I - On Defense Podcast podcast | Listen online for free

Available Episodes

5 of 435

Russia - Ukraine Talks in Istanbul Thursday: Will Russian President Attend? + Calm in Kashmir Border Region as Ceasefire Holds + US-Israeli Hostage Edan Alexander Freed After 580 Days in Hamas Captivity + More
For review:1. Russia - Ukraine Talks in Istanbul Thursday: Will Russian President Attend? In what may have been a surprise for the Russian leader, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded by accepting the invitation, saying he was ready to meet Putin in Turkey on 15 May.2. President Trump said he might take a detour during his Mideast trip to visit Turkey for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on 15 May.3. Calm in Kashmir Border Region as Ceasefire Holds. Indian and Pakistani authorities said Monday there was no firing reported overnight along the heavily militarized region between their countries, the first time in recent days the two nations were not shooting at each other. 4. US-Israeli Hostage Edan Alexander Freed from 580 Days in Hamas Captivity. 5. NATO’s top military officer (Admiral Giuseppe Dragone - Italy) said he has no indication yet that the United States will withdraw forces committed to the alliance’s defense plans and shift them to the Indo-Pacific.6. NATO must make drastic changes to its electromagnetic warfare (EW) capabilities if the alliance wants to win a future war against Russia.7. President Donald Trump’s plan to “temporarily” transform a Boeing 747 originally owned by Qatar’s royal family into a new Air Force One plane has come under fire from congressional Democrats.
--------
23:31
Ukraine Agrees to Direct Talks with Russia in Istanbul + India & Pakistan Ceasefire + President Trump Heads to Middle East Region + Armor Not Dead: Australia Activates New Tank Squadron + More
For review:1. Ukraine Agrees to Direct Talks with Russia in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would agree to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump told him immediately to accept Putin's proposal of direct talks.2. India & Pakistan Ceasefire. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire Saturday after US-led talks to end the most serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades, but they accused each other of violating the deal just hours later.3. The Indian Navy massed naval forces in the Northern Arabian Sea and sent a carrier battle group, surface combatants, submarines and naval aviation to keep their Pakistani adversaries in a “defensive position,” Indian officials said this week. 4. President Trump Heads to Middle East Region, 13-16 May. US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday is also set to include Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Arabic media reported Sunday.5. Iran and the United States wrapped up nuclear talks in Oman on Sunday with no apparent breakthrough and a public standoff over enrichment, but with both sides confirming plans for future negotiations.6. The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday evening issued an “urgent” evacuation warning to the three Houthi-controlled ports in western Yemen, ahead of potential Israeli strikes.7. Defense News (Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo) Interview with Lithuania Minister of National Defense- Dovilė Šakalienė. 8. Armor Not Dead: Australia Activates New Tank Squadron. The formal establishment of D Squadron within the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2 CAV) is a significant milestone for the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, representing the first time in the Corps’ history that a regiment has two tank and cavalry squadrons positioned in the same location.
--------
26:15
IRGC General Threatens to "open the gates of hell" if US & Israel Attack Iran + Russia's Victory Day Parade in Moscow + Israel and Greece Collaborate on Large Underwater Drone + More
For review:1. Israeli Defense Minister (Israel Katz) warned Iran of consequences for sponsorship of Houthi Rebels. Defense Minster Katz: “I also warn the Iranian leadership that funds, arms and operates the Houthi terror organization… You are directly responsible. What we did to Hezbollah in Beirut, Hamas in Gaza, to Assad in Damascus and the Houthis in Yemen, will also be done to you in Tehran.” 2. IRGC General Threatens to "open the gates of hell" if US & Israel Attack Iran.IRCG Chief Hossein Salami: “I’m issuing a serious warning. If you make one wrong move, we will open up the gates of hell on you. Sit down and stay in your place…we have made extensive preparations.” 3. Russia's Victory Day Parade in Moscow.4. French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk hit out at leaders and others who attended Moscow’s Victory Day parade on Friday. Mr. Macron and Mr. Tusk were in the French city of Nancy to sign a bilateral treaty, aimed at reinforcing defense and security cooperation between the two countries.5. Denmark will allocate €830 million ($935 million) to the Ukrainian defense industry in 2025 on behalf of the European Union, using windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to buy Ukraine-made weapons. Last year’s equipment purchases using the Danish model included howitzers, long-range drones, anti-tank and anti-ship missile systems. 6. Israel and Greece Collaborate on Large Underwater Drone. The "BlueWhale" sails at 7 knots (13 kilometers/8 miles per hour), has a depth range of 300 meters (984 feet), and can support endurance operations for up to four weeks. Applications of the system include acoustic reconnaissance, special force support, and as a conventional submarine wingman. 7. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has received its first five OA-1K Skyraider II close air support prop planes. The program of record covers a total requirement for 75 aircraft, with deliveries slated to run through 2029. However, it is currently only budgeted for 62 aircraft.
--------
26:24
UAE Facilitates Indirect Security Talks Between Israel & Syria + Moscow Victory Day Parade Guest List + US Navy Sea Launched Cruise Missile - Nuclear in 2034 + IG Report on Gaza Pier + More
For review:1. US President Donald Trump indicated Wednesday that he is seeking to “blow up” Iran’s nuclear centrifuges through an agreement with Tehran, but is also prepared to blow them up in an attack if necessary.2. UAE Facilitates Indirect Security Talks Between Israel & Syria. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday confirmed that his country was currently taking part in indirect talks with Israel. Reports earlier in the day said that the United Arab Emirates had facilitated a backchannel for dialogue between Jerusalem and Damascus.3. Moscow Victory Day Parade Guest List. The most high-profile guests in attendance this year will be Chinese President Xi Jinping and the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Other world leaders set to attend are those from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestine, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.4. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz traveled to Paris on his first foreign trip as head of government to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron- with the two leaders promising closer defense ties.5. US Navy Sea Launched Cruise Missile - Nuclear in 2034. The proposed $150 billion defense reconciliation bill includes $2 billion to develop the missile and an additional $400 million to develop the warhead.6. Department of Defense IG Report on Gaza Pier.7. USAF and Boeing look to deliver the Presidential Jet, VC-25B (Air Force One) in 2027.
--------
23:39
IDF Airstrikes Disable Sanaa International Airport + President Trump Announces Truce with Houthis; Halts Bombing in Yemen + Russia & Ukraine Exchange 205 Prisoners of War + USAF Sentinel ICBM Program Update + More
1. IDF Airstrikes Disable Sanaa International Airport. Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft were involved in the strikes on Yemen on Tuesday, including fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes. The IDF said the fighter jets dropped 50 munitions on the targets.2. President Trump Announces Truce with Houthis; Halts Bombing in Yemen. Oman revealed that it had mediated the ceasefire deal under which neither side will target the other, including US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.3. A fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is likely to take place over the weekend in the capital of Oman, with Iranian state media pointing to May 11 as a probable date.4. Mediated by United Arab Emirates, Russia & Ukraine Exchange 205 Prisoners of War. This marks the fifth known prisoner of war swap of 2025.5. Ukraine dismisses idea of attacking the Russian Victory Day Parade in Moscow on 9 May.6. US Army tests 2 x counter UAS systems in Philippines- the Integrated Fires Protection Capability–High-Powered Microwave (IFPC-HPM) and the Fixed Site–Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aerial System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS).7. USAF Sentinel ICBM Program Update. The Sentinel program will procure up to 634 missiles, with an additional 25 for development and testing — and deploy 400 of them in silos spread across missile fields in the US Great Plains. 8. USMC Landing Ship, Medium update.
--------
24:59