Every reporter interviewed on Gov & Beyond has told us about the challenges they are facing covering the federal government under the Trump 2.0 administration, where change is constant and often unpredictable. Arguably, those challenges are amplified for reporters who cover the Defense Department, due to the sheer size of the bureaucracy and the broad range of issues those reporters have to cover every day.
Audrey Decker, the air warfare reporter for Defense One, covers many of the issues you might expect a tech reporter to focus on – but on the grander scale dictated by the scope of the Pentagon. She closely monitors the effects of the administration’s cuts to personnel and budgets, changes happening at the program level and how those changes affect contractors who serve those markets. Add to that the responsibility of covering huge programs worth billions of dollars such as the Golden Dome missile defense program, and you can get a sense of what Audrey does on a daily basis.
On this episode of Gov & Beyond, Audrey answers questions from hosts Luca Pagni and Joyson Cherian about her background and career path, the topics that have grabbed her attention recently and how she cultivates relationships with her sources. Luca and Joyson also quizzed her on her favorite movies and her least favorite songs – and, as any good reporter would, she turned the tables and asked Luca and Joyson for theirs. The answers may surprise you.
A Military Background
One might suppose that Audrey, the daughter of a Navy pilot, was fated to fall into a career path related to the Department of Defense (DOD). But she started her journalism career (like me!) covering arts and culture for The University of Maryland’s newspaper The Diamondback. But after graduation, she began covering technology for tech publication Inside Defense – where her background as someone from a military family came in handy. She told Luca that she ultimately found writing about technology fascinating. She took on her present job at Defense One in 2023.
“I just fell in love with it, honestly, because it’s such a great intersection of national security stuff, foreign policy, politics,” she said. “You obviously get the business side of things, covering industry and all the defense companies. So it’s a good intersection of all the different sides of D.C., which I really like.”
With the changes afoot since the arrival of the new administration, she has found plenty to keep her busy – from reporting on the implications of recent personnel cuts may have on the Pentagon’s ability to achieve its objectives to uncovering information on new initiatives like Golden Dome. “The budget is something I cover closely, and just how unusual it is this year with the reconciliation bill and how that’s going to play out for the DOD,” she said in the interview.
Protecting Her Sources
In discussing the types of storylines that resonate with her in pitches from vendors, Audrey unsurprisingly noted that she frequently receives emails from contractors on technologies they want to sell to the Defense Department. She said her main criteria for determining whether to follow up rests on “whether there’s actual money behind it.” If the department is actually investing in it, she’s more likely to write about it.
“That’s usually when I engage – if the DOD is actually interested in it and has put at least some R&D money behind it,” she said. “I try and be open to anyone and listen to anything. But, you know, I feel like it’s really helpful in pitches or when new companies talk to me if they tie the pitch or what they’re selling back to the broader picture and why this matters.”
That openness to hearing from industry representatives might stem from what she calls a “clampdown” by the new administration on those who are authorized to speak to the media – echoing a sentiment Luca and Joyson have heard from other podcast guests. “That’s kind of forced me to go deeper in looking for sources, because there are less public-facing events with Pentagon officials and people are a little bit more scared to talk,” she said. “So that has kind of forced me to go deeper, dive deeper into my feed, you know, find other people to talk to, which has been good in a way.”
You can hear the full podcast below or read the transcript for the full interview with Audrey.
Timestamps
0:36 – Audrey’s background and career path
3:43 – The topics that grab her interest
7:41 – What she wants in a pitch from vendors
10:09 – VC-backed newcomers vs. traditional defense contractors
12:46 – The challenge of keeping up with breaking news
15:29 – How she cultivates her sources
17:49 – Thumbs up for “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter”
20:25 – “Yummy” leaves a bad taste in her mouth
22:14 – How to contact Audrey
Transcript
Intro: Welcome to Gov & Beyond. I’m your host. Luca Pagni, here with my cohost Joyson Cherian. This podcast features conversations with the newsmakers and influencers at the center of today’s public sector news cycles from our studio at W2 Communications, let’s go Gov & Beyond.
Luca Pagni (LP): Welcome everyone to Gov & Beyond. I’m your host Luca Pagni, here with my co-host, Joyson Cherian. We’re excited to be joined today by Defense One’s air warfare reporter, Audrey Decker. Welcome, Audrey.
Audrey Decker (AD): Thanks so much for having me. Great to be on.
LP: Glad to have you. We’d really love to start off by having you tell us a little bit more about your background and your role at Defense One.
AD: Definitely. So I started at Defense One about two years ago. And before then, I was with Inside Defense, which is another defense trade publication in DC. And before that, I was studying journalism for undergrad at University of Maryland, just outside of DC. I knew I always wanted to do journalism, and my first job covering defense at Inside [Defense] kind of just fell into my lap. There was a fellow graduate from Maryland who directed me and said this is a great place to start. And I just fell in love with it, honestly, because it’s such a great intersection of national security stuff, foreign policy, politics. You obviously get the business side of things, covering industry and all the defense companies. So it’s a good intersection of all the different sides of DC, which I really like. And I’ve gotten to travel a bunch, which has been nice, to different military bases, you know, international air shows. So that’s been really great. And I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities through that. And then obviously, you know, just with the new administration this year too, it’s been very busy, and honestly, reignited my passion for journalism. So exciting times!
LP: That’s awesome. And I know I speak on behalf of Joyson and I when I say, “Go Terps!”
AD: Oh, you both are Terp grads?
Joyson Cherian (JC): Yep.
AD: Nice.
JC: Fear the turtle.
LP: So Audrey, just kind of diving in a layer further on that, of what really inspired you to get into the defense industry in the first place. I know you had mentioned the ties with Maryland.
AD: Yeah. So I was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, and my dad went to the Naval Academy. He was a Navy pilot. My older sister also went to the Naval Academy, so I kind of felt like I knew how to talk to people in the military, in a way. And I never really…I mean when I wrote for the Diamondback at the University of Maryland, and I covered the arts and culture section. So really, this was kind of a 180 to what I was doing before. But once I started getting into it, I mean, the technology side of things is super fascinating too. But yeah, as I said before, it’s just a kind of good intersection of everything, because I get to do a little bit of everything. And then also, just like my military background, I feel like it has kind of helped me in that way too. But yeah, I guess, generally, I got into journalism [for] the reason most people do, which is to, you know, try and hold people in power accountable. And you know, out of everyone, the Pentagon definitely so. But yeah, it’s been very fascinating.
JC: You mentioned a little bit earlier that there’s a variety of topics and issues that are worth covering. Are there topics and trends and storylines that have particularly captured your interest and that you are really interested in learning more about? And you know, as we face the end of the fiscal year, are there topics that you’re looking to explore heading into next year as well?
AD: Definitely. So as I’m sure you guys are tracking, there’s been a lot of changes, you know, just within the government writ large, especially at the Pentagon. But you know, something I’m tracking specifically is just how the civilian cuts at the Pentagon will impact operations and programming. I mean, there’s been a major cut on the acquisition side of things, as in acquisition professionals being cut. So, you know, will programs still get done? How will that impact the broader workforce? How will that impact Pentagon programs? There’s a bunch to dive into there. And then, I guess another trend we’ve kind of been seeing lately that I find is interesting, is the tension between the new defense companies that are coming on board, like Anduril, Palantir, some of the more startup-y companies, versus the old guard, like the traditional primes Lockheed, Boeing. And we’re kind of seeing how these new entrants have more of a sway in the Trump administration and their previous executives being put in positions in the administration. So that’s something that I’ve been trying to dive into and do some more business reporting there, too. And then generally, something else that I’ve been tracking or plan to continue tracking this year, is just how… with the government writ large, but also at the Pentagon, how they’re cutting regulation. And whether it’s drones or space launch, basically just how some of the new commercial players want to cut regulation to speed things up. How will that help things? How will that harm things? That’s another interesting issue I feel like that’s been in the news lately. And then you mentioned the fiscal year. I mean, the budget is something I cover closely, and just how unusual it is this year with the reconciliation bill, and how that’s going to play out for the DOD. Because a lot of that money will be front loaded to this fiscal year, but then the out years, how much the military will be funded is kind of unknown. I mean, it’s kind of a short influx of spending. And so people in the military are like, that’s not really how we do things. We need long term spending to ensure that these programs stay funded. They’re like, this isn’t really a good way to fund the Defense Department. So that’s something I’m tracking. And then obviously, Golden Dome is a big thing. I’m sure you guys have heard of it. If it will even happen, what does it even mean? What does it even look like? The DOD has pretty been hush-hush about it, but there’s a lot of money there. So all of industry kind of wants to get in on it, but there’s not really that many details yet. So that’s probably something I’ll be continuing to focus on. So yeah, I think that’s kind of an overview of some of the general topics that I’ve been following and looking at.
JC: I’d like to pull on that thread a little bit. You mentioned, you know, there’s a lot of new players that are working with the Pentagon, and a lot of, vendor veteran companies that have worked with the Pentagon for years, and trying to find that balance of these new players and how they’re emerging accordingly. As you’re covering these companies, especially these new players to the market, what are you looking for in terms of storylines that resonate to you, but also resources that resonate to you, and the relationships that you believe you’re looking to build, and what makes a good source to you as you’re covering the changes that are taking place at the Pentagon?
AD: Definitely. So I’m honestly still trying to figure this out, in that I get a bunch of emails from different companies on, “Hey, this is this new thing we’re pitching to the DOD.” But it’s hard. I mean, I usually, unless there’s actual money behind it, you know, that’s that. That’s usually when I engage, is if the DoD is actually interested in it and has put at least some R&D money behind it. But no, generally I try and be open to anyone and listen to anything. But, you know, I feel like it’s really helpful in pitches or when new companies talk to me, if they tie the pitch or what they’re saying or what they’re selling back to the broader picture and why this matters. Like, what would this do for the DoD? Like, what problem is it actually trying to fix? So that’s usually what I find most helpful. But I do try and talk to as many people in industry as I can, just because they can be great sources. And usually industry people are either ex-military or they know what the DOD wants. So it’s good to have connections in industry. But yeah, I guess in terms of trying to connect with the newer players, it’s interesting. Because they don’t, some of them like Anduril, I guess they don’t have the same media strategy as some of the older players. And then they do things differently. So I’ve had to kind of address how I speak with them and do interviews and stuff. But, yeah, that’s something I’m still trying to figure out.
JC: Cool. You mentioned there that what drives a little bit of the interest is where the money is coming from, especially if there’s interest coming from the DOD. I’m curious, is there sometimes organizations that pique your interest because they’re getting funding from the VC community, and the VC community sees it as a viable solution that they think the DOD would be interested in. Do you see that influence emerging more in the defense space?
AD: Yeah, definitely. The VC backed companies…So I went to in December the Reagan National Defense Forum, which is this big DOD forum, a bunch of lawmakers, policy makers, Pentagon officials, like basically everybody who’s who goes to this conference in Simi Valley in California. And this was the first year where basically every top advertiser was a VC-backed company, and like the Lockheeds and the Boeings were like lower on the sponsorship list, which is kind of a big deal because it kind of signaled, I guess, the tide turning in terms of where the funding is coming from and, you know, who has sway. So there definitely has been more of an influx of the VC-backed companies. But it’s also interesting because, at the same time, a lot of these companies, well, some of them, already have big DOD contracts. But then other ones are still relatively untested, and that the military hasn’t really used any of their stuff yet. So I think some of it remains to be seen, like, if the promise of what they can deliver actually holds, actually continues. And then the other question is, are these companies actually able to navigate the DOD acquisition landscape? Because, you know, Lockheed, Boeing, those companies, have been doing this for a while, and know how to navigate the system. But other companies, especially VC-backed ones, might not realize that the DoD doesn’t really operate the same way as Silicon Valley. But then again, I do think there’s been a lot of changes at the Pentagon to make that better, especially in the new administration, and kind of account for those new entrants. But no, it’s definitely a change. So it’ll be interesting just to see how that pans out and if those companies actually get big, solid contracts from the DOD.
JC: Yeah, it’s fascinating to sort of watch that culture shift happen in real time as well.
AD: Definitely.
LP: And Audrey, I know you sort of alluded to this a bit earlier, just as we were talking about how it has been such a dynamic news cycle in the government market, especially since there has been kind of this changing of the guard. How are you staying on top of the latest news but has it impacted the way that you approach reporting at all?
AD: Definitely. So I mean, I’m sure you guys are the same way, but it’s just absolutely exhausting the news cycle these days. I mean, it’s so draining. And I’m on Twitter way too much, like, way too much. It’s bad. But I am very online just because that’s my job. And so, mostly how I stay on top of news is just being on Twitter all the time, which is probably not a good thing. But I do try and take, like, mental health breaks and stuff like that. But I guess for me, in your question how has it changed the way I’m reporting, I guess just being constantly trying to find the bigger picture instead of being reactive, which is something that I think journalists should try and do in this administration, and also just beyond. Because it’s, it’s so hard to keep up with the day-to-day of like, oh, who said this …and who’s saying what? But I guess, like trying to see the bigger picture, that’s what I’ve been trying to do. And then also, there’s been a clampdown of who at the Pentagon is allowed to talk to reporters and media access at the Pentagon. So that’s kind of forced me to go deeper in looking for sources, because there are less public-facing events with Pentagon officials and people are a little bit more scared to talk, just in this, you know, they’re scared of being fired, they’re scared of not being on message, on brand or something. So that has kind of forced me to go deeper, dive deeper into my feed, you know, find other people to talk to, which has been good in a way. But, yeah, …I’m still reporting on the same stuff. But I guess just lately, I’ve been trying to go through different avenues, look at things differently, and kind of make sure that I’m trying to find the bigger picture, instead of being reactive. So, yeah, that’s what I would say.
LP: Got it. That definitely makes sense. And yeah, I feel like we’ve definitely heard as of late how reporter access has changed in that regard, like you were saying. Do you have a specific way that you try to work with sources that may want to support your reporting but may, as you were saying, fear that potential reprisal from agency leadership? Is there a way that you are able to work with them on that?
AD: Definitely. I mean, it all comes down to trust and just building up relationships over time. And you know, I’m still a relatively young journalist. I haven’t been doing that this long. So these relationships do take a while to build. But I think generally, if you treat your sources just as regular people and get to know them like regular people and slowly build the bond, and they see your reporting and they know …you’re not going to, like, pull a fast one on them, I think that’s kind of the way that I and other journalists approach it. Because a lot of these people, yes, they’re scared …of the repercussions if they do speak publicly. But they do want truth out there, and they do want the public to know what’s going on. They do want to help journalists and inform, the narrative and stuff. So, yeah, I guess just building that trust, treating them like regular people, getting to know them and just really being open with the stories that I’m pursuing and like, what angle …I’m pursuing has been really helpful. But, yeah, people are scared for valid reasons. So, yeah, it’s definitely something I’ve had to navigate.
JC: Speaking of being a regular person, we’d like to end the podcast with a series of questions to get to know you a little bit outside of you being perpetually online and on deadline and staying on top of news cycles. So we have a set of closing questions that are always engaging for all of our guests. And I’ll start with the first one. What is one of your most frequently watched movies? If you come across it, you’ll stop what you’re doing and you’ll immediately start watching.
AD: It’s really hard to pick one, but I would probably say something in the fantasy realm, as in either “Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter.” Those series are just classics that never get old. I also love sci-fi and dystopian sci-fi, like “Interstellar.” “Dune,” so good. Like, if they nail the third “Dune,” I feel like that’s going to be one of the best trilogies ever. “Blade Runner.” Those types of movies, I would say.
JC: Perfect. I think this is where I revealed that I am Slytherin.
AD: No, no.
LP: Well, that naturally begs the question of what, where is your sorting hat taking you, Audrey?
AD: Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw. But I have gotten Slytherin before, but sometimes I just feel like I’m purposely answering one way so I get a house. I don’t know, but what about you?
LP: I haven’t taken one of the quizzes in a while, but I want to say I was either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. I wasn’t cool enough to be Gryffindor, and I don’t think I’m quite twisted enough to fall into Slytherin.
JC: So a little bit of guidance. If you ever had a chance to take the Warner Brothers studio tour in Los Angeles, they used to have the actual sorting hat from the movie, where they put it on people. And that’s where I discovered that I am Slytherin.
AD: Okay, so you got the official thing.
JC: Yeah, absolutely. Just need to dye my hair blonde next.
LP: And so Audrey, while we like to ask questions about what you like, we also find that, you know, when you ask people what they don’t like, they get really passionate about it. So to that end, is there a dish or certain food ingredient that you just absolutely hate that you’ll send the meal back or you just won’t eat?
AD: You know, I honestly like most foods. I feel like I’m a very adventurous eater, and I like all foods. But I’m not a big meat eater. My mom raised us vegetarian, so when I see a super rare steak, when there’s like blood on it, and I know this is a hot take, but it’s just like, it makes me squeamish. It makes me really, really squeamish. But other than that, no, I like everything.
JC: Fair enough. And then our closing question, if you never had to hear this song again, you would be extremely happy. What song is that?
AD: It has to be one of those really like catchy radio songs that just get really annoying over time. Oh, like, “Yummy” by Justin Bieber. Like, those types of songs. And I love Justin Bieber, like, I’m a JB Stan. But that song, “Yummy,” anything that’s like that super repetitive, that kind of grinds my gears. But that’s a good, good question. I’ll continue to mull on that.
JC: Yeah, like Luca said, when you ask people what they like, they’ll tell you what they like. But when you ask them what they hate, they do get passionate about it. And it’s, it’s hilarious to hear.
AD: Yeah, yeah. No. Those were good questions. I want to hear your answers.
LP: I think for the song one, I’m definitely, I’m stealing this from another guest that we had, but I just absolutely agree with it is, I cannot stand the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
AD: Oh, yeah, that one’s bad. Yeah.
LP: Yeah. If I hear it, I either leave the store, turn off the radio, whatever, wherever it’s playing. I’m gone.
AD: That’s a good answer.
JC: I think I’ll go with “Closing Time” from the 90s, where it’s just so sad and depressive, and every bar for a million years played that at the end of the night.
AD: Yeah, no, I distinctly remember that, like every single time we went out in college. And it’s just always associated with bad memories, because you’re usually just so drunk by the end of the night, and then you hear that, and you’re just confused. But I don’t know if you can put this on the podcast, but anyways…
LP: Awesome. Well, Audrey, thank you so much for your time today. I know that you said that you’re always online, always on Twitter. But if any of our listeners wanted to learn more about you and the work that you’re doing at Defense One, what would be the best ways for them to get in touch with you?
AD: Definitely. So you can read all of my stuff on defenseone.com. You can read all my articles and articles from our other reporters who cover national security stuff, and then you can also follow me on Twitter at Audrey_Decker9.
LP: Yeah, awesome. Thank you everyone who tuned in to this episode. And thank you, Audrey, for helping us go Gov & Beyond.
AD: Thanks for having me.
Outro: Thank you for joining us on today’s episode of gov and beyond to learn more about our podcast and hear all of our episodes, please visit us at w2comm.com/govandbeyond, and make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at govandbeyond. You can also subscribe anywhere podcasts are found.