Top 10 Podcasts for Intelligence, Security and Geopolitics
10 of the best security podcasts from the worlds of intelligence, geopolitics and OSINT.
There’s been a significant increase in consumption of audio-only content over the last decade with reports estimating that there’ll be over 424 million regular podcast listeners by the end of 2022. There are also over 45 million podcast episodes available online, meaning anyone can freely access interesting, valuable content about almost anything.
A multi-faceted source of both entertainment and knowledge, podcasts are a great way to learn about topics such as geopolitics and global affairs. They allow listeners to multitask and the on-demand nature of audio content means that you can listen on the go.
Especially considering the fast-changing and increasingly complex security landscape of the world today, podcasts provide an easy yet invaluable way to stay informed, which is why we’ve compiled a list of ten of the best podcasts for threat intelligence, national security and geopolitical developments.
1. Intelligence Matters
As a key player in some of the most significant U.S. counter-terror efforts of the past two decades, former CIA agent and podcast host, Michael Morell interviews leading figures in the intelligence community. The discussions provide interesting insight into current events and the future of the geopolitical landscape based on their extensive careers and experience shaping national security policies worldwide.
Episodes of the intelligence and security podcast include analysis of the Russia-Ukraine war, escalating tensions between China and the U.S. as well as psychological profiles of various world leaders and conspiracy theories surrounding recent conflicts.
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2. The OSINT Bunker
The OSINT Bunker is a defence and military news podcast aimed at expanding people’s knowledge of geopolitics in collaboration with the UK Defence Journal. New episodes of the security podcast are released every fortnight and cover the latest developments relating to conflict, international relations and open-source intelligence.
The security-centric podcast is hosted by OSINT professionals, journalists and popular Twitter users, @DefenceGeek, @KyleJGlen, and @Osinttechnical.
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3. The Roundtable by Intelligence Fusion
A regular roundtable discussion presented by Deputy Intelligence Manager, Max Taylor, and featuring various analysts from the Intelligence Fusion team. Our threat intelligence podcast aims to provide you with a deeper insight and more comprehensive analysis of broader security trends, evolving patterns and unexplored geopolitical themes from every corner of the globe.
In each episode, Max is joined by members of the team who focus on a specific region or specialise in a particular subject, often with the aim of bringing a unique or alternative perspective to the conversation. Previous episodes have analysed how the extractive sector has been exploited to fund terrorism and the global conflicts that are falling under the radar amidst other dominating headlines.
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4. Threat Intelligence Podcast by the Counterterrorism Group
The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) is an intelligence-led organisation based in the United States with a mission to detect, deter and defeat terrorism. CTG’s threat intelligence podcast, which is hosted by their Senior Intelligence Analyst Adam Stevens, delivers updates on geopolitics and international security every week. They’ll often focus on topics or themes that are significant in their impact on the world’s security landscape but perhaps don’t get as much airtime as they should.
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5. How to get on a watchlist
In a brand new podcast for 2022, the team at Encyclopedia Geopolitica sit down with leading experts to discuss dangerous activities, examining threats through the lens of both the actors conducting operations and the agencies trying to stop them. Whilst in its infancy right now, the podcast has some exciting episodes lined up that cover subjects including the assassinations of diplomats, airliner shootdowns, joining an extremist group and kidnapping executives.
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6. The OSINT Curious Podcast
The OSINT Curious Project is a U.S. non-profit that provides a platform for open-source enthusiasts and professionals to share knowledge, techniques and information. They aim to provide a high-quality resource for anyone interested in using the internet to find information. Whilst podcast episodes are intermittent, the team behind OSINT Curious also produce blogs, instructional videos, and webcasts too.
Their OSINT podcast interviews professional analysts, well-known influencers from the intelligence community and open-source intelligence experts from across the world. Discussions include challenges faced during open-source investigations, OSINT tools and techniques and how to build a career in intelligence.
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7. Talking Threat Intelligence by LifeRaft
LifeRaft’s threat intelligence podcast provides insight into the current and future state of corporate security through thought-provoking interviews with some of the leading names in security and intelligence. Each episode ranges between 20 and 30 minutes, providing an easy-to-digest overview of a wide range of topics, such as using open-source intelligence, identifying misinformation online, demonstrating ROI for physical security and personal branding for security professionals.
Guests on the corporate security podcast have included Intelligence Fusion’s very own Michael McCabe, on the future of threat intelligence and the rise of crowdsourced intelligence. They’ve also welcomed security experts from Janes, Securitas UK and Meta to the podcast studio.
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8. Explaining Ukraine by UkraineWorld.org
Ukraine World is a multimedia project run by Internews Ukraine. With an international network of over 300 journalists and experts, they aim to provide a platform for Ukrainian voices through resources including articles, podcasts, and videos.
The podcast, Explaining Ukraine, focuses on explaining the country’s politics and culture, covering the most important developments in and around Ukraine, as well as counteracting anti-Western propaganda and disinformation.
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9. Breadcrumbs by TraceLabs
Our friends over at Trace Labs, a Canadian-based non-profit, are experts in the crowdsourcing of open-source intelligence collection. The organisation is made up of individuals from around the globe who all unite for one common mission, using OSINT to find missing persons and reunite them with their families.
Their OSINT podcast, Breadcrumbs, is a fascinating insight into their work and the community they’ve built. Interviewing key contributors and industry experts, listeners can learn everything from practical tips for starting in open-source intelligence to better understanding the role of intelligence collection in law enforcement.
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10. The World of Intelligence by Janes
The World of Intelligence is a regular intelligence podcast created by Janes, one of the world’s leading providers of defence intelligence. The host, Harry Kemsley, is the President of Government and National Security at Janes and aims to provide listeners with the latest analysis of global military and security trends within the open-source defence intelligence community.
Often joined by industry experts, the podcast touches on the latest events from across the world including the Russia-Ukraine war as well as touching on wider trends such as financing extremists and the application of OSINT in counter-terrorism.
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