Midrats

So, is this the time to make battleships great again? I would be hard-pressed to think of a better guest to help us explore that question than returning guest, Rob Farley. A starting point for our conversation will be his article from December, The Trump-Class Battleship Summed Up In 1 Word . Show Links The Battleship Book , by Robert Farley’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commer...

Need a moment to recover from Valentine’s Day? Of course you do! Showlinks Truxtun-Supply Collision Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference Maritime Action Plan Summary In this episode of Midrats, Sal and Mark discuss various topics related to national security, starting off with the Truxton-Supply collision. They also delve into Secretary Rubio’s speech regarding NATO rel...

Show Links The Congress, the Golden Fleet, and the Shipbuilding Industrial Base in 2026 Summary In this episode of Midrats, Sal and Mark engage with Eric Labs, a senior analyst at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), to discuss the complexities of shipbuilding costs, the role of the CBO in providing independent estimates, and the challenges faced by the U.S. Navy in maintaining and expanding its...

No need to force yourself to head outside in this horrible weather—unless you are in the Free State of Florida where the high is expected to hit 80F or so. From the Friday National Defense Strategy dump to whatever comes over the transom, we’ve got you covered. Show Links 2026 National Defense Strategy Heritage Foundation’s, Tidalwave Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil , Rear Adm. Worrall Reed, USN Fou...

Is four months too short a turnaround for a guest on Midrats? Not if the topic at hand keeps running to the top of your read board. From the unending diplomacy responding to the Trump Administration’s unending drive to get Greenland’s geography— and the resulting security —more firmly under American control, to the sitcom-worthy deployment of a couple of dozen “ Coalition of the Freezing ”—Greenla...

Summary In this conversation, the hosts and Palantir’s Head of Defense Mike Gallagher and Head of Shipbuilding and Naval Programs Matt Babin discuss the integration of AI and advanced manufacturing techniques in shipbuilding, particularly focusing on the role of Palantir’s ShipOS in transforming shipyard operations. They explore the generational gap in expertise within the industry, the importance...

With a few days now behind us, most of the general facts are in on our raid into Caracas, Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro and, it appears, his wife as well. Now that Maduro is a guest of the Southern District of New York, it is time to not just look at some of the details of the buildup and execution of this raid, but the initial lessons we can take from it, and what it means in the larger str...

History isn’t just about the past; it’s a guide for today!  On this episode, we unravel the myths surrounding Pearl Harbor and what they teach us about current global tensions with returning guest, John Keuhn. Dr. John T. Kuehn is Professor of Military History at the Army Command and General Staff College. He served in the US Navy as a naval flight officer flying in EP-3s and ES-3s, retiring in 20...

One of our guests on Episode 3 of Midrats was Bryan McGrath, CDR, USN (Ret.). Over the years he’s returned often, and has even graced us with the pleasure of a few guest posts here. As he’s let people know for years, he was going to retire for good at 60. True to his word, he hung it up a few weeks ago . Earlier this year before he got too focused on his figs and vines, I asked Bryan to come on fo...

Summary In this episode of Midrats, Sal and Mark discuss various aspects of national security, including military deployments, the influence of drug cartels, and the geopolitical dynamics in South America. They delve into the implications of China’s growing presence in the Western Hemisphere and the challenges posed by information warfare. The conversation also touches on the ethical consideration...

For a decade and a half, since President Obama’s Pacific Pivot speech, there has been a rising tide in the conversation about the need to fix the US Navy’s shortfall to meet the challenge of the People’s Republic of China. Faced with systemic and cascading failures in everything from surface ship design to maintenance, and distractions as frivolous as Great Green Fleets at sea and as serious as th...

How are naval shipbuilding, commercial shipbuilding, and commercial shipping linked together to create a healthy and effective national seapower ecosystem? What did the 1990s “Last Supper” get wrong, and what can be done to correct the error? Our guest this week is Hunter Stires, founder and CEO of The Maritime Strategy Group, returning to Midrats to discuss this and more. We will be using as a st...

Summary In this conversation, Chris Brose, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Anduril, joins Sal and Mark to discuss the company’s mission to revolutionize defense technology by integrating commercial innovations into military applications. He emphasizes the need for mass-producible military capabilities, the importance of adaptability in modern warfare, and the challenges posed by the curren...

Summary In this episode of Midrats, the hosts discuss a range of topics related to national security, military strategy, and current events. They reflect on the 25th anniversary of the USS Cole attack, analyze the ongoing dynamics in the Middle East, and explore the implications of military presence and partnerships. The conversation also delves into submarine capabilities, logistics challenges, a...

For decades, while the rest of the world’s powers have distracted and tangled themselves with wars of choice and blunder, the People’s Republic of China has been watching, learning, and building. To what end? Returning to Midrats to discuss this and more will be Dean Cheng. Dean is a Senior Advisor, United States Institute of Peace; Non-resident Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies;...

Yes, September is Australian Appreciation Month on the Midrats Podcast. Building on our discussion earlier this month with Liz Buchanan , we are returning to the perspective from the Antipodes with returning guest Gray Connolly. From Afghanistan, to the Antarctic, to the approaches to the Arctic through the Pacific, we’ll have a broad-reaching discussion of allied national security concerns from t...

Waves of different groups seeking new homes from east and west have arrived and disappeared on Greenland’s hostile shores for thousands of years. In the modern era of nation states, it is Greenland’s unique location and potential resources that are drawing attention once again as her strategic position once again brings her to the front. Today’s Midrats Podcast is going to start there with our gue...

This summer, the fourth summer of the Russo-Ukrainian War that started in the winter of 2022, we find the first serious and determined effort towards a genuine negotiation to end this grinding war in Eastern Europe. The experiences and lessons of this war aren’t only changing how nations throughout the world prepare for their next war, it has forced even greater changes on both combatants how they...

There is no better way to stay out of the summer heat than to take an hour to join us for a Midrats Podcast melee! Summary In this episode of Midrats, hosts discuss a range of topics related to maritime and national security, including the importance of civil discourse in political discussions, Australia's acquisition of Japanese frigates, cybersecurity threats, and the geopolitical tensions in th...

Show Links Navy’s Plan for Unmanned Systems Department of Crazy Ideas: How about a cheap inshore fleet ? Mark Tempest, 2009. Buy Fords, Not Ferraris, Jerry Hendrix , 2008 Droning on About Drones , CDR Salamander, 2013 Building the Navy’s Hybrid Fleet , Lieutenant Commander Jack Rowley, Proceedings, July 2025. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress , Robert A. Heinlein The Mote in God’s Eye , Larry Niven and...

On today’s Midrats, we have returning guest Craig Whiteside and his co-author Ian C. Rice joining us to discuss one of the nightmares we all have in the new book coming out this month. He co-authored it with Ian Rice, Non-state Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects . From the abstract: Building on previous research on Islamic State special operations, the book develops a theoretical framewo...

Take a break from the heat today to discuss some of the hidden history, and importance, of the Presidential retreat at Camp David with the author of the book, Presidential Seclusion: The Power of Camp David , Charles Ferguson. After graduating from Georgia Tech and earning his commission, Charles Ferguson served for 11 years in the Submarine force onboard the USS Louisville and as Weapons Officer...

Show Link InfantryDort’s comment mentioned at start of the show Summary The conversation explores the themes of cultural assimilation, national identity, freedom of speech, and the challenges of civil discourse in contemporary society. The hosts discuss the implications of cultural integration on national security and the importance of leadership in fostering a healthy societal environment. They r...

What can the world’s most capable maritime and aerospace power do? The world was reminded this weekend. There is no other place this week’s Midrats could start but the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Summary The conversation delves into the recent Operation Midnight Hammer, discussing its implications for U.S.-Iran relations, the threat of Iranian retaliation, and the strategic military oper...

Today we’re going to take a friend’s Substack post and turn it into one of the best podcast hours you’ll have this summer…and maybe give you some ideas about books you need to take with you for the July 4th weekend. From Claude’s May 23rd Substack : From the gun decks of HMS Indefatigable to the command chair of a futuristic starship, the portrayal of naval officers in fiction has evolved alongsid...