Best Podcast Episodes About Air Force Academy
Everything podcasters are saying about Air Force Academy — curated from top podcasts
Updated: Apr 27, 2026 – 68 episodes
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Ridealong has curated the best and most interesting podcasts and clips about Air Force Academy.
Top Podcast Clips About Air Force Academy
“… The next one is slightly, and they're fractal. Well, it gets really even weirder than that. So, you know, I just described this case of this Air Force counterintelligence guy driving this guy Paul Benowitz crazy. Yeah. That book is written by Mark Pilkington. Mark Pilkington is one of two guys that claim to have created all the crop circles. The other guy is a guy named John Lundberg. Oh, right, right, right. AJ, in his video about the crop circles, accuses John Lundberg, again, they call it the circle makers. They have a website they keep updated. he accuses him of being a british …”
“… not just to fold over the wheat, but if you're going to interweave the wheat, like what is your method of doing that? And how are you doing it where, you know, this one is one dimension and then the next one is precisely three-fifths of that dimension. The next one is slightly, and they're fractal. Well, it gets really even weirder than that. So, you know, I just described this case of this Air Force counterintelligence guy driving this guy Paul Benowitz crazy. Yeah. That book is written by Mark Pilkington. Mark Pilkington is one of two guys that claim to have created all the crop circles. The other guy is a guy named John Lundberg. Oh, right, right, right. AJ, in his video about the crop circles, accuses John Lundberg, again, they call it the circle makers. They have a website they keep updated. he accuses him of being a british intelligence agent aj does or at least he strongly implies it um and and part of that is because there was a bunch of weird stuff on the website about mi5 and the cia and then lundberg went to a school this is all very circumstantial so i'm not defending i'm just saying what aj said then lundberg went to a school that shares a courtyard with uh with an m …”
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In this hilarious segment, the hosts dive into the bizarre world of crop circles, questioning whether these intricate designs are the work of aliens or just clever humans. The funniest moment comes when they ponder the intelligence required to create a visual representation of Pi in a field—just for funsies!
“… beneath nuclear weapons and missile facilities worldwide. A pattern that almost no one wanted to talk about in an era of Cold War secrecy. Air Force officers whispered about it. And most of the people who lived it stayed silent. Until now, it's all coming out. Today's guest is Richard Barth. In 1964, he was an Air Force security guard, an Air Policeman, stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Vandenberg wasn't some remote radar outpost or ghost station. This was the epicenter of American nuclear missile testing. Atlas missiles, Thor, Minuteman, Titan. This was the place the United States …”
“… to be a man, emerge from the fog. But as it got closer, I realized this was not what it was. And I could feel it in my mind. I mean, it was like it started driving hold of me. For decades, there's been a strange and deeply unsettling pattern lurking beneath nuclear weapons and missile facilities worldwide. A pattern that almost no one wanted to talk about in an era of Cold War secrecy. Air Force officers whispered about it. And most of the people who lived it stayed silent. Until now, it's all coming out. Today's guest is Richard Barth. In 1964, he was an Air Force security guard, an Air Policeman, stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Vandenberg wasn't some remote radar outpost or ghost station. This was the epicenter of American nuclear missile testing. Atlas missiles, Thor, Minuteman, Titan. This was the place the United States government went to actually learn whether its nuclear missiles worked. So naturally, something else was watching from above. And it happened to interact with our next guest. A figure emerging from the mist. A moment of absolute terror in seeing this figure's very foreign face. Loss of control. And then, lost time. All of a sudden, Richard is taken. …”
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In September 1964, Richard Barth, a security guard at Vandenberg Air Force Base, experienced a terrifying UFO encounter that left him with lost time and a chilling message. His story unfolds alongside another notable incident involving Bob Jacobs, revealing a pattern of strange occurrences at nuclear facilities during the Cold War. This testimony raises unsettling questions about surveillance and intent regarding our nuclear capabilities.
“… but they wanted to effectively classify images from drones in the Middle East. See, that's a car, that's a house. And previously they had Air Force airmen just sitting there clicking, and they were like, okay, we're going to automate that. But it was still scary, don't be evil, working with the government, military. And then there was a backlash. They pulled out, then eventually they went back in and had a new head of Google Cloud. um yeah i mean this is you know it's hard to and i speak for myself personally i obviously have the biased angle because of taiwan i have the biased angle where …”
“… like killer robot fears. The actual, I mean, Google was a subcontractor on that project. And what they were actually exposing to the government was TensorFlow APIs that would run on Google hardware. And so they weren't actually writing any AI software, but they wanted to effectively classify images from drones in the Middle East. See, that's a car, that's a house. And previously they had Air Force airmen just sitting there clicking, and they were like, okay, we're going to automate that. But it was still scary, don't be evil, working with the government, military. And then there was a backlash. They pulled out, then eventually they went back in and had a new head of Google Cloud. um yeah i mean this is you know it's hard to and i speak for myself personally i obviously have the biased angle because of taiwan i have the biased angle where i think they're you know just in general there's this very naive view of the world that doesn't understand why militaries are important and necessary and i think silicon valley got itself in a lot of trouble by giving into this naive mindset that we have no duty to support the military and there's this tension has been So it's a tension that's …”
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Google's involvement in military AI sparked backlash when they used TensorFlow to automate drone image classification, replacing Air Force airmen. Initially retreating from the project, they later returned amidst ongoing debates about tech companies' moral obligations to the military. This tension raises questions about the role of Silicon Valley in supporting national defense.
“… oh dear okay we're african-american we're in segregation North Carolina, right? We're in segregation North Carolina in 1961. He walks up in an Air Force uniform carrying his parachute and, and his helmet. And instead of hey man are you okay What the hell happened He gets arrested by base police Why For stealing a parachute What? Oh, God. Meanwhile, he's like, our plane went down. We're a nuclear bomber. What? What? Did you not see that I'm, like, covered in shit from this? I literally. Victoria to catch you up do you see the burning wreckage behind me dickhead Maddox is an African American man …”
“… right they get rides back to the base to the front gate once they get to the front gate nobody has told the base that something happened right oh no because they couldn't because they couldn't so they get to the gate get dropped off maddox is black oh dear okay we're african-american we're in segregation North Carolina, right? We're in segregation North Carolina in 1961. He walks up in an Air Force uniform carrying his parachute and, and his helmet. And instead of hey man are you okay What the hell happened He gets arrested by base police Why For stealing a parachute What? Oh, God. Meanwhile, he's like, our plane went down. We're a nuclear bomber. What? What? Did you not see that I'm, like, covered in shit from this? I literally. Victoria to catch you up do you see the burning wreckage behind me dickhead Maddox is an African American man who gets a ride back to base and gets arrested by base police for stealing his parachute yeah you can only imagine the precise phrasing that the MPs used oh yeah so Rairdon shows up in the same way he gets a ride back evil dating so raring gets a ride back he shows up look a cab includes mps so raring gets right back he shows up and they start …”
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An Air Force pilot gets arrested for stealing his own parachute after surviving a nuclear bomber crash in segregated North Carolina in 1961. Despite the burning wreckage behind him, the base police refuse to believe his story until he provides a secret code to prove his identity. This shocking incident highlights the absurdity of racial prejudice and miscommunication in a crisis.
“… ultimately. So before you even knew what any of this stuff was, you just wanted to land a plane on an aircraft carrier. So I did talk to the Air Force. I talked to a Navy recruiter, Lieutenant Goddess. Oh, you're great. We want you. Come on, come on, come on. The Navy would love to have you. Come on, come on. I talked to an Air Force recruiter. I don't remember his name. He like the Air Force only takes the best and the brightest And I like that probably ain me I going Navy Oh shit So many factors Again, the Lord steering me down the path that I was to go. And the Navy was it. Well, where did …”
“… I've ever done has been just the same. And I'm and I'm sure that I'm not unique, that other people experience the same. Yeah, I think a lot of people do. Yeah. So why did you pick the Navy? Landing, the challenge of landing airplanes on boats, ultimately. So before you even knew what any of this stuff was, you just wanted to land a plane on an aircraft carrier. So I did talk to the Air Force. I talked to a Navy recruiter, Lieutenant Goddess. Oh, you're great. We want you. Come on, come on, come on. The Navy would love to have you. Come on, come on. I talked to an Air Force recruiter. I don't remember his name. He like the Air Force only takes the best and the brightest And I like that probably ain me I going Navy Oh shit So many factors Again, the Lord steering me down the path that I was to go. And the Navy was it. Well, where did you wind up going? I went to initially Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida. Gunnery Sergeant Tybertius Gerhardt, United States Marine Corps. And, boy, I could, again, I keep a loom back to the book because there's several amazing stories about him. And I even referred back to him even when I was in Starliner, things that he had …”
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In this segment, the speaker reflects on their challenging journey to join the Navy, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and discipline. They recount a memorable lecture from Gunnery Sergeant Tybertius Gerhardt during Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, where he taught them life-saving lessons while dolphins played in the background, symbolizing the beauty of focus amidst struggle.
“… is And this is how we going to get But when you see a geek and he got like an AR and a bulletproof vest on and he like I just hanging out this Air Force base That's like we're about to get. But I love maybe you have this in half-assed Internet research, but who the Jeffrey Donovan character is like based on visually. Oh, yeah. is a former ranger who was in Norman Schwarzkopf's security detail, who was like a bespectacled dude who was like yoked and very scary, but also a big dork. And that fusing those two ideas together to make a character is really interesting. You're up with the Sean …”
“… you only. Honestly, a dude wearing a bulletproof vest who has big horn rim glasses. Yeah I kind of did mine I said a movie with a debrief When there a debrief in a movie and it like all these important people are in a room and they like this is how it is And this is how we going to get But when you see a geek and he got like an AR and a bulletproof vest on and he like I just hanging out this Air Force base That's like we're about to get. But I love maybe you have this in half-assed Internet research, but who the Jeffrey Donovan character is like based on visually. Oh, yeah. is a former ranger who was in Norman Schwarzkopf's security detail, who was like a bespectacled dude who was like yoked and very scary, but also a big dork. And that fusing those two ideas together to make a character is really interesting. You're up with the Sean Fennessey word for stealth homage that gives every movie nerd a criteria orgasm. Okay, I don't want to overdo it, but there's three. There's one that's very obvious, which is Del Toro says, keep an eye out for the state police. They are not always the good guys. Of course, Del Toro was state police in traffic, for which he won his Academy Award. In Thief, …”
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The rewatchables crew introduces a new award category inspired by listener Abby Soul, highlighting personal moments in movies that resonate deeply with individual viewers. From a character's quirky habits to the emotional connections in scenes, they share what speaks to them, revealing how unique interpretations can enhance our viewing experience.
“… should. If that happened, bitch, I'm going to the moon. You're leaving? Yeah, I'm going to the moon. I'm taking NASA, whatever that shit called, Air Force. N-A-S-A. Yeah, NASA. I'm taking that to the moon because shit getting crazy. I like that shit. Dude would you ever Who's the first Asian on the moon You think you could do it Oh my god I don't think there's no Asian on the moon Bro has anybody ever streamed from the moon Oh that would be tough Bro you could do it because that one guy was given That rich guy was giving people a ride Jeff Bezos Amazon He did As of 2026 no Asian person has walked …”
“… yeah But now you're in like you live in America now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So if you had to fight now, if they had America versus Taiwanese war, who would you fight? Whose side would you fight on, you think? I don't think that's going to happen, but I should. If that happened, bitch, I'm going to the moon. You're leaving? Yeah, I'm going to the moon. I'm taking NASA, whatever that shit called, Air Force. N-A-S-A. Yeah, NASA. I'm taking that to the moon because shit getting crazy. I like that shit. Dude would you ever Who's the first Asian on the moon You think you could do it Oh my god I don't think there's no Asian on the moon Bro has anybody ever streamed from the moon Oh that would be tough Bro you could do it because that one guy was given That rich guy was giving people a ride Jeff Bezos Amazon He did As of 2026 no Asian person has walked on the moon bro Damn I gotta be the first one man I'll be down to do it bro Damn Bro you could get up there And it would be cheaper to get you up there Because the luggage You have to pay $75 if it's over like a certain amount of weight Overweight? But you be in you be I think you would be Cuz I skinny right I weigh 120 Well I just saying you …”
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Imagine if you could escape Earth and hang out with gay aliens on the moon! In a humorous conversation, two friends discuss the absurdity of space travel, the potential for alien life, and the hilarious consequences of being the first Asian on the moon. Their banter takes a wild turn as they contemplate the quirks of intergalactic friendships and the price of admission to such an adventure.
“… But the kid doesn't want me to be his dad. He's got a dad. It's difficult. But my stepdad, he's a guy that didn't go to college. Was in the Air Force. Worked sales jobs. Was like selling fire alarms or house alarms. And then made his way into the television advertising business. And then became like a badass. Oh really? That's awesome. Where's he from? What's his story? He has a crazy story. He's from Cuba. He left when he was very little. But he left without his father because his father was in jail. A political prisoner for 14 years or 10 years, 11 years. But he didn't meet his dad until …”
“… He's a badass. I got lucky with a good stepdad. I think it's also a difficult position to be in. It is impossible. I dated a gal with a kid. I found it to be impossible. It's hard. Because I cared about the kid and now I want the kid to turn out good. But the kid doesn't want me to be his dad. He's got a dad. It's difficult. But my stepdad, he's a guy that didn't go to college. Was in the Air Force. Worked sales jobs. Was like selling fire alarms or house alarms. And then made his way into the television advertising business. And then became like a badass. Oh really? That's awesome. Where's he from? What's his story? He has a crazy story. He's from Cuba. He left when he was very little. But he left without his father because his father was in jail. A political prisoner for 14 years or 10 years, 11 years. But he didn't meet his dad until he was 14. Wow. In Miami when his dad made it out and came here. And so he had such a difficult coming up. And my mom had a really difficult coming up because she left Cuba when she was little. How old was she? I'm pretty sure she was 12 when she left Cuba. And then she was in Spain from 12 to 15, 16. Then she went to the Dominican Republic. Really …”
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Accents can reveal much about cultural identity and family ties. In a candid discussion, a comedian reflects on how his immigrant upbringing shapes his language and relationships, highlighting the importance of presence in family moments. This exploration of identity showcases how personal experiences influence humor and connection.
“… games, it was always like, it's like, uh, uh, Invictus, but obviously for, you know, more like us, it was always the us. So like Marines, Navy, Air Force, Special Forces, Army, uh, and then like Canada had a contingent there, Australia had a contingent there. And then the only other contingent that was consistently there, wounded warriors, hurt in Iraq and Afghanistan, Denmark, it was the one country that was there every time I hosted and I hosted it maybe seven times, every single time, Danish men and women who had suffered grievous battlefield injuries defending the interests of the United …”
“… languages, you know, it's the first thing we all learn when we take Spanish. So who shows that to Trump? Like, uh, you might want to see this doing that to the Danes. And by the way, the Danes, every time I used to host this thing called the warrior games, it was always like, it's like, uh, uh, Invictus, but obviously for, you know, more like us, it was always the us. So like Marines, Navy, Air Force, Special Forces, Army, uh, and then like Canada had a contingent there, Australia had a contingent there. And then the only other contingent that was consistently there, wounded warriors, hurt in Iraq and Afghanistan, Denmark, it was the one country that was there every time I hosted and I hosted it maybe seven times, every single time, Danish men and women who had suffered grievous battlefield injuries defending the interests of the United States of America. And now we're like, yeah, fuck those guys. We're going to take Greenland. Yeah. They joined us when we invoked article five and now we're going to go article five against them. You know, it's, you love to see it. Yeah. All right. What do we got, Brady? Anybody, anybody want to know anything? Yes. Uh, first up, John, be honest with …”
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An aspiring comedian believes their anxiety and overthinking are barriers to confidence, but the truth is, these traits can be their greatest assets. Embracing these qualities can lead to unique comedic insights and relatable material. The key is to channel that energy into writing and performing, transforming anxiety into a superpower.
“… the escalation frameworks with respect to this one conflict really It applies much more broadly I've developed these since I taught for the Air Force because I needed to find a way to help our government, our military understand how the transition from the bombing or the military piece to the outcome. And what's in the middle is the military, the bombs change politics. They change politics in the enemy. They change politics for us. For us, we don't want to lose. And that's why we got stuck in two forever wars. And now we may well just get right back into another. Not because Trump wants to. …”
“… that Israel got itself into the idea they were going to cleanse, expel large portions of the two million out of Gaza? That happened because they got into stage three of the escalation trap in Gaza So this isn just about America So we only talking about the escalation frameworks with respect to this one conflict really It applies much more broadly I've developed these since I taught for the Air Force because I needed to find a way to help our government, our military understand how the transition from the bombing or the military piece to the outcome. And what's in the middle is the military, the bombs change politics. They change politics in the enemy. They change politics for us. For us, we don't want to lose. And that's why we got stuck in two forever wars. And now we may well just get right back into another. Not because Trump wants to. He's being sucked into it. So what happens after stage three? After stage three, this is what America has faced in Vietnam. And President Biden faced this in spades here. When you try to pull out after you're in stage three and end these ongoing conflicts here, usually it ends poorly for your legacy. And you saw that with Lyndon Johnson. And you …”
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President Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan has severely impacted his legacy, leading to plummeting approval ratings. This situation mirrors the historical challenges faced by leaders like Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War, where the aftermath of military decisions can haunt political careers. As Trump navigates his own political dilemmas, the specter of historical failures looms large over current geopolitical strategies.
“… want to start with that. Security has gotten way better since 1999. If I go back to where I was in 1999, which was doing security for the U.S. Air Force. But also, it's far more complex than it was back in 1999. Right. First of all, the IT environments are amazingly complex. But just to be clear, like, we had, in fact, I've got one of the boxes right behind me, Network Systems Group, Border Guard 2000 was our line rate packet filter. And literally, we were looking for plain text strings, because nothing was encrypted, that were like, oh, people are sending admin commands to SMTP servers. Like, …”
“All right, Andy, I'm throwing this to you. I'm going to say, and I love Joshua's when he does these unpopular opinions, but I think he's just flat out wrong here. OK. Like, I just want to start with that. Security has gotten way better since 1999. If I go back to where I was in 1999, which was doing security for the U.S. Air Force. But also, it's far more complex than it was back in 1999. Right. First of all, the IT environments are amazingly complex. But just to be clear, like, we had, in fact, I've got one of the boxes right behind me, Network Systems Group, Border Guard 2000 was our line rate packet filter. And literally, we were looking for plain text strings, because nothing was encrypted, that were like, oh, people are sending admin commands to SMTP servers. Like, that's the level of vulnerability things we were dealing with. This is not like basic, like, we wouldn't even call this basic patches anymore. The amount of just insecure by default and by you're stuck there software was through the roof. In fact, to connect into this, our security system, we had to use Telnet. That's pretty old. We didn't have …”
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Cybersecurity has drastically improved since 1999, despite the increasing complexity of technology. Back then, security measures were primitive, relying on insecure methods like Telnet, while today’s systems update seamlessly to protect users. This evolution shows that while we often romanticize the past, the present offers far superior security solutions.
“… the moving target indicator mission. We've obviously talked on prior podcasts about the E-7 situation. How much of a pushback do you think the Space Force guys will get from the Air Force guys here on this? Do you have a sense for how much weight they're at this point looking to still put behind the E-7 or is that not the hill they want to die on? It's interesting you say hill because I mean, a lot of this pressure is coming from Capitol Hill. If you look at the NDA, the appropriations and the reconciliation, they all pressure the Air Force to continue the E-7 prototypes, specifically the …”
“Brian, I'm just kind of curious what Vivian mentioned, the moving target indicator mission. We've obviously talked on prior podcasts about the E-7 situation. How much of a pushback do you think the Space Force guys will get from the Air Force guys here on this? Do you have a sense for how much weight they're at this point looking to still put behind the E-7 or is that not the hill they want to die on? It's interesting you say hill because I mean, a lot of this pressure is coming from Capitol Hill. If you look at the NDA, the appropriations and the reconciliation, they all pressure the Air Force to continue the E-7 prototypes, specifically the prototypes. We're not really looking at changes to the program of record quite yet from their perspective, though obviously the Pentagon is looking to kill it. This is one delicate dance. I'm really interested to see how it plays out because based on our reporting and our understanding of where things are right now, the Air Force wants the E-7. The Air …”
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The Air Force is caught in a budget battle over the future of the E-7 aircraft, crucial for their operations but facing pressure from the Pentagon to cut costs. Despite the need for the E-7, industry and congressional forces are pushing to keep the program alive amidst competing priorities, including a shift towards space-based capabilities. This delicate dance will determine the fate of the E-7 and the future of Air Force refueling strategies.
“… they think. So go meet with them. That's the interrupt part. The process part is like, I'll give you a good example. Somebody is going to out-Salesforce Salesforce, not for the hostages that they have, but is going to build the Greenfield version of Salesforce. Because how is that possible? Everybody hates using Salesforce. There's a new company that's going to do this better that's going to be AI native. How do we make sure that we are adept at finding, picking, and winning, and supporting that investment? Well, we believe in adverse selection versus positive selection. So a very inexpensive …”
“… from my wife and children's perspective, like a weekly occurrence right now where it's like, ah, gotta cancel this. I have to have dinner with this entrepreneur who has discovered that the fountain not of youth, but of perpetual motion, or so they think. So go meet with them. That's the interrupt part. The process part is like, I'll give you a good example. Somebody is going to out-Salesforce Salesforce, not for the hostages that they have, but is going to build the Greenfield version of Salesforce. Because how is that possible? Everybody hates using Salesforce. There's a new company that's going to do this better that's going to be AI native. How do we make sure that we are adept at finding, picking, and winning, and supporting that investment? Well, we believe in adverse selection versus positive selection. So a very inexpensive deal that has been hanging around the hoop for six months, that's probably bad. We don't want to meet with them. We want to meet with the best company. If it's the best company, every other venture firm also wants to meet with the best company, obviously. They're going to send out their big guns to go try to win that deal. And it's very hard to win …”
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In the competitive landscape of AI, aggregators are set to outshine big tech giants like Google by offering diverse model access. Just like using Kayak to find flights across multiple airlines, investors recognize that leveraging a variety of specialized models is key to success. This trend is reshaping the investment strategy in consumer AI, focusing on partnerships that prioritize expertise and market understanding.
“… is a hotspot historically as well. I believe Nathan Twining, who's head of Air Material Command, responsible for all aircraft development of the Air Force, wrote the famous Twining Memo in 1947, saying UFOs are not visionary nor fictitious. Right. I believe they had like an observation program going on in Alaska. And then just recently, you had, it was this weird sequence of events, but in early 2023, you had the Chinese spy balloon. And then right after that, you had this bizarre, you know, these things seem to show up and like jam, you know, the radars of these F-22s. And one of them …”
“… sounds like they were pretty aware of this, to say, oh, we've never had 45 minutes, but it's like, that implies, okay, you're sitting on maybe, you know, shorter clips of UFOs. Yeah, they've got something. They've got something, yeah. I mean, Alaska is a hotspot historically as well. I believe Nathan Twining, who's head of Air Material Command, responsible for all aircraft development of the Air Force, wrote the famous Twining Memo in 1947, saying UFOs are not visionary nor fictitious. Right. I believe they had like an observation program going on in Alaska. And then just recently, you had, it was this weird sequence of events, but in early 2023, you had the Chinese spy balloon. And then right after that, you had this bizarre, you know, these things seem to show up and like jam, you know, the radars of these F-22s. And one of them specifically was in Alaska and crashed. And I've heard some very strange things around this specific craft. I've heard things like it reassembled itself and was seen in the air over Canada. Bizarre. I've heard something about deleted emails involving this specific craft in the National Military Command Center servers. So I don't know. It seems like there's …”
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In a jaw-dropping moment, President Reagan hinted that UFOs are real during a White House viewing of E.T., suggesting that many in the room knew the truth. This connection between UFO sightings and nuclear sites, particularly in Alaska, raises questions about secret military knowledge and the bizarre incidents surrounding recent unidentified crafts. The involvement of high-level scientific advisors at UFO crash sites adds another layer of intrigue to this ongoing mystery.
“… a regime change war, then we're doing ahead of schedule extremely well. Soon, the Iranian military will not have a Navy. They will not have an Air Force. They will not only not have missile launchers, missiles, the ability to manufacture more missiles. They will also be continuing their weekend at Bernie's leadership style where we don't know if he's alive or dead. and just in a hole like a rat sending out telegram notes, I guess. So from a military analysis, I think they're ahead of schedule, measurably achieving the objectives. War is always uncertain, so nobody knows where to actually end. …”
“… of Defense went on TV again to say the objectives are very clear, deny nuclear capability, destroy the missile shield and all of its parts and components, and destroy the Navy. If you take those goals, not what people think they are, that it's not a regime change war, then we're doing ahead of schedule extremely well. Soon, the Iranian military will not have a Navy. They will not have an Air Force. They will not only not have missile launchers, missiles, the ability to manufacture more missiles. They will also be continuing their weekend at Bernie's leadership style where we don't know if he's alive or dead. and just in a hole like a rat sending out telegram notes, I guess. So from a military analysis, I think they're ahead of schedule, measurably achieving the objectives. War is always uncertain, so nobody knows where to actually end. But as of this morning, 16,000 targets, 90 ships. It's just incredible. A lot of historic first moments. It's the first time we've ever sunk a submarine with a precision attack, or basically a ground-based system. There are so many successes here, and it's weird because if you go to any media channel, it seems to, besides most of them, it seems like …”
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The U.S. is achieving its military objectives in the Iran conflict ahead of schedule, with significant progress in disabling Iran's military capabilities. John Spencer, a military analyst, highlights that while the media portrays a different narrative, the reality shows the destruction of key military assets and a historic first in precision attacks. This analysis reveals a stark contrast between military success and public perception.
“Okay, but I do want to talk about this. coded language by the Air Force General Grinkowicz. This is all serious. At the Senate hearing, I want to cue you in on the language that was being used because there were things happening at different levels right here. So this top Air Force General, who's now the United States Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, is actually a really good guy. Like, I'm not just saying like, like, you know, he's been someone who's been dedicated to service his entire life. He was an Air …”
“Okay, but I do want to talk about this. coded language by the Air Force General Grinkowicz. This is all serious. At the Senate hearing, I want to cue you in on the language that was being used because there were things happening at different levels right here. So this top Air Force General, who's now the United States Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, is actually a really good guy. Like, I'm not just saying like, like, you know, he's been someone who's been dedicated to service his entire life. He was an Air Force pilot. He climbed the ranks and he's doing his best to help Ukraine and to help keep NATO. I follow him in the various moves. I watched his speech in Sweden. If you watch the Midas Touch Network, you know that I actually cover Grinkowicz a lot because I'm trying to see who's trying to just keep this all together right now in the face of Donald …”
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Air Force General Grinkowicz warns that attacking civilian populations only hardens their resolve, drawing parallels to historical events like the London Blitz and current situations in Ukraine and Iran. During a Senate hearing, he subtly critiques military strategy while navigating political pressures, highlighting how increased oil prices from conflicts inadvertently benefit Russia's economy.
“… that's the last time we did an operation like this before. Last time. And obviously the military, you've got to give a lot of credit because Delta Force was involved back then. Nobody knew about Delta Force in the early 80s It was Navy It was everybody involved Rangers were involved Air Force was involved for the pilot of the C It like are we going to do this again Not for 53 not for 66 but just for two And this time the CIA is going to be involved? Yes. You're kidding me. Not at all. And so while we're all watching the news, Rob, if you want to play one of the clips, I don't know which one you …”
“… were held at the embassy. And then 52 of them were held hostage. And we had to do an operation, Eagle Claw. And it was a hot mess. You know, C-130 crashed into a helicopter. Eight people died. It was nasty. So it's like, wait a minute. By the way, that's the last time we did an operation like this before. Last time. And obviously the military, you've got to give a lot of credit because Delta Force was involved back then. Nobody knew about Delta Force in the early 80s It was Navy It was everybody involved Rangers were involved Air Force was involved for the pilot of the C It like are we going to do this again Not for 53 not for 66 but just for two And this time the CIA is going to be involved? Yes. You're kidding me. Not at all. And so while we're all watching the news, Rob, if you want to play one of the clips, I don't know which one you have. We were told this is it. It's done. Nothing can happen. and all of a sudden these are some of the news reports that we get. And Vinny, I'm going to come to you first. Go ahead, Rob. So we've just gotten a truth social from President Trump on all of this. It's a long one, so bear with me here. The president wrote, We got him, my fellow …”
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The U.S. military executed a daring rescue operation, recovering a colonel behind enemy lines in Iran without any casualties. This operation marks a significant achievement, showcasing the military's air dominance and the successful rescue of two pilots in enemy territory, a first in military history. President Trump praised the operation, emphasizing unity and pride among Americans.
“… defense workflows. Saronic Technologies is building autonomous boats for the Navy, and Shield AI is building an AI pilot that's being tested in Air Force efforts. All told, defense tech startups had their best funding year ever in 2025. Venture capital deals jumped to a record $50 billion, up from $27 billion in 2024. So here to discuss this new wave of defense tech companies, we're joined by Dan Primack, business editor at Axios and author of the ProRata newsletter. Dan, thank you for joining us on Profit Markets. I want to start with Anderle's fundraise. I mean, just a giant round, $4 billion, …”
“… tech company Anduril is currently raising $4 billion in a round that could double the startup's valuation to $60 billion. At the same time, the Pentagon is negotiating contracts with OpenAI and, of course, Anthropic, pushing to bring frontier AI into defense workflows. Saronic Technologies is building autonomous boats for the Navy, and Shield AI is building an AI pilot that's being tested in Air Force efforts. All told, defense tech startups had their best funding year ever in 2025. Venture capital deals jumped to a record $50 billion, up from $27 billion in 2024. So here to discuss this new wave of defense tech companies, we're joined by Dan Primack, business editor at Axios and author of the ProRata newsletter. Dan, thank you for joining us on Profit Markets. I want to start with Anderle's fundraise. I mean, just a giant round, $4 billion, $60 billion valuation. You reported on this. Tell us what we know about this round. Yeah, it's not completely done yet, but the broad strokes of it are. I think some other investors might come in and they haven't finalized all the paperwork. But yeah, look, just for some context here, prior to this round, Anderle had raised a total of just over $6 …”
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Defense tech startups like Anduril are raising billions, reshaping an industry traditionally dominated by old giants. With a $4 billion fundraise potentially doubling Anduril's valuation to $60 billion, this surge reflects increased defense spending and a shift in Silicon Valley's investment focus toward military technology. As venture capitalists embrace this new paradigm, the implications for the future of warfare are profound.
“… But what's now happening is this new follow-on wave of CCA activity in both the smaller and larger increments. And so at the show, you know, the Air Force confirmed that, you know, four engine makers had been awarded these conceptual designs for the second sort of increment of CCAs. So with GE Aerospace Kratos, Honeywell actually were announcing things at the show. and showing engines um but along with that beehive industries was there you know have their engines on display pratt and whitney as well so you had this sort of this new wave coming and there was a lot to talk about but what was …”
“… remarkable what's happening. So every time at AFA, there's more to talk about in this area. This was no exception. In fact, there was the large mock-up, the CCAs from Andril and General Atomics were there, but they're flying, everything's happening. But what's now happening is this new follow-on wave of CCA activity in both the smaller and larger increments. And so at the show, you know, the Air Force confirmed that, you know, four engine makers had been awarded these conceptual designs for the second sort of increment of CCAs. So with GE Aerospace Kratos, Honeywell actually were announcing things at the show. and showing engines um but along with that beehive industries was there you know have their engines on display pratt and whitney as well so you had this sort of this new wave coming and there was a lot to talk about but what was interesting behind the scenes was that um the next session of new engines is also being discussed honeywell was there with an f-124 which as you know has been around for ages but lo and behold it's their potential for the next uh increment increment one follow-on set of engines uh rolls royce was there beating the drum with the ae 3007 uh versions of …”
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The AFA showcased a remarkable surge in new engine producers for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs), highlighting a significant shift in the aerospace industry. With four engine makers awarded conceptual designs and several new models on display, the future of military aviation is evolving rapidly. This growth signals an exciting new chapter for both small and large CCA initiatives.
“… bombing that killed the American servicemen. Operation El Dorado Canyon was called by Reagan. He flew F-111 Aardvarks, which is an amazing Air Force aircraft at the time, incredibly fast on the deck down below 10,000 feet. And when it drops its payload, it can avoid fighters. So these are very sophisticated, great aircraft. He sent 20 of them or so from the UK all the way down. But France said you won't fly over our airspace. And the rumor has it that that is why a stray armament hit the French embassy in Tripoli way over there when we were there to put some holes in the airstrip so that …”
“… Yep, they did. By the way, there is precedent here. You know, Operation El Dorado Canyon, which was, remember when Muammar Gaddafi stood up, took credit for the bombing of Pan Am flight in Lockerbie, Scotland, and also was implicated in the discotheque bombing that killed the American servicemen. Operation El Dorado Canyon was called by Reagan. He flew F-111 Aardvarks, which is an amazing Air Force aircraft at the time, incredibly fast on the deck down below 10,000 feet. And when it drops its payload, it can avoid fighters. So these are very sophisticated, great aircraft. He sent 20 of them or so from the UK all the way down. But France said you won't fly over our airspace. And the rumor has it that that is why a stray armament hit the French embassy in Tripoli way over there when we were there to put some holes in the airstrip so that Qaddafi couldn't launch against us. And then we bombed his compound.”
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Mojaba Khomeini, the son of Iran's Supreme Leader, reportedly owns luxury properties in the UK worth $100 million. This raises questions about how the UK allows such wealth from controversial figures while grappling with issues like immigration and local crime. The implications of this financial power highlight the complexities of geopolitics in London and beyond.
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