Posted on Jan 24, 2022
Top 10 military & Veteran focused podcasts you should check out
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There are 2 million podcasts. This, according to 2021 data collected by Podcast Insights, translates into 48 million individual episodes.
That’s a lot of listening time. To help you decide where to spend your audio minutes in 2022, we scanned Chartable’s podcast analytics for top military and Veteran podcasts. So, the next time you fire up your favorite podcast app, consider checking out these popular service-related podcasts (noting that ranking spots fluctuate somewhat day to day), and let us know in the comments section what you’re listening to.
Borne the Battle. Hosted by Marine Corps Veteran Tanner Iskra, this weekly U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) podcast retains a 4.6 Apple customer review rating and, on this day, takes spot 39 on Apple’s government podcast list, according to Chartable. Episodes cover a variety of topics and Veteran newsmakers: Recent programs feature a deep dive into VA’s initiatives that assist Veterans who are homeless, a roundtable on the Afghanistan withdrawal and interviews with prominent Veteran celebrities and authors. Details: https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post?type=3
SOFcast. As of this writing ranked number seven on Apple’s list of government podcasts and with 4.8 out of five stars from listeners, SOFcast is the “official” podcast of the U.S. Special Operations Command, billing itself as where “America’s elite special operations forces gather to discuss leadership and current issues.” Recent episodes feature interviews with members of Congress, special operations Veterans and counterterrorism experts. New episodes drop every two weeks. Details: https://www.socom.mil/SOFcast/Pages/default.aspx.
Zero Blog Thirty. This Barstool Sports podcast, ranked on this day at 20 on the same Apple list, nets 4.7 of five listener stars, according to Chartable. In twice-weekly episodes hosted by enlisted Marines and a West Point-trained officer, the show offers irreverent and/or humorous takes on a spectrum of military, defense and national security issues (recent episodes discussed the conflict in Kazakhstan, Norway’s soldiers’ underwear and comedian Larry David’s Army service). The trio dissects the news in small segments — i.e., “rounds in the magazine” — creating a conversational atmosphere marketed as “having a virtual cold one with your buddies.” Details: https://www.barstoolsports.com/shows/23/zero-blog-thirty/about.
Mentors for Military (Mentors4Mil). “Mentors for military is one of the best podcast I’ve ever listened to!” That’s according to one reviewer of this podcast, hosted by retired U.S. Army Master Sgt. Robert Gowin, and ranked 29 on Apple’s government-show list, where it earns 4.8 out of five stars from listeners. Episodes feature in-depth discussions with Veterans such as Don Dorman, a U.S. Marine who later had a career in law enforcement and in the border patrol and with Nick Lavery, a U.S. Army Special Forces Warrant Officer. Another episode reviews the history of the heroes of D-Day. Details: https://mentorsformilitary.com.
The Indigenous Approach. This podcast, ranked 59 on the Apple list of government podcasts and with 4.8 of five stars from listeners, is from the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), which trains and deploys Army special forces for global crises and contingency missions. Episodes, released about every two weeks, cover topics such as ethical leadership and moral injury/moral guilt. Another program featured a discussion with “Restrepo” author Sebastian Junger. Details: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/podcast/ [login to see] .
SOFREP Radio. This iHEART Radio podcast features unofficial discussions related to special operations and Veterans of such operations. Hosted by Steve Balestrieri, an editor at the website SpecialOperations.com, the program lands at the 67 spot on Apple’s list of government podcasts, earning a 4.4 Apple customer review rating. A recent episode featured Balestrieri’s interview with neuroscientist Dr. David Eagleman, who helps individuals including Veterans overcome tinnitus and hearing loss with the assistance of wearable neosensory technology Eagleman developed. Details: https://sofrep.com/sofrep-radio.
Military Matters. Broadcast by the newspaper Stars and Stripes, Veterans Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy host this podcast. It is 73 on Apple’s government-show list, earning 4.7 from listeners, according to Chartable. Weekly shows track topical defense, military- and national security-related news coverage such as Afghanistan, China and “woke military.” Details: https://www.stripes.com/multimedia/podcasts/military_matters.
The Convergence: An Army Mad Scientist Podcast. Landing on this day at 82 on Apple’s list of government podcasts and earning 4.8 of five stars, this podcast claims to seek a “diversity of opinions on the character of warfare.” Highly detailed discussions revolve around subjects such as the future of ground combat and how China fights, featuring experts from the worlds of academia, combat warfare, military training and journalism. Details: https://theconvergence.castos.com.
Equipping the Corps. Hosted by retired Marine Manny Pacheco, this is the official podcast of the Marine Corps Systems Command. It’s ranked 106 on the Apple list of government shows, and earns five stars from its few reviewers. Recent shows cover issues such as divestment of equipment and how the Marine Corps is lessening the ammunition load. Details: https://www.marcorsyscom.marines.mil/News/Equipping-the-Corps.
American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories. Each one of these nine podcasts, part of the PBS television series “American Veteran,” focuses on one Veteran’s story. Host Phil Klay, a Marine Corps Veteran who authored the National Book Award-winning volume, “Redeployment,” guides listeners through nine portraits of service. One story is about a female African American Army cook who was serving in Iraq when she was taken prisoner of war; another is about a Coast Guard gunner’s mate who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The podcast series concluded at the end of December 2021 and is therefore unranked but it lives on in podcast-land. Details: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran/podcast.
Learn more
Chartable: https://chartable.com.
Podcast Insights: https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics.
That’s a lot of listening time. To help you decide where to spend your audio minutes in 2022, we scanned Chartable’s podcast analytics for top military and Veteran podcasts. So, the next time you fire up your favorite podcast app, consider checking out these popular service-related podcasts (noting that ranking spots fluctuate somewhat day to day), and let us know in the comments section what you’re listening to.
Borne the Battle. Hosted by Marine Corps Veteran Tanner Iskra, this weekly U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) podcast retains a 4.6 Apple customer review rating and, on this day, takes spot 39 on Apple’s government podcast list, according to Chartable. Episodes cover a variety of topics and Veteran newsmakers: Recent programs feature a deep dive into VA’s initiatives that assist Veterans who are homeless, a roundtable on the Afghanistan withdrawal and interviews with prominent Veteran celebrities and authors. Details: https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post?type=3
SOFcast. As of this writing ranked number seven on Apple’s list of government podcasts and with 4.8 out of five stars from listeners, SOFcast is the “official” podcast of the U.S. Special Operations Command, billing itself as where “America’s elite special operations forces gather to discuss leadership and current issues.” Recent episodes feature interviews with members of Congress, special operations Veterans and counterterrorism experts. New episodes drop every two weeks. Details: https://www.socom.mil/SOFcast/Pages/default.aspx.
Zero Blog Thirty. This Barstool Sports podcast, ranked on this day at 20 on the same Apple list, nets 4.7 of five listener stars, according to Chartable. In twice-weekly episodes hosted by enlisted Marines and a West Point-trained officer, the show offers irreverent and/or humorous takes on a spectrum of military, defense and national security issues (recent episodes discussed the conflict in Kazakhstan, Norway’s soldiers’ underwear and comedian Larry David’s Army service). The trio dissects the news in small segments — i.e., “rounds in the magazine” — creating a conversational atmosphere marketed as “having a virtual cold one with your buddies.” Details: https://www.barstoolsports.com/shows/23/zero-blog-thirty/about.
Mentors for Military (Mentors4Mil). “Mentors for military is one of the best podcast I’ve ever listened to!” That’s according to one reviewer of this podcast, hosted by retired U.S. Army Master Sgt. Robert Gowin, and ranked 29 on Apple’s government-show list, where it earns 4.8 out of five stars from listeners. Episodes feature in-depth discussions with Veterans such as Don Dorman, a U.S. Marine who later had a career in law enforcement and in the border patrol and with Nick Lavery, a U.S. Army Special Forces Warrant Officer. Another episode reviews the history of the heroes of D-Day. Details: https://mentorsformilitary.com.
The Indigenous Approach. This podcast, ranked 59 on the Apple list of government podcasts and with 4.8 of five stars from listeners, is from the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), which trains and deploys Army special forces for global crises and contingency missions. Episodes, released about every two weeks, cover topics such as ethical leadership and moral injury/moral guilt. Another program featured a discussion with “Restrepo” author Sebastian Junger. Details: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/podcast/ [login to see] .
SOFREP Radio. This iHEART Radio podcast features unofficial discussions related to special operations and Veterans of such operations. Hosted by Steve Balestrieri, an editor at the website SpecialOperations.com, the program lands at the 67 spot on Apple’s list of government podcasts, earning a 4.4 Apple customer review rating. A recent episode featured Balestrieri’s interview with neuroscientist Dr. David Eagleman, who helps individuals including Veterans overcome tinnitus and hearing loss with the assistance of wearable neosensory technology Eagleman developed. Details: https://sofrep.com/sofrep-radio.
Military Matters. Broadcast by the newspaper Stars and Stripes, Veterans Rod Rodriguez and Jack Murphy host this podcast. It is 73 on Apple’s government-show list, earning 4.7 from listeners, according to Chartable. Weekly shows track topical defense, military- and national security-related news coverage such as Afghanistan, China and “woke military.” Details: https://www.stripes.com/multimedia/podcasts/military_matters.
The Convergence: An Army Mad Scientist Podcast. Landing on this day at 82 on Apple’s list of government podcasts and earning 4.8 of five stars, this podcast claims to seek a “diversity of opinions on the character of warfare.” Highly detailed discussions revolve around subjects such as the future of ground combat and how China fights, featuring experts from the worlds of academia, combat warfare, military training and journalism. Details: https://theconvergence.castos.com.
Equipping the Corps. Hosted by retired Marine Manny Pacheco, this is the official podcast of the Marine Corps Systems Command. It’s ranked 106 on the Apple list of government shows, and earns five stars from its few reviewers. Recent shows cover issues such as divestment of equipment and how the Marine Corps is lessening the ammunition load. Details: https://www.marcorsyscom.marines.mil/News/Equipping-the-Corps.
American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories. Each one of these nine podcasts, part of the PBS television series “American Veteran,” focuses on one Veteran’s story. Host Phil Klay, a Marine Corps Veteran who authored the National Book Award-winning volume, “Redeployment,” guides listeners through nine portraits of service. One story is about a female African American Army cook who was serving in Iraq when she was taken prisoner of war; another is about a Coast Guard gunner’s mate who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The podcast series concluded at the end of December 2021 and is therefore unranked but it lives on in podcast-land. Details: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/american-veteran/podcast.
Learn more
Chartable: https://chartable.com.
Podcast Insights: https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics.
Podcasting
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Humor
Military History
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