This episode of Late For Changeover launches from the Moon and dives straight into the strange, serious, and sometimes surreal corners of military history and modern defense policy. The crew breaks down NASA’s new Moon rocket rolling to the launch pad as astronauts prepare for a return to deep space as early as February (07:49). Back on Earth, we examine why the VA is still awarding disability benefits using medical criteria written nearly 80 years ago, and what that means for today’s veterans (17:32). On the tech front, DARPA wraps up its RACER autonomous vehicle tests, pushing AI-driven ground combat one step closer to reality (32:14). For Unheralded History, we revisit 1945’s Operation Teardrop (42:37) - the last desperate U-boat hunt off America’s coast, and Operation Whitecoat (49:54) from 1954–1973 where soldiers volunteered for controversial Cold War medical experiments in the name of national defense. And because this is Late For Changeover, we close with one of the Pentagon’s most infamous ideas ever uncovered: the 1994 proposal for the so-called “Gay Bomb” (58:02). Real documents. Real funding. Very real questions. Space exploration, veteran policy, autonomous warfare, and the weirdest corners of military history—this episode has it all. https://lateforchangeover.com/

This episode swings from the Pentagon’s corridors to the jungle shadows of Vietnam with no speed limits and no safe assumptions. First, we play the “Complete The Headline” Game (01:39). Next, we open with the Pentagon ordering a hard look at the real-world “effectiveness” of women serving in combat arms roles, a review guaranteed to spark debate across the force and far beyond it. From doctrine to data, this conversation cuts straight into the future shape of the military (13:20). Then we hit the high seas, where the United States Coast Guard posts a jaw-dropping stat line: a record-smashing $4 billion in narcotics seized in a single year, revealing how modern drug interdiction has quietly become one of the most kinetic missions outside declared war zones (23:04). Next, the story turns strange and legally radioactive. An active-duty soldier from Fort Bragg claims his involvement in online sex ads was part of a “secret operation.” Was it cover, misconduct, or something else entirely? The details raise uncomfortable questions about accountability, plausibility, and the limits of “classified” explanations (30:07). We close with an Unheralded History deep dive back into the Vietnam War, unraveling the mystery of Salt and Pepper. Who were they, what did they do, and why did their story fade into the footnotes of a war overflowing with secrets? (38:20) From policy and patrols to scandals and shadow operatives, this episode connects the dots the headlines leave scattered. https://lateforchangeover.com/

In this explosive deep dive we connect the dots from Operation Absolute Resolve—where U.S. airpower cleared the skies for Delta Force to seize Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro in a breathtaking raid—to the lesser-known heroes and hidden figures you didn’t see in Black Hawk Down 🪖. We’ll also unpack how new waist-to-height ratio body-composition rules are reshaping military readiness in 2026, and why fitness matters as much as firepower in today’s armed forces. Then we rewind to two fascinating bygone experiments: the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison, America’s Cold War plan to launch ICBMs from railroad cars across the U.S. rail network, and the airborne Flying Platform experiments of the 1950s, engineered to levitate soldiers into battle long before drones were in vogue. This is a tour through strategy, strength, and surreal military tech history. 🚁 📏 🚆 ⚙️ https://lateforchangeover.com/