Darin Gaub enlisted in the Army as a private and, after a 28 year career retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel. He is often called upon by national media and publications to comment on military and geopolitical issues.  Gaub joins us to provide his perspective on the current status of affairs in the middle and Far East.

After finishing his active duty enlistment he joined the National Guard and went to college on an ROTC scholarship. When it came time to select which area to serve in, he was told that no one from his university was ever selected for the Army Aviation Branch. Guab says he would become an Army aviator “on a dare, not a plan.” He had seven deployments to Afghanistan, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the DMZ along North and South Korea.

We have a fascinating and insightful discussion about the current situation in the Middle East. “For anyone to try to explain the Middle East is an experiment in trying to make the complicated simple.” He emphasizes that the current war is not between Israel and the Lebanese people but rather against Hezbollah. He is in weekly contact with sources in Beirut and says the Lebanese people would prefer that Hezbollah be gone.

He describes Israel’s tactics of more of a “water against a bank” strategy rather than “shock and awe.” Gaub believes that their attack against command and control elements has been masterful.

Gaub spends some time explaining the “nexus of evil” comprised of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. He cautions that the actions of these actors is not always obvious – strategies that are slowly eroding our nation.

We spend some time discussing how we should prepare for future conflicts. He says the current war in Ukraine provides some good examples of how combat has evolved with smaller actors able to challenge larger armies.

TAKEAWAY: “The people that are most interested in avoiding war are the ones who have to fight it.”