in major combat operations (Iraq/Afghanistan and similar), Operational expertise in specialized warfare domains (precision fires, distributed/multidomain concepts, SOF partnering)

Recent Guest Discussions

Lieutenant Colonel Ben Blane - Long-range Precision Fires Evolution; Multidomain Operations For Near-peer Conflict; Networked Kill Webs; Integrating Emerging Capabilities (hypersonics, Drones, Cyber/space) Into Distributed Warfare

Retired Command Sergeant Major Curt Donaldson - Ranger Standards And Culture; Fighting Platoon Sergeant Concept; Leadership And Accountability; Leadership Lessons From Combat In Iraq And Afghanistan

John Faunce - Survival And Leadership In Iraq (2003); Leadership Through Trust And Autonomy; Coalition Dynamics And Partnering In Afghanistan

Recent Topics

Military, Combat, Leadership, Warfare, Special Operations

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
The Spear
:

Commanding a Multi-Domain Effects Battalion in the Indo-Pacific

June 18, 2026

In this episode, Dr. Charlie Faint hosts Lieutenant Colonel Tiane Garner, commander of the Multi-Domain Effects Battalion (MDEB) in the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, to discuss the Army's evolving approach to operations in the Indo-Pacific. Drawing on nearly two decades of service that began as a transportation officer running convoy security missions in Iraq before transitioning to military intelligence, Tiane explains how the MDEB integrates intelligence, cyber, electronic warfare, space, an...

Long-Range Precision Fires and the Fight for the First Island Chain

April 20, 2026

In this episode of The Spear, host Dr. Charlie Faint speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Ben Blane about the rapid evolution of long-range precision fires and the Army’s shift toward multidomain operations in preparation for conflict with near-peer adversaries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Ben traces his career from traditional artillery roles to commanding the Army’s first long-range precision fires battalion, highlighting how emerging capabilities, such as hypersonic weapons, networked miss...

The Ranger Regiment's Fighting Platoon Sergeant

April 06, 2026

In this episode hosted by MWI's Charlie Faint, Retired Command Sergeant Major Curt Donaldson reflects on a career shaped by the 75th Ranger Regiment’s relentless standards, emphasizing that true leadership begins with genuinely caring for people while holding them—and yourself—accountable. He discusses the Regiment’s culture of meritocracy, where every Ranger meets the same standard and is continuously assessed, and explains how disciplined environments and strong leadership pipelines produce...

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