Laser Wars Jared Keller joins Subject Matter Expert to break down the world of military lasers—what works now, what’s still wishful thinking, and how these futuristic weapons fit into real counter-drone, ship defense, and air-to-air protection missions.

We get practical on the financial ramifications of directed energy weapons, magazine depth against drone swarms, and the unsexy limits that matter (power, beam control, cooling, weather). We also hit current headlines, from shipboard lasers in contested waters to how realistic railguns are—and map out what to watch in outer space.

Jared Keller is the writer behind Laser Wars, an up-and-coming Substack focused on directed-energy weapons and futuristic defense tech. A longtime national-security reporter and former managing editor at Task & Purpose and Military.com, he translates defense-industry claims into plain English, pressure-testing vendor hype against physics, logistics, and real-world concepts of operation.

In this episode

• ​Lasers vs. drones: cost-per-shot and “infinite magazine” reality
• ​Where lasers actually slot in a layered air defense (EW + kinetic + DE)
• ​Ground, sea, and air use cases: what’s deployable vs. developmental
• ​Power & thermal management: the boring stuff that decides winners
• ​Law & escalation: dazzling optics, blinding bans, and gray-zone fights
• ​12-month forecast: what capability becomes routine—and what remains hype
• ​Will we ever have a Star Wars-esque lightsaber?!

Follow Jared Keller

• ​Read Jared’s Substack “Laser Wars”
• ​Follow Jared on X

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

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• ​⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠
• ​⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror⁠

“Naked and Afraid” star Laura Zerra joins Subject Matter Expert to talk about what real survival looks like, far beyond the TV edits.

We dive into her most challenging moments on “Naked and Afraid” and “Naked and Afraid XL,” the mindset that carries you when calories run out, and the fieldcraft that actually keeps you alive. Laura also opens up about her early years hitchhiking and hopping freight trains, how solo travel sharpened her threat assessment and people-reading skills, and why trusting your gut is crucial to survival in the backcountry or on the road.

A professional survivalist, author, and all-around outdoorswoman, Laura Zerra is known for multiple seasons of Discovery’s “Naked and Afraid” franchise, long solo stints living off the land, and teaching primitive skills from friction fire and stone tools to wild foods and shelter craft. She writes, guides, and films expeditions that blend practical fieldcraft with mental toughness and respect for the wild.

In this episode

• The reality of life on “Naked and Afraid”

• Solo travel lessons from hitchhiking and freight hopping

• The survival priorities that never change

• Women in survival: myths vs reality

• Living off the grid in Montana

Read Laura’s Book, A Modern Guide to Knifemaking
Follow Laura on Instagram

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

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• ⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠

• ⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror⁠

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles “Charlie” Faint joins Subject Matter Expert for a wide-ranging conversation about turning intelligence into action for special operations, building leaders who perform under pressure, and reading the world’s most volatile flashpoints.

We unpack how SOF integrates intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance with decision-making at speed, what “good” leadership looks like when stakes are high, and how to read Indo-Pacific gray-zone clashes, Israel–Gaza dynamics, and Venezuela tensions without the hype.

Charlie is a former Infantry and Military Intelligence officer with 27+ years of service and seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Charlie served with 5th Special Forces Group, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and JSOC. He later taught at West Point (Modern War Institute), has advanced degrees, including an M.A. in International Relations, and leads veteran-focused projects such as The Havok Journal and the Second Mission Foundation. His work sits at the intersection of operations, strategy, and leader development.

In this episode

• How SOF actually fuses intel with combat operations

• The targeting method that changed the War on Terror

• Trust, standards, and moral courage in the military

• Indo-Pacific alliances, gray-zone coercion, and deterrence signals

• Middle East escalation indicators between Israel–Hamas–Hezbollah

• Venezuela and how it may be more than meets the eye

Read The Havok Journal: https://havokjournal.com/

Follow The Havok Journal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havokjournal/

Check out The Second Mission Foundation: https://secondmissionfoundation.org/

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

Subscribe & Follow

• Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert on YouTube⁠

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Buy Marty's Books

• Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠

• ⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror
  

Bowhunter and fitness coach Dan Staton—founder of ElkShape—joins Subject Matter Expert to break down what it really takes to perform in the mountains, from year-round preparation to getting your mind right during a hunt.

We get into mental rehearsal, prioritizing family, and the most challenging hunts he’s ever endured. Dan also reflects on why his mantra, “separation in the preparation,” continues to win on every tough hunt.

Dan is a lifelong bowhunter, performance coach, and the creator of ElkShape, where he’s trained thousands of hunters through camps, online programs, and a popular YouTube channel. He holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology, previously owned and coached at a CrossFit gym, and has competed as a CrossFit athlete. Today, he blends science-based training, disciplined fieldcraft, and faith and family priorities to help hunters prepare with purpose.

• Follow ElkShape on Instagram
• Follow ElkShape on YouTube

Author Geraint Jones joins Subject Matter Expert to take us inside the research behind his World War II nonfiction: ”Voices of Victory” and “The D-Day Tapes,” as well as his novels about Roman Legionnaires.

We dig into how his work collected World War II oral histories, what veterans remembered from D-Day beyond the beaches, and the small details like terrain, logistics, and the damn mosquitoes that separate myth from reality. Then we jump centuries back: Roman tactics, the life of a legionnaire, and how archaeology, ancient literature, and his own experiences as a combat veteran shape the stories on his pages.

A British combat veteran turned New York Times bestselling author, Geraint Jones served as an infantryman and later worked as a security contractor before writing full-time. His books span WWII oral history, gritty Roman warfare, and contemporary soldier memoirs.

• Follow Geraint on Instagram
• Read Geraint’s book “D-Day: The Unheard Tapes”
• Read Geraint’s book “Voices of Victory”
• Read Geraint’s book “Brothers in Arms”
• Read Geraint’s book “Siege”

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

Subscribe & Follow

• Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert on YouTube⁠

• Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert Clips on YouTube⁠

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• Follow ⁠Marty on Instagram⁠

Buy Marty's Books

• ⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠

• ⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror⁠

Award-winning Journalist Kevin Knodell joins Subject Matter Expert to unpack how a Navy fuel leak contaminated drinking water in Hawaii, detailing what residents lived through, what accountability looks like now, and how that crisis connects to the wider Pacific.

Kevin takes us on-the-water with the U.S. Coast Guard and partner nations fighting illegal fishing, how patrols work in the Pacific, and what is real and what is hype concerning Chinese aggression.

Kevin Knodell is a Hawaii-based reporter known for deep field work across the Pacific and the Middle East. He has embedded with the U.S. Coast Guard throughout the South Pacific and covered Hawaii’s military fuel water pollution crisis for Honolulu Star-Advertiser; his work highlights how decisions made far away shape daily life on the islands. He has previously written for The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy Magazine, Playboy, The Nib, Coffee or Die Magazine, Vice and others. He is the co-author of the graphic novels “Machete Squad” and “The 'Stan.”

In this episode:

• Hawaii’s Red Hill water crisis and Navy accountability

• How patrols actually work on Pacific fisheries enforcement

• How illegal fishing can be a canary-in-the-coal mine for other illegal activity

• How U.S.–China competition is impacting the world

• What it was like reporting in the Middle East

Follow Kevin Knodell

• Follow Kevin on Instagram

• Read Kevin’s Reporting

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

Subscribe & Follow

• Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert on YouTube⁠

• Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert Clips on YouTube⁠

• Follow ⁠Subject Matter Expert on Instagram⁠

• Follow ⁠Marty on Instagram⁠

Buy Marty's Books

• ⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠

• ⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror⁠

Eric Stebner is a retired U.S. Army Ranger who received a Silver Star for his actions during the Battle of Takur Ghar, also known as “Roberts Ridge.”

In a Veterans Day special, Stebner joins Subject Matter Expert for a candid conversation about courage, loss, leadership, and life after war. He gives a ground-level account of the fight on that 10,000-foot Afghan peak, remembers his best friend Bradley Crose, and reflects on the men who didn’t come home.

We also talk about the culture of the 75th Ranger Regiment before and during the Global War on Terror, what keeps soldiers alive in combat, and what it means to come home and keep leading.

Master Sergeant (Ret.) Eric Stebner is a decorated Army Ranger with a Silver Star for his actions on Takur Ghar and a long career in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He served across the Global War on Terror and later mentored the next generation of Rangers—he was my platoon sergeant when I arrived at 1st Ranger Battalion in 2006. He’s known for calm leadership under fire, a relentless focus on team over self, and for honoring fallen servicemembers like Bradley Crose through his efforts with 4VR RIP.

In this episode

• A firsthand account of Takur Ghar/Roberts Ridge

• Remembering Bradley Crose and the Rangers who fell

• Ranger culture, training, and the habits that matter in combat

• Leadership lessons from the Ranger Regiment

• Veterans Day reflections and life after service

Support Veterans

• Learn more about 4VR RIP

• Follow 4VR RIP on Instagram

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

Subscribe & Follow

• Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert on YouTube⁠

• Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert Clips on YouTube⁠

• Follow ⁠Subject Matter Expert on Instagram⁠

• Follow ⁠Marty on Instagram⁠

Buy Marty's Books

• • ⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠
• • ⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror
    

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) expert Justen Charters joins Subject Matter Expert to break down how influence campaigns actually spread online and how investigators trace Chinese-aligned networks across platforms.

We get practical on dark-web scams and fraud pipelines, triaging deepfakes and coordinated campaigns in real time, geolocation verification, and cyber cases that shape the world we live in. We also hit ethics, from doxxing red lines to how new platform rules shape what evidence you can collect.

Justen Charters is the founder of Unchartered, a digital investigations and training firm specializing in uncovering hard-to-find data and identifying key risks related to individuals and organizations. He is a former journalist who is now a veteran OSINT practitioner whose career began covering ISIS and Iran before expanding into fraud, extremism, and foreign influence. He builds workflows to track malign networks across languages, platforms, and borders.

• ​Follow Justen on LinkedIn
• ​Follow Justen on X
• ​Check out Justen’s company Unchartered

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

Subscribe & Follow

• ​Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert on YouTube⁠
• ​Subscribe to ⁠Subject Matter Expert Clips on YouTube⁠
• ​Follow ⁠Subject Matter Expert on Instagram⁠
• ​Follow ⁠Marty on Instagram⁠

Buy Marty's Books

• ​⁠Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War⁠
• ​⁠Violence of Action: The True Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror