Drones, special forces and ‘ninja squads’ in a US v. cartel conflict: Weapons and Warfare

Mar 05, 2025 at 03:00 AM CST

As the battle against drug smuggling ramps up, explore how the military might become involved in addressing this multifaceted cartel conflict. — Image credit: DVIDS

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This week on Weapons and Warfare, the team examines the prospect of U.S. military engagement in the fight against drug trafficking. As the battle against drug smuggling intensifies, host Ryan Robertson explores how the military might become involved in addressing this multifaceted cartel conflict.

With expert interviews and insightful analyses, this episode invites viewers and listeners to better understand the delicate balance between ensuring national security and protecting America’s southern border.

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Also featured in this episode:

China live fire exercise draws Australia and New Zeland ire.
Study reveals Space Force fighting image problem.
More fallout from the USS Harry S. Truman collision.
Weapon of the Week: Two new cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were just introduced at the 2025 International Defence Exhibition & Conference in Abu Dhabi.

You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.

Ryan Robertson is the anchor of the Straight Arrow News video podcast Weapons and Warfare. He wore many hats in his career — from photographer to news director — and firmly believes honest journalism will save our Republic.

Tags: Drugs, Drones, U.S. Army, Drug cartels, Drug smuggling

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[RYAN ROBERTSON]

HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE. FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M YOUR HOST, RYAN ROBERTSON. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE’RE BACK ON THE ROAD AND BACK IN AURORA, COLORADO, FOR OUR NOW-ANNUAL TRIP TO THE AFA WARFARE SYMPOSIUM.

OVER THE NEXT WEEK, WE’LL BE VISITING WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS, AS WELL AS AIR AND SPACE FORCE LEADERSHIP, AS BOTH BRANCHES GRAPPLE WITH RAPIDLY CHANGING DYNAMICS AT HOME AND ABROAD.

SPEAKING OF CHANGING DYNAMICS, IN THIS WEEK’S DEBRIEF, IS U.S. LEADERSHIP WILLING TO PUT AMERICAN TROOPS ON THE FRONT LINES IN THE WAR ON DRUGS? WE VISIT WITH AN ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER AND A FORMER GREEN BERET TO GET THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE POSSIBILITIES.

PLUS, FROM ONE DEFENSE SHOW TO ANOTHER, WE’RE HEADED TO ABU DABI FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE, ALSO KNOWN AS IDEX, TO GET A LOOK AT TWO NEW UAVs INTRODUCED TO AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE IN OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.

BUT FIRST SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.

CHINA ONCE AGAIN MAKING NEWS FOR PUSHING THE LIMITS ON WHAT ITS NAVAL FLEET CAN GET AWAY WITH. LEADERS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND SAY CHINA SHOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM A HEADS-UP BEFORE CARRYING OUT WHAT THEY CALL SURPRISE LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN THE WATERS BETWEEN THEIR COUNTRIES.

BECAUSE OF THOSE EXERCISES, SEVERAL COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS WERE FORCED TO CHANGE THEIR ROUTES AT THE LAST MINUTE.

IN RESPONSE CHINA’S DEFENSE MINISTRY SAID AUSTRALIA WAS MAKING “UNREASONABLE ACCUSATIONS” AND DELIBERATELY HYPED THE SITUATION AFTER THREE PLANES HEADED TO NEW ZEALAND CHANGED COURSE IN MIDFLIGHT BECAUSE OF LIVE-FIRE DRILLS BY THE CHINESE NAVY.

THE CHINESE MINISTRY’S TOP SPOKESPERSON SAID CHINA DID ISSUE SAFETY NOTICES IN ADVANCE AND THAT THE ACTIVITY WAS IN COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DID NOT AFFECT AVIATION SAFETY. THE PRESENCE OF THREE CHINESE WARSHIPS IN THE REGION — A FRIGATE, A CRUISER, AND A REPLENISHMENT VESSEL — HAD GOTTEN THE ATTENTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND MILITARIES BEFORE THE INCIDENT. AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER RICHARD MARLES DESCRIBED THE ACTIVITY AS UNUSUAL, THOUGH NOT UNPRECEDENTED.

A NEW STUDY FROM THE MITCHELL INSTITUTE IS RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT U.S. SPACE WEAPON POLICIES, OVER-CLASSIFICATION, AND A WEAK “WARFIGHTING ETHOS,” ALL OF WHICH THE STUDY DETERMINED HURT PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE SPACE FORCE. THE STUDY FOLLOWED A WORKSHOP WITH 55 EXPERTS DISCUSSING HOW THE SPACE FORCE MIGHT ADDRESS FUTURE CRISES. IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTS A DISCONNECT IN UNDERSTANDING THE SPACE FORCE’S ROLE AND NOTES THAT POLICIES REMAIN OUTDATED DESPITE CLAIMS OF SPACE AS A “WARFIGHTING DOMAIN.” RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE NEW SPACE WEAPON POLICIES, INCREASED FUNDING AND PERSONNEL, AND BETTER COMMUNICATION ABOUT THE SPACE FORCE’S MISSION. IT ALSO CALLS FOR ENHANCED MONITORING CAPABILITIES, SHARING INFORMATION WITH ALLIES AND U.S. LEADERSHIP IN ESTABLISHING RESPONSIBLE SPACE BEHAVIOR NORMS.

MORE FALLOUT FROM THE COLLISION BETWEEN A U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIER AND A MERCHANT VESSEL OFF THE COAST OF EGYPT LAST MONTH. THE COMMANDER OF THE USS HARRY S. TRUMAN WAS REMOVED FROM COMMAND.

CAPTAIN DAVE SNOWDEN WAS RELIEVED BY REAR ADMIRAL SEAN BAILEY, COMMANDER OF CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 8. SNOWDEN, WHO SERVED AS THE TRUMAN’S COMMANDING OFFICER SINCE DECEMBER 2023, WILL BE TEMPORARILY ASSIGNED TO NAVAL AIR FORCES ATLANTIC. THE RELIEF OCCURRED AFTER THE TRUMAN WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION WITH A MERCHANT VESSEL ON FEBRUARY 12th, WHILE OPERATING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IN THE VICINITY OF PORT SAID, EGYPT. DESPITE THE VISIBLE DAMAGE DONE, THE NAVY SAYS THERE IS NO IMPACT TO THE USS TRUMAN’S MISSION OR SCHEDULE. THE NIMITZ-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER IS CURRENTLY DEPLOYED TO THE U.S. 6TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

FOR YEARS HOLLYWOOD TOLD AND RE-TOLD STORIES CENTERED ON THE BORDER BETWEEN THE U.S. AND MEXICO. FROM SICARIO TO SIN NOMBRE TO THE MARKSMAN, ALL WITH VARYING DEGREES OF REALISM AND ACCURACY, ILLUSTRATING THE LONG RUNNING TENSIONS AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER.

OF COURSE YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK ANY FURTHER THAN TODAY’S HEADLINES FOR THE LATEST ON THIS DECADES OLD ISSUE. BUT NOW, WITH A NEW ADMINISTRATION IN THE WHITE HOUSE, THE POTENTIAL FOR SOMETHING WE’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE EXISTS; REGULAR AMERICAN TROOPS GOING AFTER MEXICAN CARTELS. AND THAT’S THE SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK’S DEBRIEF.

ONE OF THE MANY EXECUTIVE ORDERS SIGNED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SINCE RETAKING THE OVAL OFFICE CALLED FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO LABEL MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS–FTOs.

THE PRESIDENT IS MOTIVATED BY THE RISE IN OPIOID AND FENTANYL RELATED DEATHS LARGELY ATTRIBUTED TO THE CARTELS’ SMUGGLING OPERATIONS.

SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO DID LABEL 8 MEXICAN CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS–INCLUDING THE TREN DE ARAGUA GANG AND THE SINOLA CARTEL– AS FTOs AFTER THE DEPARTMENT’S BUREAU OF COUNTERTERRORISM SHOWED THE GROUPS WERE ENGAGING IN TERRORIST ACTIVITIES, WHICH ARE DEFINED AS PREMEDITATED, POLITICALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE PERPETRATED AGAINST NONCOMBATANT TARGETS BY SUBNATIONAL OR CLANDESTINE GROUPS.

BUT JUST BECAUSE THE UNITED STATES NOW OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZES THE CARTELS AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS–DOESN’T MEAN A FULL SCALE U-S INVASION TO ROOT OUT MEXICAN CARTELS IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

[JON MOLIK, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER]

“Yeah, I think it was really the message that was most important when it came to targeting or labeling these cartels FTOs.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

JON MOLIK IS AN ACTIVE-DUTY U-S INTELLIGENCE OFFICER.

[JON MOLIK, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER]

“I mean, they’re already targeted with some pretty significant law enforcement authority. The Drug Enforcement Administration works very hard on the border and in other places to curb the drug smuggling from said cartels and Homeland Security Investigations does as well, the FBI. You know, there are already a lot of laws on the books dealing with what are traditionally called transnational criminal organizations, TCOs. And so there’s a bit of an increase in financial authority, financial investigative authority. You can seize some real estate property. can seize financial assets and stuff. And you can break financial transactions between US citizens and those cartels. But there isn’t a huge leap, if you will. It’s more about messaging.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

“If we take those gloves off and this becomes a kinetic fight, you know, let’s push things out to the right. What would that look like? Is it SOF units? Is it HIMARS on the Rio Grande? What, what would a kinetic fight with the cartels look like?”

[JON MOLIK, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER]

“Yeah. So again, assuming the diplomatic efforts fall through and this ends up being something that is kinetic. I would say it’s not the latter, more the former in that being special operations activity, you know, south of the border. if we wanted to get involved in that. But I would say that’s something that already kind of happens in a law enforcement capacity. So I think it would be more of that. it would look a lot like, in my estimation, it would look a lot like what we do with foreign governments across the world that are allies with the United States, and that is training and bolstering and equipping those that are already there. So, and that’s really the ultimate purpose of special operations forces, at least some of the groups, is to train other militaries. That’s what the Green Berets do in particular.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

GREEN BERETS LIKE ERIC BROWN–WHO SPENT MORE THAN 20 YEARS WITH THE ARMY’S SPECIAL FORCES.

[ERIC BROWN, FORMER GREEN BERET]

“You don’t wanna solve a problem for another country. You wanna give the resources and capabilities to that country for them to solve that problem.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

BROWN SAYS IF THE CARTELS DO FIND THEIR WAY ONTO THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT’S FTO LIST–THEN NEW POTS OF MONEY ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO CARRYOUT AND EXPAND OPERATIONS. SO, MORE INTELLIGENCE GATHERING, MORE TRAINING OF LOCAL FORCES, MAYBE SOME ELITE U-S SOLDIERS ON THE GROUND CARRYING-OUT HIGH VALUE MISSIONS. BUT BOTH BROWN AND MOLIK SAY A FULL ON, HEAD-TO-HEAD FIGHT BETWEEN THE CARTELS AND CONVENTIONAL U-S FORCES IS NOT REALISTIC.

[ERIC BROWN, FORMER GREEN BERET]

“I don’t think they have close air support capabilities yet. I don’t think they have F-35s and F-16s and C-130, you know, Spectre gunships, gunships dropping bombs. I could be wrong, but I mean, they do have the ability to do that with drones of dropping ordnance. But yeah, I think it’d be more of a clandestine approach.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

“Right? Because pulling in like, you know, those more exquisite assets like a, you know, a ghostrider gunship or something like that, obviously, that would take a lot of coordination with the Mexican government as well. And like you said, the stomach for that. I mean, there could be–that would be a full scale war. There are going to be casualties and you know, impacts of that kind of operation. So, yeah, I think, you know, obviously I’m going to agree with you. You’re the expert, right? I think it probably would be more clandestine type approaches, but walk me through what that would look like. I mean, it’s, you know, special forces going in, teaching native populations, you know, how to, how to conduct warfare, but there’s also probably going to be some smaller squads, you know, doing some ninja type stuff in the middle of the night, right?”

[ERIC BROWN, FORMER GREEN BERET]

“Yeah, I like that analogy. Ninja squads. You better watch out, somebody in the government might take that and name a ninja squad. Yeah, if you’re training, let’s say, an elite force with the Mexican military to go head on and hit those strategic targets. But if you do have, let’s say, what we did in Afghanistan and Iraq, right, was the HVT, a high value target, that you can get permissions and authorities to do a kill-capture mission. That’s when you would bring in the force that does that for the America side, where you gain that intelligence, you infiltrate you know, clandestinely at night or whatever the time that they’re not expecting it and you come off the truck or the air, you know, air platform and you execute a target and then fly back, either killing or capturing. But like you said, you have to have the, you know, that’s when America and Mexico have to high five and, and agree on that because, no one wants our ninjas to come into their country, cause they’re sovereign, right? We wouldn’t want Mexico to have a ninja squad to come into America to execute what they deem a high value target.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

APART FROM NINJA SQUADS CARRYING OUT CLANDESTINE MISSIONS ON HIGH VALUE TARGETS–BROWN SAYS THE U-S COULD DECIDE TO USE DRONES, LIKE AN MQ-9 REAPER–TO TAKE OUT CERTAIN CARTEL MEMBERS–SORT OF LIKE HOW TRUMP ORDERED THE STRIKE ON QASSEM SOLEMIENI–AN IRANIAN TERRORIST LEADER WHO WAS BLOWN UP WHILE IN IRAQ.

[ERIC BROWN, FORMER GREEN BERET]

“When we did that to him, I mean, Iraq got mad, but nothing happened.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WHEN IT COMES TO USING REAPERS TO TAKE OUT DRUG FACTORIES THOUGH, MOLIK SAYS THE JUICE MAY NOT BE WORTH THE SQUEEZE.

[JON MOLIK, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER]

“In terms of kinetic response; using platforms like the Reaper, which has that capability, that’s all about tactics. What I mean by that is to say, how effective would it be to conduct targeted strikes against, say, drug labs that are being operated within one cartel? It’s likely going to be just as effective as going after IED locations, facilitation locations within Afghanistan. I mean, it would have an immediate impact and then someone’s gonna build a new drug house and it’s gonna move down the road and go somewhere else. So I don’t know if the United States would be interested in getting involved in some whack-a-mole with all of these, yeah, all of these MQ9s in their kinetic capacity. That costs a lot of money and how effective could it really be?”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

INFILTRATING THE CARTELS AND TAKING OUT THE WHOLE OPERATION SO IT CAN’T RECONSTITUTE WOULD BE ONE WAY OF DEALING WITH THE CARTELS…BUT PROTECTING THE IDENTITIES OF ANY AMERICAN’S INVOLVED IN THOSE OPERATIONS WOULD BE VITAL. BECAUSE UNLIKE FIGHTING THE TALIBAN OR ISIS, THERE IS A REAL RISK OF RETALIATION FROM THE CARTELS AGAINST SOLDIERS’ FAMILIES. THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE OBVIOUSLY VERY WELL FUNDED AND OPERATE VAST NETWORKS–SO IF A SOLDIERS IDENTITY IS DISCOVERED, THE CARTELS ABSOLUTELY HAVE THE MEANS TO ACT ON THAT INFORMATION.

BUT THERE AGAIN, DOING SO MAY ACTUALLY PUT THE CARTELS IN A MORE PRECARIOUS POSITION WITH THE U-S MILITARY THAN THEY ALREADY ARE.

[JON MOLIK, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER]

“The cartels are a little different than other organizations we’ve dealt with throughout the world. Other organizations are looking at potentially becoming nation states, taking control of land from other areas. And that’s not what the cartels want. The cartels are like gangs and organized crime in the United States. They want to make money. And the only way to make money is if nobody is paying attention to them. And so if they conducted some type of operation so drastic, like killing innocents with RPGs across the border, you’re going to bring the full-fledged might of the United States potentially against your operations. And now you can’t make money.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

SO, TO RECAP–WHILE LABELING MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS DOES PUT THEM IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS HAMAS, ISIS, AND BOKO HARAM… IT DOESN’T MEAN THE U-S WILL FIGHT THEM THE SAME WAY. IT DOES MEAN THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE IS PUTTING A LOT MORE SCRUTINY ON THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND IS WILLING TO PUT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TOWARDS TAKING THEM DOWN.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

AS THE AFA’S WARFARE SYMPOSIUM GETS UNDERWAY HERE IN AURORA, COLORADO, THE BI-ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE, ALSO KNOWN AS IDEX, RECENTLY WRAPPED UP IN ABU DABI. BUT NOT BEFORE TWO OF THE MAIN PLAYERS IN THE U-A-V GAME UNVEILED A COUPLE OF NEW PRODUCTS. AND THAT’S THE SUBJECT OF OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK.

COVERING NEARLY TWO MILLION SQUARE FEET OF EXHIBITION SPACE AND ATTRACTING OVER 150,000 VISITORS FROM MORE THAN 65 COUNTRIES, IDEX IS ONE OF THE PREMIERE EVENTS OF ITS KIND. SO ITS EASY TO SEE WHY DEFENSE CONTRACTORS FLOCK TO ABU DABI EVERY TWO YEARS TO INTRODUCE NEW PRODUCT LINES. ITS ALSO NOT SURPRISING TO SEE UAV BUILDERS LIKE AEROVIRONMENT AND HEVEN DRONES.

FIRST UP, THE JUMP 20-X. THIS IS A MARITIME VERSION OF AEROVIRONMENT’S JUMP 20 DRONE THAT CAN LAUNCH FROM NAVAL SHIPS. THE 20-X IS IN FINAL DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE DO KNOW IT FEATURES A HEAVY FUEL ENGINE, WITH A 13-HOUR FLIGHT TIME WITH A 30-POUND PAYLOAD, AND HAS VERTICAL TAKE-OFF AND LANDING CAPABILITIES. CHARLES DEAN, THE COMPANY’S VP OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TOLD ATTENDEES IT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE SOON, WITH ADVANCE ORDERS POSSIBLE. AEROVIRONMENT IS ALSO KNOWN FOR ITS SWITCHBLADE LOITERING MUNITIONS, WHICH THE PENTAGON SUPPLIED IN LARGE NUMBERS TO UKRAINE, AND THEY WERE ALSO SELECTED FOR THE FIRST BATCH OF REPLICATOR PLATFORMS.

NEXT UP, ANOTHER DRONE MAKER WE’VE FEATURED ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE, HEVEN DRONES. THE MIAMI BASED BUILDER UNVEILED THEIR HYDROGEN-POWERED UAV, THE RAIDER. FOUNDER/CEO AND FRIEND OF THE PROGRAM, BEN LEVINSON SAYS THE RAIDER HAS A 22-FOOT WINGSPAN, THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE A 50-POUND PAYLOAD, WITH 12-HOUR ENDURANCE, AND A RANGE OF MORE THAN 620 MILES. THE RAIDER FEATURES A MODULAR TWIN-BOOM FUSELAGE FOR STABILITY AND, LIKE THE JUMP 20-X IT CAN TAKE OFF AND LAND VERTICALLY USING FOUR PROPELLERS WITH A REAR PUSHER PROPELLER PROVIDING FORWARD THRUST. ASSEMBLY TAKES JUST 15 MINUTES.

BEING HYDROGEN-POWERED ALLOWS THE RAIDER TO OPERATE QUIETLY WITH LOW THERMAL AND ACOUSTIC SIGNATURES, MAKING IT SUITABLE FOR DISCREET MISSIONS. THE SYSTEM GENERATES HYDROGEN AT THE LAUNCH SITE, TOO, ENSURING CONTINUOUS OPERATION IN REMOTE AREAS. THE RAIDER IS DESIGNED FOR VARIOUS MISSIONS, INCLUDING TACTICAL INTELLIGENCE AND LOGISTICS, AND CAN OPERATE FOR 1,000 HOURS BETWEEN OVERHAULS. LEVINSON EXPECTS IT TO FLY LATER THIS YEAR AND BE OPERATIONAL NEXT YEAR.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

FOR OUR COMMS CHECK THIS WEEK, AN UPDATE ON A STORY WE FIRST BROUGHT YOU NEARLY A YEAR AGO. THE US ARMY IS MOVING FORWARD WITH THE NEXT STAGE OF ITS MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT FOR MIXED-REALITY GOGGLES, AND THEY ARE TURNING TO A BUILDER THAT HAS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD IN THAT ARENA, PALMER LUCKEY, INVENTOR OF THE OCULUS RIFT AND THE MAN BEHIND ANDURIL INDUSTRIES.

ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE, ANDURIL AND MICROSOFT ARE EXPANDING THEIR PARTNERSHIP TO ENHANCE THE ARMY’S INTEGRATED VISUAL AUGMENTATION SYSTEM, ALSO KNOWN AS I-VAS.

PENDING DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROVAL, IT’S A $22 BILLION DEAL FOR ANDURIL, WHO WILL MANAGE PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT, WITH MICROSOFT AZURE AS THE PREFERRED CLOUD FOR I-VAS AND ANDURIL AI.

FOR THOSE NEEDING A REFRESHER, THE I-VAS PROGRAM PROVIDES SOLDIERS WITH A BODY-WORN SYSTEM THAT INTEGRATES AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY. SOMETHING THE ARMY SAYS WILL IMPROVE COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.

SINCE ITS INCEPTION, I-VAS FACED SEVERAL PROBLEMS, INCLUDING SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH USER COMFORT, POOR VISUAL QUALITY, RELIABILITY CONCERNS, AND A LACK OF SOLDIER ACCEPTANCE, PRIMARILY DUE TO COMPLAINTS ABOUT HEADACHES, NAUSEA, EYE STRAIN, AND A LIMITED FIELD OF VIEW WHEN USING THE HEADSET. LUCKEY, ANDURIL’S FOUNDER, SAYS I-VAS REPRESENTS THE FUTURE OF MISSION COMMAND, BLENDING TECHNOLOGY WITH HUMAN CAPABILITY.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

OKAY, WE ARE JUST ABOUT DONE WITH THIS WEEK’S SHOW…AS A REMINDER PLEASE GO AHEAD AND LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS…

AS A JOURNALIST, IT’S NEVER LOST ON ME I OFTEN GET PAID TO GO PLACES OTHERS PAY TO GO… LIKE THIS EXPO FOR EXAMPLE. AS A JOURNALIST IN ATTENDANCE, I KNOW MY CORE FUNCTIONS ARE TO BE THE PUBLIC’S REPRESENTATIVE AND FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON. SO, WHENEVER I’M COVERING A STORY OR AN EVENT LIKE THIS, I ALWAYS APPROACH IT LIKE I’M THE EYES AND EARS OF EVERYONE WHO COULDN’T BE HERE…FINDING ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS THEY WOULD ASK IF THEY WERE HERE.

I’M, OF COURSE, NOT UNIQUE IN THIS REGARD. JOURNALISTS ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY, ALL OVER THE WORLD, ARE WORKING EVERYDAY AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PUBLIC…ASKING THE QUESTIONS THEIR AUDIENCES WANT ANSWERED. WHICH IS WHY, AS A JOURNALIST, I WAS SHOCKED TO HEAR THE WHITE HOUSE WILL NOW DECIDE WHICH MEDIA OUTLETS GET ACCESS TO THE PRESIDENT DURING POOLED EVENTS.

THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION WAS IN CHARGE OF DECIDING WHICH OUTLETS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE PRESIDENTIAL PRESS POOL. FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW, A PRESS POOL IS WHEN MEDIA OUTLETS LITERALLY POOL RESOURCES TO COVER SOMETHING. I’VE BEEN A PART OF DOZENS IN MY CAREER…TRIALS, PRESS CONFERENCES, IMBEDS DURING MILITARY EXERCISES… THESE ARE THINGS AND EVENTS WHERE SPACE CAN BE LIMITED…SO COMPETING OUTLETS WORK AMONG THEMSELVES TO MAKE SURE EVERY JOURNALIST GETS WHAT THEY NEED TO TELL THE MOST ACCURATE STORY.

IT WAS NO DIFFERENT FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL PRESS POOL. FOR DECADES, THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION MANAGED THE ROTATION OF REPORTERS COVERING THE PRESIDENT… AND ITS MEMBERS DID SO DEMOCRATICALLY BY VOTING ON WHICH OUTLETS WOULD COVER WHICH EVENTS. THIS HELPED ENSURE NOT ONLY IS THE ACCESS FAIR, BUT THAT THE AUDIENCE…THE PUBLIC AT LARGE…IS BEST SERVED BECAUSE THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE UNADULTERATED TRUTH.

BY TAKING CONTROL OF WHO GETS ACCESS TO THE POOL, THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT’S GRANTING ACCESS TO A NEW GENERATION OF NEWS GATHERERS… BUT AS A JOURNALIST, MY WARNING SIRENS GO OFF WHENEVER SOMEONE I WANT TO INTERVIEW TRIES TO CONTROL TOO MANY ASPECTS OF THE INTERVIEW. LIKE IF THEY WANT QUESTIONS AHEAD OF TIME, OR TELL ME THERE ARE CERTAIN TOPICS I CAN’T ASK ABOUT…THOSE ARE RED FLAGS.

SO, BY CONTROLLING WHO GETS TO DO THE INTERVIEWING IN THE FIRST PLACE, THE WHITE HOUSE IS INFLUENCING THE OUTCOME OF THOSE INTERVIEWS BEFORE THEY EVEN HAPPEN. PRESIDENT TRUMP PROMISED TO BE THE MOST TRANSPARENT PRESIDENT IN HISTORY, AND HE IS ANSWERING FAR MORE QUESTIONS THAN PRESIDENT BIDEN DID AT THIS POINT IN HIS TERM… BUT QUANTITY ISN’T THE SAME AS QUALITY…AND WITH THIS MOVE, THE QUALITY OF THE QUESTIONS POSED TO THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD WILL LIKELY SUFFER.

THAT’S NOT A PATH TO TRANSPARENCY. THAT’S NOT A PATH TO GREATNESS, AND IT’S NOT THE FREE PRESS OUR PRECIOUS FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTS.

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