Welcome back to Five Questions for a General, a production of the Modern War Institute at West Point. This series features specially selected cadet hosts who are given an incredible professional development opportunity—to sit down with senior military officers and ask carefully crafted questions about everything from leadership to their unique experiences while serving, to their expectations about the future of war.

In this wide-ranging interview conducted by Cadet Emily Wilczek, Brigadier General Shane Reeves, the dean of the academic board at the United States Military Academy at West Point, reflects on his path to service, his role as West Point’s dean, and the central importance of intellectual development in preparing officers for modern warfare. Drawing on his family’s long military tradition and his own experience as an armor officer and judge advocate general, General Reeves emphasizes that the academy’s core mission is to build an intellectual foundation that enables cadets to navigate uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity rather than freeze in the face of it. The discussion ranges from the inseparability of academic rigor and operational effectiveness to the enduring importance of character in the profession of arms to emerging technologies like AI.

Welcome back to Five Questions for a General, a production of the Modern War Institute at West Point. This series features specially selected cadet hosts who are given an incredible professional development opportunity—to sit down with senior military officers and ask carefully crafted questions about everything from leadership to their unique experiences while serving, to their expectations about the future of war.

In this episode, Cadet Nathan Unks sits down with retired Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., former Commander of US Pacific Command and former US Ambassador to South Korea, for a conversation focused on national security, leadership, and perseverance. Admiral Harris reflects on his personal journey—from growing up in the American South as the son of a Navy chief petty officer and a Japanese war survivor, to finding opportunity through Navy JROTC and the Naval Academy—and shares candid lessons on resilience, failure, risk management, and teamwork.

The discussion also explores the evolving strategic challenges of the Indo-Pacific, with Admiral Harris identifying China as the most significant long-term threat to global security and emphasizing the importance of alliances, diplomacy, and rebuilding America’s industrial base. Drawing on his experience leading joint and interagency organizations throughout his 40-year Navy career as well as his time serving as ambassador, he underscores the value of understanding institutional cultures and leading diverse teams under pressure. Admiral Harris closes with advice for future leaders: focus on excelling in the job at hand, learn from setbacks, and commit to service with humility and purpose.

Welcome back to Five Questions for a General, a production of the Modern War Institute at West Point. This series features specially selected cadet hosts who are given an exceptional professional development opportunity—to sit down with senior military officers and ask carefully crafted questions about leadership, their unique experiences in uniform, and their expectations for the future of war.

In this episode, Cadet Emily Wilczek speaks with retired Lieutenant General Joe Berger, who began his thirty-three-year career as a military police officer and saw combat in Somalia before transferring to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, served in such units as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Joint Special Operations Command, and US Cyber Command, and finished his career as the judge advocate general of the Army. In the conversation, he reflects on how disciplined legal judgment and ethical clarity inform sound decision-making in complex environments—from advising commanders in conflict zones to leading the Army’s ten-thousand-strong legal community.