Goat Rodeo

Goat Rodeo
  • 5.0 (5)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

National security, defense tech, and geopolitics—serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take—because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. New episodes every week. If you’re serious about defense but don’t take yourself too seriously—subscribe now!

  1. 2D AGO

    Goat Rodeo #53 - True Anomaly's $600M Raise, SOF Myths, and the Army's $253B Budget

    This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon cover a packed week in defense venture, a debate about selling to Special Operations Forces, and a deep dive into the Army's historic budget request. The conversation opens on True Anomaly's $650 million Series D — bringing their valuation to $1.1 billion — and what the round signals about investor appetite for space security and orbital defense platforms. The crew then covers Scout AI's $100 million Series A, the largest in defense technology history, and breaks down their Fury platform and what autonomous robotic command and control actually looks like in practice. From there, Dave dives into the myths that defense startup founders believe about selling to Special Operations Forces, and SOF is a critical partner but not a scaling strategy.  The episode closes on the Army's $253 billion overall budget request — including an $18.7 billion RDT&E proposal, a nearly 13% increase — the collapse from 41 to 4 budget oversight lines, Palantir's Vantage dashboard, and Simon's broader argument that throwing money at a broken system doesn't fix the system. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare.  Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    50 min

  2. MAY 1

    Goat Rodeo #52 - Special Forces Polymarket Scandal, DHS Shutdown, and an $82M Firestorm Raise

    This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Simon Coon cover a packed week at the intersection of defense policy, government funding, and venture capital. The conversation opens on a bombshell case — a US Army Special Forces soldier who allegedly used classified information about the Venezuela operation to place $33,000 in bets on Polymarket, netting over $400,000 in profits. The crew breaks down the legal precedent, what it means for prediction markets going forward, and whether he had any chance of getting away with it. From there, Simon walks through the DHS shutdown resolution, the CBP and ICE funding fight, and what the reconciliation math actually means for the rest of the fiscal year. The episode closes on Firestorm Labs' $82 million Series B raise and what their drone fabrication platform signals about the future of forward-deployed manufacturing in the Indo-Pacific. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    40 min

  3. APR 16

    Goat Rodeo #51 Ft. Ross Coffman - Tanks Are Obsolete, Angine de Poitrine, and the Future of Ground Autonomy

    This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon are joined by retired US Army General Ross Coffman, former Commanding Deputy at Army Futures Command and a 35-year veteran of nearly every major American conflict and military transition of the last three decades. The conversation opens on the avant-garde French-Canadian band Angine de Poitrine and what their aggressively unreplicable sound says about human creativity in the age of AI. The crew then turns to US ground force readiness in the context of the Iran conflict, with Ross raising immediate concerns around logistics, magazine depth, and sustainment over a long-term campaign.  From there, the group tackles the big question — are tanks obsolete — with Ross revealing his own role in launching the M1E3 Abrams program and what lighter, faster, more survivable armor looks like in a drone-saturated battlefield.  The episode closes on Lockheed Ventures doubling its fund to $1 billion and what that signals about how the prime contractor set is positioning itself in the defense innovation economy. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it.  The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare.  Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    1h 3m

  4. APR 8

    Goat Rodeo #50: A-10 Warthogs, the $1.5T Defense Budget, and Programs We'd Kill

    This week on the Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon cover defense tech investment, the air war over Iran, and a spirited debate over what programs to cut from the federal budget. The conversation opens with Hermes's $350 million Series C and what it signals about a broader venture shift from software to hardware-centric defense platforms. They then cover U.S. aircraft losses over Iran, including an A-10 Warthog over the Strait of Hormuz, and what that means for crewed aircraft in contested airspace. The episode also tackles the inter-service debate over who owns the counter-UAS mission before closing on the president's $1.5 trillion DoD budget request and a round of programs each host would cut to balance the books. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    1h 3m

  5. APR 2

    Goat Rodeo #49 - Kid Rock, Apache Flyovers, and Defense Tech Billions

    This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Dave Caudle cover a mix of military optics, defense tech momentum, and developments in the Iran war. The conversation starts with the Apache helicopter flyover at Kid Rock’s property and the questions it raises about training, judgment, and public trust in the military. They then turn to a surge in defense tech funding, including major rounds for Shield AI, Saronic, and others, and what those investments signal about autonomy, scale, and the future of the industrial base. The episode also covers recent developments in the Iran conflict, including force posture, potential next steps, and the growing role of asymmetric responses. Finally, they discuss emerging threats to U.S. technology companies and how cyber and infrastructure targets are becoming part of the modern battlefield. Our Podcast:  National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare.  Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    54 min

  6. MAR 26

    Goat Rodeo #48 - Boots on the Ground in Iran?

    This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Simon Coon, and Dave Caudle break down the latest developments in the Iran war and the growing conversation around potential U.S. ground involvement. The discussion focuses on recent force movements, including Marine Expeditionary Units and elements of the 82nd Airborne, and what those deployments are designed to signal and enable. They also examine what modern ground forces actually look like today, from largely unchanged infantry formations to the increasing role of sensing, targeting, and AI-enabled systems shaping operations around them. Finally, the episode touches on what these dynamics mean for logistics, sustainment, and how the defense industrial base is preparing for prolonged conflict. Our Podcast:  National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare.  Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    34 min

  7. MAR 20

    Goat Rodeo #47 - Joe Kent Resigns, Anduril’s $20B Bet, and the Future of Defense Software

    This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Dave Caudle cover a mix of Washington dynamics, defense acquisition, and industry shifts. The conversation starts with the resignation of Joe Kent and what it reflects about internal disagreement and pressure inside the national security apparatus. They also touch on recent time on Capitol Hill and how members and staff are thinking about defense priorities and execution. The episode then turns to Anduril’s $20B Army contract and what it signals about software-defined warfare, faster acquisition, and the role of nontraditional defense companies. Our Podcast:  National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare.  Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    35 min

  8. MAR 12

    Goat Rodeo #46 - Iran School Strike, the Anthropic Ban, and the AI Killchain

    This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon dive into the intersection of the Iran war, artificial intelligence, and the politics of modern warfare. The conversation begins with the controversy surrounding a school strike in Iran and what it potentially reveals about AI-assisted targeting entering real combat operations. The crew explores how systems like Maven are accelerating the kill chain and what that means for decision-making in war. They also unpack the growing clash between the Pentagon and Anthropic after the company’s models were banned from government systems, and what that fight signals about the future relationship between Silicon Valley and the national security state. Finally, the discussion turns to the defense tech market, where massive venture rounds and rising valuations are reshaping the defense innovation and investing landscape. Our Podcast:  National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare.  Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

    58 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

National security, defense tech, and geopolitics—serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take—because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. New episodes every week. If you’re serious about defense but don’t take yourself too seriously—subscribe now!

Information

  • Creator
    Goat Rodeo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Goat Rodeo

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