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.

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.

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.

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.

The United States faces serious cyber vulnerabilities from its principal adversaries—China, Russia, and Iran. In her report “A Playbook for Winning the Cyber War,” Emily Harding, a Vandenberg Advisory Board member and Director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program as well as Vice President of the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, issues a stark warning: “The United States has been losing a war it did not know it was fighting—and it has been losing for the last 20 years.” How can America turn the tide, leverage its strengths, and close its cyber gaps? Emily Harding joins Vandenberg Senior Policy Director Corban Teague to discuss her groundbreaking report and outline how the United States can secure victory in the cyber domain.

https://www.csis.org/programs/intelligence-national-security-and-technology-program/playbook-winning-cyber-war

(1:47) Why the United States is Losing

(3:50) The Capabilities of our Adversaries

(8:20) Cyber Wargames

(13:25) Redefining War and Retaliation

(16:29) Attribution and Action

(19:53) Defense as a “No Fail Mission”

(22:54) Octopus Offense

(26:36) Priorities for Policymakers

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

A few weeks ago, President Trump secured the release of all 20 remaining living hostages in Gaza and reached a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. This ceasefire is a tenuous one; Hamas has refused to release the bodies of deceased hostages and has violated agreed-upon boundaries, sparking limited clashes with Israeli forces. Nonetheless, the ceasefire has paved the way for renewed discussions on Gaza’s future, the precarious status of the West Bank, and broader questions of Palestinian statehood. Elliott Abrams, Chairman of The Vandenberg Coalition and Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Flash Focus to discuss the ceasefire, his landmark piece in Mosaic entitled “There Never Will Be a Palestinian State. So What’s Next?”, the outlook for Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, and more.

https://ideas.tikvah.org/mosaic/essays/there-won-t-be-a-palestinian-state-in-the-west-bank-it-s-time-to-reconsider-the-j

https://www.impact-se.org/

(1:18) Assessing Phase One

(3:22) The (Failed) European Approach

(5:18) Why Will There Never Be A Palestinian State?

(8:47) A Jordanian-Palestinian Confederation

(13:57) Deradicalizing Gaza

(17:57) International Stabilization Force

(22:13) Ending “Something for Nothing”

(25:34) Gaza’s Near-Term Future

You can watch this episode as a video on YouTube.

Right now, all eyes remain on the Caribbean, where President Trump’s buildup of military forces has raised significant questions about American intentions and objectives in Latin America. Is the United States simply conducting counternarcotics operations, or are we embarking on regime change or pressure in the region? Ryan Berg, Director of the Americas Program and Head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Vandenberg Advisory Board member, joins Vandenberg Executive Director Carrie Filipetti to discuss these recent developments and more.

The Woman Who Took on a Dictator—and Won a Nobel Peace Prize

“Democracy: Use It or Lose It”

(1:08) Why Does Venezuela Matter for the United States?

(3:13) Venezuelan Cartels

(7:10) The Caribbean Buildup

(10:31) President Trump’s Main Objective

(12:50) Message to Mexican Cartels and Sheinbaum

(16:33) Maduro’s Behavior

(20:33) U.S. Personnel Covering Venezuela

(24:00) Venezuelan Opposition & María Corina Machado

You can watch this podcast as a video on YouTube.

The United States has plenty of work ahead of us if we want to win the global soft power battleground in the fight against China, Russia, and Iran. With good reason, the Trump administration has strongly criticized the implementation of American soft power under the previous administration. Its response has been to cut billions in foreign aid, but while breaking some eggs is necessary, preparing the ingredients and cooking the omelet is equally vital to ensure that the execution of U.S. soft power matches the enlightened principles upon which it was conceived following World War II. Dan Twining, President of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and Vandenberg Advisory Board Member, joins Flash Focus to discuss how the United States can capitalize on this current moment to reorient U.S. soft power effectively and efficiently within the current geopolitical context.

You can watch this podcast as a video on YouTube.

Dan Twining’s “Democracy Assistance Isn’t Regime Change”

(1:51) What Does Soft Power Mean?

(2:41) Soft Power in the Cold War

(4:23) The Present Strength of American Soft Power

(6:58) Why Does Soft Power Matter?

(9:34) Misconceptions About Democracy Assistance

(13:39) The Trump Administration’s Cuts

(15:57) The Development Finance Organization and Millennium Challenge Corporation

(17:40) Supporting Dissidents

(21:07) Democracy Programs in Action

(23:24) Why Should Americans Care About Soft Power?

(27:06) Recommendations to Make Soft Power More Effective