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 exceptional professional development opportunity—to sit down with senior military officers and ask carefully crafted questions about leadership, their unique experiences in uniform, and their expectations for the future of war.
In this episode, Cadet Emily Wilczek speaks with retired Lieutenant General Joe Berger, a distinguished Army leader whose thirty-three-year career blended frontline combat service with legal mastery and strategic counsel. A graduate of West Point, Lt. Gen. Berger initially served in the Military Police Corps and saw combat in Somalia before transferring to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he went on to hold a wide range of operational and legal leadership positions across the globe, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. He later served in such units as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Joint Special Operations Command, and US Cyber Command, before culminating his career as the judge advocate general of the Army.
Throughout this conversation, Lt. Gen. Berger reflects on how disciplined legal judgment and ethical clarity inform sound decision-making in complex environments. From advising commanders in conflict zones to leading the Army’s ten-thousand-strong legal team, he shares insights on the interplay between military law, organizational leadership, and strategic risk management. Listeners will hear his thoughts on cultivating ethical cultures, balancing legal constraints with operational imperatives, and preparing future leaders to navigate the legal and moral challenges of tomorrow’s security landscape.
