Inman’s Rules: The Enduring Principles of Operational Intelligence
Admiral Bobby Ray Inman retired from the US Navy in 1982. But his influence endures. His principles, which he codified into a list still exchanged among intelligence community leaders today, is now known as Inman’s Rules. In this OODAcast interview of Admiral Inman we review these rules, seeking insights into how they can be applied to business and government intelligence and operations today.
Consider his 31 rules and how they will apply to your organization.
Decision-Making Inside the CIA Counterterrorism Center Before, During and After 9/11
We started the OODAcast as a way of highlighting insights and lessons learned from leaders and decision-makers in the OODA Network including former intelligence community leaders and operators. Themes emerge throughout these interviews on topics such as how clearly the intelligence community warned of the pending attacks, the early preparedness of a response by the intelligence community, the role the agency played in the success of the early stages of the campaign in Afghanistan, leadership in a crisis, empowering your team and finding the right people to execute on a plan, clear decision-making while operating in a low information environment, situational awareness and the qualities and best practices of a true leader. In this second part of the series, we draw on perspectives from former CIA Counterterrorism Center (CTC) Director Cofer Black and former CIA CTC Director of Operations Ric Prado.
A CIA Officer and Delta Force Operator Share Perspectives on 9/11
We started the OODAcast as a way of highlighting insights and lessons learned from leaders and decision-makers in the OODA Network including former intelligence community leaders and operators. Themes emerge throughout these interviews on topics such as how clearly the intelligence community warned of the pending attacks, the early preparedness of a response by the intelligence community, the role the agency played in the success of the early stages of the campaign in Afghanistan, leadership in a crisis, empowering your team and finding the right people to execute on a plan, clear decision-making while operating in a low information environment, situational awareness and the qualities and best practices of a true leader. In this article we draw on perspectives from former CIA Officer and Congressman Will Hurd and former CIA and Delta Force operator Gary Harrington.
CIA, U.S. Troops Conduct Missions Outside Kabul Airport to Extract Americans, Afghan Allies
According to new reports, the Central Intelligence Agency and the US military are conducting extraction operations to evacuate Americans outside of the Kabul airport with just days remaining before the August 31 operation deadline. US forces are using ground troops and helicopters to conduct the missions. The clandestine operations to
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
