I - On Defense Podcast - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

President Trump to Ukraine: No Tomahawks - At least For Now + Pakistan & Afghanistan Agree to Ceasefire + US Army Considers CCA Capability + More Oct 19, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Pakistan & Afghanistan Agree to Ceasefire.

Security issues are at the heart of the tensions, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harboring militant groups led by the Pakistani Taliban on its soil- a claim Kabul denies.

2. Hamas terror group transferred to Israel two caskets Saturday night which it said contained the remains of two dead hostages held in Gaza. If the bodies are confirmed to belong to hostages, it would mean that the number of bodies of dead captives still held in the Strip would go down to 16, after 28 were there at the start of the current ceasefire.

3. Hamas intends to maintain security control in Gaza during an interim period, a senior Hamas official told Reuters, adding he could not commit to the terrorist group disarming.

4. The White House is considering sending US Vice President JD Vance to Israel on Monday to hold meetings with top Israeli officials on implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

5. A multinational team meant to help secure the Gaza Strip following the end of Israel’s war with Hamas will likely be headed up by Egypt, according to a report Saturday. Citing unnamed diplomats, The Guardian reported that Egypt would likely lead the stabilization force, although Cairo has not issued any statements on the matter.

6. President Trump to Ukraine: No Tomahawks - At least For Now.

7. Over the past three months, an Australian E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft has been employed as part of NATO operations to monitor Russian activities near Ukraine.

8. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG) transited the Singapore Strait on Friday and is now operating in the South China Sea following a three-month stint in the Middle East.

9. The Army plans to expand its autonomous air capability portfolio with a CCA-like option.

President Trump and Russian President to Meet in Budapest within Two Weeks + US-Led Gaza Coordination Center Operational in Days + First US Army Hypersonic Battery Fully Equipped in December + More Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. The military commander of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Muhammad al-Ghamari, has died, the Iran-backed group announced Thursday afternoon.

The Israel Defense Forces later confirmed that al-Ghamari had been killed during a 28 Aug airstrike in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

2. US-Led Gaza Coordination Center Operational in Days.

The command center will be led by a US three-star general, at least initially, who has not been identified publicly. The commander will have a foreign deputy, who would be the equivalent of a two-star officer, the officials said.

3. US denies Hamas violating ceasefire deal, vows no hostage will be ‘left behind’ in Gaza.

4. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told The Associated Press that 15 Palestinian technocrats have been selected to administer postwar Gaza.

5. Russia' postponed Arab summit. May be held in November instead.

6. President Trump and Russian President to Meet in Budapest within Two Weeks.

The Trump-Putin meeting is expected to follow talks next week between teams led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at a location to be determined.

7. United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Moscow on Wednesday that if its war on Ukraine does not come to an end, the US and NATO allies would “impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression.”

8. The US and the Netherlands signed a pact today for the European nation to participate in the development of the US Air Force’s CCA program.

CCA = Collaborative Combat Aircraft

9. First US Army Hypersonic Battery Fully Equipped in December.

10. The Army plans to "field" its next-generation M1E3 Abrams tank before the end of next year.

The test vehicle would be sent to a small unit (identity and location not yet been determined).

Israel To Keep Rafah Crossing Closed & Limit Aid Until Hamas Returns Remaining Hostages + AUSA in Washington D.C + More Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Israel To Keep Rafah Crossing Closed & Limit Aid Until Hamas Returns Remaining Hostages.

2. Post Gaza Ceasefire: Hamas gunmen tightened their grip in Gaza on Monday and Tuesday, sources in the Strip said, including carrying out public executions.

Hamas has killed at least 33 people since a ceasefire took effect on Friday in a crackdown on groups that have tested its grip, sources in the strip said.

3. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that supplying U.S. Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could end badly for everyone, especially U.S. President Donald Trump.

Mr. Medvedev, said it is impossible to distinguish between Tomahawk missiles carrying nuclear warheads and conventional ones after they are launched - a point that President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has also made.

4. Secretary of the Army Driscoll today teased a shake-up in the way the Army buys its weapons and platforms, saying that he wants to adopt more of a private sector-like model that “speeds up the cycle of innovation for us.”

5. Leonardo DRS is partnering with European land defense specialist KNDS to throw their hat in the ring for the US Army’s forthcoming howitzer competition.

The two signed a “strategic teaming agreement” to offer the Army the CAESAR self-propelled howitzer. Though KNDS makes the CAESAR, Leonardo DRS, the US arm of Italian parent Leonardo, will be the integrator and prime for the project.

6. A year after the program was cancelled, the Army may reverse course and back the development of a next-generation interceptor for the Patriot Missile System- called the Lower-Tier Future Interceptor (LTFI).

7. The UH-60 Black Hawk is now fully reconfigured to be an unmanned aircraft capable of flying a variety of missions, according to Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky.

The aircraft is designated the S-70 UAS and nicknamed the U-HAWK.

20 Living Hostages Returned to Israel After Two Plus Years of Captivity; 4 of 28 Hostages Bodies Also Returned + President Trump Addresses Knesset + President Trump and Leaders of Egypt, Qatar, & Turkey Sign Peace Declaration + More Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. 20 Living Hostages Returned to Israel After Two Plus Years of Captivity; 4 of 28 Hostages Bodies Also Returned.

2. President Trump Addresses Knesset.

3. President Trump and Leaders of Egypt, Qatar, & Turkey Sign Peace Declaration.

4. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s success in brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has renewed his hope that Trump can help facilitate a similar agreement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

All of Israel Prepares for the Return of the Hostages (Monday AM) + President Trump to Arrive in Israel to Address Knesset; Then to Egypt for Summit + Pakistan & Afghanistan Trade Fire on Border Regions + More Oct 12, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Pakistan & Afghanistan Trade Fire on Border Regions.

2. All of Israel Prepares for the Return of the Hostages (Monday AM).

3. President Trump to Arrive in Israel to address Knesset; Then to Egypt for Summit.

Egypt will host an international summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, an Egyptian presidential spokesperson said on Saturday.

The summit will be attended by more than 20 leaders, including US President Donald Trump, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Several leaders have confirmed their attendance, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

4. Iran dismissed the idea that it would establish diplomatic ties with Israel, describing the idea on Saturday as “wishful thinking.”

The statement came nearly two weeks after US President Donald Trump suggested that Iran could normalize relations with Israel after decades of calling for its elimination.

5. The Department of War plans to siphon $8 billion in leftover fiscal 2025 research and development funding to ensure troops get a paycheck during the ongoing government shutdown, a department official said in a statement on Saturday.

IDF Withdraws to Yellow Line in Gaza; 72-Hour Clock to Release Hostages Begins + US CENTCOM will Send Team to "Observe & Oversee" Ceasefire and Hostage Release + Denmark to Procure 16 More F-35s; Includes CCAs + More Oct 11, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. IDF Withdraws to Yellow Line in Gaza; 72-Hour Clock to Release Hostages Begins. Noon Monday (13 Oct) is the deadline for Hostage Release.

2. US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Israel on Monday morning and address the Knesset (in Jerusalem) before departing that same day.

3. Opposition activist María Corina Machado of Venezuela won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, dashing US President Donald Trump’s hopes of collecting the prestigious award after mediating a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

4. An American military team of 200 people will be deployed in the Middle East to “oversee” the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the US military’s Central Command (US CENTCOM), “will initially have 200 people on the ground. His role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations,” one senior official told reporters.

5. Qatar will build an air force facility at a US military base in Idaho to host its F-15 fighter jets and to train pilots, according to an agreement signed Friday between US War Secretary Pete Hegseth and his visiting Qatari counterpart.

6. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday praised US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts, despite not winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

7. Denmark to Procure 16 More F-35s; Includes CCAs.

CCA = Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) wingman drones.

President Trump Announces Ceasefire & Hostage Agreement between Israel & Hamas; Deal to be Signed Thursday in Egypt; Hostage Release to Begin Saturday + President Trump to Visit the Region this Weekend + More Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. President Trump Announces Ceasefire & Hostage Agreement between Israel & Hamas.

Deal to be Signed Thursday in Egypt.

Hostage Release to Begin Saturday.

President Trump to Visit the Region this Weekend.

2. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty tells the Saudi channel Al-Arabiya that “additional Arab countries will sign peace agreements with Israel if the war in Gaza comes to an end.”

3. The German budget committee approved a long-planned order of advanced Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, greenlighting the €3.75 billion ($4.36 billion) procurement of 20 additional aircraft, designed to the Tranche 5 standard.

4. Spain is reportedly considering acquiring Turkey’s incoming fifth-generation KAAN fighter jets after shelving plans to purchase US-made F-35s.

5. Bangladesh’s top air force officer, announced last month that his country’s interim government had given an in-principle approval for the purchase of “multirole combat and attack aircraft”.

Though not specified, there is a strong likelihood it will be the J-10CE fighter from China.

6. The US Department of War is expected to decide as soon as this week which US company will assemble the US Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation stealth aircraft.

According to Reuters- Boeing and Northrop Grumman competing for the contract.

"Positive Atmosphere" at First Day of Talks in Egypt + IDF on High Alert for 07 October Anniversary and Holiday Period + Chinese Underwater Drone Found in Philippine S. China Sea Waters + More Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. "Positive Atmosphere" at First Day of Talks in Egypt.

2. IDF on High Alert for 07 October Anniversary and Holiday Period (Sukkot).

3. Families of hostages held in Gaza urged the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Monday to give the Nobel Peace Prize to United States President Donald Trump this month for his efforts to secure the release of their loved ones.

4. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 6 that he has "sort of made a decision" on whether to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk long-range missiles.

"I think I want to find out what they're doing with them, where they're sending them, I guess. I have to ask that question," Trump mused to reporters in the Oval Office.

5. Chinese Underwater Drone Found in Philippine S. China Sea Waters.

Filipino fishermen discovered the 12-foot-long drone and turned it over to a Philippine Coast Guard station. The drone was equipped with a conductivity, temperature, and depth sensor for oceanographic survey operations.

6. Sierra Nevada Corp. for the first time publicly displayed the Battery Revolving Adaptive Weapons Launcher—Reconfigurable (BRAWLR), which SNC says can carry up to four types of rockets and missiles at once to take out enemy drones and cruise missiles from the back of a pickup truck, a trailer or the ground.

Negotiations to Enact President Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan Begin Monday in Cairo + Russian President Putin: Supplying US Tomahawk Missiles to Ukraine "Completely New Stage of Escalation" Oct 04, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Negotiations to Enact President Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan Begin Monday in Cairo.

2. The head of Hezbollah said Saturday that Washington’s plan for a ceasefire in Gaza was “full of dangers,” - but said the decision of whether to accept it was ultimately Hamas’s.

3. The IDF says it has intercepted a single missile fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. There are no immediate reports of impacts, injuries or damage after sirens sounded in parts of central Israel and the southern West Bank.

4. Russian President Putin: Supplying US Tomahawk Missiles to Ukraine - "This would mark a qualitatively new, completely new stage of escalation between Russia and the U.S.”

Hamas Agrees to Release Israeli Hostages & Hand-over Gaza to Technocrats; Other Plan Details Require Negotiation + IDF to Halt Gaza City Campaign: Will Prepare for Operations to Support Hostages' Return + World Reaction Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

For review

1. Hamas Agrees to Release Israeli Hostages & Hand-over Gaza to Technocrats; Other Plan Details Require Negotiation.

2. IDF to Halt Gaza City Campaign: Will Prepare for Operations to Support Hostages' Return.

3. World Reaction