Hunter's War: Geopolitics, Society and the Pursuit of Peace

Submarines, Deterrence and Leadership Underwater with Fernando Tagle Valle

Fernando Tagle Valle is a former executive officer (XO) in the Chilean Navy with 21 years of service. He brings rare operational depth to one of today's most consequential and underreported military domains. In this episode, Hunter and Fernando cover: Submarine as a deterrence tool: The most powerful thing about a submarine isn't the weapon it carries, it's that no one can find it. Fernando explains why that uncertainty is itself a strategic asset, available to middle powers and great powers alike, and why a single conventional submarine can pose a serious threat to an entire carrier strike group. The global procurement crisis: The submarine production line is full. If a nation wants one today, it's looking at a 10–15 year wait. Fernando walks through how countries like Canada, Poland, Brazil, and the UK are navigating this reality and why the decisions being made now will determine defence capability for the next 30–40 years. Leadership and human performance underwater: Leading 40 people at 300 metres below the surface, with no communication to the outside world and no room for error, demands a specific kind of leadership. Fernando breaks down what it actually takes — starting with leading yourself.

How Finland Deters Russia with Tom Woolmore

This episode of Hunter's War is a conversation with Tom Woolmore on how Finland is responding to the Russian threat, and what countries like the UK can learn from it. With Russia's war in Ukraine grinding into its fourth year and European defence officials warning of potential confrontation within three to five years, one small Nordic nation has already figured it out. Finland's comprehensive security model isn't about buying more weapons—it's about creating a social contract so strong that ordinary citizens believe their country is genuinely worth defending. In this episode, I speak with security analyst and defence researcher Tom Woolmore about why societal cohesion is the foundation of deterrence, how the UK's "whole of society" approach is missing the crucial piece, and why ignoring this is strategic lunacy.Tom Woolmore is a UK-based defence researcher who conducted extensive fieldwork in Finland studying its comprehensive security model, including interviews with the Secretary General of Finland's Security Committee and the Director General of Defence Policy. His work examines what European democracies can learn from Finland's whole-of-society approach to defence—and where the UK is falling dangerously short. Tom's Dissertation: "The Porcupine and the Hedgehog: The Influence of Finland’s Comprehensive Security Model on the British Whole-of-Society Approach" [https://turvallisuuskomitea.fi/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/MA-Thesis-Thomas-Woolmore.pdf] By Thomas Woolmore ``` 00:17 — Introduction & Episode Overview  01:12 — The Threats Europe Faces: Hybrid Warfare to Direct Invasion  06:49 — Finland's Comprehensive Security Model & Winter War Legacy  13:01 — The Two-Way Social Contract: What Makes It Work  14:10 — Societal Cohesion as a Security Asset  15:50 — Building Equality as Defence Policy  18:01 — Conscription, Immigration & Cross-Class Bonds  22:42 — NATO Membership: From Denial to Planning for Victory  23:09 — Deterrence by Denial vs. Deterrence by Punishment  26:47 — How NATO Is Learning From Finland  29:37 — The Phrase "Whole of Society" & What It Really Means  30:28 — The UK's Strategic Pivot to Homeland Defence  34:09 — Britain's Defence Gaps: No Plan, No Air Defence  36:22 — Why the UK's "Whole of Society" Approach Is Missing the Point  37:26 — The GDP Per Capita Shock: UK Outside London vs. Mississippi  39:57 — The Real Problem: Ordinary People Have No Role  41:16 — Finland's Comprehensive Readiness vs. UK's Limited Approach  42:39 — Closing: Why Societal Cohesion Is Non-Negotiable ``` TOPICS COVERED - **Finland's Comprehensive Security Model:** How a total defence framework evolved to protect seven vital functions of society - **The Social Contract:** Why governments must deliver equality, transparency, and welfare to build defensive willingness - **Societal Cohesion as Strategy:** The intersection of social policy and defence—and why Western governments ignore it - **NATO's Shift to Deterrence by Denial:** How Finland's porcupine strategy is reshaping Alliance doctrine - **The UK's Defence Crisis:** No plan for homeland attack, crumbling infrastructure, and a "whole of society" approach that excludes society - **Hybrid Warfare & Polarisation:** Why Russia targets societal cohesion, and why building it is a national security imperative LINKS **Hunter's War Website:** https://hunterswar.com/ [https://hunterswar.com/]  **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/@Hunters_War [https://www.youtube.com/@Hunters_War]  **TikTok:** @hunters_war **Instagram:** @officialhunterswar **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/hunterswar/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/hunterswar/]  --- KEYWORDS Finland defence model, comprehensive security, total defence, societal cohesion, Russia NATO threat, Baltic States security, deterrence by denial, UK Strategic Defence Review, whole of society approach, Winter War, Finnish conscription, hybrid warfare Europe, Tom Woolmore, homeland defence UK, European security 2026 ---

Innovation Ecosystems, Geopolitics & Power with Edoardo Giglio

Show Notes: In this episode of Hunter’s War, Hunter speaks with Edoardo Giglio, among many things, the author of Tech Tides: How Innovation Shapes Global Power, to explore how innovation ecosystems are redefining the modern battlefield and the global balance of power. Find Edoardo’s book at these links: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/tech-tides-9781538198766/ [https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/tech-tides-9781538198766/] https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Tides-Innovation-Shapes-Global/dp/1538198762 [https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Tides-Innovation-Shapes-Global/dp/1538198762]  From the "tanks vs. bytes" debate to the unique success of Silicon Valley and Israel, Giglio breaks down why some nations lead the future while others are left behind. In this conversation we cover: * The Shift in Warfare: How $200 commercial drones are neutralizing multi-million dollar Cold War assets and why "bytes are more important than bullets." * Defining Innovation Ecosystems: The difference between basic, sustaining, disruptive, and moonshot innovation strategies. * The "Silicon Shield": How Taiwan's accidental semiconductor dominance became its greatest geopolitical defense. * Europe’s Innovation Crisis: Why a "buckshot approach" and fragmented regulations are causing the EU to lose the AI race. * The Cost of Failure: Case studies on Nigeria’s "resource curse" and Ethiopia’s challenges in sustaining agricultural innovation. * The Human Factor: Why human intuition and political will remain the ultimate driving forces behind any technological breakthrough. Connect with Edoardo: * LinkedIn: Edoardo Giglio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edoardogiglio * Substack: https://substack.com/@edobluntforce Keywords: Geopolitics, Innovation Strategy, Defense Tech, AI Act, Silicon Valley, Semiconductor Industry, Drone Warfare, TSMC, Tech Tides, warfare

A Vision for Iran with Bardia Hariri

On this episode of Hunter's War, guest Bardia Hariri, an Iranian-American academic and businessman, lays out a vision for Iran's future. With a deepening rift between the Iranian state and its people and the recent mass atrocity in which an estimated 33,000 citizens were killed, Hariri outlines the vision of Iranaissance. A decentralized platform of experts and diaspora, including CEOs and engineers, who are preparing for the eventual collapse of the regime. Central to this vision is a focus on economic reintegration over political sloganeering. Hariri identifies five non-negotiables that Iran must meet to attract the $150 billion in annual investment required for national redevelopment. Finally, the episode explores Iran’s potential as a linchpin in the Global Value Chain (GVC). With over 50 million citizens under age 40 and immense energy reserves, a transparent and neutral Iran could transform from a regional destabilizer into a strategic trade crossroad connecting Europe and Asia. Hariri emphasizes that the success of this transition depends on empowering those within the country to ensure stability in the critical first 60 days following a regime collapse. To learn more about the work Iranaissance, check out their website www.iranaissance.org [http://www.iranaissance.org]

Insurgency and Civil War with Prof. David Betz

Is the West past the tipping point for civil conflict? In this episode of Hunter’s War, we sit down with Professor David Betz of King's College London for a challenging conversation about political legitimacy, insurgency, and the fragility of modern Western societies. We explore the core concepts of insurgency as a social movement and why modern counterinsurgency often fails. Applying these lessons home, we discuss the indicators of domestic civil war currently flashing red in the West: polar factionalism, the fear of status loss, and the total collapse of institutional legitimacy. We also examine why economic wealth and elite overproduction contribute to the expectation gap and what strategies might exist to mitigate the fallout of internal conflict. Referenced essays by Professor Betz: Civil War Comes to the West: https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/civil-war-comes-to-the-west/ [https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/civil-war-comes-to-the-west/] Civil War Comes to the West Part II: https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/civil-war-comes-to-the-west-part-ii-strategic-realities/ [https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/civil-war-comes-to-the-west-part-ii-strategic-realities/] Professor David Betz is a Professor of War in the Modern World at King's College London, where he has taught in the Department of War Studies for over 20 years. His research focuses on insurgency, counterinsurgency, and the changing character of war. Subscribe and follow Hunter’s War for more discussions on the intersection of geopolitics, war, and society.