Vago Muradian Explained

Vardges "Vago" Muradian is the editor-in-chief and host of the Defense & Aerospace Report,[1] and hosts the Defense & Aerospace Business Report podcast[2] and the Air Force Association's Airman for Life podcast.[3] He is an American reporter, editor and commentator specializing in defense issues.

He previously worked as the editor of Defense News for 14 years, and was the founding host of This Week in Defense News with Vago Muradian, which aired on the American Forces Network.[4] After his departure from Defense News in 2016,[5] he founded the Defense & Aerospace Report.[1] [6]

Before joining Defense News, he served as founder and managing editor at Defense Daily International,[7] and worked as a business and international reporter for Defense Daily, the leading U.S. daily newsletter covering the defense and aerospace industry. He won multiple awards while at Defense Daily, including for best breaking news coverage in 1998 for his series on the U.S. government’s rejection of the proposed merger between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Muradian's reporting in Defense Daily International also played a major role in uncovering the US Department of Defense's desire to keep a competition going between the rival military jet manufacturers Boeing and Lockheed Martin and his reporting shed light on the differences between what was reported publicly and what was enacted privately.[8]

He joined Defense Daily from Air Force Times,[9] an independent U.S. publication covering the U.S. Air Force where he covered global operations, including in Europe, Haiti, Somalia and Zaire. Before covering the Air Force, Vago served as Defense News’ land warfare reporter.[10] He began his career at Inside the Army.[11]

Among the notables Muradian has interviewed over the years are former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates,[12] current U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer,[13] current US STRATCOM Commander Gen. John Hyten, USAF,[14] Canadian Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan,[15] German Navy Chief Vice Adm. Andreas Krause,[16] Minecraft author and military futurist Max Brooks,[17] and former Russian Prime Minister and now opposition leader Mikhail Kasyanov.[18] Muradian has appeared often on C-Span as an expert on defense Issues.[19]

Muradian has made numerous television appearances on C-SPAN,[20] CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, conducted radio interviews with local stations as well as international outlets like the BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Swiss TV and others. His work has been extensively cited in books[21] [22] [23] [24] [25] and he has been quoted in publications including "The Economist".

He also serves as a speaker,[26] panelist and moderator[27] for security conferences around the world, and lectures on the military and the media, including at the Defense Acquisition University. He is a member of the National Press Club[28] and the Naval Submarine League. A native of New York City, Muradian lives in Washington, D.C., with his family.

He is the son of the noted Armenian born Armenian-American composer Vazgen Muradian (1921-2018).[29] He is a graduate of the George Washington University from which he received his Bachelor's of Arts degree in 1991.[30]

Notes and References

  1. News: Our Team - Defense & Aerospace Report. Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-04-17. en-US.
  2. Web site: Defense & Aerospace Business Report by Defense & Aerospace Report, sponsored by Bell on Apple Podcasts. Apple Podcasts. en. 2018-04-17.
  3. Web site: AFA Launches Airman for Life Podcast Series. Association. Air Force. www.prnewswire.com. en. 2018-04-17.
  4. Web site: Vago Muradian - Defense & Aerospace Report.
  5. News: Day Of Reckoning: Defense News, DoD Service Papers Sold To Venture Capitalists. Clark. Colin. Breaking Defense. 2018-06-13. en-US.
  6. Web site: Vago Muradian, Author at Defense & Aerospace Report. Defense & Aerospace Report. 4 April 2017 .
  7. Web site: Event Speakers U.S. Naval Institute. www.usni.org. 2018-06-13.
  8. Book: The Behavioral Advantage: What the Smartest, Most Successful Companies Do Differently to Win in the B2B Arena. Terry. Bacon. David. Pugh. 12 May 2004. AMACOM. 9780814413135. Google Books.
  9. Web site: Vago Muradian Author Air Force Times. Air Force Times. en-US. 2018-06-13.
  10. Web site: Vago Muradian Author Defense News. Defense News. en-US. 2018-06-13.
  11. Web site: Vago Muradian's Biography Muck Rack. muckrack.com. en. 2018-06-13.
  12. Web site: Transcript of This Week in Defense News Vago Muradian's interview with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. 13 June 2011. Internet Archive.
  13. Web site: Interview . www.navy.mil .
  14. News: STRATCOM's Hyten on Deterring Russia, Modernizing the Nuclear Triad, Preventing War in Space - Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-04-14. Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-04-17. en-US.
  15. News: Canadian Defense Minister Sajjan on US-Canada Defense Relations, Russia, Climate Change & More - Defense & Aerospace Report. 2016-11-19. Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-04-17. en-US.
  16. News: German Navy Chief on NATO's Atlantic Command, Baltic Security, Russia, Readiness, Modernization - Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-04-14. Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-04-17. en-US.
  17. News: Atlantic Council's Brooks on Civ-Mil Divide, US Soft Power, Education - Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-01-03. Defense & Aerospace Report. 2018-04-17. en-US.
  18. Web site: Russian Opposition Leader Kasyanov on Putin's Longevity, Democracy Outlook - Defense & Aerospace Report. 27 November 2017.
  19. Web site: Vago Muradian - C-SPAN.org. www.c-span.org.
  20. Web site: Vago Muradian C-SPAN.org. www.c-span.org. en-us. 2018-06-13.
  21. Book: Ali, S. Mahmud. Asia-Pacific Security Dynamics in the Obama Era: A New World Emerging. 2012-08-06. Routledge. 9781136671159. en.
  22. Book: Patashnik, Eric M.. Reforms at risk: what happens after major policy changes are enacted. 2008-08-25. Princeton University Press. 9780691119984. en.
  23. Book: Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals. 1996. Air University Library. en.
  24. Book: O'Rourke, Ronald. The United States Navy: Current Issues and Background. 2003. Nova Publishers. 9781590336618. en.
  25. Book: Hasik, James. Arms and Innovation: Entrepreneurship and Alliances in the Twenty-First Century Defense Industry. 2008-09-15. University of Chicago Press. 9780226318899. en.
  26. Web site: Defense Challenges and Future Opportunities - The First Annual Military and Federal Fellow Research Symposium. Brookings Institution. April 17, 2018.
  27. Web site: Army Readiness: Fight Tonight and Fit for Tomorrow. www.cnas.org. en. 2018-06-13.
  28. Web site: National Press Club podcast explores state of defense in Washington and beyond. 14 August 2014. National Press Club.
  29. Web site: Vazgen Muradian - nab.am. www.nab.am.
  30. Web site: GW Magazine. www2.gwu.edu.