An edgy and informative look at the biggest U.S. national security and geopolitical issues making headlines right now. Less about hot takes and more about depth, the Threat Status podcast is helmed by veteran Washington Times journalists Ben Wolfgang and Guy Taylor and features regular appearances by insiders with expertise on war, politics and global affairs.
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Ralph DeFalco III, former deputy director of intelligence at the National Joint Operations and Intelligence Center, joins the show to talk about his new book, "The Counterfeit," set in an alternate future in which China defeats the U.S. in a Pacific conflict.
Barry Hinckley, the president of Blue Ops, joins the show to talk about why the U.S. needs thousands of unmanned surface vessels in its fleet, how America can reignite its lagging shipbuilding industry, and whether the U.S. has lost a maritime edge compared to its rival, China.
Mike Frank, the deputy chief technology officer at the U.S. Department of the Navy, joins the show to talk about the future of American naval power, the role of unmanned surface vessels, and much more.
Ben interviews Sampriti Bhattacharyya of the advanced-tech maritime transport company Navier aboard one of its electric flying boats. Then we dive into the latest on the China-Russia-Iran-North Korea (CRINKS) alignment.
Rep. Gabe Evans, Colorado Republican, joins the show to talk about whether the Iran war has been worth it so far, the current state of the Homeland Security Department, and how AI is accelerating threats to the U.S. homeland.
Tara Murphy Dougherty, CEO of the major defense software company Govini, joins the show for a discussion on how artificial intelligence is reshaping logistics inside the U.S. military, cutting resupply planning time, and changing how the Pentagon does business.
Tom Lyons, one of the founders of the 2430 group and a former CIA Directorate of Operations officer, joins the show to explain how China's intellectual property theft actually works and what can be done about it.
Rob DeMillo, CEO of the company Sophia Space, joins the show to talk about orbital compute and the possibility of data centers in space.
Jeff Thornburg, the CEO and co-founder of Portal Space Systems, joins the show to talk about dynamic space operations and how the recent Artemis mission has reignited Americans' fascination with space.
Cliff Beek, an entrepreneur and leader in the futuristic world of space infrastructure, joins the show for an eye-opening discussion on the fast-evolving intersection between space and business.
Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery joins the show to talk about ways to fix American shipbuilding, the future of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and how the Pentagon has upended its relationships with other Washington institutions.
Tim Miller, field CTO at the company Dataminr, joins the show to explain how AI is making cyberattacks more dangerous, and he breaks down the areas in which cyber and physical threats converge.
Daniel Diermeier, the chancellor of Vanderbilt University, explains the crucial role academic institutions play in the country's national security ecosystem.
Teresa Carlson, founding president of the General Catalyst Institute, joins the show to talk about whether the tech industry can bridge its differences with the Pentagon on AI, if a drone "bubble" is forming in the economy, and how the military can drive innovation.
Dr. Amos Fox, managing editor of Small Wars Journal, joins the show to talk about the true value of technology on the battlefield and whether the U.S. has become too enamored with drones.
Malik Musawwir, vice president of navigation systems at Lockheed Martin, joins the show to talk about GPS satellites, their importance to national security, and what the future of GPS-powered navigation looks like.
Liz Martin, the managing director and general manager for global defense at Amazon Web Services, joins the show to talk about the company's work with the U.S. military and competition versus cooperation among defense companies.
Dr. Alex Miller, chief technology officer for the U.S. Army, joins the show to talk about soldiers training alongside autonomous systems, how much new technology to put on a soldier's plate, and how the Army is building capabilities that can withstand even the most extreme conditions.
Brad Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the Trump administration's National Defense Strategy, the future of the international rules-based order, and why the Axis of Authoritarians is growing more dangerous.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, New York Republican, joins the show for an interview on tactics ICE agents are using in their immigration crackdown, threats to U.S. critical infrastructure, Havana Syndrome and much more.
Correspondent John T. Seward speaks with Army Col. Ryan Howell at the Detroit Auto Show, where the Army unveiled the prototype of its new main battle tank.
Steve Pykett, the CEO of Fairbanks Morse, joins the show from the floor of the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium to talk about America's naval edge and the importance of breaking supply chain reliance on China.
Peter Newell, former director of the Army's Rapid Equipping Force and co-founder of BMNT, joins the show to talk about Pentagon acquisition and procurement reform, the future of the defense industry primes, and much more.
Bill Woolf, the president and founder of the Space Force Association, joins the show to talk about the future of the U.S. Space Force, the Pentagon's relationship with commercial satellites, and how soon the Space Force will station humans in orbit.
Elad Schulman, CEO and co-founder of the company Lasso Security, joins the show to talk about how AI is supercharging cyber threats and how companies and individuals can protect themselves in the age of artificial intelligence.
John Bentivegna, the chief master sergeant of the U.S. Space Force, joins the show to talk about the future of the Space Force, the weaponization of space, and how America and its allies can work together in space.
Booz Allen Hamilton President and CEO Horacio Rozanski joins the show from the 2025 Reagan National Defense Forum for an exclusive interview on U.S.-China competition for AI dominance and a range of other advanced-tech issues intersecting with national security.
Washington Times Correspondent Guillaume Ptak joins the show from Ukraine to discuss the country's ongoing negotiations with the U.S. and the major corruption scandal gripping President Zelenskyy's government.
Jonathan Broder joins the show to break down President Trump's high-stakes White House summit with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, what comes next in Syria and whether a U.S.-backed coup would backfire in Venezuela.
Thomas Akers, founder and CEO of the company Zone 5, joins the show to break down Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's major acquisition reform speech and how it's playing inside the defense industry.
Bill Wright, the head of global government affairs at the company Elastic, joins the show to talk about cyber threats facing America and how vital it is for private companies to share threat information with the federal government.
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Charlie Dunlap, executive director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke University Law School, joins the show to talk about the legal questions swirling around the Trump administration's targeting of alleged drug boats.
Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space, joins the show to talk about the weaponization of space, the future of space exploration, and the Golden Dome missile shield.
Joe DeAntona, vice president for requirements & capabilities, land & air defense, at Raytheon, sits down for an interview with Washington Times reporter John T. Seward.
Peter O'Donoghue and Deshawn Bell, of the company Tyto Athene, join the show to talk about 21st-century data dominance and the high-stakes data arms race between the U.S. and its adversaries.
Tomer Malchi, founder and CEO of the Israel-based company Asio, joins the show to discuss soldier-borne technology, 21st-century combat, drones, and much more.
John Cofrancesco, the founder of American AI Logistics, joins the show to talk about the future of government contracts in the age of artificial intelligence.
Rob Mitrevski and Tom Gould, executives with major defense company L3 Harris, join the show to discuss the Golden Dome missile shield.
French Adm. Pierre Vandier, the head of NATO's Allied Command Transformation, joins the show to discuss the alliance's preparations for future conflict, the role of human beings in 21st-century battles, and much more.
Nick Myers, CEO and co-founder of the company Phoenix Tailings, joins the show to talk about China's dominance in rare earth elements and his company's work in helping the U.S. catch up.
Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, joins the show to talk about secondary tariffs on Russia's oil sector and why it's so difficult -- and geopolitically complex -- for the U.S. to target Russian energy revenue.
Tyler Saltsman, the founder and CEO of EdgeRunner AI, joins the show to talk about his company's AI assistant for U.S. troops that can function without the internet.
Retired U.S. Army Special Forces Col. Stu Bradin, the President and CEO of the Global SOF Foundation, joins the show for a wide-ranging discussion on Special Operations Forces.
Army Lt. Gen. Daniel Karbler joins Threat Status from the Space & Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Ala.
Retired Air Force Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, joins the show to talk about the future of American air power, whether the Pentagon is focused too heavily on drones, and why the Space Force needs a bigger budget.
Rep. Michael McCaul, chair of the House Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States, joins the show to talk about potential terrorist threats to the World Cup, Olympics and other major events.
Audrey Schaffer, a space policy expert and the vice president of strategy and policy at Slingshot Aerospace, joins the show to talk about the growing amount of space traffic and whether the federal government should establish a department of space.
Retired British Army Col. Richard Kemp joins the show to talk about his visit to the Gaza Strip and the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Dr. Mark Lewis, of the Purdue Applied Research Institute, joins the show to talk about hypersonic weapons research, the U.S.-China hypersonics race, and the challenges ahead for the Golden Dome missile shield.
Ed Wong of the New York Times joins the show to talk about his latest book, "At the Edge of Empire: a family's reckoning with China."
