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: US envoy’s advice to Russia; Navy axes frigate program; USAF’s tanker-extending plan; False claims in Guard justification; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Bradley Peniston and Meghann Myers
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The D Brief: US, Ukraine in talks; Counter-drone war, at scale?; China’s anti-AI playbook; Spies see opportunity in feds’ fear; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: ‘Peace plan’ pushback; Words vs. actions off Venezuela; Army’s most tech-forward division; CNO on shipbuilding; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: US presses Kyiv; DepSecDef gets oversight of top USAF programs; Report: JAG warned against boat strikes; Coast Guard scuttles swastika change; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Kyiv left out as WH drafts peace plan; Military aircraft crash rate, rising; Ukraine’s ATACMS strike; Border Patrol monitors US drivers; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: House NDAA, soon?; US, Russia work on Ukraine plan; So many terror groups; Russian drone in NATO airspace; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Trump mulls Mexico, Colombia strikes; Memphis deployment blocked; France, Ukraine sign big arms deal; F-22 controls robot wingman; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Commandant’s ARG/MEU push; Army acquisition reform; B-21, ICBM projects; ‘DoW’ price tag; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: A second Southern Spear; Boeing strike ends; Heavy-lift competitor sticks landing; Anduril’s S. Korean lashup; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Shutdown ends; USAF’s new missile; New ONR chief; Norway mulls big defense bet; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Shutdown nears end; Allies limit intel-sharing over boat strikes; Price tag for US occupations; Marines want multiple prototypes; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Featured eBooks
Future of the Army
Special Ops Technology
Future of the Air Force
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The D Brief: Acquisition reforms; SecDef’s purge; Army’s million-drone plans; Shutdown deal?; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: Buildup near Venezuela continues; War plans for Nigeria; China’s 3rd carrier; Powder sickens 7 at Andrews; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Thomas Novelly and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Acquisition reforms, debated; Boat-strike briefing; US troops to Damascus; China’s mini drone carrier; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: A narrower natsec focus; ‘Pigpen-like mess’ at DOD; DC Guard deployment extended; Shutdown sets record; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Thomas Novelly and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Acquisition-reform draft; US pitches Gaza force; Nuke-test differences; Vietnam’s fake islands; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson, Thomas Novelly and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Rationale shifts at boat-strike deadline; Hegseth bottlenecks Hill talk; Judge blocks Portland deployment; Trump threatens Nigeria; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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The D Brief: Venezuela targets picked?; STRATCOM nom pressed on tests; USAF fighter plan; New Guard quick-reaction forces; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
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Defense One Radio, Ep. 197: Europe’s “drone wall”

Patrick Tucker explains what he learned during a recent trip to Eastern Europe.

  • Ben Watson
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The D Brief: New nuke tests?; Pushback on European drawdown; Arms-export overhaul expected; Marines axe planned regiment; And a bit more.

  • Ben Watson