Underground Strategy

Underground Strategy

Welcome to Underground Strategy Where military tactics, leadership, and real-world strategies meet a whole lot of banter. Hosted by Max Lauker (ex-Swedish Special Operations, Intelligence, and Private Security) and Tony Garcia (ex-SANDF with extensive field experience and academic insight), we break down the latest in military strategy while keeping things real, candid, and fun. Whether you're into the latest military insights or just here for smart conversations (and a few laughs), we've got you covered. Tune in for weekly episodes packed with expert breakdowns, candid chats, and a fresh take on what's happening in the world of strategy. It's all about staying sharp, having fun, and thinking a few moves ahead. No fluff, just real talk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

July 27, 2025 32 mins

In Part 1 of our conversation with Serhii Velychanskyi, we follow his journey from civilian to frontline soldier in Ukraine’s 130th Territorial Defense Battalion—where he took part in the defense of Kyiv and the liberation of Irpin and Kharkiv.

Serhii walks us through those early days of the full-scale Russian invasion: the uncertainty, the shelling, and the harsh lessons learned on the ground. But this isn’t just a war story—it’s a...

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The third part of our Fortress Britain series takes us north, where Gordon Barclay joins us for a deep dive into Scotland’s defense plans during the Second World War—and how they’ve been misunderstood ever since.

We talk about stop lines, airfield vulnerabilities, pillbox design, and the sheer logistical push it took to prepare the country for invasion. Gordon breaks down how anti-tank ditches, coastal artillery, and naval fortresse...

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In this episode, we explore the Zimbabwean liberation struggle—a war that redefined Southern Africa and left lasting political and military scars across the region.

Takawira Chatambudza joins us to unpack the origins of the nationalist movements, the split between ZANU and ZAPU, and how their armed wings—ZANLA and ZIPRA—fought on different fronts with different doctrines. We talk about guerrilla tactics, ideological influence from C...

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The second part of our Fortress Britain series takes us to the windswept beaches of northeast Scotland, where archeology meets military history.

Tony and Alessandro link up with Bruce Mann—a senior Historic Environment Officer and real-world battlefield archaeologist—to walk through pillboxes, anti-tank blocks, and the overlooked coastal defenses that still dot the landscape today. We talk about how terrain shaped defense planning, ...

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In the first of our Fortress Britain episodes, we step back from the secret guerrilla units and look at the bigger picture—how ready was the UK, really, to stop a German invasion in 1940?

Andrew Chatterton returns to break down Britain’s physical defenses—from the rapid construction of stop lines and pillboxes to the strategic thinking behind them. We talk about how much of the country was actually covered, why mobility was so limit...

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In this episode, we’re joined by Roman Kuzyuk, First Deputy CEO of Viysktorgservice and co-author of Management in Times of War. Roman brings a unique mix of experience to the table—from corporate governance and martial arts to frontline logistics within Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.

We explore the transformation of Ukraine’s defense sector, the challenges of legacy systems, and the ongoing fight to establish integrity and effectiv...

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We’ve covered the Radleys, Rooseboom, and the Felix network—but in this final episode, the focus flips.

What did the South African and British services actually know about these Nazi spy efforts? And more importantly—how did they respond?


Evert Kleynhans takes us inside the counterintelligence war: the Royal Navy’s Y service, MI5, and the South African Postmaster General all played a role in intercepting transmissions, triangulat...

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In the second half of our series, we turn to the aftermath—Franco’s victory, the cost of silence, and the contested memory that still divides Spain.

Séan Scullion returns to chart Franco’s rise from the margins to dictator. We look at how he consolidated power, erased opposition through systematic terror, and survived long enough to become a Cold War ally. From forced exiles and mass graves to American base deals and a Vatican-bless...

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In this first of a two-part series, we unpack the political collapse and brutal realities behind one of the most significant conflicts of the 20th century—the Spanish Civil War.

Séan Scullion joins us to trace the long arc leading to war: empire in decline, broken reforms, class fractures, and military coups recycled from the 19th century. From the fall of the monarchy to the Popular Front’s last stand, we walk through the key playe...

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Last episode, we met Rooseboom and the Radleys—Germany’s early spy recruits in South Africa, whose operations leaned more chaotic than covert.

This time, the spotlight’s on a man with a much better spy name: Felix. Real name—Lothar Sittig. The one the British couldn’t quite pin down. After escaping internment, he linked up with the Trompke network in Mozambique and was smuggled back into South Africa to help build a direct radio lin...

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We're back with Ben Zweibelson for part two of our deep dive into Reconceptualizing War. This episode goes even further into the deep end: war paradigms, doomsday ideologies, radical structuralism, and the philosophical divide between Ukraine vs Russia and Israel vs Hamas.

Ben lays out why some conflicts can't be understood through the same lens. We get into social paradigms, interpretivism, and how even Clausewitz is being bent to ...

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What if the problem isn’t that we misunderstand war—but that the frameworks we use to understand it are broken?

In this episode, we sit down with Ben Zweibelson—veteran, theorist, and design troublemaker—for a deep dive into his massive new book Reconceptualizing War. This isn’t about doctrine tweaks or buzzword bingo. Ben takes a sledgehammer to the foundations, arguing that modern military thinking is stuck in rigid, outdated para...

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In this episode, we focus on Hans Rooseboom and the Radley couple—three key figures in the early days of German espionage efforts in South Africa during the Second World War. From smuggling messages across borders to setting up radio links, their stories are strange, chaotic, and often reckless.


Historian Evert Kleynhans returns to break down how Rooseboom ended up running a rogue spy ring out of Johannesburg, how the Radleys go...

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We’re back with military historian Jack Bowsher for part two of our deep-dive into the Burma campaign. If you haven’t listened to part one yet, start there.

In this episode, Jack walks us through the final stages of the campaign and gives us a preview of his upcoming book Thunder Run, focused on the dramatic Allied push through Meiktila in 1945. We talk about jungle logistics, Japanese tactics, forgotten battles, and why Burma remai...

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We’re heading deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia to unpack one of the most overlooked and misunderstood campaigns of the Second World War—the Burma campaign. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, military historian and author Jack Bowsher joins Max and Tony to break down the brutal terrain, Japanese tactics, and the challenges faced by the multinational Allied forces in Burma.


We explore the strategic importance of Burma...

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This week on Underground Strategy, we’re joined by historian and author Jacqueline Reiter to explore the extraordinary life of Sir Home Riggs Popham, the naval officer at the heart of her book Quicksilver Captain.

From Buenos Aires to the Cape of Good Hope, Popham was everywhere—and often where he shouldn’t have been. We unpack his role in British high strategy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, his infamous court-...

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This episode is part of a special collaboration with Durham University’s School of Government and International Affairs. This student-led episode was created as part of the postgraduate module “Contemporary Challenges of United Nations Peacekeeping (SGIA48815)” for the Class of 2025.


In Part 2, we’re joined by veteran UN official and former Assistant Secretary-General Peter de Clercq, who shares deep insights into the evolution ...

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Military historian and author Peter Caddick-Adams joins Underground Strategy for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, legacy, and the life of Winston Churchill.

We explore Churchill’s wartime decisions, his eccentric personality, his genius for messaging, and the long arc of a career that spanned cavalry charges to the nuclear age. Peter also shares firsthand insights from his time as a NATO historian and discusses how battlef...

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In collaboration with Durham University, this special student-led episode explores contemporary challenges of United Nations peacekeeping. Recorded as part of the postgraduate module “Contemporary Challenges of United Nations Peacekeeping (SGIA48815)” at Durham’s School of Government and International Affairs, the conversation brings together real-world experience and academic insight.

Max and Tony reflect on their deployments and c...

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In this episode, Tony is catching up with Kostiantyn Koshelenko on the latest developments in Ukraine, updates on his books and ongoing work, and his personal experiences during the war.


Kostiantyn Koshelenko’s Work

Management in Times of War – https://amzn.to/4kF6rpY

LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/koshelenko

Instagram – https://instagram.com/k_koshelenko/

X (Twitter) – https://x.com/k_koshelenko


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