Target USA Podcast by WTOP

Whether its terrorists, anarchists, cyber criminals or nation states, America has a target on its back. WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green investigates the threats facing the U.S., the people behind them, the agencies fighting them and their impact on Americans.

  • 17 minutes 4 seconds
    522 | Winning the Battle, Losing the War: Inside the Iran Conflict’s Strategic Failure

    The United States and Israel have devastated Iran’s military capabilities—crippling its air defenses, missile systems, and leadership ranks.

    But the bigger picture tells a different story.

    In this episode, Dana Stroul, Research Director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, explains how Iran is using asymmetric tactics to disrupt global energy flows, pressure the economy, and hold strategic leverage—even after major battlefield losses.

    The result: tactical success for the U.S., but no clear strategic win.

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    26 March 2026, 1:00 am
  • 24 minutes 4 seconds
    521 | The Expanding War: How One Conflict Is Rewiring Global Security

    The Iran war has crossed a critical threshold. What began as a military campaign is now expanding across leadership structures, regional boundaries, domestic security systems, and global power competition.

    In this episode, we break down the most important developments from the war, including Israel’s targeting of Iran’s leadership, Iran’s widening retaliation, and the growing impact on global systems like shipping and energy. Retired General Ben Hodges, former Commander of U.S. Army Europe, and Dr. Nick Redman, Director of Analysis and Editor-in-Chief at Oxford Analytica from Dow Jones.


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    19 March 2026, 1:00 am
  • 20 minutes 31 seconds
    520 | The Iran Conflict at the Edge of Escalation

    The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran is entering a dangerous phase. While the fighting is still concentrated in the Middle East, the ripple effects are already spreading across global energy markets, international security networks, and cyberspace. Dr. Nick Redman, director of analysis and editor-in-chief of Oxford Analytica from Dow Jones, joins us to put it into context

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    12 March 2026, 1:00 am
  • 18 minutes 38 seconds
    519 | Iran: War of Congested Skies, Expanding Fronts, and Strategic Fragility

    Over the past 5 days, the war in Iran has been confusing. The air space in the region has been clogged with fighter jets, drones, and missiles. The objective has evolved. Joining us on this episode to put it into perspective are Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and Ret. General Ben Hodges, former Commander of US Army Europe,

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    5 March 2026, 2:00 am
  • 19 minutes 47 seconds
    518 | Peace Through Pressure: Why Ukraine Says Only Strength Will End the War

    As discussions of ceasefires and negotiations circulate, Ukraine faces its deadliest year for civilians since the full-scale invasion began. With more than 2,500 killed and nightly shelling nearly constant, Ukrainian leaders outline how Ukraine’s rapidly evolving defense industry and battlefield innovations are reshaping modern warfare and NATO’s future security posture. Halyna Yanchenko, a member of Ukraine's parliament, joins us to discuss.

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    26 February 2026, 2:00 am
  • 20 minutes 23 seconds
    517 | Two Fronts, No Breakthrough: Sudan’s Humanitarian Collapse and Ukraine’s War Without Pause

    Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has driven more than ten million people from their homes and pushed parts of Darfur toward famine. Dan O’Malley, Red Cross chief in Sudan, joins us with a firsthand assessment of a crisis accelerating beyond control.

    At the same time, February 17–18 talks in Geneva between Ukraine, Russia, and U.S. representatives ended without a ceasefire or concrete progress, even as Russian strikes continued. Ambassador Kurt Volker breaks down what the stalled diplomacy means for the war’s trajectory.

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    19 February 2026, 2:00 am
  • 13 minutes 8 seconds
    516 | Frozen But Unbroken: Ukraine Endures as Missiles Fall

    As Russian missile and drone strikes continue to hammer Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, hundreds of thousands are living in brutal winter conditions—minus 15 to minus 20 degrees at night—with no electricity, no heat, and sometimes no running water.

    Former Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesman Yuriy Sak describes what daily life is like inside Kyiv and across the country.

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    12 February 2026, 2:00 am
  • 14 minutes 55 seconds
    515 | Germany Warns Its Citizens: What U.S. Street Violence Signals to the World

    Germany has issued a formal travel warning for its citizens visiting the United States — a move that would have been almost unthinkable just a few years ago. The advisory cites escalating violence tied to protests and confrontations involving government authorities, raising alarms among European security officials about stability inside the world’s most powerful democracy.

    In this episode, Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project and a German who lives in the U.S. part-time, talks about why this warning matters far beyond tourism.

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    6 February 2026, 2:00 am
  • 22 minutes 45 seconds
    514 | The Alliance on Edge: How Trump’s Greenland Gambit Shook Europe’s Trust in America

    The transatlantic alliance is facing its most serious test in decades. President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to assert control over Greenland—combined with mounting pressure tactics against U.S. allies—has accelerated a quiet but consequential shift in Europe’s strategic thinking.

    In this episode, Ambassador Daniel Fried, Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former senior U.S. diplomat deeply involved in NATO and European security policy, joins us to discuss how harsh rhetoric and failed coercion fractured long-standing assumptions about American leadership.

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    29 January 2026, 2:00 am
  • 23 minutes 54 seconds
    513 | Wait! Trump did what in Davos?

    After a blistering speech that lasted more than an hour, which centered around the US taking Greenland, President Donald announced that a deal had been made. Listen to an excerpt of his speech and hear Ambassador Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, explain what happened.

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    22 January 2026, 2:00 am
  • 19 minutes 19 seconds
    512 | Greenland tells the U.S. "We're not interested"

    Former Greenland finance minister Maliina Abelsen delivers a blunt warning about President Donald Trump’s renewed talk of “taking” Greenland. This episode examines how power politics, symbolism, and messaging are colliding with international law, alliance norms, and Arctic security—and why Greenlanders see the rhetoric as a threat, not protection.

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    15 January 2026, 2:00 am
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