10 April 2026

Ben Hodges is a retired United States Army officer, who became commander of United States Army Europe in November 2014, and held that position for three years until retiring from the United States Army in January 2018. Until recently he was the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies, at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, specialising in NATO, Transatlantic relationship and international security.

ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:
We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire Drones
Silicon Curtain for Kupiansk Vampires. Dzyga’s Paw, together with Jonathan Fink, is joining forces to raise $40,000 to provide the Khartiia Brigade with Vampire Drones.
https://dzygaspaw.com/silicon-curtain…

These heavy bombers are designed to destroy manpower and equipment, as well as for remote mining. The Vampire UAV, manufactured by Skyfall, has proven itself to be one of the most effective weapons in the Kupiansk direction. Skyfall is one of Ukraine’s largest defense tech companies, producing Vampire bomber drones, various modifications of Shrike FPV drones, P1-SUN, Shahed drone interceptors, communication systems, and components.

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Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6…

DESCRIPTION:
Rubio’s NATO Safeguard, Iran Ceasefire Confusion, and NATO’s Trump Test | Ben Hodges Discussion

The hosts discuss a declared two-week ceasefire involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, Iran’s claim it was violated, and uncertainty over Iran’s reported 10-point proposal, arguing U.S. messaging has lost credibility amid negotiations lacking professional diplomats. They assess claims of “regime change” in Iran as making leadership more repressive and empowering the IRGC, and compare U.S. misjudgments to Iraq. They examine what Russia gains from reduced U.S. pressure and debate NATO’s resilience despite hostile White House rhetoric, noting a quiet Trump–NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte meeting and Rubio-backed legislation limiting a president’s ability to leave NATO. They discuss risks of U.S. troop redeployments, Europe’s agency, the likelihood of Russian/Chinese opportunism, Ukraine’s improving battlefield attrition, and confidence senior U.S. officers would refuse illegal orders. The episode ends promoting crowdfunding for Vampire drones for Ukraine.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 NATO Exit Safeguards
00:13 Iran Ceasefire Breakdown
02:32 Iran’s Demands and US Leverage
03:19 Regime Change Backfires
04:32 IRGC Power Reality Check
07:17 Diplomacy Credibility Crisis
09:32 Russia’s Gains and NATO Resilience
12:08 Windows for Russia and China
15:44 Ukraine Turning the Tide
17:35 Trump Meets NATO Chief
20:49 Europe’s Agency in NATO
23:25 Military and Illegal Orders