When There are Nine

This is Sirens, a new podcast from the hosts of Bombshell. This week Loren, Erin, and Radha recast military movies with Muppets and kick off "it's a drill" - cocktail chatters on recent events like the commissioning of tech leaders and stalling of the big beautiful bill. Diving deeper with "Dumpster Fires," they talk concerns on domestic use of military forces and promise and perils of AI in public sector. With "Warning Signs" they dig into slow burn crises and long term hazards, with this week (no surprise) on Iran. How did we get here and is it a big deal? Closing out, a Gong Show round highlights favorite summer traditions! And of course, don't forget issues may lure men to their death (but in a good way way!). (edited)     

This is Sirens, a new podcast from the hosts of bombshell. This week Loren, Erin, and Radha are experimenting with shorter form content to dive deep on matters large and small in between thelonger shows. Our first one explores summer reading philosophy, and you'll come away with a dozen ideas for your beach library. Come for the cozy or delicious novels, stay for the new series you should try. There's also some nonfiction if that's you thing!

This is Sirens, a new series, brought to you by the Ladies of Bombshell - Loren DeJonge Schulman, Radha Iyengar Plumb, and Erin Simpson. In this episode, our hosts talk about why they are launching a new podcast, reveal what horrible things they have discovered at the bottom of their work bags, and talk about issues that may lure men to their death (but in a good way!). They discuss what's stuck in their craw from the big beautiful bill to changes in foreign student rules to drama in the national security council. Then, they deep dive on key issues like why is there a race on AI, the complicated relationship between Silicon Valley and DC, and what we can learn from the governance approach in the first few months of the Trump Administration. And finally, pop culture.    

In the tradition of British dramas, Erin, Loren, and Radha reunite for a special holiday episode. The ladies flip the script, answering a range of questions from the first ever Manniversary guest Kai Ryssdal. They then return to some of their greatest hits including transition process, civ-mil issues, and personnel policy replete with process details and holiday movie analogies. Stay through the end to hear pop culture recommendations and special appearances from many former guests with answers to their favorite Bombshell questions.

For their 100th episode, Erin, Loren and Radha discuss new issues, like the escalating conflict at the Ethiopia-Eritrea border, old issues, like HVT targeting of al-Qaeda leadership, and, of course, continuing trade issues with China. They then turn to a discussion of all the White House mayhem (Ok, not all! No one has that kind of time), including lack of legal authority for Department of Homeland Security leadership to make decisions about DACA, the Defense Department “purge,” and the complicated, not-quite-yet-started transition of the Biden administration. The team ties a bow on this episode with a discussion of holiday movies and other pop culture … and that's a wrap!   Links Cara Anna, “,” AP News, November 15, 2020 “,” BBC News, November 15, 2020 “Peter Mwai, “,” BBC News, November 11, 2020 David Porter, “,” AP News, November 14, 2020

Loren, Erin, and Radha are joined by their most frequent guest (Kori Schake) and a new guest (Katrina Mulligan) to discuss foreign policy issues we'll need to worry about regardless of the election outcome! After a lively discussion, the ladies go over foreign policy issues that have been over-discussed, under-discussed, and the processes that will always be their valentines. They wrap up with pop culture, self-care, and indulgences to help get you through election day and beyond!

Loren, Radha, and Erin reconvene to explore many of Bombshell's greatest hits - Brexit, troop levels in Afghanistan, and arms control. With a dash of ethnic conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh thrown in for flavor. The ladies then drop a Bombshell of their own: this fair podcast will be wrapping up in 2020. It's the final countdown! 

Erin, Radha and Loren use COVID-19 as a frame to ask what this crazy time has brought to our attention, what it’s distracted is from, what it’s possibly helped, and how it’s shaped our own skills and interests.  And shopping.   Links “,” Reuters, October 01, 2020 “,” The Guardian, October 05, 2020 Todd Lopez, “,” US Department of Defense, September 29, 2020    

This week, Mira Rapp-Hooper and Rebecca Lissner return to the show to discuss American grand strategy, female partnerships, and their fabulous new book, . The ladies then revisit the administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East - with notes on the UAE-Israel accord and Iran sanctions drama. Also, Tiktok! Soothing pop-culture ties a bow on it.

Loren, Radha, and Erin invite Camille Stewart, non-resident fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, to discuss all the cyber threats and how individual behavior uniquely connects with our ability to mitigate or respond to them. In keeping up foreign relations, we provide short updates on Alexei Navalny, Belarus, and Brexit alongside a brief farewell to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. We'd like to remind you all that Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq are still a thing, and after all the takes have been shared on Trump's views on service members, we talk about the role of the press in this story.