Vandenberg Flash Focus

The Vandenberg Coalition
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Move beyond the headlines with fast & focused expert analysis on breaking news and big stories in foreign policy & national security. We help you understand the context and policy implications of the stories you see every day from around the world. In each episode, we sit down with an expert to break down a developing global news story—what's happening, why it matters, and how the United States should respond. For more information on the Vandenberg Coalition, visit our website: www.vandenbergcoalition.org.

  1. 4월 14일

    Ep. 60 | A Return to the Stars

    For the first time since 1972, the United States left Earth’s orbit en route to the Moon as part of the Artemis II Mission. While the astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft did not step foot on the Moon during this mission, the astronauts set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human in history. In this episode, Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member Kari Bingen joins to discuss how this inspirational moment serves as both an example of American ingenuity and a reminder of how space has become increasingly important for modern warfare and national security. (1:53) Artemis II's Goals (4:00) The Era of Space Exploration from Kennedy to Today (6:14) President Trump's Executive on American Space Superiority (8:18) Defining Terms In Space Policy (11:18) Space Treaties and Protocols (13:45) "Extending the Battlefield to Space" (18:27) Space Debris (23:00) America's Adversaries in Space: China (25:39) America's Adversaries in Space: Russia (26:59) How the Private Sector Affects Competitive Advantage in Space (32:09) What Winning and Leadership in Space Look Like Mentioned Article: "Extending the Battlefield to Space" (Kari Bingen, CSIS, September 16, 2025 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ugBUumIrxqQ

    36분

  2. 3월 18일

    Ep. 59 | China's Weaponization of Trade

    In recent years, China has increasingly used economic bullying in attempts to obtain concessions from other governments and the private sector. In a new book, China’s Weaponization of Trade: Resistance Through Collective Resilience, Vandenberg Advisory Board member Victor Cha, along with his coauthors Ellen Kim and Andy Lim, discusses China’s economic coercion and outlines a strategy for how countries led by the United States can more effectively counter China's coercive efforts. Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Vandenberg Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to break down how the United States can better identify and counter China’s malign practices. https://cup.columbia.edu/book/chinas-weaponization-of-trade/9780231564205/ (0:58) The Origins of the Book (2:35) Defining China’s Economic Coercion (5:46) CCP Ideology and Economic Coercion (8:41) U.S. “Blind Spots” (11:35) Lithuania and Norway as Case Studies (18:28) Collective Resilience (24:04) Forging a Coalition for Collective Resilience (G7+2) (28:57) Does the G7 Have the Requisite Political Will? (34:05) The Long-Term Goal of Collective Resilience You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

    39분

  3. 2월 26일

    Ep. 58 | Tumult Surrounding Tehran

    Iran is in the headlines once again, for two important reasons. First, large numbers of brave Iranians continue to take to the streets in the face of significant repression by the brutal regime. And second, the United States is slowly but steadily amassing an impressive amount of firepower and pointing it straight at the Islamic Republic. Zineb Riboua, Research Fellow at the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute, joins Vandenberg Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to unpack the latest developments. https://www.city-journal.org/article/israel-us-west-decolonization-third-world https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/the-crisis-of-the-islamic-republic-of-iran https://x.com/zriboua https://substack.com/@zinebriboua https://vandenbergcoalition.org/americans-first-polling/ https://www.commentary.org/articles/tod-lindberg/age-of-trump-power-purpose/ (1:25) State of the Protests in Iran (5:43) Is the Regime Afraid of Collapsing? (8:00) U.S. Military Assets in the Gulf (17:31) The Future of Conservative Grand Strategy and American Power (21:50) The Third-Worldist Logic (29:35) The Limits of Ideology (35:47) What Comes Next in Iran? (41:01) Saudi Arabia and Israel (42:29) Looking Ahead for 2026 You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

    47분

  4. 2월 12일

    Ep. 57 | Takaichi’s Triumph

    Last Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party secured a sweeping two-thirds majority in Japan’s Lower House following snap elections. The decisive win comes at a critical juncture for Japan as it redefines its role in the Indo-Pacific amid rising tensions with China, a deepening partnership with the United States, and growing domestic support for strengthening the country’s military and defense capabilities. Ken Weinstein, Japan Chair at Hudson Institute, joins Flash Focus to unpack the election results, examine Takaichi’s rapid ascent and widespread appeal, and explore the implications for U.S.–Japan relations and the broader Indo-Pacific landscape. (1:50) Election Results (7:02) The Election’s Impact on a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (12:29) Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (16:37) Takaichi and the China Challenge (18:58) The Ramifications of Takaichi’s Comments on a Taiwan Contingency (24:12) Article 9 (27:06) Next Steps for Washington and Tokyo (32:41) Japan’s Importance to the United States You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

    36분

  5. 2월 3일

    Ep. 56 | The PLA Purge

    Last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping placed his most senior general, Zhang Youxia, under investigation, deepening what has become one of the most sweeping purges in the history of the People’s Liberation Army. Xi has now removed nearly the entire top tier of PLA leadership, raising important questions about the message he is sending to domestic and international audiences, what it means for a potential Taiwan contingency, and how it should inform the American approach to the Indo-Pacific. Jackie Deal—co-founder of the American Academy for Strategic Education, President of the Long Term Strategy Group, and Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member—joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to unpack what these purges mean. China in the Homeland: https://vandenbergcoalition.org/china-in-the-homeland/ VFF with David Shedd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X0Evj6KdHc (1:40) Purges Overview (7:12) History of Purges in China (12:30) Were Chinese Nuclear Secrets Leaked? (14:56) What To Watch Next (17:14) Takeaways for China’s Partners (21:40) Are We Adequately Countering China? (26:58) Deterring and Defeating China You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

    34분

  6. 1월 29일

    Ep. 55 | China's Great Heist

    According to The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets—a new book by David Shedd and Andrew Badger—one critical but often overlooked explanation for China’s meteoric rise has been the scale, scope, and pace of its unprecedented state-sponsored espionage campaign. This effort has been specifically designed to strip the United States of our economic, technological, and military edge, and we have not been doing nearly enough to stop it. David Shedd, a Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member and former deputy director and acting director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, joins Vandenberg Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to discuss China’s campaign to steal America’s secrets and what we can do to put a stop to it. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-great-heist-david-r-sheddandrew-badger?variant=43738689273890 (1:17) Writing the Book (2:33) China’s Pursuit of Modernity and U.S. Responses (8:33) Chinese Espionage as Part of Made in China 2025 (14:47) Chinese Spycraft Tactics (20:07) “Capture, Cage, and Kill” (25:25) What Can China Do With U.S. Data? (30:12) Is “A Decent Peace” with China Possible? You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

    38분

  7. 1월 16일

    Ep. 54 | Leveraging “The American Edge” for the Defense Industrial Base

    In the last year, China’s defense industrial base produced fighter jets faster than the United States, doubled its inventory of ballistic and cruise missiles, doubled its nuclear warhead inventory, and became five to six times faster than the United States at acquiring weapons systems. While we rest comfortably on peacetime footing, China has positioned its defense industrial base to be on wartime footing. But though alarm bells are ringing, there is still some good news. This not the first time in American history our defense industrial base has lagged behind that of our adversaries, and just as we did in the past, there is a way we can close the gap. In this episode, we sit down with Vandenberg Advisory Board member Dr. Seth Jones to discuss his new book The American Edge and his recommendations for how to kick our defense industrial base into gear. The book is a thorough account of every phase of defense industrial policy from World War II up to its current state, and how we can leverage the edge that has made us a defense production powerhouse in the past. https://www.amazon.com/American-Edge-Military-Sources-Dominance/dp/0197764606 (0:45) The State of our Current Defense Industrial Base (3:30) How the Chinese Defense Industrial Base Is Able to Do What It Does (5:54) The Lessons of History in Defense Investment (9:37) Keeping Up on Acquisitions (12:22) Public and Private Collaboration (15:54) The Chinese Ability to Produce Quality Weapons (18:26) Lessons from the War in Ukraine (22:01) What to Look for in the FY27 NDAA (25:41) Why The American Edge Gives us Hope You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

    28분

  8. 2025. 12. 16.

    Ep. 53 | Time to Go, Maduro

    The United States has continued to pressure the Maduro regime with F-18 flyovers, the seizure of oil tankers, and new sanctions on Venezuelan entities associated with the Maduro regime, alongside continued strikes on drug boats. Simultaneously, the Venezuelan opposition has continued gaining momentum. Notably, Maria Carina Machado, the head of the Venezuelan opposition, had a miraculous exit from Venezuela to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. Former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela James Story joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to discuss these recent updates, what a post-Maduro Venezuela would look like, and more.  Our October 24 episode with Ryan Berg: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/101b0c5e-fe2c-4f84-b5bb-861f9a392aa1/  Democratic Transition Framework for Venezuela: https://2017-2021.state.gov/democratic-transition-framework-for-venezuela/  (1:32) How Did We Get Here in Venezuela? (3:05) U.S. Interests in Venezuela (5:09) President Trump’s Decision to Sanction Colombian President Gustavo Petro (7:54) Striking Drug Boats (10:42) Seizing Oil Tankers (13:48) Trump 1.0 vs Trump 2.0 in the Western Hemisphere (16:07) Venezuela vs. Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan (19:47) Establishing the Red Lines for Maduro’s Departure (23:12) María Corina Machado’s Departure and Return (26:08) Opportunities for the United States With a Free and Democratic Venezuela (30:20) Is This Going to Work? If So, When? You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

    34분
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Move beyond the headlines with fast & focused expert analysis on breaking news and big stories in foreign policy & national security. We help you understand the context and policy implications of the stories you see every day from around the world. In each episode, we sit down with an expert to break down a developing global news story—what's happening, why it matters, and how the United States should respond. For more information on the Vandenberg Coalition, visit our website: www.vandenbergcoalition.org.

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    The Vandenberg Coalition
  • 방송 연도
    2023년 - 2026년
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    Vandenberg Flash Focus