Covert Operations and National Security

From Selection to the Unit: Bob Porras on a Career in Special Operations

Carlos sits down with Bob "The Ninja" Porras for a wide-ranging look back at a career spent in the world of Delta Force and "The Unit." The conversation covers what it ac

The Death of Imad Mughniyeh: How a Car Bomb in Damascus Ended a 25-Year Manhunt

On February 12, 2008, Hezbollah's chief of international operations, Imad Mughniyeh, was killed by a car bomb in Damascus in an operation widely attributed to a joint Mos

Shadows & Networks: Operational Tradecraft in the Pursuit of Carlos the Jackal

This episode examines the covert tradecraft, safehouse networks, and state-sponsored safe havens that enabled Ilich Ramírez Sánchez to orchestrate high-profile internatio

Inside Threat: The Pensacola Base Assault Experience

We deconstruct the domestic base attack through the eyes of Navy Airman Ryan Blackwell, who stood directly in the line of fire during a catastrophic security breach. This

The Black Wasps and the Art of Asymmetric Power: How Cuba Built a Covert Direct Action Force That Punches Far Above Its Weight Class

The Avispas Negras were never designed to compete with the resources of JSOC or the SAS — they were designed to make that comparison irrelevant, building a covert direct

Special Forces to the Street: Wil Ravelo on the Covert Skill Set That Moves From the Battlefield to the SWAT Stack

The skills that define a Green Beret, unconventional warfare, human intelligence, small unit tactics, psychological operations, and the ability to blend into and manipula

The Shadow War: Inside Tehran's Global Hit Networks

Deconstruct the hidden machinery of Iranian intelligence as we expose the Quds Force's clandestine assassination cells operating across international borders. This deep d

The World Cup as a Cover Operation: How the Medellin and Cali Cartels Ran Colombia's Soccer Program as a Narco Intelligence Asset

Long before Colombia qualified for the 1994 World Cup, Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel had already turned professional football into a functioning covert infrastructure

Black Box Chronicles- Navy Seal incredible Story

Step past the redacted headlines into the shadows of global conflict. We dissect the world’s most classified missions, exploring the intense logistics, psychological toll

Edge of the World: Survival Secrets of the Sirius Patrol

Imagine patrolling an Arctic wasteland where a single mistake means freezing to death, and your closest backup is hundreds of miles away. This episode takes you onto the

Infiltration Under the Canopy: The Art of the Invisible Strike

The jungle provides the ultimate camouflage for military units, but only if they know how to become one with the environment. Clark Impastato walks listeners through the

Invasion Sports and Kinetic Warfare: The Chaos Strategy of Special Ops

From soccer pitches to urban battlefields, the fundamental principles of "invasion sports"—spatial dominance, rapid transitions, and penetrating defensive lines—dictate t

Heavy Metal Black Ops: MACV-SOG’s Lethal Hatchet Teams

When small, deep-cover reconnaissance teams were compromised behind enemy lines, the military deployed its ultimate hidden hammer: the MACV-SOG Exploitation Forces. This

Across the Fence: The Top-Secret Black Ops of MACV-SOG

operating deep within denied territories across Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam, the ultra-classified joint special operations task force known as MACV-SOG executed som

The Shadow Blueprint: Special Ops Psychology

Go behind the curtain of elite clandestine missions to understand the psychological fortitude required for high-stakes covert work. This episode deconstructs how operator

Weaponized Deception: Inside the Secret Allied Plot to Divert Nazi Armies

With the 1943 invasion of Sicily looming, Allied forces turned to unconventional psychological warfare to execute one of the greatest military hoaxes in human history. We

Operation Eglon: The Anatomy of the First Deep-Cover Assassin

This episode deconstructs the tactical brilliance of Ehud, the biblical "Assassin Judge" who executed one of history’s most successful deep-cover operations. We analyze t

City Under the Ice: The Secret Nuclear Tunnels of Project Iceworm

Deep beneath the desolate Greenland ice sheet, the U.S. Army built "Camp Century"—a sub-glacial city complete with a nuclear reactor, a theater, and a hidden mission. Whi

Digital Sabotage: Exploiting the Zero Day Window

In modern warfare, the most effective weapon is the one the enemy doesn’t know exists. This episode examines the strategic use of Zero Day exploits as a tool for high-sta

Operation Ajax: The Anatomy of a Successful (But Fatal) Takedown

In 1953, the CIA and MI6 executed a high-stakes "political action" mission that redefined covert operations. We break down the tactical phases of Operation Ajax: from the