War on the Rocks
 | |
| Industry | Media and news |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Ryan Evans |
| Website | warontherocks |
War on the Rocks (WOTR) is an American publication offering podcasts and articles on national security issues, featuring experienced professionals.[1]
History
[edit]Ryan Evans, a former think tanker and Defense Department civil servant, founded WOTR in 2013 as a podcast. It launched as a full fledged publication in July of that year. He sought to re-center experienced voices in a media landscape that was becoming increasingly dominated by more mass-media oriented content and ubiquitous clickbait.[2][3][4][5] The publication's opening article was written by former SACEUR James Stavridis. Contributors generally include experienced national security personnel, such as military personnel, military veterans, current and former government officials, and academics. The site hosts expert analysis and does not break news or publish leaked documents.[6][7] It has also been selected for inclusion in the web archives of the Library of Congress.[8]
Its audience includes many of the same sorts of people who write for WOTR, among them the highest levels of leadership in the U.S. military, who regularly appear on main WOTR podcast. In late 2013, Evans interviewed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey for Dempsey's first-ever podcast interview. Dempsey believed WOTR was the best way to reach a rank-and-file listenership.[6] A year later, WOTR partnered with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland to publish infographics on country-specific terrorism trends, showcasing its focus on data-driven security analysis.[9] In 2019, WOTR received a $40,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation to support its podcast production.[10]
Funding
[edit]WOTR was originally bootstrapped with a $4,450 Kickstarter campaign and later a $61,846 Indiegogo campaign. Evans also raised $100,000 in late 2015 from an angel investor. In 2017, the site launched a paid membership program.[2]
In 2017, WOTR and the University of Texas launched the Texas National Security Review, a hybrid journal that combines a section featuring peer-reviewed scholarly works with another that features essays by policymakers and practitioners.[2][11][12]
Competitors
[edit]Similar outlets with a national security focus include the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy, Small Wars Journal, and Defense One.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "War on the Rocks". Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Owen, Laura Hazard (March 30, 2017). "War on the Rocks is a national security site for a military "tribe" that knows what it's talking about". Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ Harshaw, Tobin (March 9, 2019). "Read This If You Want to Sound Smart on National Security". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ SWJED (August 7, 2013). "War On The Rocks Launched Today". Small Wars Journal. ISSN 2156-227X. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "Ryan Evans". Center for a New American Security. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Kunzig, Rob (October 9, 2015). ""The World Doesn't Need More Defense Journalists"". Morning Consult. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "An Interview with Ryan Evans, Editor-in-Chief of War on the Rocks". ETH Zurich. December 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "War on the Rocks". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "War on the Rocks: Country-specific trends in terrorism, 2012- 2013 infographic". National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. July 31, 2014. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "War On The Rocks Media". MacArthur Foundation. 2019. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "University of Texas teams up with War on the Rocks". Clements Center for National Security. July 6, 2017. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ "Scholars Launch New Journal, Texas National Security Review". Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
