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On the latest Defense & Tech podcast, Anna Ahronheim sat down with Windward co-founder and CEO Ami Daniel at a charged moment: Iran is striking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Russia's "shadow fleet" of over 2,100 ships is moving sanctioned oil outside Western oversight, and Ukrainian underwater drones are turning up in Greek caves.
Daniel argues this is the most volatile maritime moment in a generation, and Windward, whose customers range from the White House to global shipping leaders, sits at the center of it.
Windward's CEO detailed a 600% spike in vessels "going dark" in the Strait, explaining why the US Navy's five-to-seven-year shipbuilding timeline leaves Washington exposed against China, and names underwater infrastructure as the biggest threat the world is still choosing to ignore. His blunt verdict on truly reopening Hormuz was clear: a deal with Iran, or scorched earth. Nothing in between.
What anchors the interview is the story beneath the analysis. In 2006, Daniel was aboard the INS Hanit off Lebanon when a Hezbollah missile, the same class now threatening American ships in the Gulf, struck his vessel. He survived.
That moment, he says, is why Windward exists. "I'm doing it because it's a mission." From agentic AI in naval warfare to the opening Arctic and the next chapter of the Abraham Accords, the full conversation is essential viewing for anyone trying to understand where the next great conflict is already unfolding, out of sight, and on the water.