Defense One Radio

The state of the Army

April 12, 2024 20:09 - 1 hour - 60.7 MB

Defense One's Sam Skove speaks to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George; and Defense One's Jennifer Hlad speaks with Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific. You can watch both of these interviews on Defense One's YouTube page, here.

The state of the Marine Corps

April 05, 2024 16:19 - 1 hour - 56.3 MB

Defense One's Sam Skove speaks to Assistant Commandant Gen. Christopher Mahoney; and Defense One's Jennifer Hlad interviews Marine Corps Combat Development Command's Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl. You can also watch either of these interviews on Defense One's events page, here.

The state of the Space Force

March 27, 2024 20:28 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MB

Defense One's Audrey Decker speaks to Chief of the Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman; and Defense One's Lauren Williams interviews Air Force Col. Michelle Idle, deputy commander of Space Systems Command. You can also watch either of these interviews on Defense One's events page, here.

Elliot Ackerman on ‘2054: A Novel’

March 13, 2024 22:11 - 18 minutes - 17.4 MB

The author and Marine veteran discusses the future of technology, the promise of AI, the perils of toxic politics, and other themes packed into his latest work of speculative fiction. Guest: Elliot Ackerman, co-author of "2054: A Novel," which was published on March 12. Find our previous discussions with Ackerman here: Ep. 107: The legacy of America’s Afghan war; And Ep. 79: “2034: A Novel of the Next World War”.

The U.S. Air Force's big reorganization

February 21, 2024 21:42 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MB

Audrey Decker unpacks the top news from this year's Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium. Here's a roll-up of her reporting from the AFA symposium: Air Force announces major shakeup to prep for war with China; Air Force will narrow its pool of robot wingman vendors within ‘next few months’; 'Unexpected’ engineering slows price negotiations on USAF radar plane USAF plans stealthy tankers for ‘extreme threat areas’; Lockheed vows steady F-35 production amid demand s...

How Russia cements control

February 16, 2024 19:38 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

How does the Kremlin force an entirely new reality on an occupied city? And how do Europeans feel about the invasion and U.S. hesitation to rearm Ukraine? Guests: Karolina Hird, analyst and Russia Deputy Team Lead at the Institute for the Study of War; Karin von Hippel is Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute. You can find Hird's recent report, "The Kremlin's Occupation Playbook: Coerced Russification and Ethnic Cleansing in Occupied Ukraine," here.

Today's far-right terrorism in America

February 02, 2024 19:02 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MB

Guests: Bruce Hoffman, senior fellow for counterterrorism and homeland security at the Council on Foreign Relations; Jacob Ware, research fellow also at the Council on Foreign Relations. Their book “God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-right Terrorism in America" was published in January.

Trouble on the Red Sea

January 18, 2024 22:51 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MB

We review how the Iran-backed Houthis are disrupting global shipping in the Red Sea, and we look back at similar dynamics near the end of the so-called tanker wars of the late 1980s. Guests: Fabian Hinz, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies; Patrick Tucker, science and technology editor at Defense One; And Bradley Peniston, Defense One executive editor.

Year in review

December 21, 2023 21:10 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MB

We take stock of our last 12 months of interviews, featuring conversations with generals, White House officials, researchers, authors, our own reporters, and many more. Guests include: U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joel “JB” Vowell, who at the time commanded the United States Army Japan; he is now commander of the ISIS-focused Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (from episode 115); Monica Toft, professor of international politics and the director of the Center for Strategic Stud...

The future of defense acquisition

December 11, 2023 20:13 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MB

The Army's top buyer and the Pentagon's integration chief talk Ukraine, non-traditional suppliers, and more. Guests: Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Doug Bush sat down with Defense One Global Business Editor Marcus Weisgerber. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Integration, and Interoperability Dave Tremper spoke with Defense One Technology editor Patrick Tucker.

What we learned from a Middle Eastern airshow

November 21, 2023 20:31 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MB

We take a look at how officials around the region are carrying on with business as usual despite Israel's war with Hamas. Guest: Audrey Decker is a Defense One staff reporter, where she writes about air and space.

Is this the beginning of the end for Hamas?

November 10, 2023 15:12 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MB

This episode, we discuss the daunting task of clearing Gaza City of Hamas as well as Israel's goal of crushing the group once and for all. Guests: Ret. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, distinguished senior fellow on national security at the Middle East Institute (beginning at the 2:15 mark); And Barak Mendelsohn, Professor of Political Science at Haverford College in Philadelphia (at 15:52).

AUSA extras

October 19, 2023 20:40 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MB

Guests: Mark Kitz, program executive officer for command, control and communications-tactical (interviewed by Defense One's Lauren Williams, beginning at the 1:10 mark); And Army Brig. Gen. Guillaume Beaurpere of the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, as well as Maj. Gen. Christopher Eubank of Network Enterprise Technology Command (with Defense One's Patrick Tucker) at the 9:38 mark).

AUSA highlights

October 13, 2023 22:23 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MB

Defense One staff explain some of the major themes from this year's annual Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington. Guest: Sam Skove, Defense One staff reporter; Patrick Tucker, Defense One science and tech editor. Read more from our AUSA coverage at any of the links below: Army eyes munitions stockpiles amid focus on longer wars Army orders loitering munition for testing as soldier-borne tank-killer The Army doesn’t know where a lot of its excess arms and gear a...

The uncertain future of an eavesdropping law

October 04, 2023 20:04 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MB

We review the history of FISA Section 702 ahead of its possible expiration at the end of the year. Guests: Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; And Joshua Geltzer is Deputy Assistant to President Joe Biden and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor at the National Security Council. Read over a copy of the recent Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board report on recommended changes to FISA Section 702 (PDF), here. You can also find a transcript o...

What ‘national security’ means for eastern Europe

September 22, 2023 17:46 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MB

Staff reporter Sam Skove shares some of the highlights from his recent trip to Poland, Estonia, and the UK. Read more from Sam's European trip at any of the links below: How a tiny Polish airport became a key node for Western aid to Ukraine Polish support for Ukraine brings lessons, but also risks EU plans to arm Ukraine bearing fruit, but more is needed, Estonia says Estonia plans loitering-munitions unit to hunt enemy air defenses Europe’s defense spending sluggish despite...

Unpacking the 2023 Air, Space and Cyber conference

September 15, 2023 19:40 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MB

This episode we review several things we learned at the Air & Space Forces Association's annual Air, Space & Cyber conference. Guests: Audrey Decker, Defense One’s air and space reporter (beginning at the 0:46 mark); Lauren Williams, senior editor at Defense One (at 7:48); And Marcus Weisgerber, global business editor at Defense One (at 14:26). Read more of our coverage from this year's AFA conference here.

The Pentagon’s new drone fixation

September 08, 2023 19:48 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MB

We dig into the U.S. military's new Replicator initiative, and explore Anduril's recent UAV-firm acquisition. Guests: Patrick Tucker,science and technology editor at Defense One; Chris Brose, chief strategy officer for Anduril Industries. Related reading: “‘Hellscape’: DOD launches massive drone swarm program to counter China,” by Patrick Tucker, reporting August 28, 2023; Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks' Remarks: "Unpacking the Replicator Initiative" at the 2023 Defen...

"Oppenheimer," explored

July 28, 2023 09:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MB

How much of America's nuclear history does the three-hour film pack in and how much did it leave out? Guest: Martin Pfeiffer, a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of New Mexico.

'Oppenheimer,' explored

July 28, 2023 09:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MB

How much of America's nuclear history does the three-hour film pack in and how much did it leave out? Guest: Martin Pfeiffer, a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of New Mexico.

A brief history of China’s nuclear forces

July 27, 2023 19:35 - 33 minutes - 31.2 MB

From Cold War-era distrust of the Soviets to Beijing's recent silo buildup, we review some of the ideas and methods that have helped China become the nuclear power it is today. Guests: Decker Eveleth, graduate research assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California (beginning at the 1:47 mark); And Joseph Cirincione, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a national security analyst with 40 years of experience in Washington, D.C. (at...

After the NATO summit + a trip to the Pacific

July 13, 2023 20:04 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB

Guest: Patrick Tucker, Defense One science and technology editor. Find his related reporting from Hawaii here.

Behind the 2023 Paris Air Show

June 28, 2023 20:26 - 37 minutes - 34 MB

Guests: Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One global business editor; Roman Schweizer, policy analyst focusing on defense issues; Cai von Rumohr, equity analyst with an emphasis on defense issues.

Why Ukraine’s drone war is more complex than you think

June 02, 2023 18:26 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

Guest: Sam Bendett, advisor in Russian studies at CNA. You can read over his latest report on drone use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, here.

The Army’s recruiting crisis; the science of special forces; and NATO’s Mircea Geoană

May 19, 2023 16:20 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MB

Guests: Sam Skove, staff reporter for Defense One; And Patrick Tucker, science and tech editor at Defense One.

The war in Yemen, 8 years on

May 04, 2023 15:06 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MB

Guests: Michael Knights, a military historian, security analyst with the Washington Institute, and author of the book, "25 Days to Aden"; Shireen Al-Adeimi, Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy at Michigan State University, and Non-Resident Fellow in the Middle East program at the Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

The Discord leaks and what might lie ahead for Ukraine

April 21, 2023 13:56 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MB

Guests: Patrick Tucker, science and technology editor at Defense One; And Defense One staff reporter Sam Skove, who recently returned from Ukraine.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley

April 03, 2023 18:53 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MB

Milley spoke with Defense One Executive Editor Kevin Baron on the Ukraine war, China, Taiwan, Mexico, and more.

Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman

March 31, 2023 23:34 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB

America’s Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman, spoke to Defense One's Jennifer Hlad about Chinese satellite jamming, missile defense, and more. Find other interviews in the State of Defense series here.

Air Force chief Gen. Charles Q. Brown

March 24, 2023 12:58 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MB

Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown sat down with Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber to discuss priorities for the year ahead, lessons from Russia’s Ukraine invasion, and more.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger

March 17, 2023 16:31 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MB

Navy and Marine Corps officials disagree about whether the San Antonio-class Flight II amphibious ship is getting too pricey. Defense One's Caitlin Kenney asked Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger about the future of the amphibious fleet, what he'd do differently as commandant if he had it to do over again, and much more. Guest: Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger interviewed by Defense One's Caitlin Kenney. Find other interviews in the State of Defense series here. (You ha...

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue

March 03, 2023 17:57 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

The 18th Airborne Corps commander talks about drones, recruiting, the Pacific theater, challenges posed by China, and more.

Spies in the balloon?

February 16, 2023 23:08 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

We review the latest ups and downs in the U.S.-China relationship, which has been shaken by allegations of spying via aerostat. Guest: Patrick Tucker, Defense One technology editor.

Has US foreign policy become too militarized?

February 03, 2023 13:36 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MB

Two researchers compiled data on U.S. military interventions from 1776 to 2019. Here's what they learned. Guests: Monica Toft, professor of international politics and the director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; And Sidita Kushi, assistant professor of political science at Bridgewater State University. Their Foreign Affairs essay, “The Roots of Washington’s Addiction to Military Force: And How China’s Rise Could Constrain American Inte...

Preparing for conflict in the Pacific

January 20, 2023 19:07 - 24 minutes - 22 MB

An Army two-star general explains his proposal to send a multi-domain task force to the region. Guests: U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joel "JB" Vowell, Commanding General of the United States Army Japan; Maj. Kevin Joyce is an Army Strategist and the strategy branch chief at U.S. Army Japan. You can find their essay, here. And you can read a transcript of this conversation on Defense One, here.

Germany’s uneasy year ahead + 2023 preview with BAE’s Tom Arsenault

December 21, 2022 20:26 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MB

We review the year that was and preview what might lie ahead for the U.S., Europe, and the wider global defense industry. Guests include: Former German Ambassador the United Nations and current Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen, in conversation with Defense One Executive Editor Kevin Baron. BAE Systems CEO Tom Arseneault speaks with Defense One Global Business Editor Marcus Weisgerber (that begins at the 26:08 mark).

What we know about the Air Force’s new B-21 bomber

December 08, 2022 21:39 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MB

Defense One staff help unpack the hype and lingering mysteries surrounding America's newly-unveiled bomber plane, and we check in on the annual Reagan National Defense Forum. Guests include: Lauren Williams, senior editor at Defense One; And Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One's Global Business Editor.

The especially difficult history of America’s Black veterans

November 10, 2022 21:44 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MB

Guests include: Matthew Delmont is a Guggenheim Fellow and the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College; his book, “Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad,” was just published in October; interview begins at the 0:47 mark; And Holly Pinheiro, Jr., is an assistant professor of history at Furman University; his research focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and class in the U.S. military from 1850...

The growth of drones in Russia's Ukraine war

October 28, 2022 20:08 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MB

We focus on the latest developments in unmanned aerial systems, from the war in Ukraine to a conference in Washington. Guests include: Faine Greenwood researches and writes about drones and emerging technologies; and Sam Bendett is in the Russia Studies Program at CNA, based in Washington (at the 7:58 mark); And Marcus Weisgerber is Defense One’s Global Business Editor (at 23:05).

Rethinking logistics, tomorrow’s air bases, the future of space debris, and more.

October 06, 2022 18:49 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MB

Guests include: Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger (at the 1:19 mark); Marine Brig. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific (at 6:58); Air Force chief Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. (at 10:54); Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategy, Lt. Gen. Clinton Hinote (12:52); Chris Dougherty, senior fellow at CNAS (17:36); Vice Chief of Space Operations, Gen. David Thompson (21:04); Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn (23:42); And Steven ...

The short- and mid-term outlook for the U.S. Navy

September 23, 2022 11:58 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MB

The chief of naval operations and a key lawmaker talk shipbuilding plans, drones, Iran, and more. Guests include: U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday—interviewed by Bradley Peniston, deputy editor of Defense One (beginning at the 1:32 mark); Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee—interviewed by Jacqueline Feldscher, Defense One senior national security correspondent (at the 17:41). Find more from this year's State of Defense event series...

What lies ahead for the U.S. Army

September 09, 2022 14:54 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB

Guests include: U.S. Army Gen. James McConville (at the 2:23 mark); Elisabeth Braw of the American Enterprise Institute, and Mark Cozad from RAND (at 17:13); Army Lt. Gen. Scott McKean, deputy commander of the Army’s Futures Command (at 25:50). Find more from this year's State of Defense event series, here.

The legacy of America’s Afghan war, with Elliot Ackerman

August 22, 2022 17:59 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MB

Elliot Ackerman is a former U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Team Leader. His latest book, “The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan,” was just published in August. (Music: "Ribbons" by Postwar)

Decoding China’s Taiwan saber-rattling

August 11, 2022 23:25 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MB

Two experts help us put the most recent Taiwan Strait crisis in perspective. Guests include: Collin Koh, research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore (at 1:44); And Becca Wasser, fellow for the Defense Program and lead of the Gaming Lab at the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C. (at the 23:48 mark).

Aerospace's new inflection point

July 21, 2022 17:14 - 27 minutes - 25 MB

Here's what industry execs were worried about at the Farnborough Airshow. Guests include: Bradley Peniston, Defense One Deputy Editor; Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One Global Business Editor; Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the U.S. Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics; Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes; Bell Helicopter CEO Mitch Snyder; And Eric Chewning, of the consulting firm McKinsey’s aerospace and defense practice. After the program is a sponsored interview with...

2022 Tech Summit, in review

June 30, 2022 17:47 - 57 minutes - 53 MB

Sixteen different experts and officials joined us to discuss the war in Ukraine, cyber warfare, the challenges posed by China, and much more from this year's Defense One Technology Summit. Guests include: Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks (at the 0:55 mark); Stephen Wood of Maxar Technologies and Aric Toler of Bellingcat (@ 4:27); Dave Frederick of U.S. Cyber Command (@ 15:25); Dmitri Alperovitch and retired U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Rogers (@ 17:53); Neal Higgins, Deputy Nationa...

Three perspectives on the future of Ukraine

June 10, 2022 16:05 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MB

This episode, we hear from three people whose lives have become bound up with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Guests: Olga Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine (beginning at the 3:27 mark); Ambassador Michael Carpenter, Washington’s Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE (at 9:49); St. Javelin founder Christian Borys (at 34:01); And Patrick Tucker, science and technology editor f...

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