You can’t win a war without an air force, but you can absolutely lose one without cyber defenses. Richard Shimooka unpacks how warfare has evolved to include everything from space systems to biotech threats, and why militaries that ignore these domains get blindsided fast.

The conversation examines specific cases where new warfare theories either delivered or failed spectacularly. Russia’s massive cyber attack before invading Ukraine? Thwarted. Strategic bombing in WWII supposed to break enemy morale? Didn’t work that way. Information campaigns designed to destabilize democracies? More nuanced than the hype suggests, but still dangerous. Shimooka reveals how even during WWII, American public opinion nearly prevented the invasion of Japan due to fears of mass casualties a reminder that political support has always dictated military strategy, not the other way around. He breaks down why effects-based operations now span cyber, space, and bio domains, and how China and Russia use propaganda not just as a weapon but as a way to shore up their own weak legitimacy.

The takeaway cuts deep: we haven’t evolved past anything. It’s still the same wars, same fears, same human condition just with better technology to amplify our worst instincts.

GUEST: Richard Shimooka

Originally aired on2026-01-06