Episode 40: Andy Marshall

For over 40 years, Andy Marshall led the Pentagon’s internal think tank, the Office of Net Assessment. Up until he left the Pentagon in 2014, at the young age of 93, many considered Marshall one of the most significant defense thinkers you never heard of. Though credited with seeing the Soviet Union’s fragility long before others and being a leading thinker in the revolution in military affairs, Marshall has rarely given interviews to the press. When his writing and words did escape his inner sanctum in the Pentagon, defense thinkers paid attention. “We studied RMA exhaustively,” a Chinese general said in 2012. “Our great hero was Andy Marshall in the Pentagon. We translated every word he wrote.”

In an interview with The Jamie Weinstein Show, Marshall discussed his career, what threats he sees on the horizon, a recent meeting with Steve Bannon, and much more.

Show Roadmap

  • What exactly is the Office of Net Assessment?
  • On the threat of a rising China
  • What Andy Marshall thought of his meeting with Steve Bannon
  • What threats most concern Andy Marshall?
  • Marshall’s thoughts on America’s response to 9/11
  • On the threat of an electromagnetic pulse attack (EMP)
  • Is the U.S. able to develop a Grand Strategy anymore?
  • Career advice from Andy Marshall
  • On the books that most shaped him