Author Archive

Ben Watson

Senior Multimedia Editor, Defense One

Ben Watson is an Army veteran who writes The D Brief daily newsletter and hosts the bimonthly Defense One Radio podcast. Since arriving in Washington in 2012, Ben has written and produced award-winning features on politics, international security, technology, and military history for NPR, The Atlantic and Defense One.
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The D Brief: Israel bombs Iran; Courts debate Guard deployment; Navy merges drone efforts; SecDef pressed on firings; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Bradley Peniston and Lauren C. Williams
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The D Brief: Will Israel attack Iran?; CJCS sees no “invasion”; Budget testimony; AUKUS under review; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Protestors ‘a foreign enemy’; DOD DOGE team, ID’d; Trouble for USAF radar plane; Robot navy?; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Trump sends Marines to LA; Hegseth, testifying; State’s AI hires; A first for China’s navy; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: POTUS turns Guard on LA protestors; Russia’s record-breaking strike; Fiber-drone photos; NATO-summit preview; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: ARRW is back; Amphib budgets; Putin’s AI plan; Europe’s aid to Ukraine; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: COCOM noms; Mass 3D-printing in the field; Trump, Xi talk; The future of deception; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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Defense One Radio, Ep. 181: What the Army is learning about FPV drones

The 173rd Airborne Brigade's commander unpacks lessons from recent exercises in Lithuania and Tunisia.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: Hegseth’s no-show; Ukraine’s lesson to the world; Space Force budget cut?; Border-mission mystery; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: DOD civilians, on the move; Ukraine-strike details; Trump’s nuke offer to Iran; Syria’s jihadis, in uniform?; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Aid cuts hinder AFRICOM; Fighter-jet warning; State cuts, detailed; Army’s recruiting success; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Featured eBooks
Future of Cybersecurity
Information Warfare
Future of Naval Warfare
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The D Brief: Cuts to DOT&E; Uncrewed F-35?; Qatari jet’s a mess; Border gets barracks funding; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: RIP, 5-things email; German-Ukrainian missile plan; Russia’s latest demands; P&W strike ends; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Russia pounds Ukraine; Germany sends troops abroad; Pentagon’s retention pricetag; Still no CNO; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: USFK to shrink?; House passes spending bill; Big AI in a laptop?; Russia’s big security-camera hack; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: More DOD cuts; Trump’s Putin pivot; N. Korea’s failed launch; Qatar’s gift, accepted; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Golden Dome price, schedule; 3D-printed drones; A push to alter intel; Gitmo’s eye-popping costs; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: US strikes in Somalia; UAE seeks DOGE’d DOD workers; Trump-Putin talks fall flat; Genius Machines on Thursday; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Patrick Tucker
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The D Brief: Largest drone attack of Putin’s invasion; Dim outlook for Russia-Ukraine talks; Army preps DC for military parade; DOD to get a SOF-like makeover; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Audrey Decker
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The D Brief: Army Reserve’s Pacific plan; What Ukraine needs; Peace talks in Turkey; Misinformation studies cancelled; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson