What James Lechner has said about Counterinsurgency
2 quotes · 1 episode · Oct 8, 2026
James Lechner, Retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former Army Ranger, Battle of Mogadishu veteran, and author of With My Shield, has been quoted on Counterinsurgency 2 times in 1 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, most recently on October 8, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
Lechner argues that the U.S. government, as distinct from the military, performs poorly at foreign interventions and foreign policy.
“The U.S. government is horrible at trying to do foreign interventions and foreign policy”
The Shawn Ryan Show: #346 James Lechner - Army Ranger Recounts the Battle of Mogadishu: Black Hawk Down (Oct 8, 2026) · Listen from 9:31
Lechner argues that focusing solely on destroying insurgent forces fails because the population keeps replenishing them.
“So if you focus on destroying the military forces that they put against you, you're never going to win. You're cutting grass”
The Shawn Ryan Show: #346 James Lechner - Army Ranger Recounts the Battle of Mogadishu: Black Hawk Down (Oct 8, 2026) · Listen from 2:41:16
Episodes
#346 James Lechner - Army Ranger Recounts the Battle of Mogadishu: Black Hawk DownThe Shawn Ryan Show · Oct 8, 2026 · 3 h 20 min
Retired Army Ranger James Lechner tells Shawn Ryan about fighting and being wounded in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, turning around Ramadi, Afghanistan policy failures, and the war in Ukraine.
James Lechner on other topics
- Battle of Mogadishu (1993) · 5 quotes
- Russian invasion of Ukraine · 4 quotes
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) · 2 quotes
- Battle of Ramadi (2006) · 2 quotes
- Drone warfare · 1 quote
- United States war with Iran · 1 quote
- Isolationism · 1 quote
- Walter Reed Army Medical Center · 1 quote