Guests James Langan, Andrew Rolander, and co-host Jahara ‘Franky’ Matisek join Dave Brown to discuss Maritime Sabotage; the deliberate targeting of undersea, pipelines, ports and energy hubs. It’s a story of hidden infrastructure, high stakes and shadowy actors who operate just below the threshold of open war – i.e., maritime irregular warfare.

Articles:

• What is known about the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions?, N. Adomaitis & J. Ahlander, Reuters, 22 Aug 2025 (possible paywall)
• Italian police arrest Ukrainian man over Nord Stream pipelines blast, K. Connolly, Guardian, 21 Aug 2025
• How NATO Patrols the Sea for Suspected Russian Sabotage, D. Michaels, WSJ, 30 Mar 2025 (paywall)
• Maritime Sabotage: Lessons Learned and Implications for Strategic Competition, A. Powel et al, CNA, October 2021
• Implementing Agreement to Enhance Protection of Critical Undersea Infrastructure, R. Pedrozo, Stockton Center for International Law, 106 INT’L L. STUD. 146 (2025)
• Irregular Warfare on the Sea Floor and the Case for National Resilience, A. Rolander, SWJ, 30 May 2025
• How to Counter Chinese Sabotage of Taiwan’s Undersea Cables, T. Boyle, Just Security, 20 May 2025
• Sensors, AI Possible Solutions to Preventing Undersea Cable Sabotage, S. Magnuson, National Defense Magazine, 13 May 2025

Guests:

Lt. Col. Jahara "Franky" Matisek, Ph.D. is a command pilot with over 3,700 hours in the C-17, E-11 BACN, T-6 and T-53 and is a Project Mercury innovation coach. He was recently a military professor in the National Security Affairs Department at the U.S. Naval War College and served at the U.S. Air Force Academy as an associate professor in the Military and Strategic Studies Department. He has published over 120 articles on warfare, strategy, and national security and been a Fellow at AFWERX, Payne Institute for Public Policy, European Resilience Initiative Center, Modern War Institute, and Irregular Warfare Initiative. He has been a Co-PI on three DOD research projects on security assistance and Russian influence operations.

James Langan is a military policy advisor for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) at

Guests Michael Knights and co-host Jane Stokes join Dave Brown to discuss the first book in a series detailing the outcome of a set of modern irregular warfare operations over control of Southern Yemen in 2015. The first book details the Yemeni Houthis’ attempts to take over the port of Aden in their coup against the UN-backed government of the country. The opposing force preventing this Iranian proxy from threating a second major strategic waterway and potentially impacting global trade through Suez, are the small but highly capable UAE special forces, honed alongside NATO and the US in the fires of Afghanistan. Join us for this fascinating look at capable foreign fighting forces in 25 Days to Aden, by Michael Knights.

Articles:

• 25 Days to Aden - The Unknown Story of Arabian Elite Forces at War, Washington Institute, January 2023

Guests:

Jane Stokes is associate professor in the Joint Military Operations Department, College of Distance Education, U.S. Naval War College. She is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, having served over 25 years in both active and reserve components. As a military officer she served as a Marine foreign advisor, attaché, and liaison officer in numerous embassies, and served as International Programs Branch Chief for the CENTCOM J2, working on Security Cooperation efforts and partner engagement with allies and partners. Previously she was the MARCENT Liaison Officer to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Arabic speaker, she also spent almost a decade working for Department of State's Foreign Service, and has extensive experience in the Middle East region with a focus on counterterrorism and foreign policy. She holds a MA from American Military University in Strategic Intelligence, and a MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Jane is the author of Hesitation Kills: A Female Marine Officer’s Combat Experience in Iraq, featured on the Marine Corps Commandant’s Professional Reading List, and she has appeared on numerous national media outlets.

Michael Knights, Ph.D. serves as the Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He is the co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Michael has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf states, and regularly briefs government policymakers, congressional committees, and the U.S. military on regional security affairs. He has worked extensively with local military and security agencies on the ground in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Yemen. He previously worked as the head of analysis for a range of security and oil companies, directing information-collection teams in Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, and before that, worked as a defense journalist for the Gulf States Newsletter as well as Jane's Intelligence...

Guests Nolan Peterson and Kateryna Bondar join host Dave Brown to discuss the rapid expansion of drone warfare across numerous conflict zones. Janus, the Roman God of new beginnings, symbolizes the change from one condition to another and from past to future. The two faces of Janus also represent transitions because he could see into the past with one face, and toward the future with the other. This is a perfect metaphor of this momentous shift in technical weaponry unfolding right in front of us. The future of the modern battlefield is here, and it’s most clearly seen in the rapid growth in drone warfare capabilities and the increasing lethality of the current threat environment it is creating.

Articles:

• Ukraine drones hunt down Russian soldiers as incursion into Belgorod continues – YouTube/The Sun – 10 Apr 2025 (video)
• Battle For Pokrovsk. Ukraine's Drone Pilots Are Trying To Stop Russia | Ukraine Front Line Update, RFE/RL – 7 April 2025 (video)
• Ukraine's DIY drone makers are helping fighters on the front lines, E. Beardsley, NPR, 12 Apr 2025
• Ukraine Is Making FPV Drones Without Chinese Parts And At Lower Cost, D. Hambling, Forbes, 8 Apr 2025 (paywall)
• US Army tests FPV drones in Germany under ‘Project Shiv’, G. Allison, UKDJ, 6 Apr 2025
• Ukraine has capacity to produce 5 million FPV drones per year, advisor says, M. Fornusek, Kyiv Independent, 8 Apr 2025
• Marine Corps stands up ‘attack drone team’ to take lessons from Ukraine and teach them to grunts, J. Schogol, Task & Purpose, 4 Apr 2025
• The century-long reign of the machine gun is over, a Russian strategist argues, M. Peck, Business Insider, 16 Mar 2025 (paywall)
• Ukraine’s Future Vision and Current Capabilities for Waging AI-Enabled Autonomous Warfare, K. Bondar, CSIS, 6 Mar 2025
• Heven Drones unveils new hydrogen-powered, long range UAV at IDEX, S. Frantzman, Breaking Defense, 13 Feb 2025