
Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon
Welcome to “Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon” — 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 — 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.
New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe now.
Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon
Ep. 14 Quantum Is Closing In, Data Everywhere, & Peace in Sight
In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric put quantum computing on the table—what quantum computers are, why “harvest-now, decrypt-later” raises the stakes for your data, and what a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) world will look like. Plus: China’s threats to restrict rare-earth exports, partnership opportunities in AI-enabled open-source intelligence (OSINT), and the implications of the well deserved Nobel Peace Prize recognition for María Corina Machado of Venezuela.
Programming note: After a two-week break following Sue’s surgery, catch the next UI Podcast release on October 28, 2025.
Timestamps:
01:20 Halloween Candy Choices
04:30 China's Rare Earth Restriction
08:37 The Rise of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
13:28 Counterintelligence in the Modern Era
21:19 Nobel Peace Prize
26:31 Quantum Computing Basics
29:24 Quantum Computing and Cryptography
39:38 Quantum Computing in Finance and Medicine
41:26 Future of Quantum Computing
44:07 What We’re Watching
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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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New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.