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 Zach Olson hosts the command team of the 25th Infantry Division, Major General Jeffrey VanAntwerp and Command Sergeant Major Michael Eilers. Their conversation explores leadership, professional growth, and the ways in which their division is preparing soldiers for the changing character of warfare. The guests describe why they chose military service and the infantry, before reflecting on the importance of humility, focus, and lifelong learning as leaders assume greater responsibility. They emphasize that effective leadership begins with understanding an organization before trying to change it, providing clear purpose and priorities, trusting subordinates, and inspiring people to tackle difficult challenges through personal example rather than slogans or speeches. The discussion also examines how the 25th Infantry Division is learning from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, integrating new technologies and command-and-control systems, and adapting those lessons to the distinctive operational environment of the Indo-Pacific. The episode concludes with advice to young soldiers and officers to take risks, avoid self-selecting out of opportunities because of fear of failure, remain focused, and build credibility through performance, integrity, and strong relationships.

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, Brigadier General Matthew Ross, commander of Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) 401, joins host Cadet Zack Pelosky in the West Point Class of 1974 Recording Studio to discuss the rapidly evolving threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems and the challenge of building effective counterdrone capabilities across the joint and interagency community. General Ross reflects on how the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks shaped his decision to become an infantry officer and influenced a career spent confronting adaptive threats, before explaining how JIATF 401 brings together the military services and federal agencies to address the growing drone threat. He emphasizes the need for layered defenses that go beyond simply defeating individual drones to targeting the networks, launch sites, and operators behind them; discusses the increasing role of directed-energy systems; and draws lessons from the military’s experience adapting to the threat of improvised explosive devices. Throughout the conversation, General Ross returns to themes of rapid experimentation, prudent risk, shared understanding, organizational culture, and the importance of teaching future leaders not simply what to think, but how to think in an era when technology is changing faster than military institutions can predict. Ultimately, he defines JIATF 401’s measure of success as rapidly delivering state-of-the-art counterdrone capabilities, along with the training, authorities, and infrastructure necessary for warfighters to employ them effectively at home and abroad.

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 with host Cadet Olivia Hanson, retired Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead reflects on a remarkable Army career that began when her mother encouraged her to apply to West Point as the academy was first opening its doors to women. A member of the Class of 1981, Halstead discusses the challenges of being among West Point’s earliest female graduates, the perseverance that carried her through those experiences, and the lessons she later applied while leading soldiers from the company level through service as a commanding general in Iraq. She shares her belief that leaders must first lead themselves, explains why demanding high standards should never mean demeaning people, and describes her enduring STEADFAST leadership philosophy, built around values including discipline, accountability, teamwork, faith, family, and friends. Halstead also speaks candidly about the role faith has played throughout her life and leadership, including a powerful experience counseling a soldier grieving the death of a friend in combat. She closes with advice for cadets and young officers: Never stop learning, remain grateful and humble, develop others without worrying about whether they surpass you, be true to yourself, and measure your progress against the person you were yesterday rather than against everyone around you.