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: USAID lockout; Musk seizes US payment system; Global markets tumble; Army aviation’s bad year; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats
The D Brief: NATO’s Baltic problem; Denmark ups military spending; MADIS vs. drones; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson, Meghann Myers and Audrey Decker
Threats
The D Brief: SecDef Hegseth’s first day; Trump’s deportation spat with Colombia; Trump’s DOD vs. DEI; Ukraine’s front-line shakeup; China’s new AI ‘breakthrough’?; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson, Patrick Tucker and Bradley Peniston
Threats
The D Brief: Hegseth, questioned; Ratcliffe, Rubio testifying; Gabbard, uncertain; Navy’s next destroyer; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats
The D Brief: Hegseth on the Hill; NATO’s newest mission; Next carriers named; C-130J firefighting video; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats
The D Brief: N. Koreans captured; New AI-export rule; 2,500 Guardsmen on wildfire duty; Mines found at IKEA; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
Threats
The D Brief: Allies reel over annexation talk; Ukraine donors set production goals; Navy’s plans/funding mismatch; Iran’s painful admission; And a bit more.
- Ben Watson, Patrick Tucker and Bradley Peniston