Episodes
Summary
Andrew leads a SPY Museum panel discussion between four experts on the most damaging mole in FBI history, Robert Hanssen. This program was in collaboration with CBS/Paramount on their new podcast “Agent of Betrayal"
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The story of Robert Hanssen
How his colleagues reacted to his betrayal
A psychological analysis of Hanssen
How the Hanssen case has impacted the FBI and U.S. intelligence
Reflections
Disillusionment and betrayal
“The child is father...
Published 11/07/23
Summary
Col. (Ret.) Shlomo Mofaz (LinkedIn) and Col (Ret.) Zohar Palti (Wikipedia) join Andrew to discuss their respective careers in the Israeli Defense Forces and the Mossad.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Israel’s relationships with neighboring countries
The role of intelligence within the Intifadas
Israel and the Lebanon War
Hezbollah, Hamas, and other groups that pose threats to Israeli security
Reflections
Pressure and power
Dealing with constant threats
And much, much...
Published 10/31/23
Summary
Lt. Col. (ret.) Aviram Halevi (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Israel’s top secret commando unit, Sayeret Matkal. Aviram formerly served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Sayeret Matkal.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The origins of Sayeret Matkal
Collaboration across Israeli intelligence
Operation Spring of Youth & the Entebbe Raid
Intelligence & hostage retrieval
Reflections
The value of teamwork
No room for fear
And much, much more …
Episode...
Published 10/24/23
Welcome to a very special bonus episode of SpyCast, coming to you directly from the stage of the International Spy Museum. Last month, we hosted a live panel discussion in collaboration with our friends at Goat Rodeo who produced the new podcast, Spy Valley: An Engineer’s Nuclear Betrayal, a series by Project Brazen and PRX.
The riveting series tells the true story of James Harper, a Silicon Valley engineer turned spy who sold nuclear secrets to the Soviet Bloc. The series takes listeners on...
Published 10/20/23
Summary
Uri Bar-Joseph (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the intelligence failure of the Yom Kippur War. Uri is an author and professor emeritus at Haifa University.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
How Israel failed to predict the Yom Kippur War
Egyptian spy Ashraf Marwan’s role in the War
How Israeli intelligence evolved post-War
Israeli leadership’s accountability for the failure
Reflections
Learning and adapting from mistakes
Catastrophe and national...
Published 10/17/23
Summary
Uzi Arad (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence and policy at the highest level. Uzi was also a former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Director of Intelligence for the Mossad.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
National security in Israel
Israel’s position within the Middle East
State leaders as consumers of intelligence
Uzi’s relationship with PM Netanyahu
Reflections
Handling intense pressure
Power, proximity, and...
Published 10/10/23
Summary
Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez David Maisel (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to provide a crash-course in Israeli Intelligence history. Erez is a researcher and former head of the IDF’s International Cooperation Division.
*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Early history of intelligence in Israel
The origins of Israeli intelligence organizations
Preparing for a Nazi invasion of British Palestine
The shift from British to...
Published 10/03/23
Summary
Letitia “Tish” Long (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her time as the Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Tish was the first woman to be appointed director of an American intelligence agency.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
GEOINT & its importance
Tish’s recollection of the Bin Laden raid
The differences between NGO and NGA
Information sharing between spy chiefs
Reflections
The value of mentorship
Being the first, but certainly...
Published 09/26/23
Summary
Vappala Balachandran (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his career and the ancient roots of espionage in India. Bala formerly served as Special Secretary for India’s Cabinet Secretariat.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
India’s Research and Analysis Wing
The Tamil Tigers’ threat to Indian national security
Intelligence considerations within India-Pakistan relations
Lessons in intelligence from Ancient India
Reflections
Intelligence, the 2nd oldest...
Published 09/19/23
Summary
Michael McElgunn (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in the Republic of Ireland. Michael is the Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Síochána’s Crime and Security Intelligence Service.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The history of An Garda Síochána
The intelligence components of the Garda
The present state of Northern Ireland relations
Current threats to Irish national security
Reflections
The value of collaboration
Evolving alongside a changing...
Published 09/12/23
Summary
Brigadier General (Ret.) Wilson Boinett joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Kenyan intelligence. Wilson is the former Director of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The effect of colonialism on intelligence
The organization of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service
Wilson’s role in adapting and reforming Kenyan intelligence
The Nairobi bombings and effects on East Africa
Reflections
Institutional insurgency
The courage to push for and...
Published 09/05/23
Summary
David Petraeus (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter, LinkedIn) to discuss his strategic analysis of the war in Ukraine. General Petraeus is a former Director of the CIA.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
General Petraeus’ appraisal of the situation in Ukraine
What victory would look like for each side
What role intelligence is playing in the War
General Petraeus’ time as Director of the CIA
Reflections
The power of narrative
Organizational culture
*EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL...
Published 08/29/23
Summary
Bill Britton (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) in a discussion about cybersecurity and cyber awareness. Bill is the Director of the California Cybersecurity Institute and CIO at Cal Poly.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
How to better protect your online information
Why cybersecurity is more important now than ever
How Cal Poly is addressing cybersecurity challenges
The state of cyber in California and America
Reflections
Confronting our learned habits
Lifelong...
Published 08/22/23
Summary
Keith Michaels (LinkedIn) and James Lockhart (LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence in an unlikely place: Casinos! James and Keith have collectively over 30 years of experience within Las Vegas gaming surveillance.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
How casinos conduct surveillance
Collaboration between casinos and intelligence organizations
The mob origins of Las Vegas
Nation-state intelligence threats in casinos
Reflections
It’s just the luck of the draw…or is...
Published 08/15/23
Summary
Eamon Javers (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter, LinkedIn) to discuss China’s Corporate Spy War. Eamon is the Senior Washington correspondent at CNBC.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Why go after corporate secrets?
What’s at stake for the United States
The case of Yanjun Xu and GE Aviation
Military implications of economic espionage
Reflections
The innovation nation
Simple twists of fate
And much, much more …
***FULL SHOWNOTES AVAILABLE HERE***
Episode Notes
This...
Published 08/08/23
Summary
Steve James (IMDb) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his new film, A Compassionate Spy. 18-year-old Ted Hall was the youngest physicist working on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Soviet-American relations during WWII
The Manhattan Project and the development of the Atomic Bomb
Motivations for atomic espionage
The life and story of Theodore Hall
Reflections
With great power … comes great responsibility
State allegiance vs....
Published 08/01/23
Summary
Michael Vickers (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his remarkable career and memoir. He was formerly the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
His specialized training to wear a “Nuclear Backpack” (yes, literally!)
Overseeing a multibillion-dollar CIA covert action program against the Soviets
Planning the Osama Bin Laden raid
Retooling defense intelligence for the 21st century
Reflections
Finding a narrative that unites...
Published 07/25/23
Summary
Jorhena Thomas (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her career as an analyst and passion for intelligence education. Jorhena spent 8 years in the FBI as an Intelligence Analyst.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
What makes a great analyst
Her thoughts on the “Intelligence Cycle”
The Robert Levinson case
How the FBI adapted after 9/11
Reflections
Teamwork and collaboration
The importance of education
Episode Notes
Andrew is joined by Jorhena Thomas:...
Published 07/18/23
Summary
Leta McCollough Seletsky (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to share the story of her father, the famous “Kneeling Man” – The man knelt next to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in 1968. Leta is a litigator turned essayist and memoirist.
*Nominate SpyCast for a People’s Choice Podcast Award HERE!*
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The life and times of Marrell “Mac” McCollough
The CIA connection between father and...
Published 07/11/23
Summary
Ryan Zimmerman (MLB Stats; Wikipedia) and Marc Polymeropoulos (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence and America’s pastime. From the SpyCast Field of Dreams.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Sign-stealing and codebreaking
Glue guys and teamwork
Ethics in baseball and espionage
Clutch and pinch hitters in espionage and baseball
Reflections
Daring to fail
Stepping up to the plate of life
And much, much more…
Episode Notes
Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack. Few...
Published 07/04/23
Summary
Ioanna Iordanou (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Venice’s Secret Service. Her research on “centralized intelligence” during the Italian Renaissance has secured her two entries in Guiness World Records!
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The origins of centralized intelligence
“The Council of Ten” - Venice’s spy chiefs
“The Inquisitors of the State” - Venice’s counterintelligence body
Venetian power in the Eastern Mediterranean
Reflections
The rise...
Published 06/27/23
Summary
This week on SpyCast, Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) is joined by former DPRK Agent Kim, Hyun Woo. This is the first time Dr. Kim has stepped out from the shadows to speak.
*EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The organizational structure of North Korean intelligence
The journey of a defector
The training and skills needed to be a DPRK agent
North Korean intelligence priorities in the East
Reflections
Bravery and courage in the...
Published 06/20/23
Summary
Calder Walton (Website, Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the 100-year intelligence war between the United States and Russia. Calder is the author of the new book, SPIES.
*EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The epic clash of intelligence systems
Russia’s assassination program then and now
The roots of Putinism
China as “the Soviet Union on steroids”
Reflections
Cold War 2.0
Could it have been otherwise?
And...
Published 06/13/23
Summary
Cory Graff (Website, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter, LinkedIn) to discuss the D-Day deception operation to mask the landings at Normandy. Cory is a Curator at The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Deception tactics used by the Allies
The core deception operations BODYGUARD and FORTITUDE
The German secret agents who became British “double agents”
The “Ghost Army” and General Patton’s fictitious First U.S. Army...
Published 06/06/23
Summary
Noah Hurowitz (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss infamous drug kingpin El Chapo. A weak link in his cybersecurity set-up would help bring him down.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
El Chapo’s internal surveillance operation
The cartel’s use of cryptography to keep communications covert
How cybersecurity enabled then brought down El Chapo
The role of the infamous DFS – a corrupt and now disbanded intelligence agency
Reflections
Technology – early...
Published 05/30/23