Defense One Radio
181 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★★ - 128 ratingsA show about the technology, strategy, media and business trends defining the future of national security.
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Tech Summit: DARPA’s Stefanie Tompkins
July 02, 2024 11:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBWe conclude our 2024 Tech Summit coverage with an interview featuring DARPA Director Stefanie Tompkins. Guest: Stefanie Tompkins, Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. You can see all of our interviews from the 2024 Tech Summit at Defense One's YouTube page, here.
Tech Summit: The state of hypersonics
July 01, 2024 11:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBOur 2024 Tech Summit coverage continues with a discussion about the future of hypersonic missile research and development. Guest: Frank Peterkin, Principal Director of Directed Energy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies; And Jarret Lafleur, Senior Advisor to the Principal Director for Hypersonics for Strike Systems Strategy and Policy Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. You can see all of our interviews fro...
Tech Summit: The Pentagon’s Maynard Holiday
June 30, 2024 19:56 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBWe’re sharing some of our notable exchanges from the 2024 Defense One Technology Summit, beginning with the Pentagon's Maynard Holliday. Guest: Maynard Holliday, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies at the Defense Department. You can see all of our interviews from the 2024 Tech Summit at Defense One's YouTube page, here.
The future of Taiwan’s security with Dmitri Alperovitch
June 13, 2024 11:00 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBWhat might an invasion of Taiwan look like, and how can allies help the island nation better defend itself? Guest: Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a geopolitics think-tank in Washington. Sources: “World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century,” by Dmitri Alperovitch, published April 2024; “Surveying the Experts U.S. and Taiwan Views on China’s Approach to Taiwan in 2024 and Beyond,” by the Center for Strat...
The future of Taiwan's security with Mick Ryan
June 12, 2024 18:56 - 25 minutes - 23 MBThe author of “White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan" discusses shoring up defenses against a blockade or invasion. Guest: Mick Ryan, retired Australian Army major general, strategist, and author. Sources: “White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan,” by Mick Ryan, published May 2023; "Chinese Warship Activities around Taiwan," by Si-Fu Ou, director of the Division of Chinese Politics, Military and Warfighting Concepts at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Tai...
Behind the rise in global defense spending, Part 3: The wider world
May 20, 2024 13:34 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBGuest: Chris Blattman, economist, political scientist, and Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago. Sources: “Global military spending surges amid war, rising tensions and insecurity,” published April 2024 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; “Back in Stock? The State of Russia's Defense Industry after Two Years of the War,” by Maria Snegovaya, Max Bergmann, Tina Dolbaia, Nick Fenton, and Samuel Bendett, published Apri...
Behind the rise in global defense spending, Part 2: China and the Indo-Pacific
May 17, 2024 20:25 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MBGuests: Mackenzie Eaglen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where she works on defense strategy, defense budgets, and military readiness; And Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Sources: “Global military spending surges amid war, rising tensions and insecurity,” published April 2024 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; “Back in Stock? The State of Russia's Defense...
Behind the rise in global defense spending, Part 1: Russia
May 17, 2024 19:50 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBGuest: Maria Snegovaya, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a postdoctoral fellow in Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. Source material: “Global military spending surges amid war, rising tensions and insecurity,” published April 2024 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; “Back in Stock? The State of Russia's Defense Industry after Two Years...
The state of the Air Force
April 26, 2024 22:03 - 1 hour - 63 MBDefense One's Audrey Decker interviews Gen. David Allvin and Air Mobility Command's Gen. Mike Minihan (at the 32:42 mark). You can also catch all of our 2024 State of Defense interviews on Defense One's YouTube page, here.
The state of the Navy
April 17, 2024 21:49 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBDefense One Executive Editor Bradley Peniston speaks with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti; and Defense One's Patrick Tucker sat down with Fourth Fleet commander Rear Adm. James Aiken (at the 28:09 mark). You can watch both of these interviews on Defense One's YouTube page, here.
The state of the Army
April 12, 2024 20:09 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBDefense 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 MBDefense 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 MBDefense 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 MBThe 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 MBAudrey 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 MBHow 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 MBGuests: 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 MBWe 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 MBWe 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 MBThe 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 MBWe 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 MBThis 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 MBGuests: 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 MBDefense 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 MBWe 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 MBStaff 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 MBThis 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 MBWe 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 MBHow 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 MBHow 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 MBFrom 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 MBGuest: 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 MBGuests: 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.
Tech Summit, in review
June 23, 2023 17:09 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBWe hear from U.S. generals, ambassadors from Europe, tech reps from Ukraine, officials from Congress, China wonks, space nerds, and more. Guests (and links to the full interviews on YouTube): Dr. Timothy Bunning, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Chief Technology Officer (at the 1:54 mark); Schuyler Moore, U.S Central Command's Chief Technology Officer (at 6:48); Polish NATO Amb. Tomasz Szatkowski (at 9:24—YouTube link coming soon); Alex Bornyakov, Ukraine's Deputy Minist...
Why Ukraine’s drone war is more complex than you think
June 02, 2023 18:26 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBGuest: 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 MBGuests: 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 MBGuests: 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 MBGuests: 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 MBMilley 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 MBAmerica’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 MBChief 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 MBNavy 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 MBThe 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 MBWe 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 MBTwo 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 MBAn 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 MBWe 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 MBDefense 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 MBGuests 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 MBWe 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).