Latest Nationalsecurity Podcast Episodes

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Investing in Veterans w/ Craig Cummings

Accelerate Defense - March 19, 2024 08:00 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 20 ratings
Craig Cummings, co-founder of Moonshots Capital, joins ACME General Corp to talk about investing in tech start-ups founded by military veteran entrepreneurs. In addition to his work at Moonshots Capital, Craig is the Director of Military and Veteran Affairs for Capital Factory, Austin’s center of...

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Live from Taiwan :A Debrief with RADM Mike Studeman (Ret)

State Secrets - March 17, 2024 18:33 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 81 ratings
Retired Rear Admiral Mike Studeman is the former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence. He has extensive experience in intelligence, foreign policy, defense and China.  So, it wasn’t a surprise when Taiwan’s Vice President-Elect Hsiao – someone he had briefed along with President Tsai wh...

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George Shultz and the End of the Cold War

Horns of a Dilemma - March 15, 2024 06:00 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 127 ratings
Philip Taubman, a lecturer at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, discussed his latest book, In the Nation’s Service: The Life and Times of George P. Shultz. The conversation touched on the legacy of Secretary Shultz, his approach to the Soviet Union, and is ...

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The “Sociopathic Nose Wrinkle” Edition

Rational Security - March 14, 2024 16:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott got together for the last time before Scott’s paternity leave to talk over the week’s big national security news, including: “Kitchen Table Issues.” President Biden delivered a feisty State of the Union last week, one that took aim at both those worrying about...

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Elliot Ackerman on ‘2054: A Novel’

Defense One Radio - March 13, 2024 22:11 - 18 minutes ★★★★ - 128 ratings
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 di...

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Zero Trust: Modernizing in a Classified Environment

CNA Talks: A National Security Podcast - March 13, 2024 18:01 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratings
In an age when the risks of cyberattacks are increasingly clear, the Zero Trust security model, built on the principle of “never trust, always verify,” is the new standard for cyber security. Like many organizations, CNA is working to implement the model throughout our organization.  Rizwan Ja...

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AI and Making the Supply Chain More Robust

Horns of a Dilemma - March 08, 2024 07:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 127 ratings
Dr. Meg Reiss, the founder and CEO of of SolidIntel Inc., sat down with Marshal Kosloff, the national security media and journalism fellow at the Clements Center for National Security, to discuss supply chain risks and how the risks could be mitigated with investments in new technology. The conv...

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The “Alan and the Owl” Edition

Rational Security - March 07, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien joined Alan, Quinta, and Scott to discuss the week's big national security news, including: “Operation Humbled Drop.” After months of unsuccessfully pushing the Israeli government to allow more aid into besieged Gaza, the Biden administration has...

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America's Effort to Shield Itself

Horns of a Dilemma - March 05, 2024 07:00 - 44 minutes ★★★★★ - 127 ratings
Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government, spoke about the history of isolationism in the United States, its role in the formulation of A...

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The “Sir, This is a Wendy’s” Edition

Rational Security - February 29, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by Molly Reynolds and (a prerecorded) Anna Bower to talk through some of the week’s big national security news, including: “The Shutdown Rut.” Congress once again has the government on the verge of a shutdown. And while Speaker of the House Mike Johnson h...

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Episode 38: The Responsible Behaviours Report

War in Space - February 29, 2024 11:41 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratings
Multilateral efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space have been going on for decades. The most recent efforts include a UN resolution that intended to solve existing gridlocks by getting states to discuss what responsible behaviours in space look like. The problem of dual use – using space...

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Civilian Harm Mitigation is a Moral Imperative and a Strategic Priority

CNA Talks: A National Security Podcast - February 28, 2024 19:04 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratings
The DOD Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP) represents a significant step forward for global efforts to reduce civilian harm. The plan recognizes that reducing civilian harm is not just a moral imperative but a strategic priority. It lays out concrete steps that the Depar...

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The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion

Horns of a Dilemma - February 23, 2024 07:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 127 ratings
In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Aaron O’Connell, associate professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and director of research for the Clements Center for National Security, hosts a discussion with Rob Rakove,  a lecturer in Stanford University's Program in International Re...

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The “Fast and the Furry-us” Edition

Rational Security - February 22, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott got together to talk over the week’s big national security news, including: “Is Revanchism a Dish Best Served Cold?” Russia boosters seem to be feeling bullish for the first time in a long time. This week, its forces captured the strategic town of Avdiivka fro...

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The U.S. Air Force's big reorganization

Defense One Radio - February 21, 2024 21:42 - 20 minutes ★★★★ - 128 ratings
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 ‘nex...

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Air Force Futures w/ Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote

Accelerate Defense - February 20, 2024 09:00 - 44 minutes ★★★★★ - 20 ratings
Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures, joins ACME General Corp to talk about representing the voice of tomorrow’s Airmen. He most recently served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration, and Requirements at Air Force Futures, where he focused on int...

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Villains, Victims and Vendors in Cyberspace

State Secrets - February 19, 2024 04:26 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 81 ratings
Former Director of CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence (and Cipher Brief Expert) Andrew Boyd talks to State Secrets about the dynamic relationship between villains, victims and vendors operating in cyberspace. The CIA, he says, has been paying close attention to cyberspace “since the dawn of IP”...

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How Russia cements control

Defense One Radio - February 16, 2024 19:38 - 31 minutes ★★★★ - 128 ratings
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 Directo...

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The “Licking the Cow” Edition

Rational Security - February 15, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were once again joined by co-host emeritus Benjamin Wittes to talk through the week's big national security news, including: “Constitutional Annoyance.” Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Anderson, the case weighing whether former Pr...

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How Can Emergency Managers Best Utilize Social Media?

CNA Talks: A National Security Podcast - February 14, 2024 17:27 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratings
Climate Change is increasing both the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Because of this, it is more important than ever that emergency management officials utilize every tool available to them to communicate effectively and clearly with the public.   Jamie Biglow and Heather Ma...

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Iran's Proxy War Against The U.S.

State Secrets - February 11, 2024 09:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 81 ratings
Recent U.S strikes against Iranian proxy groups in Syria and Iraq may be just the beginning of a multi-tier response by the U.S. after the killing of three service members in Jordan last month and it’s raising questions about just how far the U.S. should go in limiting Iran’s ability to use thes...

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European Security and the Russo-Ukrainian War

Horns of a Dilemma - February 09, 2024 07:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 127 ratings
Paul Edgar, the associate director of the William P. Clements, Jr. Center for National Security, moderated a discussion with Amb. Kurt Volker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 2008-2009, and Gen. Tod Wolters, the former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, about the state of the Russo-Ukrainian war,...

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The “Fecund Season” Edition

Rational Security - February 08, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, Alan made his long-awaited return to the podcast for a (brief, so savor it) reunion with Quinta and Scott to talk over the week’s big national security news, including: “Losing the Immunity Challenge.” Earlier this week, the D.C. Circuit rejected former President Trump’s attempt to a...

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Gen Z and CIA is a Relationship in Need of Counseling

State Secrets - February 04, 2024 19:31 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 81 ratings
Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos recently wrote an article exploring the intriguing dynamics of Gen Z in the CIA workplace, sparking a controversial debate. While research suggests Gen Z may display slower independence behaviors and cause tension with older workers in professional environm...

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Today's far-right terrorism in America

Defense One Radio - February 02, 2024 19:02 - 38 minutes ★★★★ - 128 ratings
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.

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The “Meatlovers” Edition

Rational Security - February 01, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes to talk over the meaty week of national security news, including:  “The Neighborhood is Getting Worse.” Three American service members were killed in a drone attack committed by Iran-backed militias in Jordan thi...

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A New Tool to Protect First Responders

CNA Talks: A National Security Podcast - January 31, 2024 18:25 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 17 ratings
As cities across the country become more networked and connected with smart sensors, more data is available to first responders than ever before. But how can this data be interpreted efficiently in emergencies where every second counts? In this episode, John Crissman and Shaelynn Hales from CN...

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The Innovation Gap

State Secrets - January 30, 2024 21:08 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 81 ratings
Former NSA Chief of Innovation Kevin Keaton left his government job last year – before the age of retirement - to accept a role as a founding partner at a venture capital firm.  Today, he’s focused on closing a gap between government and the private sector that he believes is a serious issue whe...

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The “CesTar” Edition

Rational Security - January 25, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 1.9K ratings
This week, just Scott was joined for a Bizarro-world episode with guests Lawfare Senior Editor and Brookings Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds (back for a second episode in a row!) and Lawfare Legal Fellow Anna Bower! They talked over some of the week’s big stories, including: “Two Houses, Divided A...

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Episode 37: No Wild West: An Introduction to Space Law

War in Space - January 25, 2024 16:37 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratings
There is a persistent perception that space is a lawless place. Professor Steven Freeland, Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University and Professorial Fellow at Bond University, joins us to explain why that is not the case. We discuss the current multilateral rules that...