Radio War Nerd EP191 — Pentagon Sleaze & Hardware Nerdery, with Andrew Cockburn

Guest: Andrew Cockburn, Washington DC editor, Harpers magazine Recorded: July 24, 2019 The theme of this episode is Pentagon weapons procurements sleaze — the disconnect between alleged defense needs vs actual weapons purchases, from the Reagan Era through today. First, we talk to Andrew Cockburn about his recent article "The Military-Industrial Virus" . . . Then, the War Nerd's alter-ego John Dolan recalls how he wasted his post-hippie youth consuming weapons magazines like Aviation Week & Space Technology in dark library basements, and the slow-mo epiphanies that came out of these lost decades, shaping his insights as Gary Brecher . . . Read Andrew Cockburn's article "The Military-Industrial Virus: How bloated defense budgets gut our armed forces" in Harpers. Buy Andrew's books. Follow Andrew on Twitter. And don't forget the new audiobook by the War Nerd's alter-ego John Dolan: "Pleasant Hell", the comic memoir read by the author himself. Buy it here! Total time: 1:55:34 Direct link to this episode's mp3 here