Author Archive

Ben Watson

Ben Watson
Ben Watson previously worked for NPR in Washington, D.C. Before that, he served for five years in the U.S. Army, where he was an award-winning combat cameraman and media advisor for southern Afghanistan's special operations command during the 2010-11 surge.
Threats

Today's D Brief: 500-ship Navy?; USAF chief, USMC commandant, interviewed; Russian info ops, blocked; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

Today's D Brief: Protests spread anew; Armed civilians gather to ‘help police’; Gen. Berger, live; Election-data firm, hacked; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: More than 200K US dead of COVID; New election-security warning; Russian disinfo quotes Trump; DHS chief’s confirmation hearing; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: Violence spikes in Afghanistan; Bad TikTok deal; AI’s ‘black boxes’; Wearable COVID detectors; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: 200,000 Americans dead of COVID; Army sends armor to Syria; Space Force, deployed; WeChat ban, blocked; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: FBI: Russia helping Trump; Chinese jets buzz Taiwan; America’s declining reputation; Readers pick top natsec problems; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

Today's D Brief: CDC rebuts WH vaccine promises; Taliban’s insulating wealth; New arms sales to Taiwan?; Allies flock to DOD AI project; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: USAF reveals new jet; Multilateral Mideast accord; US-based troll farm; SecDef’s Western swing; and a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: More Gulf states warm to Israel; USAF recruiting dips; Mystery drones buzzed THAAD site; DFCs for wildfire missions; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

Today's D Brief: Afghan talks begin; Wildfires rage; Anti-ISIS airstrikes in Syria, Iraq; Fighter jet battle; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: Feds charge two Russians in U.S. election plots; Trump’s electoral disinformation; Afghan peace talks to start Saturday; Western states, afire; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson

Featured eBooks

National Security and Election 2020
Special Operations Technology
The Future of The Army
Threats

Today's D Brief: Trump knew COVID was deadly; DHS whistleblower: I was ordered to downplay threats; DoD’s international AI plan; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: More troops to leave Iraq; Army chief rebuts Trump; India, China exchange border fire; New ICBM moves ahead; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: US Army chief, live; New Pacific bases?; Russia in Africa; Wildfire rescues; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: Trump called U.S. war dead “losers”; A spike in Russian provocations; Vaccine test sites chosen; More election-fraud disinfo; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: Soviet-era poison for Putin critic; Trump urges vote fraud; Fighting megafires; A missing COVID-test strategy; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: China’s growing power; Russia’s Facebook infowar; Fort Hood shakeup; New Zealand under cyber attack; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

Today's D Brief: Trump spreads COVID misinformation; New USAF chief wants ‘urgent action’; Key DoJ leader replaced; Asian NATO?; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

Today's D Brief: Another civilian dies amid protests; Administration cancels intel briefings; Su-27 crosses B-52’s nose; More troop cuts in Iraq?; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

Today's D Brief: Injury toll rises from US-Russian collision; China’s missile tests; More Guard sent to Wisconsin; Space Force’s new uniform; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston