
Urban Warfare Expert Discusses Ukraine & Deploying as a Parent w/COL John Spencer
04/05/22 • 53 min
John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military related topics. Considered the world’s leading expert on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy.
Spencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and as host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He also serves as a Colonel in the California State Guard with assignment to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard as the Director of Urban Warfare Training.
Serving over twenty-five years in the active Army as an infantry soldier, Spencer has held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major. His assignments as an Army officer included two combat deployments to Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander, a Ranger Instructor with the Army’s Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group, and Co-Founder, Strategic Planner, and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point.
In his new book, Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War (July 1, 2022, Potomac Books), Col. Spencer delivers lessons learned about effective methods for building teams in a way that overcomes the distractions of home and the outside world, without reducing the benefits gained from connections to family.
Spencer holds a Master of Policy Management from Georgetown University. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, NY Daily News, Wired Magazine, Politico, The Hill, Foreign Policy Magazine, Defense One, Army Magazine, and many other publications. Spencer is also a regular military analyst and commentator for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and numerous news and media organizations. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife and three children. He looks forward to connecting via Twitter@SpencerGuard.
Check out the Parenting in Uniform Facebook page
Follow on Twitter: @MomInUniform
Email: [email protected]
Editing, voiceover, and music by audiblelemonade.com .
John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military related topics. Considered the world’s leading expert on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy.
Spencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and as host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He also serves as a Colonel in the California State Guard with assignment to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard as the Director of Urban Warfare Training.
Serving over twenty-five years in the active Army as an infantry soldier, Spencer has held ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class and Second Lieutenant to Major. His assignments as an Army officer included two combat deployments to Iraq as both an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander, a Ranger Instructor with the Army’s Ranger School, a Joint Chief of Staff and Army Staff intern, fellow with the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group, and Co-Founder, Strategic Planner, and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point.
In his new book, Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War (July 1, 2022, Potomac Books), Col. Spencer delivers lessons learned about effective methods for building teams in a way that overcomes the distractions of home and the outside world, without reducing the benefits gained from connections to family.
Spencer holds a Master of Policy Management from Georgetown University. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, NY Daily News, Wired Magazine, Politico, The Hill, Foreign Policy Magazine, Defense One, Army Magazine, and many other publications. Spencer is also a regular military analyst and commentator for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and numerous news and media organizations. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with his wife and three children. He looks forward to connecting via Twitter@SpencerGuard.
Check out the Parenting in Uniform Facebook page
Follow on Twitter: @MomInUniform
Email: [email protected]
Editing, voiceover, and music by audiblelemonade.com .
Previous Episode

Feed Your Family Tonight: Meal Planning w/Marie Fiebach
Marie Fiebach of Feed Your Family Tonight, helps busy families plan and execute weeknight dinners, even when life is crazy. She shares some great tips on how to prepare meals despite being short on time or patience.
Follow Marie for more helpful info:
Facebook
Instagram
https://feedyourfamilytonight.com/
Resources/Recipes Mentioned:
Free Weekly Meal Planning Sheet
Cheeseburger Baked Potatoes
Lemon Ramen Chicken Stir Fry
Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
Podcast: How to Pick a Recipe Your Family Will Eat (Episode 146)
Check out the Parenting in Uniform Facebook page
Follow on Twitter: @MomInUniform
Email: [email protected]
Next Episode

Raising Empowered Children with Christie Lazo
Christie Lado, of the Vida with Christie podcast and blog, provides a passionate discussion about raising empowered children and breaking intergenerational cycles. As a Peruvian-Canadian, she dives into raising kids while living in different cultures.
Find out more about Christie or listen to her podcast anywhere podcasts are found.
Check out the Parenting in Uniform Facebook page
Follow on Twitter: @MomInUniform
Email: [email protected]
Editing, voiceover, and music by audiblelemonade.com .
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/parenting-in-uniform-225348/urban-warfare-expert-discusses-ukraine-and-deploying-as-a-parent-wcol-25563717"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to urban warfare expert discusses ukraine & deploying as a parent w/col john spencer on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy