General Planning Podcast

Media personality and San Antonio broadcast legend Ernie Zuniga joins Colonel Lavin and Master Sergeant Barham on this episode of the podcast. The guys go a little outside the planning box with Ernie to discuss how he fell in love with broadcasting and his journey through the career field, preparing for a career change, his new show "Pickup Lines," the art of good storytelling, navigating through the "smartphone era" of media, as well as what makes San Antonio uniquely great, and much more!

Join Colonel Lavin and Master Sergeant Barham as they sit down with Founder and Chairman of the Warrior GMR Foundation. The team talks through several topics including strategies developed from a complex problem such as Veteran suicide, promoting health and wellness amongst Veterans, leadership vs. culture, and of course, book recommendations.

Retired Maj. Gen. Chris McPadden joins the ARNORTH Team as they discuss planning models, what to do when planning isn't working, entering the "intellectual dojo," defining a calling, working for General Mattis, planning in policy, book recommendations, and much more.

Planning aficionado Colonel (R) Kevin Benson joins Colonel Lavin and Master Sergeant Barham to discuss unique planning topics such as the red-teaming concept, capstone moments as a planner, the mind of a planner, war as it relates to policy, the value of NCOs in the planning process, as well as his book recommendations.

FEMA Region 2 Regional Administrator David Warrington joins Lieutenant General Evans, Colonel Lavin, and Master Sergeant Barham as they discuss several topics including David's career in emergency management, challenges of FEMA operations in non-contiguous regions, planning within the FEMA lifelines, working with Department of Defense partners, individual assistance response challenges, and of course book recommendations.

Attorney Jeff Friedman from Birmingham, Alabama joins Colonel Lavin and Master Sergeant Barham during this episode of the podcast with an appearance by guest host Kerry Straight, U.S. Army North's Deputy Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy. Jeff navigates through his more than 40 years of practicing law and covers topics including operationalizing strategies, aligning desired ends with available means, defining risk, understanding jurors as people, creating proud organizations, and more.

Retired Colonel and current San Antonio real estate superstar David Abrahams joins the podcast and talks through a myriad of topics including ladders of success, his transition from the military to real estate, planning assessments, controlling noise, his time in Afghanistan as a Security Forces Assistance Team commander, the importance of humility and trust, as well as book and podcast recommendations.

Former Commander of the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and the United States Forces Korea, General (Retired) Vincent Brooks joins the General Planning Podcast to talk a wide-array of topics to include his military service, the importance of planning, civil-military operations, integrated deterrence, inter-agency operations, planning in a non-profit environment, celebrating women in the military, as well as book recommendations.

General Planning Podcast is back with its first enlisted Soldier joining the podcast Command Sgt. Maj. Jerimiah Gan, the senior enlisted leader of U.S. Army North. Gan goes in-depth on his family upbringing, possibilities in the Army, different Soldier eras, Army schools, ACFT vs. APFT, leader communication, using technology as a weapon, life outside the Army, book recommendations, and what excites him for the future of the Army.   

Lt. Gen. (R) Leslie Smith, AUSA's Vice President of Leadership and Education, the Carter Chair for Georgia Southern University, and the U.S. Army's 66th Inspector General joins the podcast to discuss strategic communications as it applies to today's Army and the future. This episode is the first featuring the new duo of U.S. Army North's Col. Mark Lavin and Sgt. 1st Class Seth Barham, following Maj. Gen. Bob Whittle's retirement. The tandem attempts to find their rhythm while Smith covers several topics to include his personal Army "why" story, Armed Forces recruiting as a total force approach, homeland defense while in the competition phase, the "Army Matters" podcast with Sergeant Major of the Army 15 Dan Dailey, and finishes with his book recommendations. 

Col. (R) Kirk Dorr joins the podcast to talk about his wealth of experience within the Army to include his time at the School of Advanced Military Studies, how lessons from SAMS applied during operational deployments, his time as the Joint Task Force – Bravo commander, the joint planning process, planning with interagency partners, problems that face planners in today’s military, integrating planning with commanders’ guidance, and closes with book recommendations.

Maj. Gen. (R) Spider Marks joins the podcast and goes in depth about his personal transition from the military, military concepts related to industry, defining operational requirements within industry, companies navigating competition vs. cooperation, military planning, decision making in the business environment, his daily routine, and finishes with book recommendations.

Lt. Gen. John Evans Jr., U.S. Army North's Commanding General joins the podcast to talk about a myriad of planning and leadership topics. Lt. Gen. Evans goes in depth on how intelligence drives operations through planning, approaches to staff input levels through the planning process, how culture drove rapid planning operations during his time in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Defense Support to Civil Authorities, Operation Allies Welcome, his personal story of joining the U.S. Army, commanding and leading U.S. Army Cadet Command through Cadet Summer Training during the COVID-19 pandemic, and finishes with reading recommendations.

Maj. Gen. Bob Whittle, U.S. Army North's Deputy Commanding General and Col. Mark Lavin, Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy for U.S Army North kick off the trailer episode of the General Planning Podcast by explaining who they are and what can be expected from the show. Whittle and Lavin take turns introducing each other and providing an initial eye-opening planning moment during their respective Army careers.