Podcast
Target USA Podcast by WTOP
Hosted by WTOP | Hubbard Radio · EN
Whether its terrorists, anarchists, cyber criminals or nation states, America has a target on its back. WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green investigates the threats facing the U.S., the people behind them, the agencies fighting them and their impact on Americans.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
537 | Ukraine Is Not Breaking — But Kyiv Is Worried
2d ago00:18:14Tap to summarizeRetired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, Sr. Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, joins us from Kyiv with a direct assessment: Ukraine is not losing, its military is adapting fast, and its drone and long-range strike campaigns are hurting Russia. But Kyiv is uneasy after President Zelenskyy fired popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, sparking protests, then removed the senior military leader Fedorov had been feuding with just days later. Montgomery says Russia will exploit the turmoil, but Ukraine’s military and society are still not breaking.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →536 | Two Wars, One World on Edge
1w ago00:16:27Tap to summarizeAs Russia unleashes one of its largest missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, a resident describes what it's like to survive another night under fire and wake up to shattered streets and shattered lives. Then, as fighting resumes between the United States and Iran, former U.S. Ambassador Gordon Gray explains why the ceasefire collapsed, what President Trump's next moves could be, and why the Middle East may be heading toward a wider regional war. Two conflicts. Two front lines. One world growing more dangerous.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →535 | The Iran Deal That Never Really Existed
2w ago00:17:46Tap to summarizeThe latest U.S.-Iran fighting didn't erupt because diplomacy collapsed. According to geopolitical analyst Nick Redman, the negotiations may never have truly begun. In this episode of Target USA, Redman explains why Washington and Tehran interpreted the same agreement in completely different ways. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →534 | Evidence Suggests Russia is Losing War with Ukraine
3w ago00:26:12Tap to summarizeUkrainian MP Halyna Yanchenko watched an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently. For the first time she saw a man that looked defeated. What Ukraine's military is doing and what Putin said confirmed it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →533 | Robert Wilkie: Winning in Ukraine and Iran Is the Key to Containing China
Jun 2500:26:11Tap to summarizeFormer Veterans Affairs Secretary and former senior Pentagon official Robert Wilkie joins Target USA to argue that today's wars are not isolated conflicts—they are interconnected fronts in a global struggle led by Russia, Iran, and China. Wilkie explains why NATO remains indispensable, why Ukraine is America's best defense investment, why Iran's threat extends far beyond the Middle East, and why the Pentagon needs sweeping reform to prepare for the next era of great-power competition. He also outlines what he would tell President Trump to do now to reshape America's national security strategy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →532 | The Shooting Stopped. The Countdown Didn't: Inside the Fragile U.S.-Iran Deal
Jun 1800:15:14Tap to summarizeThe U.S. and Iran have agreed to stop fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but the toughest issues—including Iran's nuclear program and sanctions relief—have been pushed into future negotiations. The next 60 days could determine whether this is the start of peace or just a pause in the conflict. Former eSecreteary of Defense Leon Panetta joins us t explain the problemsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →531 | The Ambassador Who Biked the Ukraine War Front Line
Jun 1100:28:28Tap to summarizeAfter four years covering the war in Ukraine, I've rarely encountered intelligence as insightful as that gathered by retired Swedish Ambassador Lars Freden. Instead of relying on reports and briefings, he rode a bicycle more than 1,000 miles along the front line—twice. In this episode, he shares what he saw, what he learned, and the human reality of a war that continues to reshape Europe.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →530 | DEAL OR THE DELUSION? Inside Trump's Struggle to End the Iran War
Jun 400:16:20Tap to summarizeThe military operation was a success. The strategy may have been a failure. In this episode, Gordon Gray is the Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, examines how the Trump administration may have underestimated Tehran, why negotiations continue to stall, and whether the White House is now looking for a face-saving exit rather than a decisive victory. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →529 | Putin’s Pressure Point — Estonia Says Russia Is Weaker Than It Looks
May 2800:23:40Tap to summarizeIn this explosive episode, Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna delivers a stark warning about Russia’s growing instability and the escalating battle over the Baltic Sea. He explains how Moscow accidentally exposed its direct ties to the shadow fleet used to evade sanctions, why Russia is reacting “painfully” to Ukrainian deep strikes, and why Putin may now be more vulnerable than at any point since the war began. Tsahkna also discusses NATO, the weakening Russian economy, rising tensions inside the Kremlin, disinformation operations targeting the Baltics, and why Europe believes strategic patience, not rushed negotiations, is the key to ending the war.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →528 | The US War With Iran: A Conflict With No Clear Winner
May 1600:17:21Tap to summarizeWhere does the US war with Iran stand? One day there's talk of peace; the next they are shooting at each other. Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former Ambassador to the US and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, says there is no clear winner, and that may never change.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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