Sources & Methods

Sources & Methods

National security, unlocked. Each Thursday, host Mary Louise Kelly and a team of NPR correspondents discuss the biggest national security news of the week. With decades of reporting from battlefields and the halls of power, they bring you inside the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community to help you understand America's shifting role in the world, and how events in faraway places matter here at home. Additional episodes feature interviews with power players from the NatSec world -- current and former military officials, intelligence experts, diplomatic leaders, and more. Email the show at sourcesandmethods@npr.org. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including archive access and sponsor-free listening for Sources & Methods.

Episodes

August 6, 2026 33 mins
In the past week, seven U.S. states have reported cyberattacks on their water facilities.

Some in the cybersecurity industry suspect Iran was responsible. Is this a new element of the war between the two countries? And how big is the risk?

Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR Cybersecurity Correspondent Jenna McLaughlin and NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre about the role cyberwarfare plays in military c...
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A new book makes the case that if we look closely at hidden conflicts unfolding around the globe, we can glimpse a new world order taking shape.


The book is called Hinterlands: The New Cold War Brewing at the Peripheries of the West and its author is Hannah Lucinda Smith, a veteran correspondent who has spent years reporting from the Middle East and the Balkans for outlets such as The Times of London and The Economist....
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A new round of strikes between Iran and the United States, an expansion that’s embroiled forces in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, plus concerns about missile shortages in the U.S. arsenal — is this a new phase of the war with Iran?


Guest host Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR reporter Arezou Rezvani about the status of the war, negotiations, concerns about a U.S. missile short...
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As Russia and Ukraine pound each other on the battlefield, there's a showdown happening in Kyiv between a young tech wizard and an older battle-hardened general. 

What might that battle tell us about the direction of the war in Ukraine? 


Host Mary Louise Kelly is joined by NPR Russia Correspondent Charles Maynes and NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre to talk about the recent turmoil among...
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The world’s attention is once again on the Strait of Hormuz, as the U.S. and Iran have resumed strikes and their shaky ceasefire broke.


Host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with two show regulars, NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman and NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre, about President Trump's policy shifts around the war, and why it's so hard for him to end the conflict for good. Plus, the president's pick...
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August 25, 2025 1 min
National security, unlocked. Each Thursday, host Mary Louise Kelly and a team of NPR correspondents discuss the biggest national security news of the week. 


With decades of reporting from battlefields and the halls of power, they bring you inside the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence community to help you understand America's shifting role in the world, and how events in faraway places matter here at home...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

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