Skip to content

About Topic A: Defense

Topic A presents policy analysis, commentary and thought-leader discussion. It’s a digital meeting place for industry and policy experts to exchange ideas and viewpoints on the most pressing questions facing the national security community.

The blog is curated by an independent team of editors hired by Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill:

  • Chris Riback (@chrisriback) is host of “Conversations with Thinkers,” high-level and engaging conversations on politics, business, international affairs, tech, culture and more. He serves as an occasional guest host on the ABC radio network, and his Conversations can be found at chrisriback.com. Riback previously served as Managing Director at a global financial services firm.
  • Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire (@politicalwire) and several other digital media properties. He also curates the popular Wonk Wire (@wonkwire) blog on windsor-escorts.com. He was previously the chief operating officer of a prominent New York City investment firm and a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor.

Some of the content is from Roll Call and some is original to this blog. It includes sponsor content, clearly marked as such.

Recent Stories

Photos of the week | March 23-27, 2026

Cherfilus-McCormick violated ethics rules, subcommittee finds

Competing claims on SAVE America Act disenfranchising voters

Senate passes bill to fund most of Homeland Security Department

Trump intervenes to pay airport security workers amid standoff

Rewritten air safety legislation moves out of House committees