Podcast appearances and mentions of pierre sprey

Buckle up for a jaunt through the skies with the dynamic duo Fig & RePete, known to the world as "Co-Horsts," as they prepare to take you on a slightly less than ordinary flight with Professor Hal Sundt. He's not just any guest; he's the mind behind "Warplane: How the Military Reformers Birthed the A-10 Warthog," and he's about to drop some knowledge bombs about Pierre Sprey, the visionary behind the A-10 Warthog. Imagine, if you will, a man so devoted to the safety of ground troops that he conjured up an aircraft so robust, it's practically a superhero of the skies, safeguarding lives for over five decades. This episode isn't just a history lesson; it's an adventure that zigzags from the drawing boards where the A-10 was born to the heartfelt tributes to Mr. Sprey himself. Expect a journey filled with twists and turns, including a wild ride on an A-10 simulator that's as close to flying as you can get without actually leaving the ground, and tank tests that seem to leap straight out of a movie scene. So, if you're in the mood for something that tickles your funny bone while enlightening you on the legendary A-10 Warthog and the remarkable people who brought it to life, Episode 102 is your ticket. Don't forget to check out the merch store for some unique finds, get briefed with a nine-line, and snag a book recommendation that's as riveting as the episode. Ready for takeoff? This episode promises amusement and insights in equal measure, without a single dull moment from start to finish.

Harvey lives within miles of where the F-35 crashed and the pilot ejected, so we will talk about the F-35 and Harvey's efforts to reach out to his elected officials to get them to pay attention. Then we discuss a recent GAO study of the F-35 and we hear the words from the past of John McCain and Pierre Sprey. From that, it is clear the F-35 is expensive, dumb, and now very dangerous.

Links1. “The Modern Shetland Bus: The Lure of Covert Maritime Vessels for Great-Power Competition,” by Chris Booth, War on the Rocks, December 29, 2020.2. “Mules: Recommitting to Pack Animals Across the Spectrum of Armed Conflict,” by Chris Booth, Small Wars Journal, May 19, 2021.3. “Unfurl the Banners: Privateers and Commerce Raiding of China's Merchant Fleet in Developing Markets,” by Chris Booth and Walker Mills, War on the Rocks, February 18, 2021.4. “Pierre Sprey, Pentagon Analyst Who Battled Brass to Produce A-10 Warplane, Dies at 83,” by Matt Schudel, The Washington Post, August 20, 2021.5. Sea Control 288: Chinese Civilian Shipping and the Threat to Taiwan with Tom Shugart, CIMSEC, October 28, 2021.6. “Pack Animals – The German Mountain Infantry Brigade,” NATO, February 18, 2019.7. “Overcome the Tyranny of Distance,” by Chris Booth, USNI Proceedings (December 2020).8. “Give Amphibians a Second Look,” by Walker Mills and Dylan Philips-Levine, USNI Proceedings, December 2020.9. “Bring Back the Seaplane,” by David Alman, War on the Rocks, July 1, 2020.10. “Cocaine Logistics for the Marine Corps,” by Walker Mills, Dylan Philips-Levine and Collin Fox, War on the Rocks, July 22, 2020.11. “Modern Sea Monsters: Revisiting Wing in Ground Effect Aircraft for the Next Fight,” by Walker Mills, Joshua Taylor and Dylan Philips-Levine, USNI Proceedings, September 2020.

Franklin “Chuck” Spinney, is a retired military strategist and author of the 1998 report “The Defense Death Spiral,” who served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming a high-profile critic of the Defense Department's weapons acquisition process and overall strategy. In this episode, Chuck explains why it is “ridiculous” to blame the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan on President Biden, how the war on terror has been used to justify ever-larger defense budgets, his recollections of the military strategists Pierre Sprey and John Boyd, and how the ongoing growth of the “military-industrial-Congressional-complex” is undermining American democracy.

Kelley and Dan talk this week with Emma Ashford, an expert at the Atlantic Council's New American Engagement Initiative. Her experience spans the Middle East, Russia, and Europe, and she spends her time swatting down attacks from the Blob as she seeks to change minds about old liberal internationalist order and American primacy. In our first segment, we pay tribute to the loss of two greats in the defense reform community: Mark Perry and Pierre Sprey.More from Emma Ashford:Reality Check #4: Focus on interests, not on human rights with Russia -- The Atlantic Council, with Mat Burrows.Remembering Mark PerryRemembering Pierre Sprey Subscribe at crashingthewarparty.substack.com

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books—“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.”Attorney General William Barr testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today and answered questions about the Mueller Report. Democrats criticized Barr harshly because he first released his own four-page analysis of the Mueller Report, apparently in an attempt to control news of its release. A redacted version of the report was released later. Julian Assange was sentenced today to 50 weeks in prison by a UK court for skipping bail, close to the maximum allowable sentence. His lawyers, however, argue that he had a well-founded fear of extradition to the United States, where his fundamental human rights would be violated. Karen Kwiatkowski, an activist and former U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who left the armed forces in protest of the invasion of Iraq, joins the show. Last week, the NSA’s mass collection of Americans’ metadata under Section 215 of the Patriot Act was reported as ending. Our guest, Bill Binney said that he would believe it when he saw it. Today, new reports have surfaced that the White House will seek the permanent renewal of Section 215 that would once again allow NSA to collect and analyze the phone records of every American. Brian and John speak with Bill Binney, a former NSA technical director who became a legendary national security whistleblower. May Day demonstrations are taking place across the world, marking International Workers Day. Huge marches, acts of civil disobedience and clashes are taking place in nearly every country. Vijay Prashad, the Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, and the author of several books including most recently “Arab Spring, Libyan Winter,” joins the show. For the first time ever, the US Air Force has used at F-35 fighter jet in a combat mission, using two of the aircraft to bomb an ISIS tunnel network and weapons cache in Iraq yesterday. The F-35 has long been a subject of complaint for its difficult maneuverability and its excessive cost. The Government Accounting Office estimates that the F-35 program will cost more than $1 trillion over its lifetime. Pierre Sprey, a special assistant to the Secretary of Defense, a former defense analyst who is considered to be one of the fathers of the F-16 and A-10 fighter jets. He is also one of the country’s foremost critics of the F-35, joins Brian and John. Juan Guaido’s third coup attempt appears to fail once again. What’s driving the US effort to carry out the overthrow of a democratically elected government in Latin America? Is it oil? Is it regional domination? Is it both? Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and author of many books, including “Blows Against the Empire: U.S. Imperialism in Crisis,” joins the show.Wednesday’s regular segment, Beyond Nuclear, is about nuclear issues, including weapons, energy, waste, and the future of nuclear technology in the United States. Kevin Kamps, the Radioactive Waste Watchdog at the organization Beyond Nuclear, and Sputnik news analyst and producer Nicole Roussell, join the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Shelby Shoup, a student activist at Florida State University who was in the center of the hurricane yesterday, and Gail Walker, the executive director of Pastors for Peace and a Cuba solidarity activist.Hurricane Michael slammed into Panama City, Florida yesterday as a Category 4, with winds of 155 mph before moving inland to Georgia and South Carolina. Two people are dead and more than a 800,000 are without electricity. Hurricanes are getting stronger and more frequent—that’s a fact of climate change—but can governments and citizens keep up? Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorized Disclosure, join the show. Days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s appointment, he was drawn into a heated dispute between Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and then-acting FBI director Andrew McCabe over who would ultimately oversee the investigation. McCabe argued that Rosenstein’s memo justifying the firing of former FBI director James Comey implicated him in a potential obstruction of justice case against President Trump. McCabe lost that fight and was later fired. Brian and John speak with Daniel Lazare, a journalist and author of three books—“The Frozen Republic,” “The Velvet Coup,” and “America's Undeclared War.” A senior Chinese intelligence official was arrested in a sting operation and extradited yesterday to the United States to face espionage charges. Yanjun Xu, a deputy division director in the Ministry of State Security is the first Chinese intelligence officer ever to be extradited to face trial in open court. He is accused to trying to procure intelligence related to the design of jet engine fan blades. Meanwhile, a Bloomberg story about Chinese efforts to clandestinely install spy chips in US computers servers appears to be fake news. Web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa joins the show. The US military has grounded its entire fleet of F-35 fighter jets in the wake of a crash last month in South Carolina. The F-35 has been dogged by cost overruns, poor performance, and engineering problems virtually since its inception. Pierre Sprey, a special assistant to the Secretary of Defense and a former defense analyst who is considered to be one of the fathers of the F-16 and A-10 fighter jets, and one of the country’s foremost critics of the F-35, joins Brian and John. US intelligence services apparently have intercepts of Saudi government communications indicating that Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman ordered the kidnapping of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for more than a week since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials believe that Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered inside the consulate. The Saudis are denying any wrongdoing. Massoud Shadjareh, the founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins the show.Federal court judges are balking at what they call unlawful efforts by US immigration authorities to continue to detain people charged with entering the country unlawfully, even after they had been granted bail. The rulings complicate the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy against defendants charged with crossing the border illegally. Brian and John speak with Jorge Barón, the executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

The A-10 has proven itself to be one of the most venerable and capable aircraft in the U.S. arsenal. It is also an aircraft most people in the Air Force never wanted, and they have spent years actively working to send it to the scrap yard. It is the first aircraft ever designed from the very beginning to be solely dedicated to supporting ground troops. Generations of American soldiers and Marines have come to love the jet for its unique abilities to free them from jams and help accomplish the mission. The A-10 achieved this status through a set of fortuitous events and through the efforts of a few brave and dedicated individuals who dedicated themselves to making sure the men and women fighting on the ground would receive the support they needed from the air. Pierre Sprey, one of Robert McNamara’s “whiz kids,” played a key role in the creation of the A-10, and recounts the second part of this incredible story.

The A-10 has proven itself to be one of the most venerable and capable aircraft in the US arsenal. It is also an aircraft most people in the Air Force never wanted and have spent years actively working to send it to the scrap yard. It is the first aircraft every designed from the very beginning to be solely dedicated to supporting ground troops. Generations of American soldiers and Marines have come to love the jet for its unique abilities to free them from jams and to help accomplish the mission. The A-10 achieved this status through a unique set of fortuitous events and a few brave and dedicated individuals who dedicated themselves to making sure the men and women fighting one the ground would receive the support they needed from the air. Pierre Sprey, one of Robert McNamara’s “whiz kids,” played a key role in the creation of the A-10 and recounts this incredible story.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Peter Lavelle, host of RT's flagship show CrossTalk. Donald Trump has confirmed that he held a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during dinner at the G20 Summit, but the media is once again in a frenzy about the so-called ‘secret’ meeting.The second round of Brexit talks concludes in Brussels tomorrow. Theresa May’s fragile government faces steep demands from the European Union, and some UK politicians are now calling for Brexit to be cancelled. Steve Hedley, the assistant general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) joins Brian. Britain is set to spend billions of pounds on the new F-35 fighter jet, but is the purchase of the world’s most expensive war plane a massive waste of money? Defence Secretary Michael Fallon says the plane is the "most powerful and comprehensive" in history, but critics argue that the number of problems with the F-35 are immense. Pierre Sprey, one of the designers of the F-16, joins the show.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of The Duran, to discuss what comes next in Syria's war after Aleppo has been retaken by the Syrian Arab Army. The surrender of Islamist groups in eastern Aleppo was met with scenes of jubilation in the streets as thousands return home. But the mainstream media is painting a very different picture of what’s taking place - is it to build the pretext for western intervention? The CIA continues to push its story that Russia hacked e-mails from the Democratic Party to help Donald Trump as President Obama orders an investigation. Brian speaks with NSA whistleblower William Binney about his argument that these were inside leaks, not outside hacks. U.S. Secretary of Defence Ash Carter was in Israel on Monday to deliver the first two F-35 fighter jets, but the Lockheed Martin company’s stock fell when Donald Trump took to Twitter to say the costs on the program were out of control. Pierre Sprey, who was on the designer team of the F-16, joins the show to discuss why he is opposed to the F-35 program.

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker is joined by Drew Penrose, Legal Director at the election reform advocacy organization FairVote, and by Bob Schlehuber, producer of Radio Sputnik’s By Any Means Necessary with Eugene Puryear. Tomorrow’s the presidential election in the United States, but how democratic is the system really? Becker looks at how the boundaries of electoral constituencies have been used to undermine democracy, and the unpopular system known as the electoral college.Nicaragua’s elections took place yesterday with the Sandinistas and President Daniel Ortega achieving victory once again for a third consecutive time since 2006. What accounts for the success and popularity of the Sandinistas today, 37 years after their revolution first ushered them to power? Louise Richards, Trade Union and Communications Coordinator for the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group (NSCAG) in the UK, joins Becker to discuss the importance of the FSLN victory. The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a $6.1 billion contract for new F-35 fighter planes, but the company isn’t happy with the decision, which was made only by the Pentagon. Could it be that the F-35 program has been deemed less profitable than originally expected? Pierre Sprey, a lead member of the designer team for the F-16, joins Becker.

On the heels of the American drone attacks on suspected terrorist compounds in Pakistan, Bill Moyers Journal takes a closer look at America's history of and current policy on bombing, explores the ethics behind these assaults when civilians become the victims and asks: Does bombing work? Bill Moyers sits down with historian Marilyn Young, author of the forthcoming Bombing Civilians: A Twentieth Century History and former Pentagon official Pierre Sprey, who developed military planes and helped found the military reform movement.

On the heels of the American drone attacks on suspected terrorist compounds in Pakistan, Bill Moyers Journal takes a closer look at America's history of and current policy on bombing, explores the ethics behind these assaults when civilians become the victims and asks: Does bombing work? Bill Moyers sits down with historian Marilyn Young, author of the forthcoming Bombing Civilians: A Twentieth Century History and former Pentagon official Pierre Sprey, who developed military planes and helped found the military reform movement. And, with state budgets strapped, President Obama's proposed economic stimulus plan directs funds to educational institutions. Bill Moyers talks with Carnegie Corporation president Vartan Gregorian on the future of public higher education and its role in our democracy.