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: Cost of the DC Guard mission; Shipyard reports production rise; US dronemakers in Asia; Carrier clears builder’s trials; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: New START expires; Restoring a mil-to-mil tie; US, Iran to talk; CENTCOM hits ISIS; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: US downs Iranian UAV; Army to host drone competition; Guardsmen in civvies at ICE jail; Hegseth threatens Scouts; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Munitions makers, investing; DOD’s new science board; Troops won’t go to MN; Venezuela plan reflects Iraq lessons; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: CBP’s wartime rhetoric; Agents’ high crime rate; Russian drone kills miners; Israeli strikes kill 32 in Gaza; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Shutdown watch; Lingering defense-strategy qs; JAGs’ unusual new jobs; Secret drone’s recent mission; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: Domestic Guard missions, priced; More strikes on Somalia; New ‘non-kinetic’ cell aids planning; GAO’s missile-warning warning; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: CBP report belies ‘terrorist’ charges; Rubio threatens Venezuelan leaders; ‘Unsustainable’ national-security strategy?; EU, India near trade deal; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Border Patrol boss out of MN; Misinformation pushback; Carrier reaches CENTCOM; Tariffs pledged on US shipbuilding partner; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Feds kill again in Minnesota; National Defense Strategy drops; New USAF deployment concept; Space Force wants more troops; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 202: The known perils of regime change

A scholar of civil wars warns against repeating the past mistakes from U.S. military interventions abroad.

  • Ben Watson and Monica Duffy Toft
Featured eBooks
Intel and Analytics
Special Ops Technology
Future of the Army
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The D Brief: Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’; Russian hybrid warfare; More Ukraine talks; Combat fitness, reimagined; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: Trump backs down on Greenland; More troops prep for MN deployment; Army tank arrives early; Congress demands Golden Dome answers; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Trump’s Greenland fixation undermines alliance; Cui bono?; Lawmakers set flat defense budget; How AI went DOD; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Experts warn of war; Trump’s ‘state terror’; CNO’s upcoming instructions; China’s ‘full-stack’ defense-innovation cities; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Lessons from Iraq; Trump’s Insurrection Act-threat; DIU seeks swarm controllers; Russia’s Starlink drones; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Europe reinforces Greenland; Senate fails to limit Venezuela action; Navy’s next ships; The cost of ‘DoW’; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Greenland discussions; Russian sabotage in Europe; ‘Ideological tuning’ in DOD AI; Some leave Al Udeid; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: ‘Perfidy’ in boat strike?; Pentagon’s new AI plan; Venezuela’s broken air defenses; Quantum space cameras; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: US bombs ISIS in Syria; Iranian protests swell; Execs rebuff oil plan; Meet the Army’s dronemakers; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston