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The Merge

The Merge
Ukraine
Royal Canadian Air Force
Lockheed Martin
F-35
Raytheon
Department Of Defense
Government Contracting
National Defense Industrial Strategy
Replicator Initiative
Sea Gliders
National Defense
Japan
Proposal Writing
AI Tools
Defense Industrial Base
Marine Corps
NASAMS
NATO
U.S. Military
Regent

Military technology, trends, and national security...presented with unique insights, salt, and wit from combat aviator veterans and industry experts. Fence in for interviews and anecdotes about the ins, outs, and happenings at the intersection of technology, industry, strategy, and policy of aerospace and national defense. Brought to you by The Merge newsletter.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes57Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Government

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Artwork for The Merge

Latest Episodes

Mike sits down with Matt Hawkins and Nick LaRovere,co-founders of Pryzm.

Pryzm is building an Operating System for defense innovation—software that uses AI to generate capture intel to make sense of Pentagon budgets, Congressional legislation, progr... more

YouTube

Chris "Snooze" Kurek, Rob “Trip” Raymond, and Erik“EZ” Brine chat with Mike “Pako” Benitez on all things fighter pilot culture—toast, roast, and lore.

Better known as Dos Gringos, Snooze, and Trip put out 4albums of fighter pilot songs that are famo... more

YouTube

Nooks co-founder and CEO Sean Blackman spills all thesecrets about what it takes to do classified business with the Pentagon.

Nooks is a venture-backed startup founded in 2021 to solve amassive pain point: access to classified offices and networks ... more

Red 6 CEO and co-founder Dan Robinson discusses augmented reality for pilots, the military metaverse, and the future of high-end training and tactics development.

Red 6 was founded in 2018 around a revolutionary approach to military flight training ... more

Key Facts

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

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Recent Guests

Nick LaRovere
Co-founder and CEO of Pryzm
Pryzm
Episode: E54 – Pryzm: AI to understand the Pentagon
Matt Hawkins
Co-founder of Pryzm
Pryzm
Episode: E54 – Pryzm: AI to understand the Pentagon
Carlos Howard
CEO of Winglore Spirits and a retired Marine Hornet pilot
Winglore Spirits
Episode: E53 – The Fighter Pilot Spirit
Steve Wingfield
A veteran involved in the development of the JDAM and GPS-guided munitions.
Episode: E50 – JDAM: the GPS-Guided Bomb
Dan Jablonsky
CEO of Ursa Major
Ursa Major
Episode: E49 – Ursa Major Solid Rocket Motors
Chuck Angus
Director of Business Development and Naval Power at Raytheon
Raytheon
Episode: The Future of Air Warfare: Offensive Electronic Attack (Sponsored)
Tom Wiley
Senior Director, Integrated Solutions, Modeling and Architecture at Raytheon.
Raytheon
Episode: The Future of Air Warfare: Modeling & Simulation (Sponsored)
Grip Beissner
Director of Requirements and Capabilities of Radio Frequency Solutions at Raytheon
Raytheon
Episode: The Future of Air Warfare: Radars (Sponsored)
Jon Norman
Vice President of Requirements and Capabilities at Raytheon
Raytheon
Episode: The Future of Air Warfare: Weapons (Sponsored)

Hosts

Mike Benitez
Founder and host, offering expertise in military technology and insights into defense practices.
Vincent Aiello
Founder and host with a background in military aviation and a focus on defense technology.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 626 ratings
  • Always gets the 3 wire

    One of the few TRUSTWORTHY pods available that has gouge of interest to those in the know while being accessible to the general public.

    Outstanding work gentlemen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Dr. TANSTAAFL
    United States3 months ago
  • Awesome Podcast

    Another great episode. Informative, insightful and entertaining episode on Red6.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    60GH
    United States3 months ago
  • Once great, now ok

    The Merge used to be one of my favorite podcasts, providing an unfiltered yet humorous view of defense tech, future conflict, and geopolitics. However, the recent focus has become more corporate and the show has gone downhill. Further, bringing Jello on was a step in the wrong direction as he adds more of the old world bureaucratic military-industrial flavor than he does truly new takes or novel ideas.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    RamenIsGood
    United States7 months ago
  • Awesome Podcast

    Another great episode. Mike is a wealth of knowledge and explains well for us uninformed people.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    60GH
    United States8 months ago
  • Excellent Source!

    After years in the government and military I needed to keep up with the latest news! The Merge provides that fantastically! Keep up the good work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    NicktheStick1
    United States8 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Well-received content for those interested in military technology advancements.
Engaging hosts provide insights blended with humor.
Highly informative discussions on military and defense topics.
Content is relevant especially for professionals in the defense industry.
Some listeners express a shift toward more corporate themes recently.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#48
United States/Government
Apple Podcasts
#143
Canada/Government
Apple Podcasts
#213
United Kingdom/Government
Apple Podcasts
#135
Australia/Government
Apple Podcasts
#231
Germany/Government
Apple Podcasts
#50
Belgium/Government

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

E52 – Top Secret Offices
Q: What does Nooks look like in 2027 or 2028?
We are in 20 to 30 markets with a mobile capability able to be anywhere within less coal today.
E52 – Top Secret Offices
Q: If you could change one thing today to unlock classified work at scale, what would it be?
I would consolidate the nightmare that is government classified IT.
E46 – Expendable Tech for F-35 Threat Training
Q: Tell me about Snappy McButterpants. How did you get that call sign?
It’s a morphing of two separate call signs related to his eating habits and being the brand new guy in the squadron.
E44 – Silent Arrow
Q: What do you think about the potential for powered Silent Arrows?
The Air Force doesn't necessarily require them to take off autonomously, but we're exploring various options.
E44 – Silent Arrow
Q: What advice would you give your younger self entering the defense tech field?
Don't do it. It's been a lot of work, but ultimately worth it.

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 The Merge

What is The Merge about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Content centers around military technology, national security, and the latest trends impacting defense industries. Featuring interviews with experts and veterans, discussions are lively and packed with insights about the interplay between technology, policy, and strategy. Noteworthy are the engaging anecdotes from guests who bring both professional and personal experiences to the table, allowing listeners to gain a deeper understanding of pressing defense issues. This combination of expertise, humor, and informative analysis makes the content particularly appealing for those interested in military affairs and advanced defense technology.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Merge?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Merge. 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 The Merge and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Merge get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Merge, 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 The Merge?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Merge, 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 The Merge have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Merge 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 The Merge?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Merge:

1. Fighter Pilot Podcast
2. Aviation Week's Check 6 Podcast
3. War on the Rocks
4. The Afterburn Podcast
5. NatSec Matters

How many episodes of The Merge are there?

The Merge launched 3 years ago and published 57 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 The Merge?

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 The Merge?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Merge 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.

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Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Merge. 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 The Merge?

Recent guests on The Merge include:

1. Nick LaRovere
2. Matt Hawkins
3. Carlos Howard
4. Steve Wingfield
5. Dan Jablonsky
6. Chuck Angus
7. Tom Wiley
8. Grip Beissner

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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