This week on Late For Changeover, we welcome former Navy Petty Officer Second Class turned entrepreneur Steven Leapley, who swapped classified comms for business cards as the founder of Leapley Enterprises LLC. We talk career pivots, veteran leadership, and the surprisingly tactical art of not losing your mind while transitioning to civilian life. If you’re into News for Vets with an edge, this one’s a must-hear.

We also break down the freshly passed NDAA (a.k.a. the Congressional Christmas gift to defense contractors), and then throw it way back to 1777—when George Washington kicked off the most miserable winter camping trip in U.S. military history at Valley Forge. From founding father frostbite to modern vet-owned businesses, this episode's got more layers than your field jacket in January.

This week on Late For Changeover, we sit down with Marine Corps veteran and stand-up comic Mel Austin—because who better to roast military bureaucracy than someone who’s lived it and then mic-dropped it on stage? Mel brings the fire from the front lines to the punchline with Laughing 2 Success Entertainment, and trust us, it’s funnier than your last safety brief.

Meanwhile, the Air Force disciplines 15 airmen over the Jack Teixeira leak scandal (OPSEC: still a thing), starts tracking why recruits ghost before they even ship, and we uncover how the VA managed to hire 1,800 health care workers with felony drug convictions. Sprinkle in a nod to Chuck Yeager’s Mach 2.44 flex back in 1953, and you've got a full-spectrum dose of News for Vets, space-adjacent history, and gallows humor. This isn’t your average space podcast—but it should be your favorite.

On this week’s Late For Changeover, we crack open a cold one (just not on base) and unpack one of the strangest military disappearances ever—Flight 19 and its infamous vanishing act over the Bermuda Triangle in 1945. Then it’s off to the Pacific Rim, where South Korea launches its first spy satellite after North Korea blinked first. Congrats to both for reaching space—we’re just over here wondering if anyone’s using space podcasts to announce launches now.

We also tackle the Pentagon’s “extremism stand-down” that did exactly what you think it did (spoiler: nothing), the day drinking debacle at a major U.S. base, and we pour one out in honor of the awesome veteran guests who dropped wisdom, war stories, and wisecracks on the show in 2023. From military cover-ups to space-race catch-ups, this episode is News for Vets with a buzz.

This week on Late For Changeover, we salute the USS Enterprise (no, not the warp-speed one) for airlifting aircraft to Wake Island like it’s 1944 all over again. Meanwhile, Space Force is officially hunting “abnormal” objects in space—so if your UFO has a cracked windshield or questionable registration, now’s the time to ghost. We also spotlight the 2023 USO Troops of the Year—real-life heroes who slapped on tourniquets and saved lives like it was just another Tuesday.

But wait, there’s more: the Pentagon bombs its sixth consecutive audit (shocker), the Marine Corps gives up after three years of trying to redesign a PT uniform, and we wrap with the best 2023 outtakes—proving once again that military humor is a little dark, very loud, and almost never safe for work. If you’re into space podcasts, Space Force news, or News for Vets who love a good laugh with their facepalm, this one’s your holiday buffet of absurdity.

This week on Late For Changeover, we go from boom to buffoonery faster than a Humvee on the run. First up: we remember Operation Ivory Coast—the 1970 special ops raid that was part high-risk heroism, part "did-we-just-land-at-the-wrong-prison?" chaos. Then we jump to SpaceX news as Starship’s second uncrewed launch ends with another fireball finale. It’s like NASA meets NASCAR, and everyone’s watching for the wreck.

We also ask the tough questions—like how do you actually make Air Force bases safer and Security Forces less cranky? Plus, the Army awkwardly slides into the DMs of soldiers booted over vaccine refusals (hey...u up?). And don’t miss our breakdown of the great National Guard Humvee heist, which ends exactly how you'd expect—in a high-speed chase and poor decisions. We wrap with the Rotten Tomatoes Game, because what better way to end a military podcast than by judging terrible movies like it’s a deployment rec room? Buckle up—it’s News for Vets with afterburners.

This is part 4 of my interview with General Petty.  We discuss his time as a NATO Commander in Bosnia.  In 2015, he was moved to his next assignment at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, VA as Special Assistant to the Director.  After only a year at the National Guard Bureau, he took an assignment at the Pentagon as the Deputy Director of Operations for the DAMO-OD (Dept of the Army Management Office-Operations and Contingency Plans Division) on the Regular Army Staff.  His next assignment was to USNorthcom at Peterson AFB, CO as the  Deputy Director of Operations.  General Petty retired in 2018.

This week on Late For Changeover, we dig into the Battle of Ia Drang—the 1965 clash that put air cavalry on the map and taught everyone that helicopters make terrible getaway vehicles. Then we fast-forward to the future, where Lockheed Martin just got handed $33.7 million to cook up a nuclear-powered spacecraft. Somewhere, a space force podcast host just fainted with joy.

Also on deck: the mysterious X-37B space plane is heading back to orbit (probably to do top-secret alien stuff), the B-21 Raider flexes its stealth in a historic first flight, and the VA finally rolls out free healthcare for WWII veterans—only took 80 years, but who’s counting? Oh, and we also explore why most service members would rather be hit by indirect fire than hear, “Thank you for your service.” It’s News for Vets with a side of orbital weirdness, just how you like it.

This week on Late For Changeover, we salute the life and orbital legacy of Adm. Ken Mattingly—Apollo legend, space pioneer, and the kind of guy who actually did what every astronaut podcast dreams about. Then we shift from space to stupidity with some of the best prank stories this side of a barracks latrine (spoiler: one involves duct tape and a colonel’s coffee mug).

Meanwhile, the Air Force casually hands Lockheed a cool $1 billion to soup up its next-gen ICBM reentry vehicle, SOCOM might get a shiny new pew-pew, a Lt. Col hits 10,000 flying hours without spontaneously combusting, and the Army drops last-minute recruiting orders like it’s giving away concert tickets—except, you know, it’s your life. From Space Force news to classic News for Vets, this episode is a full-spectrum force of mayhem and nostalgia.

This week on Late For Changeover, we kick things off with a bang—literally—as we look back at the deadly 1968 explosion aboard the USS Westchester County. Then we launch into the stars (and maybe into war?) with a brand-new Space Force painting that gives us a not-so-subtle peek into future space warfare. Add in the Air Force’s new all-electric plane (cue jokes about plugging it in at a flightline outlet), and we've got lift-off.

But wait—there’s more dysfunction to go around. The Air Force and Space Force just raised the max age for active-duty recruits (because apparently we’re all still young at heart), the National Guard hasn’t paid thousands in promised enlistment bonuses (surprised?), and Guard and Reserve troops are getting ghosted on disability claims. We close it all out with the Military Movie Showdown Game, where we battle-test the most iconic military films for glory and probable factual inaccuracy. If you’re into Space Force news, furious footnotes, or News for Vets with a side of snark, you’re in the right AO.

This week on Late For Changeover, we honor the 40th anniversary of the Beirut bombing that took 241 American service members—a sobering reminder of the cost of service and the power of remembrance. Then, in true military fashion, we launch into the chaos: SpaceX news as they sling 23 Starlink satellites into orbit in one day (because 22 just wouldn’t cut it), and Space Force unveils its plan to call in commercial backup during a crisis—Uber, but for orbital warfare.

But wait, there's more: The Air Force’s only active-duty tugboat gets its time in the spotlight (cue the Top Gun theme on a foghorn), and we break down the “space spa” restroom aboard high-altitude balloon flights for tourists who want to pee with a view. Oh—and a Marine mom is running one hundred 100-mile ultra races because clearly, sleep is optional. If you're looking for space podcasts with a tactical edge and News for Vets with a side of disbelief, this episode hits escape velocity.