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Defense One Radio

Defense One staff
Ukraine
Russia
China
Red Sea
U.S. Air Force
Drones
Artificial Intelligence
Logistics
U.S. Navy
Partnerships
Unmanned Systems
January 6th Insurrection
Defense Acquisition
Houthi Militia
Far-Right Terrorism
F-16
Fourth Fleet
Yemen
NATO
Maritime Security

A show about the defense industry. // "We want to become the Netflix of podcasts." —Tim Hartman, CEO of Government Executive

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes199Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
NewsGovernment

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Artwork for Defense One Radio

Latest Episodes

This roundup includes developments from the following newsletters:

• Friday, March 13 • Thursday, March 12 • Wednesday, March 11 • Tuesday, March 10 • Monday, March 9

And if you're not already subscribed, you can do that here.

An Army researcher unpacks new initiatives to expand research into human performance.

Guest:

• Lt. Col. David deGroot, director of the U.S. Army Heat Center at Fort Benning, Ga.

See also Patrick Tucker's related recent reporting on the topic... more

This roundup includes developments from the following newsletters, which you can read in greater detail at the links below:

• Friday, March 6 • Thursday, March 5 • Wednesday, March 4 • Tuesday, March 3 • Monday, March 2

And if you're not al... more

This roundup includes developments from the following newsletters, which you can read in greater detail at the links below:

• Friday, Feb. 27 • Thursday, Feb. 26 • Wednesday, Feb. 25 • Tuesday, Feb. 24 • Monday, Feb. 23

And if you're not al... more

Key Facts

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Matthew Delmont
Professor of History at Dartmouth College, author of Until the Last Gun Is Silent
Dartmouth College
Episode: "Until the Last Gun Is Silent" by Matthew Delmont
Monica Duffy Toft
Professor of International Politics and the Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at Tufts University
Tufts University
Episode: The known perils of regime change
Paul Stares
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
Episode: Conflicts to watch in 2026
Paul Scharre
Executive Vice President at the Center for a New American Security and former Army Ranger
Center for a New American Security
Episode: Paul Scharre explains the global AI arms race
Rob Wittman
Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and Co-Chairman of the Bipartisan Defense Modernization Caucus.
U.S. House of Representatives
Episode: Rep. Rob Wittman
Jon Wolfsthal
Director of Global Risk at the Federation of American Scientists
Federation of American Scientists
Episode: Jon Wolfsthal and "A House of Dynamite"
David Nasaw
Historian and author of The Wounded Generation
Episode: "The Wounded Generation" by David Nasaw
Jovita Neliupšienė
The European Union's ambassador to the United States
European Union
Episode: Europe's growing defense industry
Sam Bendett
Advisor in Russia studies at the Virginia-based research organization CNA
CNA
Episode: How drone warfare is changing

Host

Ben Watson
Ben Watson serves as a knowledgeable host who navigates complex discussions surrounding national security, policy, and technology with industry experts and thought leaders.

Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars from 189 ratings
  • Gross bias on CBP/Immigratiom

    Reports are blatantly biased left and reports only sources or stories with progressive talking points without appropriate or balanced counter points.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    TStraw
    United Statesa month ago
  • Mediocre Coverage of AFFORGEN Concept

    Some correspondents don’t take their jobs seriously. The AFA coverage in particular was a joke - Aubrey Decker clearly didn’t even attempt to understand the AFFORGEN concept and her coverage was immature and clownish. Unbecoming of Defense One which usually has interesting content.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Evkn_
    United States2 years ago
  • Biased with foreign influence

    Even in the reviews you can tell that bits are used as the good reviews offer superfluous language “like interesting and develops thinking,” whereas the non approving reviews actually go in to the detail of the episodes. This wreaks of foreign influence where on any given episode you will not here overtly negative reviews of china, Russia, and so on. However, there is a high criticality of US defense and government, as well as a focus on questionable “defense” issues such as sexuality and suppos... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    jstfre12
    United States3 years ago
  • Mediocre and biased

    The show needs to recruit a new pool interviewees. Researchers in house are a great tool to craft questions and identify personalities to bring in on certain topic but interviewing your own researchers ends up feeling biased or at least one sided.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    JakeChristy
    United States3 years ago
  • Giggle like middle schooler

    Funny, it’s so funny that Republicans are looking into recruiting failures. Your not hiding your sarcasm very well, but would not expect you to consider there might be another point of view. Perhaps some want or understand why LBGTQ (oh I forget them all) issues, and on base transvestite children’s days are become normal and appear to be very important to the military.

    Let’s not even worry about skin color categorizing you automatically as a white supremacist. I can’t imagine why one of l... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    404Macon
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The podcast is noted for featuring high-profile guests from relevant fields, adding depth to the discussions.
Many reviews highlight the host's ability to present complex security issues in an accessible manner.
Some criticisms suggest a perceived bias in analysis or coverage of certain political topics.
Listeners appreciate the informative nature and high-quality production of the episodes.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#221
Denmark/News

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

"Until the Last Gun Is Silent" by Matthew Delmont
Q: What makes the connection between patriotism and dissent so central to your narrative?
He argues that patriotism and dissent were not mutually exclusive; the episode shows how citizens contested foreign policy while still valuing national service, and how leaders like Coretta Scott King reframed the debate around national priorities.
"Until the Last Gun Is Silent" by Matthew Delmont
Q: Now to get us started, why did you choose now to unpack this history and these issues?
Delmont explains the relevance of connecting the anti-war movement with the broader civil rights struggle, using new archival evidence to illuminate how policy choices in the 1960s shaped the lives of Black Americans and veterans.
The known perils of regime change
Q: What are the conditions for volatility that are worth perhaps laying out for our listeners as we consider the future of Venezuela?
Toft explains the importance of the narrative of civil war, the polarization of elites, and the resilience of the economy as key factors in determining Venezuela's stability.
The known perils of regime change
Q: Can you tell me a bit about why you acted so quickly, and the message that you wanted to get in front of readers so soon after the events?
Toft felt an obligation to report on the military actions after studying U.S. interventions; she was motivated to share her findings and concerns about hyper-militarization under the Trump administration.
Conflicts to watch in 2026
Q: Is there much that the experts elaborated upon in regard to counterterrorism and lesser-known conflicts?
Experts had little opportunity to elaborate as they were mainly focused on assessing various contingencies for the survey.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Frequently Asked Questions About Defense One Radio

What is Defense One Radio about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Focused on the intersections of national security and contemporary challenges, insights into defense technology, military strategy, and policy implications dominate the discussions. Episodes encompass a wide range of pertinent topics such as artificial intelligence in military contexts, evolving global conflicts, and the effects of geopolitical relations, particularly between the U.S. and other world powers like China and Russia. Notable contributions from experts in defense, government, and academia create an informative dialogue that appeals to listeners keen on understanding the complex factors shaping modern defense strategies and national security.

Where can I find podcast stats for Defense One Radio?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Defense One Radio. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Defense One Radio and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Defense One Radio get?

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What are the audience demographics for Defense One Radio?

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How many subscribers and views does Defense One Radio have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Defense One Radio has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Defense One Radio?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Defense One Radio:

1. The Foreign Affairs Interview
2. Battleground
3. The Intelligence from The Economist
4. Net Assessment
5. SpyCast

How many episodes of Defense One Radio are there?

Defense One Radio launched 9 years ago and published 199 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Defense One Radio?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Defense One Radio?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Defense One Radio from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Defense One Radio?

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What guests have appeared on Defense One Radio?

Recent guests on Defense One Radio include:

1. Matthew Delmont
2. Monica Duffy Toft
3. Paul Stares
4. Paul Scharre
5. Rob Wittman
6. Jon Wolfsthal
7. David Nasaw
8. Jovita Neliupšienė

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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