Cofer Black on Leadership Lessons Learned and Speaking Truth to Power
In this OODAcast, we talk with renowned counter-terrorism expert and career clandestine services professional Cofer Black. Cofer is best known for having been the Director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center on 9/11 and having been part of the intelligence community warning about the near-term threat of terrorism in the United States prior to the attacks. However, his pedigree in counterterrorism issues was well established with a distinguished career in the field in high-risk areas and operations.
Robert Wallace on a Career in Intelligence and The Spy Sites Series and Spy Craft
Robert Wallace spent a 33 year career with the Central Intelligence Agency and is widely known for the very well done books he and co-author Keith Melton have produced on the history, culture and tradecraft of intelligence (including the SpyCraft book which was turned into a Netflix series and the Spy Sites series of books documenting the intelligence history of Washington DC, New York and Philadelphia). This OODAcast examines Robert’s career from the beginning, resulting in interesting stories and insights into his leadership and management style relevant to any leader in business or government today. His professional life began as he received an MA in Political Science from Kansas University in 1968 and then received a draft notice which resulted in his two years of service in the US Army, including service in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta leading long-range reconnaissance patrol teams.
Former CIA Officer Rob Richer on the Geopolitical Landscape, Leadership Lessons Learned, and Supporting Decision-makers
Rob Richer is a highly regarded advisor to international executives and global government leaders including several heads of state. Rob has a well informed perspective on international risks and opportunities and an ability to analyze and distill observations in a way that is meaningful for your decision making process. In this OODAcast we cover the current state of global and domestic affairs, key leadership and decision-making lessons learned derived from Rob’s extensive CIA career.
As a bonus, we talk to Rob about how the character Mitch Rapp is based upon him. Rapp is the main character in a 18 book series by the late bestselling author Vince Flynn. One of the books was also produced into the film American Assassin.
Ric Prado on Intelligence Operations and a Legendary Career in the CIA
Ric Prado has been described by CIA leadership as the closest thing to 007 that the United States has ever had. Ric’s life is packed with more adventure and operations than your favorite spy novel series. Coming out of the shadows, this is Ric’s first video interview and covers his career, operational decision-making lessons learned, why we need a next generation of CIA agents, and we even dive into some more obscure topics like CIA knife fighting and how he came to train the King of Jordan.
China Used Stolen Data to Expose CIA Operatives in Africa and Europe
China may have been leveraging stolen data to identify and expose CIA operatives working in Africa and Europe, threatening the employees’ livelihood and work. In 2013, US intelligence agencies reported a concerning pattern: they began to notice the speed and accuracy of CIA operatives being discovered by Chinese intelligence. China
Report Claims CIA Controlled Second Swiss Encryption Firm
Swiss politicians have demanded an investigation into Swiss encryption firm Omnisec after evidence pointing towards collusion with the US Central Intelligence Agency. Omnisec was allegedly acting as a puppet for the CIA, allowing the agency to spy on governments worldwide. A former investigation had revealed that the CIA and its
OODAcast: Gary Harrington on Leadership Lessons from Delta Force to the CIA
Gary Harrington had a distinguished career of national service that included over three decades in top tier special operations groups including Delta Force and then transitioning into the CIA. Gary was one of the first to deploy into Afghanistan after 9/11 and was at the tip of the spear in many locations including as a solo operator in high risk venues like Yemen. Today Gary advises private clients on approaches to maintaining security and safety in a volatile and unpredictable world.
In this OODAcast, we dive into Gary’s career trajectory, and lessons learned from special operations that can be applied to any business operation or to build high-value teams. Gary shares some interesting stories as well, demonstrating where timely decisions and a tight OODA Loop saved his life and how he learned to trust his gut, operate with humility and integrity, how to work with specialized teams, and how to adapt in those instances where he found himself operating alone.
Iran executes man convicted of selling missile information to CIA
Iranian authorities claim that it has executed a former defense ministry employee who allegedly sold information to the US CIA. The man in question, Reza Asgari, was executed last week according to judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili. Esmaili stated that Asgari sold details on Iran’s missile program to the CIA after
CIA Report Slammed Agency’s Security as “Woefully Lax”
Democrat Senator Ron Wyden expressed his concern over the CIA’s lack of proper security practices after reading a 2017 report describing the agency’s cybersecurity as “woefully lax.” The internal report was written by the WikiLeaks Task Force after the Vault 7 disclosures occurred, which was the largest data loss at
OODAcast with Congressman Will Hurd on AI, 5G, Cybersecurity Risk and Geopolitical Risk
In this OODAcast, OODA LLC CEO Matt Devost interviews Congressman Will Hurd in a wide ranging discussion that touches on issues of geopolitical risk, cybersecurity, cyber risk and ways to help ensure our nation is prepared to compete and win in an age of rapid technological innovation. Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Communications (5G) and other mega-trends of technology are examined, as well as insights into leadership in the modern world.
