In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric unpack Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s fiery Quantico address—why it was a tactical speech to a strategic audience, how it missed the mission, and what its message signals for women and talent across the country. They examine the tension between unity and conformity, leadership and loyalty, and the risk of mistaking discipline for devotion. Plus: SWIFT moves onto blockchain, Beijing’s use of organized crime to expand influence in Taiwan, Netanyahu’s rare apology to Qatar, and the real-world fallout of a U.S. government shutdown on small defense innovators.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:30 Super Bowl Halftime Show Discussion

03:39 SWIFT's Blockchain Initiative

06:28 Gangland Geopolitics in Taiwan

13:15 Netanyahu's Apology to Qatar

16:35 Government Shutdown on Defense Startups

23:02 Shutdown Game: What's Funded?

26:52 Military Leadership and Diversity

46:25 What We're Watching

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

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New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric discuss President Erdoğan’s visit to the White House and analyze Turkey, a necessary NATO ally, through Umberto Eco’s ‘ur-fascism’ lens. They examine the SIM farm operating near the U.N. and how cybercriminals are shifting from endpoints to the telecom infrastructure layer. Plus: quick updates on the real-world impacts of a U.S. government shutdown, former FBI Director James Comey’s indictment, the TikTok executive order, and a diplomatic letter from Venezuela.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

03:07 Government Shutdown

09:41 James Comey Indictment

13:20 TikTok and National Security

20:19 Venezuela’s Letter to the US

26:56 Telecom Threat at the UN

32:27 US-Turkey Relations: A Strategic Alliance

35:53 Erdogan's Ur-Fascism Shift in Turkey

44:00 Closing Thoughts and Current Events

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Website and Feedback:
Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric sit down with Hon. Shannon Corless, former Assistant Secretary for Treasury’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis, to map how finance, technology, and national security now operate as one system.

She starts with a clear Blockchain/Digital Assets 101 and why on-chain transparency can aid law enforcement even as anonymity muddies attribution. Then they examine stablecoins and 401(k)s, diversification, and the case for real consumer education. From her experiences inside the room, Corless outlines founder-level guardrails for CFIUS-era capital and offers a different take on a U.S. sovereign wealth fund as soft power and taxpayer value. The conversation closes on the emerging TikTok framework; data control, board structure, and the still-thorny algorithm question.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:52 Halloween Decorations Debate

04:03 China's Tech Strategy and US Relations

08:05 Senate Judiciary Committee: Director Patel's Testimony

14:09 Introducing Hon. Shannon Corless

16:58 Understanding Blockchain and Digital Assets

22:51 Opportunities in Digital Currency

26:28 Cybersecurity and Digital Assets

32:40 Exploring Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies in 401k Plans

35:36 US Sovereign Wealth Fund

42:01 Understanding the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

54:32 The TikTok Controversy and Data Security

01:01:37 The Time Horizon of Sanctions

01:05:20 What We're Watching

Our guest: The Honorable Shannon Corless is a former career intelligence officer, who started her career as an intern with the Office of Naval Intelligence. She spent the entirety of her career at the intersection of national security and economics, the bulk of which was spent leading the IC’s support to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States at ODNI. For her final act in government, she had the opportunity to serve for three years as the Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Website and Feedback:
Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric dive into autonomous defense at sea, surveillance tech exported by U.S. firms, and the leadership needed when crises hit. After a quick scan of the geopolitical hotspots.

They unpack Australia’s Ghost Shark program and what undersea autonomy means for allied procurement and deterrence, then ask who is responsible when American technology enables a surveillance state abroad. Finally, they turn to personnel and accountability inside the US government, using a recent high-profile manhunt and cabinet-level missteps to show how leadership experience (or the lack of it) can limit U.S. statecraft.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

04:32 Russia-Ukraine Conflict Analysis

08:49 Middle East Tensions and US Leadership

11:16 Brazil's Political Landscape

13:34 Venezuela and US Military Actions

17:17 Ghost Shark: Australia's Defense Innovations

23:39 US Tech and China's Surveillance

26:13 Government Responsibility in Tech Control

29:11 The Rule of Law and Technology Use

36:52 Leadership in Crisis Management

39:29 The Role of Vision in Leadership

40:25 Effective Leadership and Organizational Success

41:44 The Importance of Trust in Leadership

48:26 Conclusion and Future Outlook

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Website and Feedback:
Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

Congressional oversight under pressure. Stablecoins meet statecraft. Caribbean motives, city security, and the homefront of national resilience.

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric draw a through-line on oversight: from the Trump family’s WLFI stablecoin push, to a U.S. buildup and lethal strike off Venezuela—and whether “counter-narcotics” masks regime pressure—to an NGA visit by Sen. Mark Warner derailed by online agitation, raising real costs for mission and workforce trust. Finally, continuing last week’s agriculture theme, they analyze how security is felt first in cities—where talent pipelines and civic trust turn resilience into national security at home. Finally, continuing last week’s agriculture theme, they argue that security is felt first in cities, where talent pipelines and civic trust turn local resilience into national security at home.

The Role Of Cities In National Security by Lauren Buitta

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:03 Spotlight on UTEP and Diversity in Education

04:53 Crypto and National Security

09:35 US Forces in the Southern Caribbean

17:28 Congressional Oversight and Social Media Influence

23:41 Diluting National Security

28:32 The Importance of University Research

36:42 Diversity of Opinion in Higher Education

41:14 Gender Safety and Civic Participation

51:12 What We’re Watching

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Website and Feedback:

Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric connect three fronts of resilience: cybersecurity on the home front, the governance of biometrics, and the future of American agriculture. They unpack the reduced capacity of coordinated cyber communication, what policy looks like for biometric data and the claims of disinformation in Greenland. Then they head to the Heartland: shrinking farm counts, tighter margins, and how ownership—foreign buyers, institutional capital, and co-ops—shapes food security as national security.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:46 Labor Day Reflections

03:37 Cybersecurity Threats and State Responsibilities

10:16 Biometric Data and Privacy Concerns

16:56 Greenland Influence and Arctic Gray Zone

19:17 Agriculture and Food Security as National Security

23:29 Foreign Investment in US Farmland

34:05 Private Equity and Community Impact

39:52 Technological Innovations in Agriculture

47:04 Conclusion and Future Outlook

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Website and Feedback:
Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

In this episode of Understandable Insights, Sue and Eric highlight the national security issues of intelligence community downsizing, state equity in critical chips, and the return of Ukraine’s abducted children. Along the way, they explore whether proposed changes to the ODNI threaten its value, the risks inherent in aligning industrial policy and market forces, and why the return of Ukraine’s children must be a non-negotiable in any endgame.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:28 Metaphysical Question: Law and Order

03:25 ODNI 2.0 Downsizing

05:14 Background on ODNI

17:20 US Government's Stake in Intel

27:09 Treasury's Miscellaneous Fund and Transparency Concerns

31:06 Human Trafficking and Ukraine's Children

40:14 US National Security and Human Trafficking

49:08 Federal Workforce

53:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

About the show:

Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon is the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Website and Feedback:

Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.

In this episode, Sue and Eric tackle three issues with profound implications for our republic and, ultimately, for our geopolitical standing: the open question of how the US sees its responsibility to Ukraine and its prior commitments; the commoditization of influence operations by an adversary and erstwhile competitor; and whether partisan power can be placed above constitutional constraints.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Understandable Insights

01:41 Navigating News and USA Facts

02:37 Headlines: Trump Meets Putin

04:33 Analyzing Trump's Negotiation Tactics

14:14 China's AI Influence Operations

26:58 The Role of Big Tech in National Security

28:30 Historical Context of Information Warfare

29:58 The Battle for Information Control

32:23 Texas Redistricting and National Resilience

48:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

About:

Website and Feedback: Welcome to “Understandable Insights: Information to Intelligence with Sue Gordon” — the national security podcast that provides you an elemental understanding of the world as it is, not how you prefer it to be.

Each week, Eric Koepp — a former Marine, father, and entrepreneur — sits down with the Honorable Sue Gordon, the nation’s former top career intelligence officer. Together, they break down the headlines shaping our world and ask what they really mean for citizens, leaders, and institutions.

From armed conflict to emerging tech, foreign interference to the resilience of democracy — this is where raw information becomes real intelligence. Unfiltered. Candid. Unapologetically clear.

Remember we’re here for you. Provide us feedback or suggest topics for next time: Feedback

Send us a text

New episodes every Tuesday. Follow or subscribe today.