NatSec Matters - Beacon Global Strategies LLC

Latest Episodes:

National Security Entrepreneurship: Arun Gupta May 22, 2024

Show notes

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.

Pakistan: Asfandyar Mir May 15, 2024

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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.

Israel-Gaza War & US Threats: Beth Sanner May 08, 2024

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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.

Catching the 'Queen of Cuba' Spy: Peter Lapp May 01, 2024

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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.

Cyber Intelligence: Andrew Boyd Apr 24, 2024

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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.

ISIS-K: Former CIA Executive Dave Pitts Apr 17, 2024

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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.

Worldwide Threats: Michael & Andy Apr 10, 2024

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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.

Somalia & Ukraine: Army Ranger veteran James Lechner Apr 03, 2024

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Michael talks with Army Ranger veteran LTC (Ret.) James Lechner about his book "With My Shield: An Army Ranger in Somalia" about his experience on the ground in Mogadishu in 1993 during the Black Hawk Down raid. They also discuss his recent experience in Ukraine.

National Security Law: Judge James Baker Mar 27, 2024

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Andy talks about national security law with former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces James Baker. He's currently the Director of the Institute of Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University. He has authored several books, including "The Centaur's Dilemma: National Security Law for the Coming AI Revolution".

Iran: John Sotos Mar 20, 2024

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Michael speaks with former CIA analyst John Sotos, who's an expert on Iran. He's now Chief of Analysis at PersuMedia. They discuss Iran's goals in the Mideast, its relations with the US, domestic support for the Iranian regime and the modern-day challenges Iran faces since the Iranian Revolution.