Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon

Ep. 13 The War Department’s Misfire

Sue Gordon & Eric Koepp Episode 13

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric unpack Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s fiery Quantico address—why it was a tactical speech to a strategic audience, how it missed the mission, and what its message signals for women and talent across the country. They examine the tension between unity and conformity, leadership and loyalty, and the risk of mistaking discipline for devotion. Plus: SWIFT moves onto blockchain, Beijing’s use of organized crime to expand influence in Taiwan, Netanyahu’s rare apology to Qatar, and the real-world fallout of a U.S. government shutdown on small defense innovators.

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:30 Super Bowl Halftime Show Discussion

03:39 SWIFT's Blockchain Initiative

06:28 Gangland Geopolitics in Taiwan

13:15 Netanyahu's Apology to Qatar

16:35 Government Shutdown on Defense Startups

23:02 Shutdown Game: What's Funded?

26:52 Military Leadership and Diversity

46:25 What We're Watching

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

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