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.
Threats

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

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Threats

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.

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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.

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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
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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
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The D Brief: Trump: ‘I don’t need international law’; Senate votes to limit Venezuela action; USAF consolidates PEOs; Marines’ own robot wingman; And a bit more.

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The D Brief: Offshore banks to hold seized-oil profits; Pay caps for defense CEOs; Army’s flight-school outsourcing, snagged; Right-to-repair urged; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Trump plans oil seizure; US forces seize tanker; Greenland seizure floated; Experts pan Maduro seizure; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: Post-Maduro moves; Europe unites over Greenland; Marines’ ‘hidden crisis’; Jan. 6, remembered; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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Future of the Army
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The D Brief: Trump threatens more countries after Maduro abduction; SCOTUS rejects Guard deployment; Nigerian-strike fallout; 2025 scorecard; And a bit more.

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The D Brief: New ‘battleship’ announced; Nigeria, under US surveillance; China’s ICBMs; Boat-strike Qs; And a bit more.

  • Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
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The D Brief: US hits 70 ISIS targets; Another tanker seized; Army seeks common C-UAS controller; More firms cleared for Golden Dome work; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Europe pledges aid to Kyiv; Dems seek boat-strike docs; Navy’s next frigate; Conflicts to watch; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
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Defense One Radio, Ep. 201: Conflicts to watch in 2026

CFR's Paul Stares unpacks the latest annual survey of foreign policy experts bracing for what might lie ahead.

  • Ben Watson
Threats

The D Brief: Trump rebrands housing subsidies as ‘bonus’; Venezuelan navy starts escorting tankers; SOF needs jamming ranges; Big arms sale to Taiwan; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Trump sets blockage on Venezuela; Europe warns of war; SecDef won’t release boat-strike video; Nominees to fill long-vacant posts; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: Fentanyl now a ‘WMD’; Airstrikes rise in Somalia; Cocom consolidation, mulled; Post-quantum encryption; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats

The D Brief: 3 Americans killed in Syria; Ukraine peace talks; Germany on Russian sabotage; Scharre on AI in war; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston