Goat Rodeo #58 - Iran Ceasefire Collapses, Shield AI Goes Big, and Anduril Wins Army

Goat Rodeo #58 - Iran Ceasefire Collapses, Shield AI Goes Big, and Anduril Wins Army

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett, Simon, and Dave open with a victory lap — Garrett called ten days on the Iran ceasefire, and he wasn't wrong. The US has sunk two Iranian boats, the UN is evacuating thousands from the Strait, and the Senate has voted to end the conflict. The crew breaks down why the deadlock has no exit, and why the $35–60 billion war bill is a political grenade nobody wants to hold before the midterms. From there, a packed week in defense venture — Shield AI closes at $13 billion, Helsing hits $18 billion, UK mine-hunting startup Kraken raises $100 million, and European FPV drone company Stark raises €300 million. Defense VC in 2026 has already surpassed all of 2025. The episode closes on Anduril winning the Army's Next Generation C2 common data layer — effectively becoming the operating system every other vendor has to plug into. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo.

Goat Rodeo #57 - Iran Ceasefire, Apache vs. Shaheed, and Anduril's AI Wingman

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Simon Coon, and Dave Caudle — back from the cold — open on the Iran ceasefire and immediately ask the only question that matters: how long does it last? Garrett gives it ten days, Simon gives it thirty, and Dave splits the difference at thirty-one. The crew breaks down why the Islamabad MoU is full of diplomatic double-speak, why Israel's absence from the negotiation is a ticking clock, and whether there is any real mechanism to enforce any of this. From there, the conversation turns to one of the strangest military incidents in recent memory — a U.S. Army Apache helicopter struck by a Shaheed drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The crew breaks down why almost nothing about this story makes sense, what it says about the vulnerability of legacy platforms, and how a Saronic autonomous surface vessel rescued the crew in what may be the first-ever combat rescue by an unmanned boat. The episode closes on the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, where Anduril and General Atomics have been selected to build the hardware for America's first AI wingman — a semi-autonomous jet targeting a fleet of 1,000 to 1,500 aircraft at roughly $30 million per unit. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast

Goat Rodeo #56 ft. Susanne Hake - Satellite Wars, Bears, and the U.S. Invasion of Cuba

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Simon Coon are joined by Susanne Hake, EVP and GM of US Government Programs at Vantor — formerly Maxar Intelligence, and a close partner of Reveal Technology. Susanne brings a career that spans the NSC, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Palantir, where she joined in 2013 long before defense tech was cool. The conversation opens on the state of the defense tech renaissance — and whether the wave of new entrants actually understand the slog ahead of them. From there, the crew gets into how Vantor images other satellites in orbit, what you can actually see at high resolution, and the story of China photographing one of Vantor's satellites after Vantor posted an image of theirs. The episode closes on the Nimitz deployment to the Caribbean, Trump's Western hemisphere doctrine, and Simon's thesis that the GWOT is over — long live the GWOT. 00:00 Trailer 00:43 Cold Open: Bears, Bison Poop, and Glacier vs. Yellowstone 05:01 Welcome + Introducing Susanne Hake from Vantor 07:36 The Defense Tech Renaissance — and Who Actually Gets It 16:18 How Vantor Stays Connected to the Warfighter 26:12 Space is Getting Crowded: True Anomaly, Mega-Constellations, and Non-Earth Imaging 30:25 UFOs, Aliens, and Susanne's Very Vague Non-Answer 37:53 Where Vantor is Headed: 3D Terrain, Change Detection, and Left of Launch 40:19 Is the US About to Attack Cuba? The GWOT is Over. Long Live the GWOT. 50:23 Simon's Shirt: French Punk Rock and Soccer Hooligans Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcasthttps://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast [https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast]

Goat Rodeo #55 - Anduril Hits $61B, Palantir Vs DoW, Trump AI Executive Order

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon break down a massive week in defense tech. Anduril just raised $5 billion at a $61 billion valuation — and with 94% of all defense VC flowing into Series B and later rounds, the crew breaks down what it means now that the winners have been chosen. From there, Dave walks through Palantir's latest fight with the Defense Intelligence Agency and the commercial-first debate. The episode closes on Trump's draft AI executive order and a sharp debate on whether regulation actually makes innovation better or kills it. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcasthttps://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast [https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast]

Goat Rodeo #54 - UFO Files, Golden Dome's $1.2T Price Tag, and the Right to Repair

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon cover a packed week spanning government disclosure, a trillion-dollar missile defense debate, and a brewing fight over who owns the technology fielded to our warfighters. The conversation opens on President Trump's release of UFO and UAP files through the PURSUE program at war.gov — what's actually in the disclosure, whether it's a genuine step toward transparency or a distraction from a difficult news cycle, and what Secretary Rubio's comments about anomalous observations near nuclear facilities actually mean for national security. From there, the crew digs into the CBO's estimate that Golden Dome could cost $1.2 trillion — nearly seven times the administration's $175 billion projection — and whether a space-based missile defense system is a serious strategic program or an expensive flag in the ground. The episode closes on the right to repair debate inside the military, vendor lock-in, the push for government-owned technical data rights, and whether mandating open systems architecture could reshape the defense industrial base without killing the innovation economy. Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics; serious topics, but that doesn't mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take, because let's be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcasthttps://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast [https://linktr.ee/GoatRodeoPodcast]