Expedience

Robert from Virginia, Mike, with Russian fever everywhere and crazy propaganda being pumped thru the air waves, how long before the US calls the Ukraine war "Mission Accomplished."

That Ole' ChestnutHello Mike! Nigel from Derbyshire. Thanks again for the pub recommendation. My mates and I enjoyed Rory's on the River Derwent. Next time we'll hoist a pint in your honor. My query

SEATO

Hi Mike, Chuck from Lower Gwynedd here, with all the Tom Foolery coming out of China in the Pacific, what are the chances that SEATO will be revived or or least spun up a bit to try to deter all of these Chinese incursions? The bigger question though is, will the PDB merch be available for Christmas? Stay safe and don't take any wooden nickles.

From your perspective

Does the nuanced view of the world your time in the CIA gave you make you more or less freaked out about where things are headed than your listeners? Justin, Arizona.

Strategy Malfeasance

What is the benefit of broadcasting our military plans so often? For example, why on earth would we state that we intend to have a drone fleet in place to help defend Taiwan by early 2026? Doesn't that just encourage China to move up their Taiwan moves which are probably on speed-dial already given our current weak condition?