On this week’s Defense Nerds Podcast, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould talk about the end of lawmakers’ summer break and the long list of work facing them this month. That includes drafting a defense appropriations bill and keeping up with an aggressive conference plan for the annual defense authorization bill.

The pair also break down President Donald Trump’s surprising announcement of a cancelled peace summit with Taliban leaders at Camp David, a move that would have put the heads of the terrorist network within a short drive of both Washington, D.C. and New York City on the eve of the Sept. 11 attacks’ 18th anniversary.

The reporters also use their in-depth military knowledge to plan talk about the return of the NFL, and what football means to national defense.

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For the next few Defense Nerds Podcast episodes, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould take a break from the normal news format for a bit of summer nonsense: fantasy drafts on military topics.

Up this week, the hosts name their picks for a new Joint Chiefs of Staff made up of characters from popular television shows. They’re joined by Defense News Senior Pentagon Correspondent Aaron Mehta, who goes heavy on space experience for his team. Joe takes some deep-cut intellectuals while Leo ignores his team’s obvious human rights issues.

Listen here:

And help decide a winner by voting in the Twitter poll below:

Joe’s Team: Ben Sisko (Deep Space Nine), Percy Fitzwallace (West Wing), Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock), Dick Winter (Band of Brothers)

Leo’s team: Jack Bauer (24), The Night King (Game of Thrones), Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek), Mitch Buchannon (Baywatch)

Aaron’s team: William Adama (Battlestar Galactica), Adm. Ackbar (Star Wars Rebels), Thrawn (Star Wars Rebels), Hawk (GI Joe)

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For the next few Defense Nerds Podcast episodes, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould take a break from the normal news format for a bit of summer nonsense: fantasy drafts on military topics.

Up this week is American military aircraft. The hosts are joined by Defense News air warfare reporter Valerie Insinna, someone who actually knows something about these planes and has no problem pandering to her readers for votes. Joe violates the game’s ground rules for the second week in a row while Leo tries to correctly name four aircraft without embarrassing himself.

Listen here:

And help decide a winner by voting in the Twitter poll below:

Val’s Team: A-10, B-52, C-130, F-35

Leo’s team: F-22, B-2, KC-135, C-17

Joe’s team: F-16, MQ-9, A400M, SR-71

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For the next few Defense Nerds Podcast episodes, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould take a break from the normal news format for a bit of summer nonsense: fantasy drafts on military topics.

First up this week is American military movie characters. The hosts are joined by producer Ben (Bob?) Murray to pick the four characters they’d want to build their armed forces around. Ben went for big shows of power, Leo went for leadership skills, and Joe went for … his own plan.

Listen here:

And help decide a winner by voting in the Twitter poll below:

Leo’s team: Captain America (from Avengers), John Miller (from Saving Private Ryan), Dutch (from Predator), Sgt. Hartman (from Full Metal Jacket).

Joe’s team: Aldo Raine (from Inglorious Basterds), Wardaddy (from Fury), Glen McMahon (War Machine), Gerry Lane (World War Z)

Ben’s Team: John Matrix (from Commando), Thomas Witmore (from Independence Day), WOPR (from War Games), George Patton (from Patton)

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On this week’s Defense Nerds Podcast, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould say goodbye to Congress for the summer, and recap the work they got done before leaving town for their August recess: finalizing the new budget deal, advancing the national defense authorization act process, and confirming a host of new Pentagon appointees.

One confirmation they didn’t complete was that of Gen. John Hyten, the pick to be the next Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Hyten, who has been accused of sexual assault by a former aide, had his confirmation hearing last week and was advanced by the Senate Armed Services Committee, but the full chamber won’t vote on him until this fall.

Finally, the hosts get you ready for National Presidential Joke Day (or as ready as they can for a ridiculous non-holiday).

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On this week’s Defense Nerds Podcast, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould talk about the new two-year, $2.7 trillion budget deal that will give the Defense Department a 3 percent raise for fiscal 2020. Not surprisingly, not every lawmaker is happy.

The hosts also look at the rush of defense confirmations to end the congressional summer session, including a new Defense Secretary, a new Joint Chiefs Chairman, and maybe the #2 for both of those jobs.

The reporters also lament the end of the CBS series “The Code” and talk about the worst military mistakes in television history.

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On this week’s Defense Nerds Podcast, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould talk about Defense Secretary nominee Mark Esper’s confirmation hearing, which was smooth sailing save for a shouting match with presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The pair break down what that confrontation means for Esper’s future and what his likely confirmation means for Pentagon leadership vacancies. They also talk about Turkey’s fight with the White House over the F-35 after their purchase of Russian air defense systems.

The reporters also use their in-depth military knowledge to plan out the soundtrack for the Top Gun sequel.

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On this week’s Defense Nerds Podcast, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould talk about the paper’s recent interview with Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., and an Afghanistan war veteran. Despite being a relative unknown in April, he has risen near the top of a crowded field of challengers to President Donald Trump.

The pair also discuss House Democrats passing their draft of the annual defense authorization bill over Republican objections and the upcoming confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary nominee Mark Esper this week.

They also debate ideas for new naming rules of military bases following a move to block future installations from getting monikers connected to the Confederacy.

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On this week’s Defense Nerds Podcast, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould talk about the Senate passage of the annual defense authorization act and the latest tensions between Iran and the United States. The two topics are related, much to the dismay of Senate leaders.

The pair also discussed the first Democratic presidential debates of the 2020 campaign, and why national security didn’t play a larger role in the event. Finally, the hosts brainstorm ideas on how to salvage what looks like a potentially messy Fourth of July celebration this year in Washington, D.C.

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On this week’s Defense Nerds Podcast, Military Times Deputy Editor Leo Shane and Defense News Capitol Hill Bureau Chief Joe Gould talk about the sudden and surprising departure of acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who withdrew his nomination for the top Pentagon post amid reports of past domestic violence incidents in his family.

The move puts Army Secretary Mark Esper as the newest candidate to be named the next permanent defense secretary, but also raises serious questions about the background check process for high-level administration nominees. The hosts also ask how Esper can stand out from the crowd during his time in office, given the standards set by Shanahan.

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