Mike Drop

Captain Alex Folchitto, a 16-year veteran of the Italian Army Special Forces and an airborne Ranger from the tier one unit known as the 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment, Col Moschin, joins Mike Ritland as the first Italian veteran to appear on the podcast. Alex opens with a mission that nearly went terribly wrong: a midnight flight into a village, everybody shooting at them, and an aircraft that loses its front wheel. From there, he walks through the Italian selection (ten-day hell week, then three years of training), working alongside U.S. units in Afghanistan, rules of engagement, and his deployment to Libya around the time of the Benghazi attack. He also tells how he went from washing dishes at his sister’s restaurant to the movie business as a military advisor, stunt performer and actor.

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A U.S. warplane fired on a ship trying to run the blockade on Iran, and Tehran answered with a 48-hour ultimatum and a promise to "rain down hell."
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 09 NOVEMBER 2026
CENTCOM says a St. Kitts-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman ignored repeated warnings and tried to break the naval blockade, so U.S. forces ordered the crew clear and a U.S. warplane disabled it with precision munitions. Since July, the blockade has redirected 147 commercial ships and disabled five. Iran's foreign minister says Iran's two-day proposal stands and warned that otherwise "Iran's warriors will rain down hell," while President Trump says new strikes are "highly unlikely" to be necessary and three carriers in the region are "locked and loaded."
Mike Ritland breaks down what the 48-hour clock really means for U.S. sailors and air crews, why Iran's threats often don't match its follow-through, and why the third carrier group steaming in from the South China Sea could decide the timing.
Also covered:
- The debate over whether Russia can actually hand Iran the S-400
- Task Force Iron Gate and the push to hit Iran's land routes
- A drone that knocked out power to most of Iraq's Kurdish region, where U.S. troops have long been based
- Qatar's peace plan at the White House: lifting the blockade and releasing about $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets
- Trump's planned talks with Xi Jinping and Putin at APEC
- The White House's $1.5 trillion defense budget request and the December 11 funding deadline
Should releasing Iran's frozen money be part of any deal? Tell us in the comments.
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0:00 U.S. warplane fires on a blockade runner; Iran's 48-hour ultimatum
2:27 Can Russia really give Iran the S-400?
4:07 Task Force Iron Gate update
5:29 Drone knocks out power in Iraq's Kurdish region
7:50 Qatar's peace plan at the White House
11:00 Trump to meet Xi and Putin at APEC
13:20 The $1.5 trillion defense budget request

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Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it has lifted its self-imposed missile range limit for the United States, putting more U.S. bases inside the danger zone.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 08 NOVEMBER 2026
CBS News, citing the AP, reported that an IRGC spokesman said Iran's roughly 1,200-mile missile range limit has been lifted for the United States. Iran has not shown a new missile, but in March it fired two missiles toward Diego Garcia, about 2,400 miles away. Meanwhile U.S. strikes hit Qeshm Island, a U.S. aircraft disabled a blockade runner in the Gulf of Oman, and CENTCOM stood up a new task force to choke off Iran's land routes.
Mike Ritland breaks down why he sees the range threat as mostly rhetoric, whether U.S. air defenses have enough interceptors to cover a 2,500-mile radius, and what a CENTCOM task force aimed at Iran's land routes could mean for U.S. forces.
Also covered: two more tankers hit mines near Hormuz and what is missing from Iran's seven demands, Gadi Eisenkot's push to replace Netanyahu and what it means for a U.S.-Iran deal, reports that Iran wants Russia's S-400 air defenses, and Congress returning with a December 11 funding clock and an impeachment push against War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Do U.S. bases farther from Iran need to plan as if they're targets now? Tell us in the comments.
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00:00 Iran says it lifted its missile range limit
00:50 What it means for U.S. bases, and the Diego Garcia precedent
02:30 Do U.S. air defenses have enough interceptors?
03:40 U.S. strikes Qeshm and disables a blockade runner
04:50 Task Force Iron Gate targets Iran's land routes
07:40 Could it lead to boots on the ground?
09:15 Two more tankers hit mines near Hormuz
11:10 What's missing from Iran's seven demands
12:35 Eisenkot tapped to replace Netanyahu
13:45 Does a new Israeli leader change a U.S.-Iran deal?
15:45 Russia's S-400 and pipeline lifeline for Iran
17:00 What the S-400 means for U.S. pilots
21:45 Congress returns: funding clock and Hegseth impeachment
24:20 Is the war budget worth it?
25:30 Wrap-up

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U.S. Central Command is finalizing preparations to restart major operations against Iran, and President Trump says Americans will know "soon enough."
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 06 NOVEMBER 2026
U.S. officials told Axios that CENTCOM is finalizing preparations for a possible return to major operations against Iran, though no new order has been given. President Trump met with his national security team Wednesday and Thursday, and officials pointed to the November 9 new moon as favorable for operations. Meanwhile tankers are still burning in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran says its seven conditions must be met before the strait reopens.
Mike Ritland breaks down why the new moon matters, what "finalizing preparations" means for U.S. troops in the region, and whether the carrier group headed for the Gulf signals strikes are coming.
Also covered: Iran's nuclear proposal through Qatar and its security chief's meeting with Putin, Turkey's parliament approving a defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and why a NATO ally in the fight changes everything, War Secretary Pete Hegseth's $350 billion request and the impeachment push, and Gov. Gavin Newsom emptying California's death row.
Is the carrier heading to the Gulf a sign strikes are coming, or is there still an off-ramp? Tell us in the comments.

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00:00 CENTCOM finalizes preparations to strike Iran again
01:10 Why the Nov. 9 new moon matters
02:30 What "finalizing preparations" means for troops
03:00 Tankers burn as the U.S. blockade holds
03:50 Iran's seven conditions and the stalemate
05:45 Does the carrier group mean strikes are coming?
06:40 Iran's nuclear offer through Qatar and Putin
10:20 Turkey joins the Saudi-Pakistan defense pact
12:25 Why a NATO ally in the fight changes everything
14:25 Hegseth's $350 billion request and the impeachment push
17:25 Is it worth it? What success looks like
19:40 Newsom empties California's death row
22:05 Wrap-up

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Iran says it took control of two U.S. attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. military finishes preparations for possible resumed major combat.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 05 NOVEMBER 2026
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says its navy's electronic warfare unit took control of two U.S. LUCAS one-way attack drones in the Hormuz area, part of the low-cost drone force the Pentagon has been ramping up. U.S. officials say the military is finishing preparations for possible resumed major combat, while President Trump says there are no immediate plans to strike.
Mike Ritland breaks down why U.S. forces need to know now if Iran can really grab drones in flight, why the daily attacks on tankers point to a stalemate in the strait, and whether the administration ramps up or backs off before the December 11 war funding fight.
Also covered: two more tankers on fire after mine strikes and the U.S. blockade at six months, impeachment talk building around War Secretary Pete Hegseth, China surging ships and aircraft around Taiwan and whether the Navy can cover two fronts, the Houthis claiming a strike on Riyadh's airport, and Vice President Vance saying the war cost Republicans the midterms.
Between now and December 11, do you expect more U.S. strikes on Iran, or a pullback? Tell us in the comments.

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00:00 Iran says it seized two U.S. attack drones
00:50 Why the LUCAS drone program matters
02:30 Strikes before December 11, or a pullback?
04:30 Tankers burn in the strait as the blockade holds
05:25 Qatar's draft deal and the stalemate
09:05 Impeachment talk builds around Hegseth
14:10 China surges ships and aircraft around Taiwan
15:25 Can the Navy cover two fronts at once?
16:40 Houthis claim a strike on Riyadh's airport
18:20 December 11: Congress and war funding
22:50 Wrap-up

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