• National Security in Space: Ret. General John W. 'Jay' Raymond
    May 29 2024

    Andy talks with retired General John W. 'Jay' Raymond, the first Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force. Gen. Raymond discusses leading space operations and commands, and the growing threats posed by China and Russia's counterspace weapons. Gen. Raymond also focuses on collaborating with commercial companies and partners to maintain space superiority, and how the Space Force has evolved into what it is today.

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    45 mins
  • National Security Entrepreneurship: Arun Gupta
    May 22 2024

    Andy talks with Arun Gupta, a venture capitalism lecturer at Stanford University and an adjunct entrepreneurship professor at Georgetown. Arun is also the CEO of the NobleReach Foundation, which focuses on catalyzing and inspiring a renewed spirit of national service through innovation. He is the author of "Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Innovate and Transform Society." In their discussion, Arun shares insights from his experience and book on how to better partner entrepreneurs and the government to solve large problems through a renewed focus on outcomes-based collaboration, and to inspire young people to consider public service careers. Gupta advocates leveraging the optimism of entrepreneurs and the scale of government to address issues like national security, health tech, and climate change.

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    44 mins
  • Pakistan: Asfandyar Mir
    May 15 2024

    Michael talks with Asfandyar Mir, a South Asia senior expert at the United States Institute of Peace, about Pakistan. The two discuss the U.S. national security interest in Pakistan, relations between the two countries, the influence of China on Pakistan, and the Pakistani Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

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    43 mins
  • Israel-Gaza War & US Threats: Beth Sanner
    May 8 2024

    Michael talks with Beth Sanner, a career CIA analyst who concluded her tenure with the federal government as Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration at the ODNI from April 2019 to March 2021. She discusses the risks and potential next steps in the Israel-Gaza conflict, Iran and the Middle East, Russia's war on Ukraine, and how she rose through the CIA's ranks to become a world-class analyst specializing in South Asia.

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    41 mins
  • Catching the 'Queen of Cuba' Spy: Peter Lapp
    May 1 2024

    Michael talks with retired FBI Special Agent Peter Lapp about his new book, "Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years." Peter unveils the remarkable case of Ana Montes, the Defense Intelligence Agency senior analyst who was arrested 10 days after 9/11 for spying for Cuba. Together, Michael and Peter delve into Montes's audacious activities for communist Cuba, the unraveling of her espionage work, her prosecution and current whereabouts.

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    45 mins
  • Cyber Intelligence: Andrew Boyd
    Apr 24 2024

    Andy speaks with former CIA Center for Cyber Intelligence Director Andrew Boyd about protecting systems from the most sophisticated cyber terrorism and hacking attempts. Andrew outlines the current cyber threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and non-state actors like ransomware groups. Andy and Andrew also discuss the US cybersecurity strategy, partnerships between the government and the private sector, and challenges around emerging technologies like AI.

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    38 mins
  • ISIS-K: Former CIA Executive Dave Pitts
    Apr 17 2024

    Michael talks to Former Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia Dave Pitts about the threat of ISIS-K. Before retiring in October, Pitts was among the last American officials on the ground during the US withdrawal from Afghstanistan in August 2021. He discusses the growing threat of ISIS-K, which has been operating in the country, and around the region. Michael and Dave also reflect on the state of Al-Qaeda.

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    43 mins
  • Worldwide Threats: Michael & Andy
    Apr 10 2024

    Michael and Andy discuss the 2024 worldwide threat report from the Intelligence Community. They discuss frontier issues including space and ISIS-K, and longtime US adversaries including Iran and China. They offer their candid reactions to the unclassified publicly released annual assessment, and what it means for the future of global security.

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    37 mins