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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
Unmanned Systems
Partnerships
January 6th Insurrection
Defense Acquisition
Houthi Militia
Far-Right Terrorism
F-16
Fourth Fleet
NATO
Yemen
Iran

A show about the technology, strategy, media and business trends defining the future of national security.

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, which you can read in greater detail at the links below:

• Friday, Feb. 20 • Thursday, Feb. 19 • Wednesday, Feb. 18 • Tuesday, Feb. 17

And if you're not already subscribed, y... more

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

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

And if you're not alr... more

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

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

And if you're not already... more

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

• Friday, Jan. 30 • Thursday, Jan. 29 • Wednesday, Jan. 28 • Tuesday, Jan. 27 • Monday, Jan. 26

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

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
Jan-Hendrik Boelens
Co-founder and CEO of Alpine Eagle, a company focused on developing advanced drone technologies.
Alpine Eagle
Episode: Alpine Eagle's Jan-Hendrik Boelens
Angus Fletcher
Author and professor of story science at Ohio State University's Project Narrative
Ohio State University
Episode: "Primal Intelligence" with Angus Fletcher

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

4.2 out of 5 stars from 186 ratings
  • 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
  • Audio Levels!!!

    The content used to be 5 stars, but the audio levels are all over the place! I’ll be struggling to hear one person, and the next person will be shouting! Audio needs to be run through a compressor, limiter, or some other audio normalization process. I unsubscribed, I was listening for 30min and couldn’t tell you what they were talking about because of the audio levels.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    kmiller420
    Canada3 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.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
Conflicts to watch in 2026
Q: Can you tell our listeners a bit about yourself?
Paul Stares provides insight into his extensive experience working on areas of conflict and instability at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Paul Scharre explains the global AI arms race
Q: How can the U.S. harness AI for a military advantage compared to China?
The U.S. must find ways to rapidly adapt and innovate, leveraging its cultural approach to technology and computing hardware to remain competitive.

Audience Metrics

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

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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. Net Assessment
2. Modern War Institute
3. War on the Rocks
4. School of War
5. The President’s Inbox

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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What guests have appeared on Defense One Radio?

Recent guests on Defense One Radio include:

1. Monica Duffy Toft
2. Paul Stares
3. Paul Scharre
4. Rob Wittman
5. Jon Wolfsthal
6. David Nasaw
7. Jovita Neliupšienė
8. Jan-Hendrik Boelens

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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