Podcast
Sources & Methods
Hosted by NPR · EN
National security, unlocked. Each Thursday, host Mary Louise Kelly and a team of NPR correspondents discuss the biggest national security news of the week. With decades of reporting from battlefields and the halls of power, they bring you inside the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community to help you understand America's shifting role in the world, and how events in faraway places matter here at home. Additional episodes feature interviews with power players from the NatSec world -- current and former military officials, intelligence experts, diplomatic leaders, and more.
Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org.
NPR+ supporters hear every episode sponsor-free and can access our complete archive. Learn more and support public media at plus.npr.org.
Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org.
NPR+ supporters hear every episode sponsor-free and can access our complete archive. Learn more and support public media at plus.npr.org.
49episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Beijing Summit / Trump and Xi as allies, rivals and frenemies
1w ago00:30:58Summary readyPresident Trump visits Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time since 2017. What’s changed? And what does each man want from this meeting?Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR White House Correspondent Franco Ordoñez and NPR China Correspondent Jennifer Pak about Trump's big summit with Chinese leaders in Beijing and how the U.S.-China relationship has evolved since their last meeting. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
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2084: A cautionary tale about the future of war and a changing planet
1w ago00:23:35Summary readyLaser weapons, advanced drone warfare, and nation states around the globe redefined by climate change: this is the world in 2084, envisioned by authors Jim Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman. Both are veterans -- Ackerman, a former Marine, did five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan; Stavridis is a retired four-star admiral and a former supreme allied commander of NATO. Their novel 2084 is the third in a trilogy. They compare their work to cold war fiction like Dr. Strangelove -- stories that imagined disasters specifically so society would work to avoid them. In this episode, they unpack what dangers they see on the distant horizon. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
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Hormuz whiplash / Russia, Ukraine shred ceasefires / Modern warfare
2w ago00:29:51Summary readyWe unpack a week of whiplash in the Iran war, with the President quickly calling off an effort to take control of the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress on talks. But a blockade remains. Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and Moscow correspondent Charles Maynes discuss the shifting messages and what's happening diplomatically behind the scenes. Plus -- why ceasefires between Moscow and Kiev fell apart, and how modern warfare and prior assumptions have made it possible for countries like Iran and Ukraine to take on larger, more powerful adversaries in the U.S. and Russia. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
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James Wolff was a spy. Now, he's writing about them
Apr 1300:24:10Summary readyThere’s keeping a low profile and then there’s author James Wolff. Not his real name. It's a pseudonym. James Wolff had a career as a British intelligence officer. Now, he writes about them. His latest espionage novel is called Spies and Other Gods and it's chock full of spies, people pretending to be spies, secret operations and deceit. Host Mary Louise Kelly spoke with James Wolff about writing fiction as an ex-spy and when the truth can be stranger — and more tangled — than fiction. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
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What’s next after Iran truce / Hormuz status / Israel and Lebanon
Apr 900:29:17Summary readyAt the 11th-hour, with President Trump’s self-imposed deadline looming, the United States and Iran entered into a truce. Will it hold? Is the war over? What’s the way ahead?Host Mary Louise Kelly, NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR International Correspondent Daniel Estrin walk through where things stand from the point of view of each of the major stakeholders: the United States, Israel, Lebanon and Iran. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
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Trump's belated case for war in Iran
Apr 200:25:27Summary readyMore than 30 days after President Trump launched a war against Iran, he addressed the American people in a primetime address and finally made a case for the war. Host Mary Louise Kelly, NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre discuss the Trump's vision for the next phase of the war and the many questions left unanswered. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
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Live Q&A: Trump on Hormuz; Lebanon, counterattacks, the intel beat, and more
Mar 3100:37:52Summary readyWe unpack the latest on Iran, Lebanon, troop movements in the region, and Iranian counterattacks. Then, Mary Louise Kelly and Greg Myre answer your questions about the latest news and their work on the national security beat, with a live Zoom audience of NPR supporters. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
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Trump's Hormuz plan / troops to Mideast / Iran peace ‘talks’?
Mar 2600:32:09Summary readyThe Pentagon is sending thousands of U.S. troops to the Middle East. Is this an escalation or a warning?Host Mary Louise Kelly, NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman and International Correspondent Aya Batrawy break down the latest about the war in Iran, including the prospects for an off-ramp.Join us next week on Tuesday, March 31 for a live virtual event with Mary Louise and National Security Correspondent Greg Myre. They’ll discuss the latest developments in Iran and answer your questions about the news of the day, covering the intelligence community and more. NPR+ supporters have already been invited via email. To join them, sign up for NPR+ today at plus.npr.org and watch your email for an invitation soon. NPR+ supporters also hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive.Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgTo manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Top Swedish General: NATO 'heeding the call' on its new reality
Mar 2500:21:50Summary readyEurope has come to grips with a new reality, ushered in by the Trump administration: Europe needs to commit more resources to its own security. That's according to Sweden's Chief of Defense, General Michael Claesson. In this sit-down with Mary Louise Kelly, Claesson unpacks the NATO alliance from a European military perspective -- and also weighs in on the wars in Ukraine and Iran. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Summary
Inside a secret Pentagon effort to bring AI to the battlefield
Mar 2300:25:18Summary readyProject Maven, a secretive decade-long Pentagon campaign to deliver the U.S. into an age of AI warfare, is the subject of a new book by Bloomberg reporter Katrina Manson. Manson speaks with Mary Louise Kelly. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.orgNPR+ supporters hear every episode without sponsor messages and unlock access to our complete archive. Sign up at plus.npr.org.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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