Covert Operations and National Security

Latest Episodes:

From Sensor to Weapon: The Small Drone Joins the Team Sep 23, 2026

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Imagery released September 17 showed Green Berets from 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, arming a small drone with an explosive payload during training conducted on August 14. Officials confirmed the exercise was testing the capabilities and effects of explosive-ordnance attack drones flown via first-person-view feeds, though technical specifics were withheld for operational security. This episode looks at what the release signals about a broader shift in Army special operations doctrine, where low-cost drones are increasingly treated as lethal tools rather than pure ISR assets. We break down what this means for the future of small-unit tactics on the modern battlefield.

Guardians of the Gray Zone: The Coast Guard's New Special Missions Command Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

In May 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard stood up a new Special Missions Command, folding its elite units into one force built for counterterrorism, drug interdiction, port security, disaster response, and high-risk operations. This episode digs into why the Coast Guard sees the next generation of threats forming at sea — in ports, shipping lanes, and the murky "gray zone" between peace and open conflict. We look at the move through the lens of special operations doctrine, geopolitical strategy, and modern asymmetric warfare. The result is a look at how this restructuring could reshape America's maritime security for decades to come.

From Selection to the Unit: Bob Porras on a Career in Special Operations Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

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 actually takes to make it through selection, the mindset required to operate at the highest level of special operations, and the lessons carried forward after the uniform comes off. It's a rare, candid window into the culture and psychology behind America's most elite units.

The Death of Imad Mughniyeh: How a Car Bomb in Damascus Ended a 25-Year Manhunt Aug 23, 2026

Show notes

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 Mossad-CIA effort. This episode traces his decades-long career as one of the world's most wanted militants, the years-long surveillance campaign that finally located him, and the technical details of the strike as later reported by journalists and former officials. It examines the intelligence tradecraft behind the operation, the geopolitical fallout across the Middle East, and why the case still stands as one of the most consequential targeted killings in modern intelligence history.

Shadows & Networks: Operational Tradecraft in the Pursuit of Carlos the Jackal Aug 03, 2026

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This episode examines the covert tradecraft, safehouse networks, and state-sponsored safe havens that enabled Ilich Ramírez Sánchez to orchestrate high-profile international strikes throughout the 1970s and 80s. It details how counterterrorism units across multiple jurisdictions tracked his logistics, exploited lapses in his operational security, and navigated complex geopolitical intelligence-sharing channels to corner him. By breaking down the tactical mechanics of the 1975 OPEC siege and his eventual capture in Sudan, listeners gain rare insight into the evolution of modern covert interdiction and hostage-rescue strategy.

Inside Threat: The Pensacola Base Assault Experience Jul 20, 2026

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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 briefing explores the vulnerability of military infrastructure to radicalized insider threats and the chaotic reality of close-quarters engagements. It is a sobering look at asset survival, immediate action drills, and the modern realities of asymmetric threats on home soil.

The Black Wasps and the Art of Asymmetric Power: How Cuba Built a Covert Direct Action Force That Punches Far Above Its Weight Class Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

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 action capability around small, highly trained, deniable five-person teams that could operate in denied environments, execute rapid response missions, and conduct unconventional warfare with Soviet-era equipment modified specifically to confuse attribution and limit the intelligence signature left behind. Tracing their origins from 1970s operations in Angola through their recent demonstration of capabilities during high-stakes operations in Venezuela, the Black Wasps represent a masterclass in how a sanctioned, resource-constrained state builds covert operational reach through human capital investment, multinational training pipelines, and indigenous innovation when access to Western technology and supply chains is simply not an option. This episode dissects the full operational architecture of Cuba's most elite and least understood unit, examining what their model reveals about the future of asymmetric covert operations, how small states project power through specialized forces, and why the Avispas Negras deserve serious attention from anyone studying the evolving global special operations landscape

Special Forces to the Street: Wil Ravelo on the Covert Skill Set That Moves From the Battlefield to the SWAT Stack Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

The skills that define a Green Beret, unconventional warfare, human intelligence, small unit tactics, psychological operations, and the ability to blend into and manipulate complex environments, do not disappear when the operator leaves the military, and Wil Ravelo's journey from Special Forces to law enforcement to SWAT is a masterclass in how that covert operational mindset finds new application in domestic high-threat environments. This episode explores how the intelligence-gathering instincts, cover and concealment principles, and human behavior reading that define elite special operations translate into the world of SWAT operations, undercover work, and high-stakes law enforcement where the margin for error is just as lethal as anything downrange. Wil pulls back the curtain on what the Green Beret community actually teaches its operators about reading people, managing environments, and executing under pressure, and what that knowledge looks like when it is applied to protecting American streets instead of foreign ones. IAB Tags: Military/Defense, Law Enforcement, Society/Issues, Education, News/Politics, Career/Careers, Personal Safety Let me know if you want social media hooks or Apple Podcasts character-count versions for any of thes

The Shadow War: Inside Tehran's Global Hit Networks Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Deconstruct the hidden machinery of Iranian intelligence as we expose the Quds Force's clandestine assassination cells operating across international borders. This deep dive reveals the espionage tradecraft, illicit funding channels, and deep-cover proxy networks used by Tehran to eliminate dissidents on foreign soil. Uncover the high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse played in the shadows by Western counter-intelligence agencies working to dismantle these active threat cells.

The World Cup as a Cover Operation: How the Medellin and Cali Cartels Ran Colombia's Soccer Program as a Narco Intelligence Asset Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

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, using club ownership, player financing, and gambling network penetration to launder money, manage public perception, and extend territorial influence behind the most watched sporting event on the planet. The World Cup amplified every dimension of that operation, giving cartel networks a globally visible asset to manipulate while intelligence operatives embedded within the sport tracked loyalties, enforced compliance, and eliminated threats with the same precision applied to their military campaigns. This episode dissects how the tournament functioned as an unwitting stage for narco statecraft, what the intelligence architecture behind Colombian football actually looked like, and how the murder of Andrés Escobar became the moment the curtain slipped and the covert structure behind the World Cup dream was briefly visible to the world.

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