EPISODE · Mar 24, 2026 · 43 MIN
1006. Drone Warfare has Caught America TOTALLY Unprepared in Middle East!
from Silicon Curtain · host Jonathan Fink
Ken Harbaugh is a former U.S. Navy pilot and mission commander who served from 1996 to 2005 as an EP-3 signals-intelligence aviator, flying missions focused on adversaries including Russia, North Korea, and China. After leaving the Navy, he earned a JD (Juris Doctor) from Yale Law School, taught at The Citadel and as a guest fellow at Yale, co-founded The Mission Continues and Got Your 6, later held senior leadership roles at Team Rubicon, and has since become a media and podcast figure through Burn the Boats, Warriors in Their Own Words, and The Ken Harbaugh Show. He is a senior correspondent for MeidasTouch.----------SEE DRONE HUNTERS OF KHERSON:https://thekenharbaughshow.substack.com/LINKS:https://www.youtube.com/@UCon-4xKJzqoD1JOitZgT5cQ https://x.com/Team_Harbaughhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Harbaughhttps://www.theatlantic.com/author/ken-harbaugh/https://www.facebook.com/TeamHarbaugh/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-harbaugh-201a7b8/----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon 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-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese 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.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------DESCRIPTION:Ken Harbaugh on Ukraine’s Drone Hunters, Western Blind Spots, and the Coming Age of Asymmetric WarFormer US Navy EP-3 signals intelligence aviator Ken Harbaugh discusses his reporting on Ukraine’s “drone hunters” in Kherson, who shoot down hard-to-detect fiber-optic FPV drones used by Russia in a civilian terror campaign and described as a “human safari,” alongside other indiscriminate tactics like butterfly mines. He argues the US and allies are failing to learn battlefield lessons from Ukraine about scalable drone defense, cost asymmetry, and homeland vulnerability to container-launched drone attacks and cyber disruption, while criticizing leadership deficits, entrenched defense procurement incentives, and what he describes as a White House unwilling to hear hard truths about scenarios like Strait of Hormuz closure. The conversation contrasts Russia’s brutality with Ukrainian innovation, including gamified targeting incentives, and warns that the West may only adapt after a major attack. ----------CHAPTERS:00:58 Drone Hunters of Kherson04:03 Human Safari Terror06:31 Hormuz Unpreparedness08:49 Europe Leadership Gap11:50 Lessons From Ukraine14:34 Homeland Drone Threat19:15 Hybrid War and Cyber22:30 Coal and Uranium Wildcard28:00 Allies Push Back32:35 Ukraine Innovation Edge37:30 Military Industrial Drag39:45 Wake Up Call Closing----------THE 'FAITH UNDER SIEGE' TEAM ARE KIND SUPPORTERS OF SILICON CURTAIN: WEBSITE: https://www.faithundersiege.com/TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftGtdC-aO3kFILM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4gJWdsyAACHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@UCx-2kTPvk4Z505gS2ZEch-A REVIEW: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35428172/----------
What this episode covers
Ken Harbaugh is a former U.S. Navy pilot and mission commander who served from 1996 to 2005 as an EP-3 signals-intelligence aviator, flying missions focused on adversaries including Russia, North Korea, and China. After leaving the Navy, he earned a JD (Juris Doctor) from Yale Law School, taught at The Citadel and as a guest fellow at Yale, co-founded The Mission Continues and Got Your 6, later held senior leadership roles at Team Rubicon, and has since become a media and podcast figure through Burn the Boats, Warriors in Their Own Words, and The Ken Harbaugh Show. He is a senior correspondent for MeidasTouch.----------SEE DRONE HUNTERS OF KHERSON:https://thekenharbaughshow.substack.com/LINKS:https://www.youtube.com/@UCon-4xKJzqoD1JOitZgT5cQ https://x.com/Team_Harbaughhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Harbaughhttps://www.theatlantic.com/author/ken-harbaugh/https://www.facebook.com/TeamHarbaugh/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-harbaugh-201a7b8/----------ACTIVE CAMPAIGN:We are raising funds for 5 of 15 Vampire DronesSilicon 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-for-kupiansk-vampiresThese 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.----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------DESCRIPTION:Ken Harbaugh on Ukraine’s Drone Hunters, Western Blind Spots, and the Coming Age of Asymmetric WarFormer US Navy EP-3 signals intelligence aviator Ken Harbaugh discusses his reporting on Ukraine’s “drone hunters” in Kherson, who shoot down hard-to-detect fiber-optic FPV drones used by Russia in a civilian terror campaign and described as a “human safari,” alongside other indiscriminate tactics like butterfly mines. He argues the US and allies are failing to learn battlefield lessons from Ukraine about scalable drone defense, cost asymmetry, and homeland vulnerability to container-launched drone attacks and cyber disruption, while criticizing leadership deficits, entrenched defense procurement incentives, and what he describes as a White House unwilling to hear hard truths about scenarios like Strait of Hormuz closure. The conversation contrasts Russia’s brutality with Ukrainian innovation, including gamified targeting incentives, and warns that the West may only adapt after a major attack. ----------CHAPTERS:00:58 Drone Hunters of Kherson04:03 Human Safari Terror06:31 Hormuz Unpreparedness08:49 Europe Leadership Gap11:50 Lessons From Ukraine14:34 Homeland Drone Threat19:15 Hybrid War and Cyber22:30 Coal and Uranium Wildcard28:00 Allies Push Back32:35 Ukraine Innovation Edge37:30 Military Industrial Drag39:45 Wake Up Call Closing----------THE 'FAITH UNDER SIEGE' TEAM ARE KIND SUPPORTERS OF SILICON CURTAIN: WEBSITE: https://www.faithundersiege.com/TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftGtdC-aO3kFILM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4gJWdsyAACHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@UCx-2kTPvk4Z505gS2ZEch-A REVIEW: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35428172/----------
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1006. Drone Warfare has Caught America TOTALLY Unprepared in Middle East!
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