Major General Patrick Roberson - Managing Risk and the Weight of Command

In military leadership, standard doctrine and gut instincts only get you so far. The most effective commanders are those who learn to thrive in extreme uncertainty, balance high-stakes risk, and continuously evolve.

In this episode, Major General (Ret) Patrick Roberson and I dive into his 35-year Army career in Special Forces: from his early foundation as an ROTC cadet at Mankato State and platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne, to commanding Third Special Forces Group. He was part of the operations dismantling the physical caliphate of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, running the Army’s JFK Special Warfare Center and School, and he served as Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Whether discussing the randomness of combat, the imperative of telling truth to power, or overhauling training pipelines for modern strategic competition, Maj. Gen. Roberson emphasizes that a leader’s ultimate duty is to prepare their people for uncertainty.

Today’s episode, sponsored by Leidos offers a masterclass in risk management, authentic command, and the realities of modern warfare.