• Ukraine latest / Limits of military might / Can major powers regain dominance?
    Jul 2 2026
    Four years in and Ukraine is still giving Russia a run for its money. Four months in and Iran shows no sign of bowing to U.S. demands.

    What do Russia’s fight with Ukraine and the U.S. war with Iran tell us about the limits of military might?


    Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR's Ukraine Correspondent Joanna Kakissis about the overnight attack in Kyiv, which comes on the heels of Ukraine's drone assaults in Moscow. NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre joins them to talk about what the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran say about military might and whether major powers can regain dominance.


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    32 mins
  • Iran ceasefire over? / NATO drama / Khamenei funeral
    Jul 9 2026
    President Trump and NATO allies met in Turkey this week, in a summit where European countries were anxious about appeasing the U.S. president.


    Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR Istanbul Correspondent Hadeel Al-Shalchi about what NATO members wanted to get out of this summit, and what they got. Plus, Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is over, though negotiations will continue. Where does that conflict stand?

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    28 mins
  • Hormuz blockade / Trump’s mixed messages / Who is Jay Clayton?
    Jul 16 2026
    The world’s attention is once again on the Strait of Hormuz, as the U.S. and Iran have resumed strikes and their shaky ceasefire broke.


    Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with two show regulars, NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre, about President Trump's policy shifts around the war, and why it's so hard for him to end the conflict for good. Plus, the president's pick to lead the intelligence community faced Congress this week.

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    33 mins
  • Ukraine’s leadership shakeup / View from Moscow / Is Russia a friend or foe?
    Jul 23 2026
    As Russia and Ukraine pound each other on the battlefield, there's a showdown happening in Kyiv between a young tech wizard and an older battle-hardened general.

    What might that battle tell us about the direction of the war in Ukraine?


    Host Mary Louise Kelly is joined by NPR Russia Correspondent Charles Maynes and NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre to talk about the recent turmoil among Ukraine's military leaders, how the Kremlin is viewing the shakeup and whether Russia's relationship with the United States has changed.


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    33 mins
  • Trump's options dwindle / Inside Iran / U.S. arsenal depleted?
    Jul 30 2026
    A new round of strikes between Iran and the United States, an expansion that’s embroiled forces in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, plus concerns about missile shortages in the U.S. arsenal — is this a new phase of the war with Iran?


    Guest host Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR reporter Arezou Rezvani about the status of the war, negotiations, concerns about a U.S. missile shortage and how the continued fighting has created mixed emotions in Iran.


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    28 mins
  • Without a press corps, who holds the Pentagon to account?
    Sep 25 2025
    And the president designates Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.


    This episode, we dig into the Pentagon's demand that reporters sign a pledge commiting not to gather any information -- including unclassified reports -- that hasn't been authorized for release, or lose their press credentials. Mary Louise Kelly talks with Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman about how how it could change his reporting. And domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef clarifies what President Trump's executive order means in practice and what it signals.

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    25 mins
  • Introducing Sources & Methods
    Aug 25 2025
    National security, unlocked. Each Thursday, host Mary Louise Kelly and a team of NPR correspondents discuss the biggest national security news of the week.


    With decades of reporting from battlefields and the halls of power, they bring you inside the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community to help you understand America's shifting role in the world, and how events in faraway places matter here at home. Additional episodes feature interviews with power players from the NatSec world -- current and former military officials, intelligence experts, diplomatic leaders, and more.


    Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org.


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    2 mins