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This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

Podmasters
Russia
Ukraine
United States
NATO
Donald Trump
Iran
China
Israel
European Union
Middle East
Climate Change
Syria
Vladimir Putin
Artificial Intelligence
Trump Administration
Hezbollah
Gaza
Taiwan
Hamas
Ukraine War

Exploring threats to global stability from Ukraine to China to the Middle East with host Gavin Esler – former BBC News presenter, Washington correspondent and host of Newsnight – plus Ukraine-based war reporter Oz Katerji and independent conflict analyst Emma Beals. This Is Not A Drill dives deep into the dangers, corruption, conflicts, disinformation, rivalries and ruthless realpolitik that are m... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes272Founded5 years ago
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Artwork for This Is Not A Drill

Latest Episodes

On August 4th a drone strapped with explosives failed to detonate when it struck a Ukrainian plane at Leipzig Airport. German security services investigating the device pointed the blame at Russia’s GRU.

Putin is ramping up his hybrid warfare agains... more

A surge in violence in Yemen has seen Houthi forces seize land on the Red Sea coast – reigniting a war with Saudi Arabia and threatening a further global energy shock.

The Iranian-aligned group has increased its foothold in Yemen, now locked in civi... more

The civil war in Myanmar is Asia’s deadliest ongoing conflict – yet despite violence which has killed more than 100,000 people it rarely dominates international headlines.

In today’s episode Oz Katerji talks to Matthew Campbell, reporter at Bloomber... more

Completing the four-part series from This Is Not A Drill… Warfare is evolving faster than ever in this dangerous world. Gavin Esler explores a new generation of weapons and how they’ll fight – or prevent – the next wars.

This time: Artificial Intell... more

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Recent Guests

Elisabeth Kendall
British Arabist, academic and commentator; Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Episode: The Middle East’s new choke point – How the Houthis could spark a fresh oil crisis
Matthew Campbell
Award-winning reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek; author of The War The World Forgot
Bloomberg Businessweek
Episode: Chaos, rare earths and ethnic cleansing – The major conflict you know nothing about
Dr. Neda Bolourchi
Specialist in Iran and the Middle East
Eurasia Group Institute for Global Affairs
Episode: New Weapons for New Wars – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE goes to war
Jessica Dorsey
Assistant Professor of International Law at Utrecht University
Utrecht University
Episode: New Weapons for New Wars – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE goes to war
Mike Horowitz
Senior Fellow for Technology and Innovation at CFR
Council on Foreign Relations
Episode: New Weapons for New Wars – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE goes to war
Patrycja Bazylczyk
Associate Director of the Missile Defence Project at CSIS
Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Episode: New Weapons for New Wars – DEFENCE SYSTEMS get smart
Michael Horowitz
Expert on military technology
Unnamed Government/Think Tank (described as a Deputy Assistant Secretary)
Episode: New Weapons for New Wars – DEFENCE SYSTEMS get smart
Mick Ryan
Retired Australian Army Major General, future warfare analyst
Australian Army / Analyst
Episode: New Weapons for New Wars – DEFENCE SYSTEMS get smart
Peter Apps
Reuters defense analyst
Reuters
Episode: New Weapons for New Wars – DEFENCE SYSTEMS get smart

Hosts

Gavin Esler
Host of This Is Not A Drill, Podmasters
Oz Katerji
Host of This Is Not A Drill, This Is Not A Drill (podcast)

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 2.8k ratings
  • Nice podcast - horrible music

    This podcast’s introductory music is just unbearable.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Jay remi
    France10 months ago
  • Appetite for corruption episode

    Brilliant episode from a highly respected author who can also explain the highly complex nature of money and corruption to a level that this layman finds easy to access. Also thanks to Gavin for his calm and measured analysis.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    agah1971
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Advertisements everywhere

    Ads every few minutes in the middle of content not just at the beginning and end.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    IMO_2000
    Australiaa year ago
  • Blatantly Biased

    Iran escaping blame though it’s been attacking Israel through proxies… how can u not apply the same logic to for Israel invading Palestine for decades … just another sold out show

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    alexis7778
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Superb

    Really learn a lot from this podcast. Analysis of complex issues presented in an accessible way.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AW PCloud
    United Kingdoma year ago

Listeners Say

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

Guests are consistently described as experts with strong analytical insights.
Some feedback notes ad load and pacing as areas for improvement.
Listeners appreciate the depth and rigor of discussions across global hotspots.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#99
United Kingdom/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#248
United Kingdom/News
Apple Podcasts
#186
Australia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#205
Italy/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#88
Ukraine/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#95
New Zealand/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Space, Russia and China – How war is expanding beyond Earth
Q: What legal frameworks govern targeting satellites and dual-use space tech?
Existing frameworks like the Outer Space Treaty and broader Law of Armed Conflict struggle to keep pace with dual-use technologies, leading to gray areas where commercial operators and states could act in military contexts without clear prohibitions.
Space, Russia and China – How war is expanding beyond Earth
Q: What is space's role in warfare today beyond communications?
Starlink and low Earth orbit satellites now support not just communications but also real-time surveillance, targeting, and drone operations, making space a central pillar of modern military activity and raising questions about resilience and redundancy in warfare systems.
Putin is running out of soldiers – but that won’t stop him
Q: What are the main constraints on Russia's ability to expand production for the war?
Labor is severely constrained, major factories run around the clock with limited capacity to scale, and while import dependence with China helps, there are hard limits to increasing labor supply domestically.
Putin is running out of soldiers – but that won’t stop him
Q: Could you explain what you mean by Russia's crisis in political economy and how it affects their war effort?
Russia is financing a costly war while cut off from international capital markets, pushing up deficits and forcing internal capital reshuffles, which creates distortions and long-term pressure on the economy and society.
Xi outsmarts Trump – How America’s Iran failure is empowering China
Q: Well, you began a recent analysis for Brookings by writing the United States and Israel fought Iran and China won. Maybe you could explain a bit about that.
Beijing views the U.S. crisis in the Middle East as a distraction that limits American ability to counter China, which enables China to expand influence while Washington is preoccupied. China is trying to balance its relationships in the Gulf and avoid over-committing to any single partner.

Audience Metrics

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions About This Is Not A Drill

What is This Is Not A Drill about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program consistently analyzes escalating global flashpoints, with a focus on Ukraine, China, the Middle East, and European defense dynamics. It features in-depth conversations with policy experts, journalists, and regional specialists, unpacking how geopolitical competition, disinformation, and realpolitik shape stability and risk. A standout is its willingness to connect broad strategic trends to concrete incidents, from military leadership shifts to alliance reconfigurations, often through historical context and forecasting. Listeners looking for rigorous, issue-driven geopolitics with expert guests will likely find it valuable, though the format can be dense for casual news consumers. The breadth of topics and access to frontline an... more

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1. The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive
2. Oh God, What Now?
3. Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell
4. American Friction
5. Quiet Riot

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This Is Not A Drill launched 5 years ago and published 272 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on This Is Not A Drill?

Recent guests on This Is Not A Drill include:

1. Elisabeth Kendall
2. Matthew Campbell
3. Dr. Neda Bolourchi
4. Jessica Dorsey
5. Mike Horowitz
6. Patrycja Bazylczyk
7. Michael Horowitz
8. Mick Ryan

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