Underground Strategy

• Botswana & The BDF with Bafumiki Mocheregwa

  A small state, big pressures—Botswana built its army late and cautiously.In this season finale, we sit down with Bafumiki Mocheregwa, a historian and academic at the University of Southern Mississippi who studies the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) and Southern African military history.The conversation explores how Botswana built its armed forces late—only in 1977—after relying for years on the Police Mobile Unit. We cover how the BDF grew under financial and political constraints, its complicated role during the Rhodesian Bush War and apartheid, and its later peacekeeping deployments to Somalia, Mozambique, and Lesotho.This isn’t a neat story. It’s a patchwork of half-forgotten history, regional pressures, and unanswered questions about how a small, cautious state tried to manage the chaos around it.Recommended ReadingThe BDF in the Struggle for an African Environment - https://amzn.to/3IAvkorMore from Underground StrategyJoin the mission – https://undergroundstrategy.comDiscover Number 788 – https://amzn.to/3BQGmm7 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  33:09

  --------

  33:09
• Inside Ukraine: Accidental Ukrainians

  In this episode, we’re joined by John Gordon Sennett, a U.S. Marine veteran, writer, and co-author of Accidental Ukrainians, a personal chronicle of war, survival, and adaptation from inside Ukraine.John and his wife Natasha Sennett moved to Kiev just before the invasion began. What started as a family decision quickly turned into a frontline life. From volunteering in the early days of war to chronicling daily reality, they’ve written two powerful books that bridge cultures, challenge narratives, and offer something rarely seen—honest, unfiltered civilian-military experience from inside a war zone.We talk about writing as survival, advocating for POWs, the culture clash between glory-seekers and those who stayed, and how narrative itself can become a tool for recovery.John also shares an exclusive preview of their third book and a bold new mental health project with Ukrainian universities aimed at helping veterans and civilians process trauma through storytelling.This is not just another perspective. It’s a voice from the inside—and it matters.Accidental Ukrainians – Books by John & Natasha SennettPart One – https://amzn.to/3H9GrUbPart Two – https://amzn.to/3ZyJH1JConnect with John & Natasha SennettMedium – https://jgsennett-78059.medium.com/Substack – https://johngordonsennettsr.substack.com/LinkedIn – https://ua.linkedin.com/in/john-g-sennett-srProject & Updates – https://accidentalukrainians.com/More from Underground StrategyJoin the mission – https://undergroundstrategy.comDiscover Number 788 – https://amzn.to/3BQGmm7 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  31:24

  --------

  31:24
• Operation Boleas: The SANDF’s Trial by Fire

  In this episode, we’re joined again by Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Jean-Pierre Scherman of the South African National Defence Force—a returning guest with deep operational experience and a sharp eye for military history. This time, we turn to Operation Boleas: the 1998 intervention in Lesotho that tested the SANDF just four years after its formation.We get into the real story behind the headlines—why the mission was launched, how it rapidly escalated, and what it exposed about South Africa’s new defense force. From unexpected combat to political constraints and mission creep, Boleas became a crash course in regional military operations.More than two decades later, the mission remains misunderstood. We unpack why it faded from public view—and what its legacy reveals about South Africa’s approach to hard power.Jean-Pierre Scherman’s linksInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/schermanjeanpierre/X – https://x.com/schermanjp74LinkedIn – https://za.linkedin.com/in/jean-pierre-schermanMore from Underground StrategyJoin the mission – https://undergroundstrategy.comDiscover Number 788 – https://amzn.to/3BQGmm7 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  55:01

  --------

  55:01
• Operation Eland with Andy Balaam – Part 2

  This week on the Underground Strategy Podcast, Max Lauker continues the conversation with Andy Balaam, former Selous Scout and veteran of some of the Bush War’s most daring missions.In Part 2, Balaam walks us through the attack on Nyadzonya itself — from the buildup on the parade ground to the destruction of the camp, the clearing of huts, and the tense withdrawal across the border. He also reflects on the aftermath, the claims of controversy, and how he saw the operation at the time.Stay tuned for future episodes with Balaam, where we’ll continue exploring his experiences in the Scouts and beyond.Warning: this episode contains graphic combat detail.Andy's Workpseudobalaam.comInstagram – instagram.com/pseudobalaam More from Underground StrategyDiscover Number 788 - https://amzn.to/3BQGmm7Join the mission - https://undergroundstrategy.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  32:18

  --------

  32:18
• Operation Eland with Andy Balaam – Part 1

  This week on the Underground Strategy Podcast, Max Lauker is joined once again by Andy Balaam, former Selous Scout and veteran of some of the Bush War’s most daring missions.After walking us through Operation Long John, Balaam now turns to Operation Eland. In August 1976, fewer than a hundred Scouts crossed into Mozambique in a flying column, targeting a ZANLA base at Nyadzonya.Stay tuned for Part 2, where Balaam walks through the battle itself and the aftermath.Andy's Workpseudobalaam.comInstagram – instagram.com/pseudobalaamMore from Underground StrategyDiscover Number 788 - https://amzn.to/3BQGmm7Join the mission - https://undergroundstrategy.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  34:11

  --------

  34:11

Fler podcasts i Näringsliv

Trendiga poddar i Näringsliv

Om Underground Strategy