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Early Bird Brief

Early Bird Brief

100 episodes — Page 1 of 2

Ep 400Senior military leader calms fears over aid operation off Gaza coast

Some Republican lawmakers, though, remain skeptical.

Mar 29, 20248 min

Ep 399Russia, Iran military partnership rears its head with drones in Ukraine

The assessment comes from a U.S. Central Command report.

Mar 28, 20248 min

Ep 398Coast Guard conducts search and research mission after Baltimore bridge collapse

The Associated Press reported that six construction workers are presumed dead from the accident.

Mar 27, 202411 min

Ep 397House China Committee gets new leader as Gallagher exits

Gallagher's previous efforts included legislation over the social media site TikTok -- and efforts to force the company to become American-owned for national security reasons.

Mar 26, 202411 min

Ep 396Marine wargames offer a look at the future — and fuel dissent

Marine Corps reporter Irene Loewenson breaks down how wargames are fueling strategic choices in the service.

Mar 25, 202411 min

Ep 395March Madness…of defense spending

Congress released the nearly six-month late defense budget yesterday.

Mar 22, 202413 min

Ep 394North Korea drone tech may present challenge in Asia

Adm. John Aquilino testified before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday.

Mar 21, 20248 min

Ep 393In effort to deter China, US military wishlist triples in size

The wishlist comes as China’s actions grow more aggressive in the region.

Mar 20, 202411 min

Ep 392One key senator eyes troop pay raises, increased funds for military housing

Sen. Reed leads the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Mar 19, 202410 min

Ep 391Nearly $1 trillion defense budget faces scrutiny both for being too large and falling short

That figure is drawing criticism both for being too large and for falling short.

Mar 18, 202417 min

Ep 390Military was slow to process COVID vaccine waivers, watchdog says

The Army and the Air Force routinely overran deadlines, the report said.

Mar 15, 20249 min

Ep 389House passes TikTok ban in bipartisan vote

President Joe Biden said he would sign the bill into law if it passes the Senate.

Mar 14, 202412 min

Ep 388Another round of Army ships deploy for humanitarian mission off the coast of Gaza Strip

Four additional Army vessels shipped out to the Mediterranean, as U.S. airdrops of aid continue.

Mar 13, 20249 min

Ep 387Pentagon releases its fiscal year 2025 budget

This comes as Congress is approaching six months of continuing resolutions for fiscal year 2024.

Mar 12, 202414 min

Ep 386How Military Times discovered high tanker suicide rates

Army Times reporter Davis Winkie breaks down how Freedom of Information Act requests shed light on the high rates of suicide for tankers.

Mar 11, 202428 min

Ep 385State of the Union: Biden outlines military operation to build port in Gaza for aid

The biggest national security headlines from Biden’s 2024 State of the Union speech.

Mar 8, 20248 min

Ep 384Sweden joins NATO, ending the country's post-WWII neutrality

Sweden formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance.

Mar 8, 202410 min

Ep 383First fatalities confirmed in Red Sea attacks by Iran-backed Houthis

The Barbados-flagged ship was abandoned, with two crew members dead and six wounded.

Mar 7, 20248 min

Ep 382“Alarming” percentage of vets, troops accept conspiracy theories: Military Times survey

Survey participants were quizzed on their ability to differentiate between reliable and unreliable information.

Mar 6, 202412 min

Ep 381US sends aid to Gaza as Harris calls for ceasefire

The U.S. airdrop over the weekend is expected to be the first of many.

Mar 5, 20249 min

Ep 380Navy leaders see power evolution with information warfare

"We are in the middle of another epochal change,” Adm. Samuel Paparo recently said.

Mar 4, 20248 min

Ep 379Lawmakers grill Lloyd Austin over hospitalization

Austin was hospitalized on Jan. 1 after complications from a surgery for prostate cancer.

Mar 1, 202410 min

Ep 378Mitch McConnell, staunch Ukraine advocate, to step down as Senate Republican leader

McConnell is the longest serving leader in the Senate's history.

Feb 29, 20249 min

Ep 377Mental health outreach efforts need more focus on women vets: report

Female veterans account for nearly 10% of veterans in the VA system.

Feb 28, 20248 min

Ep 376Pentagon releases review on Austin’s hushed-up hospitalization

The review comes days before Austin is set to testify before Congress on the incident.

Feb 27, 202410 min

Ep 375Pentagon wants industry to transform to meet demands for wars in Ukraine, Israel

The Pentagon’s new defense-industrial strategy calls for “generational” investment in the industrial base.

Feb 26, 202413 min

Ep 374Navy chief charged with spying for foreign government

Chief Fire Controlman Bryce Steven Pedicini faces eight espionage charge specifications for alleged crimes that occurred between November 2022 and May.

Feb 23, 202410 min

Ep 373Inside the Navy’s quest to fix the recruiting crisis

Navy leaders hope to reverse a troubling trend that culminated in the service falling well short of its annual recruiting goal for the first time

Feb 22, 202410 min

Ep 372Pentagon indicates Iran-backed Houthi rebels shot down a US drone

The drone-downing is only the latest in a string of attacks on the shipping lanes in the Red Sea vital to the global economy.

Feb 21, 20248 min

Ep 371From Red Sea to Ukraine, use of missile defense batteries increases

Reporter Jen Judson and analyst Tom Karako discuss growing worldwide air and missile defense activity from Patriot batteries in Ukraine to persistent Red Sea attacks to what might be needed to prevent another Tower 22-like attack.

Feb 20, 202414 min

Ep 370Air Force unveils sweeping changes, Navy secretary vows to hold contractors accountable

An update on the major announcements from the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Warfare Symposium and the Navy’s West 2024 conference.

Feb 20, 202412 min

Ep 369Biden admin urges calm over Russian space weapon threat

The weapon has yet to be launched into space, an administration official said.

Feb 16, 20249 min

Ep 368Lawmakers say VA leader ignored sexual harassment charges

The agency has already given 50,000 documents to lawmakers that pertain to the allegations and their handling.

Feb 15, 20249 min

Ep 367Senate passes Ukraine, Taiwan military aid, House vote uncertain

House Speaker Mike Johnson called the previous version of the supplemental "dead on arrival" after it was released.

Feb 14, 202411 min

Ep 366Biden criticizes Trump over encouraging Russian invasion of NATO

The former president also attacked his sole primary challenger about her husband’s tour of duty in Africa.

Feb 13, 20248 min

Ep 365Lessons and mistakes on a B-52 bomber training flight

Defense News air warfare reporter Stephen Losey joins a B-52 crew to experience a training run aboard the aircraft with decades-old hardware.

Feb 12, 202415 min

Ep 364How the Air Force is prepping to fly century-old bombers

It comes amid the most sweeping revamp of the U.S. bomber fleet in more than a generation.

Feb 12, 202413 min

Ep 363Five Marines declared dead in helicopter crash

The crash occurred east of San Diego in California.

Feb 9, 202410 min

Ep 362Senior militia leader killed in U.S. airstrike

The strike comes after three U.S. service members were killed by a drone in Jordan last month.

Feb 8, 20248 min

Ep 361Rep. Gonzales wants more Ukraine aid, sees bigger role for military intelligence at southern border

In an Early Bird Brief special episode, Rep. Tony Gonzales joins the podcast to talk about Ukraine military aid, the Israel-Hamas War, military pay issues and border security.

Feb 7, 202425 min

Ep 360After fatal Jordan attack, Pentagon weighs base safety

The Pentagon said that no plans are underway to pull troops out of the Middle East.

Feb 7, 202411 min

Ep 359Ukraine military aid, border security bill in limbo

Today, a Senate agreement on Ukraine military aid and immigration reform at the U.S.-Mexico border is released.

Feb 6, 202411 min

Ep 358The Pentagon says it's trying not to open a wider Middle East war

A discussion with Military Times Pentagon Bureau Chief Meghann Myers for an update on the rise of attacks against American forces in the Middle East.

Feb 5, 20249 min

Ep 357Biden administration approves drone sale to India as China military threat grows

Today, Capitol Hill reporter Bryant Harris joins the episode to discuss a recent drone sale to India.

Feb 2, 202410 min

Ep 356Tensions over the migrant crisis swell at the border and on Capitol Hill

Today, Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow Nikki Wentling breaks down tensions at the southern border between the Texas National Guard and federal government.

Feb 1, 202415 min

Ep 355Pentagon not taking Iran-backed militia pause declaration seriously

The attack in Jordan took the lives of three soldiers.

Jan 31, 202410 min

Ep 354Drone that killed three US troops reportedly mistaken as friendly

Today, more information is revealed about the drone that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan, near the Syrian border.

Jan 30, 20246 min

Ep 353Amid Red Sea clashes, Navy leaders ask: Where are our ship lasers?

Today, Naval warfare reporter Megan Eckstein and C4ISRNET reporter Colin Demarest discuss the Navy's operations in the Red Sea -- and the service's desire for ship lasers.

Jan 29, 202413 min

Ep 352Border crisis pits National Guard against feds in Supreme Court ruling

Texas National Guard soldiers are still erecting border wire — and some Republicans are calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to defy the Supreme Court.

Jan 26, 202413 min

Ep 351Houthi rebels and US airstrikes: How do war powers work?

Today, Capitol Hill reporter Bryant Harris dives into the world of presidential war powers -- and how sometimes Congress tries to reign them in.

Jan 25, 202411 min