Cogs of War
Episodes
The Lawmakers Fighting to Modernize the Pentagon
08 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Congress rarely moves fast, but Reps. Rob Wittman and Pat Ryan are trying to change that. The two lawmakers founded the bipartisan House Defense Moder...
Synthetic Biology, Drones, and AI: The Risks of Dual-Use Technologies
27 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is it too late to stop criminals and American adversaries from exploiting AI to conduct cyberattacks or design novel pathogens? Has regulation kept pa...
Meet the New Host of Cogs of War
14 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan sits down at the Cogs of War mic for the last time to introduce Jonathan Panter, the new host and executive editor of Cogs of War. Jonathan shar...
Why Booz Allen is Partnering With One of the World's Most Important VC Firms
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when one of the defense industry's leading technology integrators partners with one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture firms? B...
The Future Soldier Loadout: Smarter Gear or Dead Weight?
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The tech soldiers carry will shape their performance in combat, missions, safety, and health. If you care about any of those things, you w...
Countering Drones and the Pace of Modern War
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is about far more than countering drones. It is about how America prepares for and fights its wars. With three leaders from three compani...
Agentic AI and the Pentagon's Integration Challenge
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Agentic AI is quickly moving from demo to deployment inside the Department of Defense. But what does it actually mean to give AI "agency" — and what...
SkyFoundry and the Future of American Drone Production at Scale
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
China and Russia are churning out millions of drones while the United States has little capacity to build them at scale. Rep. Pat Harrigan of North Ca...
Building an Academic Arsenal
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since World War II, America's universities have been part of the nation's arsenal, forging the ideas, technology, and talent that underpin national de...
The Tech and Tradecraft Behind Open Source Intelligence
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Open-source intelligence has matured into a complex blend of technology, access, and tradecraft. Ryan is joined by Ryan Curran of ZeroFox, Tucke...
Missiles and the Math of Modern Warfare
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to missiles, America lacks the magazine depth for a long fight, especially against a peer competitor like China. A major part of the pr...
What it Takes for Dual-Use Tech Companies to Truly Succeed
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sherman Williams, the co-founder of AIN Ventures, joins Ryan at the bar to discuss the hard realities of dual-use investing. They dig into inflated va...
Rockets, Politics, and Power: A Conversation with Tory Bruno of ULA
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, joins us to talk about the hard business of getting things into space. He reflects on competi...
Moving at the Speed of War: A Conversation with Horacio Rozanski of Booz Allen
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The future fight won't be won by those with the biggest budgets, most polished strategies, or largest armies. It will be won by those who can translat...
From BUD/S to the Boardroom: The Fight to Revolutionize Munitions Factories
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A career-ending spinal injury during Navy SEAL training could have closed Joe Musselman's chapter of service. Instead, it became the catalyst for a ne...
Solving the Pentagon's Acquisition Puzzle
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a fundamental mismatch between the agile acquisition processes that the Pentagon says it wants, and the unfortunate bureaucratic reality. B...
Lessons Learned and a Big Play on Drones from Latvia
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Could this small state's collaborative approach to defense planning be the future for countries seeking asymmetric advantages? Ryan traveled to north...
Inside Skunk Works: How the OG Aerospace Innovators Operate
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to push aerospace innovation from concept to battlefield? Ryan sits down with John Clark, Lockheed Martin's senior vice president fo...
The Future of Software-Defined Warfare
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How can you bring together technical directors, military officials, and competing commercial interests to craft effective defense tech policy? Whitne...
Moving Fast and Breaking Things in the U.S. Navy
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"Innovation adoption is a contact sport." As the chief technology officer of the Department of the Navy, Justin Fanelli is one of the leaders responsi...