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

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

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

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

This Episode:

This week on Goat Rodeo, Dave Caudle and Simon Coon are joined by Chris Booth, a former CIA officer with more than two decades of experience working Middle East and Iran-related issues.

The conversation focuses on the rapidly evolving conflict with Iran, including the decapitation of senior leadership, the uncertainty surrounding Tehran’s internal power structure, and what a potential collapse or fragmentation of the regime could mean for the region.

They also explore how the conflict is playing out operationally, from drone exchanges and maritime risk in the Strait of Hormuz to the economics of modern munitions and the limits of U.S. and allied stockpiles.

Finally, the discussion turns to Washington, where war powers debates, a DHS shutdown, and looming midterms are shaping how Congress responds to the conflict and what it could mean for defense spending and U.S. strategy going forward.

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

This Episode:

Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Garrett sits down with Chris Naganuma for a frontline look at how the war has evolved and what it means going forward. They walk through the arc of the conflict, from the early days of trench assaults and artillery dominance to a battlefield now shaped by drones, jamming, and constant technological adaptation.

The discussion covers how casualty patterns have shifted, how supply chains matured from improvised imports to domestic production, and how movement on the frontlines has changed as automation and electronic warfare intensified.

The episode also examines morale, negotiation dynamics, and what the West should realistically be learning from Ukraine, including the role of decentralized innovation and the growing importance of a professional NCO corps in modern warfare.

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

This Episode:

This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett, Simon, and Dave cover a wide-ranging set of defense and national security topics that all point back to one question: what happens when military capabilities, politics, and public space start colliding closer to home.

The conversation moves from airport air defense and domestic security friction, to allies accelerating defense spending and industrial activity in response to growing pressure and uncertainty.

They also dig into how acquisition and execution are adapting to these shifts, including what APFIT looks like in practice and what it says about the Pentagon’s push to move faster when the stakes are rising.

As always, the discussion sits at the intersection of geopolitics, defense technology, and the realities of fielding real capability in an increasingly contested world.

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

This Episode:

The Goat Rodeo crew is joined by Chris Booth, who’s worn a lot of hats across a long national security career. He’s served as a Soldier, an attorney, a national security professional, and a writer and thinker, most recently retiring from the CIA. He brings a sharp, grounded perspective to a wide-ranging conversation on where power, money, and institutions are colliding right now.

The group unpacks the ripple effects still moving through Washington and the national security community, what renewed interest in U.S. shipbuilding really signals, and how venture capital is pushing deeper into intelligence and defense spaces that were once closed off. They also dig into what happens when private capital meets government secrecy, how incentives shift when investors enter the IC ecosystem, and where the risks actually lie.

As always, there’s no shortage of candid takes on markets, institutions, and the uncomfortable tradeoffs shaping the future of national security.

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