Rephonic
Artwork for Defense One Radio

Defense One Radio

Defense One staff
Ukraine
China
Russia
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
NATO
Yemen
Iran

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

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes199Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
GovernmentNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Defense One Radio

Latest Episodes

CFR's Paul Stares unpacks the latest annual survey of foreign policy experts bracing for what might lie ahead.

Guest:

• Paul Stares, General John W. Vessey senior fellow for conflict prevention and director of the Center for Preventive Action ... more

The former Army Ranger explores how AI might reshape drone warfare, America's tech race with China, Russia's war in Ukraine, and much more.

Guest:

• Paul Scharre, executive vice president at the Center for a New American Security and author of ... more

The Virginia Republican discusses the Pentagon's acquisition reforms, the defense secretary's legislative-affairs bottleneck, and his priorities for the upcoming spending bills.

Guest: Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., chairman of the House Armed Services ... more

A veteran of the National Security Council shares what the movie got right and wrong on U.S. missile defense and nuclear command and control.

Guest: Jon Wolfsthal, Director of Global Risk at the Federation of American Scientists.

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Net Assessment
Net AssessmentWar on the Rocks
Irregular Warfare Podcast
Irregular Warfare PodcastIrregular Warfare Initiative
NatSec Matters
NatSec MattersBeacon Global Strategies LLC
School of War
School of WarNebulous Media

Recent Guests

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
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 185 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 States2 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.

Top News Podcasts

The Daily
The DailyThe New York Times
Pod Save America
Pod Save AmericaCrooked Media
The Ben Shapiro Show
The Ben Shapiro ShowThe Daily Wire
Candace
CandaceCandace Owens
The MeidasTouch Podcast
The MeidasTouch PodcastMeidasTouch Network
Pivot
PivotNew York Magazine
The Tucker Carlson Show
The Tucker Carlson ShowTucker Carlson Network

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
Paul Scharre explains the global AI arms race
Q: What more do you think it would be helpful to note about the understanding and use of AI in its infancy?
AI was less capable and qualitatively different than today's large language models, focusing mainly on narrow AI systems.
Rep. Rob Wittman
Q: What is Congress's role in making sure this sticks?
Congress can tie funding to specific outcomes and has powers to prevent reprogramming of funds if they're not used as intended.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

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?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Defense One Radio, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Defense One Radio?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Defense One Radio, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

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. War on the Rocks
3. Irregular Warfare Podcast
4. NatSec Matters
5. School of War

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.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Defense One Radio. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Defense One Radio?

Recent guests on Defense One Radio include:

1. Paul Stares
2. Paul Scharre
3. Rob Wittman
4. Jon Wolfsthal
5. David Nasaw
6. Jovita Neliupšienė
7. Sam Bendett
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.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days