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.
Policy

Defense One Radio, Ep. 167: How U.S. Navy shipbuilding sank so low

It's a complex problem built up over decades. Our guests discuss the causes, effects, and possible solutions.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Ceasefire pact in Lebanon; US strike in Syria; New SecNav tapped; Space execs’ pleas to NATO; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: $7.3B request for sub work; New promotion hold; Musk’s conflicts of interest; Trump’s Africa policy; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Invasion gains pace; Plane crash in Lithuania; New Pacific missile sites?; DepSecDef candidates; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Russia’s MIRV missile; Space Force’s naughty list; McConnell to Senate Approps; Worst telecom hack in US history; And a bit more.

  • Patrick Tucker and Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: DOD’s Replicator program advances; Nuclear forensics in Idaho; Austin, Milley defend women in combat; Intel watchdogs resign; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Lauren C. Williams and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: More long-range missiles target Russia’s Kursk; Biden authorizes anti-personnel mines for Ukraine; SecDef Austin in the South China Sea; Satellite industry delays; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: ATACMS use in Russia?; Undersea cable cut in the Baltic; US-Philippine defense pact; Shipyard reform for US subs; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Audrey Decker
Threats

The D Brief: Biden green lights ATACMS for Kursk; SecDef Austin in Australia; Trump stands by Hegseth; Reed, Shaheen request Musk probe; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Audrey Decker
Threats

The D Brief: Austin to the Pacific; North Korean drones; Reforming how the USAF buys weapons; Suicides rise across DOD; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Patrick Tucker and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Trump’s DNI, AG picks; China’s improved bomber; USAF adds CCAs; Boosting US arms production; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Featured eBooks
Future of the Army
The Future of the Air Force
Special Operations Technology 2020
Threats

The D Brief: TV host tapped as SecDef; Flag-officer firings, mulled; Space HQ to move?; US strikes in Syria, Yemen; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Trump’s picks; GOP takes House; Chinese airshow’s drone zone; Gen. Harriet Tubman; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: DOD shakeup expected; Russian barrage; N. Koreans fight near Kursk; Navy fires ethics leader; And just a bit more...

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Science & Tech

Defense One Radio, Ep. 166: The Second Battle of Fallujah, 20 years later

A decorated Marine veteran and a videogame maker revisit the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Russia’s long barrage; Hasty training for Ukrainian troops; Germany’s government collapses; Army’s new all-digital vehicle; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Trump wins; Israel fires defense minister; China’s new stealth jet; Fat Leonard, sentenced; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: National Guard on alert; Russian bomb plot?; USAF’s tanker hedge; Boeing workers end strike; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
Threats

Defense One Radio, Ep. 165: Mark Montgomery’s insights from Ukraine

A retired U.S. admiral shares what he learned from a recent trip to the wartorn country.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Russia’s foreign-made drones; Ukraine’s EW-hardened drones; China’s $50B littoral buildup; US soldiers rescue sailors at sea; And just a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston