{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Unpacking the IG Report on the Iran War","description":"With Zack out collecting frequent flyer miles, Tom Karako joins Chris and Melanie to discuss the Lead Inspector General Report on Operation Epic Fury. When the war began in February, were the administration\u2019s stated objectives aligned with the resources needed to fight it? Are they now? What does America\u2019s use of so many high-end weapons tell us about our strategy? And what can we learn about the activities of the State and Treasury Departments during the war? Chris has a grievance for corruption in defense contracting, Tom remembers the late Sen. Jon Kyl, and Melanie wishes Capitals hockey player Alexander Ovechkin would stop campaigning for Vladimir Putin. Show Links:   Lead Inspector General Report on Operation Epic Fury, DOD Office of Inspector General, September 14, 2026. Estimating the Cost of Combat Operations in Iran, Congressional Budget Office, September 15, 2026. Noah Robertson, Tara Copp, Warren P. Strobel, and Alex Horton, More US Troops Have Died Amid Iran War Than Pentagon Has Disclosed Publicly, Washington Post, September 18, 2026. Ellen Milligan, Michael Neinaber, and Andrea Palasciano, US Warns Allies of Missile Delivery Delays Due to Shortage, Bloomberg, September 18, 2026. Eric Schmitt, Cost of Iran War Estimated at $43.6 Billion, New York Times, September 18, 2026. Robert Klemko, X post, September 17, 2026. James Paterson, Speech to the Submarine Institute of Australia, September 22, 2026. Tom Corben, Jennifer Parker, Satoru Mori, and Jeffrey Hornung, Australia, Japan, and the United States: Implementing a Trilateral Denial Strategy along the First Island Chain, United States Studies Centre, September 15, 2026. Jack Goldsmith, Glenn Fine, Jen Patja, What Does the Inspector General Do?, Lawfare podcast, December 10, 2024. William Turton, Avi Asher-Schapiro, Molly Redden and Kirsten Berg, \u201cThe FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins \u2014 Until Trump Got in the Way,\u201d ProPublica,   September 22, 2026. Richard Gowan, \u201cShrink the UN: The Next Secretary-General Must Get Back to Basics,\u201d Foreign Affairs, September 21, 2026. U.S. Foreign Policy and the Separation of Powers: A Conference on Law, Power, and Democratic Accountability in a Changing International Order, Tufts University, September 24\u201325, 2026. \u201cThe Second Trump-Xi Summit: Takeaways from the US, China, and Russia,\u201d Online Event, Stimson Center, September 28, 2026. The Sandra Day O\u2019Connor\u2013Washington Union Debate Series at George Washington University, October 3, 2026. Tom Karako, \u201cSing Missile Muse: America\u2019s Most Fearsome Weapons Need Better Names,\u201d  War on the Rocks, June 7, 2021. Josh Hawley, \u201cWhy I wont Vote to Add Finland and Sweden to NATO,\u201d The National Interest, August 1, 2022. Tom Cotton, \u201cSpeech on the Senate Floor\u201d, August 3, 2022. Tom Karako and Mark Cancian, \u201cMunitions Shortages after Epic Fury,\u201d CSIS, August 5, 2026. Amy B. Wang and Alexei Koseff, \u201cJon Kyl, a former top Republican in the Senate, dies at 84,\u201d Washington Post. Chris Lunday, Germany Plans a \u20ac12 Billion Missile Program to Deter Putin, Politico Europe, August 21, 2026.  Laura Pitel and Christopher Miller, Germany Urges US to Allow Patriot Missile Production in Europe, Financial Times, September 23, 2026.  ","author_name":"Net Assessment","author_url":"http:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/132282","html":"