Intelligence Matters

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ellen McCarthy, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). As head of INR – the oldest all-source U.S. intelligence agency, and among the smallest, within the 17-member community – McCarthy leads a cadre of about 250 analysts at the State Department who provide assessments to the Secretary of State, relevant policymakers and the President. She explains how INR analysts arrive at their assessments of foreign leaders, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and how their assessments can inform, but not influence, policymaking. This is the second installment of a continuing series on "Leadership of the IC," featuring currently-serving senior leadership within the U.S. intelligence community. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Russ Travers, deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Travers offers an overview of enduring and evolving terrorism threats facing the U.S. from extremist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda as well as known state sponsors of terror Iran and Pakistan. He also outlines how technological shifts are compounding challenges of counterterrorism intelligence collection. This is the first installment of a continuing series on "Leadership of the IC," featuring currently-serving senior leadership within the U.S. intelligence community. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chris Krebs, Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Krebs details the department's efforts to defend U.S. systems, elections and infrastructure from foreign adversaries' cyber incursions and influence operations. He explains the nature of strategic threats from Russia, China and others and how CISA is working to boost the resilience of the country's critical infrastructure. He also describes the agency's efforts to protect the 2020 presidential election from outside interference. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell holds a mock "situation room" dialogue with Ambassador Bill Burns, former deputy Secretary of State and President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Jim Miller, former Under Secretary is Defense for Policy and senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, on U.S. diplomatic, policy and military options for responding to Iran amid escalating tensions. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Washington Post journalist and Beijing bureau chief Anna Fifield about her new book, "The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong-Un." Morell and Fifield discuss her years of reporting from inside Pyongyang and her conversations with the North Korean leader's elusive inner circle. She describes how she obtained first-hand accounts of Kim's childhood and family relationships. Fifield also details some of Kim's early, formative experiences and the sometimes brutal ways he managed to consolidate and maintain power. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA analyst and targeting officer Nada Bakos about the post-9/11 hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the low-level jihadist and eventual head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, ISIS's predecessor organization. Morell and Bakos discuss the intense political pressure some analysts felt as they worked to identify links between Iraq and Al Qaeda in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Bakos also describes how targeting officers employed tactical analysis in an effort to dismantle terror networks and the human intelligence that led to Zarqawi's demise. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Jonna Mendez, who spent nearly three decades at the CIA and was its Chief of Disguise until 1993. Mendez tells Morell about the fundamentals of disguise, deception and illusion, including what kinds of spies were the hardest to hide. Mendez also discusses her time with her husband, Tony Mendez, a celebrated CIA officer who was famously portrayed in the movie, "Argo." She explains why both of them have pushed for greater transparency into the lives and work of intelligence officers worldwide. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Russia and foreign policy expert Angela Stent, who is director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and a professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University. Stent and Morell discuss Russia's primary global objectives today, and the centuries of history that have shaped its trajectory. Stent also traces President Vladimir Putin's rise to power, and offers an assessment of the qualities and strategies that underlie his political success. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Tamir Pardo, who served as Director of the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, from 2011 to 2016. They discuss the Mossad's relationship with the CIA and current regional dynamics involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the possibility of arriving at a two-state solution. In a rare and wide-ranging interview, Pardo tells Morell about his career trajectory and pivotal moments during his tenure as director. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Sanger, national security correspondent for the New York Times and author of “The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age.” Morell and Sanger discuss the technological and geopolitical challenges of the cyber domain, including forthcoming developments like 5G networks, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and expanding opportunities for offensive operations. Sanger also offers his perspective on covering the intelligence community and the Trump administration. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Col. Chris Costa, executive director of the International Spy Museum, about the museum's reimagined exhibitions and upcoming reopening in a new location in Washington, DC. Costa explains how the museum obtained over 7,000 artifacts and uses them to tell a newly dimensional story of global spycraft. He covers the tactics, products and gadgetry of espionage, and tells Morell how the museum provides new insight into different facets of intelligence work. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special edition of Intelligence Matters, which is marking its one-year anniversary since being relaunched by CBS News, host Michael Morell speaks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the top foreign policy challenges facing the United States. Morell and Pompeo discuss the post-caliphate capabilities of ISIS, the way forward in Afghanistan and Syria, the Trump administration's policy priorities in Iran, and its strategy for countering immediate threats from North Korea and long-term threats from China. Secretary Pompeo also makes a case for America's continued global engagement. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Chris Darby, President and CEO of In-Q-Tel (IQT), the strategic investment arm of the C.I.A. and the broader intelligence and national security community. Darby explains the history of IQT, how it identifies and vets the companies it chooses to invest in, and how its priorities have evolved since 9/11. Morell and Darby discuss the top technology challenges facing the intelligence community as well as the intensifying strategic competition with China. Darby explains why imagination and creativity play a central role in keeping the intelligence community agile and the country safe. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell leads a panel discussion with four top journalists and editors with decades of experience covering intelligence-related issues. Morell interviews NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, Cipher Brief CEO and Publisher Suzanne Kelly, and the Washington Post’s National Security and Intelligence Columnist David Ignatius and National Security Editor Peter Finn about how the media balances accountability journalism with the need to protect national security. The event was sponsored by the Michael V. Hayden Center and the Schar School of Policy and Government. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Jamie Metzl, a geopolitics expert, technology futurist and author of a new book called Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity. Metzl and Morell discuss recent advances in reproductive technologies and genetic screening, as well as how their convergence with other technologies like artificial intelligence and big data processing could fundamentally change population health and growth. They also review the national security implications of certain advances in genetic engineering, including how societies worldwide may navigate the ethical questions raised by gene editing and embryo screening. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former career CIA official Meroe Park, who served at the agency for nearly three decades in a variety of roles -- including analyst, executive assistant to former director George Tenet, chief of payroll and, most recently, chief operating officer. Park was also acting director when President Trump made his first visit to and speech at the CIA in January 2017. She recounts the last-minute preparations for his appearance and explains why the backlash to Trump's controversial speech missed part of the story of his visit. She also discusses the CIA's efforts to boost diversity and demonstrate effective internal leadership. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Glenn Gerstell, the National Security Agency's top legal officer. They discuss the looming legal, ethical and societal implications of the digital revolution underway across the globe, as well as the challenges posed by the rapid development and adoption of new technologies. Gerstell explains how changes in the information landscape have prompted an evolution in the NSA's own approach to transparency. He also details the NSA's internal protocols for identifying surveillance targets and unmasking individuals whose communications are captured by incidental collection. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell leads a panel discussion with four former intelligence committee members in partnership with the Michael V. Hayden Center and the Schar School of Policy and Government. Former members of the congressional intelligence committees, including former Representatives Jane Harman (D-CA) and Mike Rogers (R-MI) and former Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), weigh in on the role and practice of oversight, challenges that can arise, and how politicization can be a complicating factor for essential accountability work. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks about a growing crisis in American foreign policy with Eliot Cohen, Executive Vice Dean of Johns Hopkins University?s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies. Cohen, who also served as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's senior adviser, tells Morell the United States risks becoming 'erratically internationalist' by making inconsistent or incoherent choices about where it is engaged abroad. He argues President Trump represents a broad American disenchantment with the country's post-World War II role, and suggests other state and non-state actors will move to assert more control in their respective regions. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, former CIA director General (ret.) David Petraeus speaks with host Michael Morell about strategic leadership and the need to conceive, communicate, implement and refine 'big ideas.' Petraeus, who commanded coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, weighs in on the 'big ideas' that should shape some of the biggest challenges in U.S. foreign policy, including vis-à-vis China, Russia and North Korea. He also offers a five-part framework for confronting Islamic extremism, and shares insights about his time at the helm of the CIA. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with William Burns, career diplomat, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and current president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Burns shares concerns about a decades-long drift in American diplomacy, which he says began after the Cold War, intensified in the years following 9/11, and has been accelerated during the Trump administration. He tells Morell why American engagement abroad remains crucial and how it could make a meaningful difference in confronting geopolitical challenges from the likes of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Burns also shares anecdotes from his new book, The Back Channel, about engaging directly with Vladimir Putin during his time as U.S. Ambassador to Russia and about the backroom meetings that preceded the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with psychiatrist Dr. David Charney, who has spent decades personally evaluating intelligence professionals and has interviewed some of the most well-known spies in American history, including former FBI Agents Earl Pitts and Robert Hansenn. Charney explains the core psychology of espionage, including a theory of what leads people to spy and what kinds of traits and situations are most common among those who choose to do so. Charney also offers new ideas for preventing spying, and stopping it once it starts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Laura Holgate, former U.S. Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency and Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction on President Obama's National Security Council. Holgate, now vice president for materials risk management at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, explains the threats posed by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons and how the United States, along with international partners, works to contain them. Holgate and Morell assess the United States' approach to some of the most precarious proliferation challenges in the world, including from North Korea, Iran and, more recently, Saudi Arabia. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Center of Strategic and International Studies Senior Fellow and Korea Chair Sue Mi Terry about the state of the U.S.-North Korea relationship and the stakes facing both President Trump and leader Kim Jong Un ahead of their second summit in Vietnam. Terry offers an assessment of Pyongyang’s current capabilities, an overview of why Kim has come to the negotiating table, and outlines the questions that remain unanswered about Kim’s strategic intentions. Terry tells Morell what progress will have to be made in Hanoi for the U.S. to be able to declare it a success. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who ran the U.S. government’s third-largest department from 2013 to 2017 during the Obama administration. Johnson offers context on the security challenges at the U.S. southern border, addresses the government’s multi-agency handling of cyber threats, and evaluates the Obama administration’s response to Russia’s efforts to disrupt the 2016 presidential election. Johnson also reviews his career history as a top official at the Department of Defense. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former diplomat Vicki Huddleston, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mali and Madagascar and was the country's top diplomat in Havana during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. She details the rocky evolution of the U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relationship, including personal experiences dealing with former revolutionary and Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro. Huddleston and Morell evaluate the Obama administration's 2014 opening to Cuba and the possible trajectories for future of the relationship. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a special bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Pedro Burelli, a former member of the Executive Board of Petróleos de Venezuela who now lives in exile in the United States and speaks regularly with democratic leader Juan Guaidó. Burelli weighs in on the state of affairs in Venezuela and explains why the Trump administration’s efforts to build a multilateral alliance in the region may lead to a peaceful solution. He offers views on Guaidó’s political evolution and rapid rise to power, and discusses why the country – with the international community’s help in ousting malign influence from abroad and rebuilding institutions from within – may soon be poised to undergo permanent change. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with retired Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, who until recently served as director of the National Security Agency, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Chief of the Central Security Service. They discuss Rogers’ three-decade military career, including how he went from serving as a Navy cryptologist to leading the country’s largest intelligence agency, how his dual-hatted role worked in practice, and whether changes to the agencies’ leadership structure are overdue. They also discuss current cyber threats, insider threats, and why global cyber norms remain elusive. Rogers also weighs in on the merits of public attribution for cyber attacks and the appropriateness of offensive cyber measures. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Cohen and Avril Haines, who both served as deputy directors of the CIA during the Obama administration. They discuss with Morell, who was also a deputy director, the demands of the role - including preparing for the Presidential Daily Brief and how it compared to their previous experiences in the U.S. government. They also assess the responsibility of CIA directors to appear and speak publicly, contrasting current director Gina Haspel's relatively low profile with former director John Brennan's choice to be outspoken. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chicago University professor and Director of the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism Robert Pape, who explains how ISIS and other militant groups adopt Western narratives to effectively recruit in the United States. Pape reviews what inspires people about ISIS propaganda and how the group's recruits differ from those of Al Qaeda. He also tells Morell how he works with the FBI and U.S. prison system to better understand the psychologies of those who have become radicalized. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former deputy Secretary of State and deputy National Security advisor to President Barack Obama Antony Blinken, who weighs in on the Trump administration's foreign policy decisions in some of the world's top geopolitical hotspots. Blinken evaluates the opportunities seized, squandered and still ahead in countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, North Korea and China. A former national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, Blinken discusses the parameters of a potential Biden foreign policy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Lisa Monaco, former U.S. Homeland Security Advisor to President Barack Obama. She reviews her career trajectory from federal prosecutor to Hill staffer to running the National Security Division at the Department of Justice to a series of high-profile roles at the White House. Monaco evaluates the existing threat from foreign-directed terror attacks, the importance of continuity in counterterrorism policy, and the evolution of cyber threats facing the United States. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, trade expert Gary Hufbauer, nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, explains the national security implications of trade policy and why a given economy?s health is one of the most significant determinants of a nation?s stability. Hufbauer evaluates the effects of automation on the global economy, the enduring gap between wage and productivity growth, and how much trade balances really matter. He and Morell discuss the effect of populist trends on global economic policies and review several recent deals struck by the Trump administration. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Admiral Sandy Winnefeld (ret.) interviews Nadia Schadlow, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy. They discuss the 2017 National Security Strategy, which articulates the administration's national security concerns and strategic priorities. Schadlow explains how the document was conceived and crafted to reflect President Trump's 'America First' governing philosophy. Schadlow and Winnefeld also discuss how the president's national security team considered the United States' posture vis a vis other great powers like Russia and China, and offers an assessment of the strategy's overall implementation to date. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Glenn Gaffney, current Executive Vice President of strategic intelligence investor In-Q-Tel and former head of the CIA's Science and Technology Directorate. Morell and Gaffney discuss space as an area of strategic, scientific, intelligence and military competition with Russia and China, and assess the United States' current positioning. They also review existing and future cyber threats to the U.S., which Gaffney explains are expanding and evolving with alarming rapidity. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell weighs in on the CIA's reported assessment regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. He explains the agency's analytic process, the significance of confidence levels, and which stakeholders would be briefed, and how. He reviews the strategic and policy implications of holding Saudi Arabia to account and what steps the United States and the Kingdom should take to ensure long-term regional stability. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism at the New York Police Department. In a wide-ranging conversation, Miller reflects on his career spanning journalism, public affairs and operations roles at some of the country's top law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Miller discusses his 1998, in-person interview with Osama bin Laden and live reporting after the 2001 September 11th attacks. He also tells Morell about the NYPD's intelligence and analysis efforts and weighs in on the threats posed by extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS today. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Phil Reilly, former Special Forces soldier and CIA Clandestine Service Senior Paramilitary Officer who was among the select team of ten officers first deployed to Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Reilly recounts how U.S. forces first partnered with the Northern Alliance in the Panjshir Valley against Taliban units and describes his team's harrowing first helicopter flight over Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan. Reilly explains why he believes maintaining a strong U.S. presence in Afghanistan is necessary to prevent the Taliban from regaining power and to keep the existing Afghan government afloat. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and legendary former CIA operative Michael Vickers about about his work combating the Soviets in Afghanistan, his views of the Trump administration’s security strategy, and the biggest national security threats facing the United States today. Vickers explains why he believes the United States and China are not only battling for economic and political supremacy, but also for control of advanced technologies and the “industries of the future.” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Eric Edelman, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and current co-chair of the National Defense Strategy Commission. Edelman and Morell, who is also a member of the Commission, discuss the contents of its new report evaluating the nation's defenses in general and the National Defense Strategy in particular. They explain why, just as other world rivals have grown savvier, stronger and more aggressive, America's military edge is in many areas diminished and in some cases erased. The two evaluate what steps the President and the U.S. Congress can take to forestall a significant national security crisis. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Ret. Navy Admiral Sandy Winnefeld speaks with Derek Maltz, former Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration for an important conversation about the national security implications of the opioid crisis gripping communities across the United States. Maltz explains the connectivity between drug traffickers and terrorist networks, China’s growing export of fentanyl and precursor chemicals, and how the DEA partners with the CIA and other intelligence and law enforcement agencies in international counter-narcotics efforts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Cohen, former Deputy Director of the CIA and Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence about whether, when, and how targeted financial sanctions work. Cohen explains why the U.S. sanctions snapping back on Iran's oil industry may not have the same bite they did years ago, and why the Trump's administration's once-effective North Korea sanctions may have been weakened by the Singapore summit. Cohen describes how secondary sanctions expand the reach and enhance the power of U.S. financial sanctions, and how intelligence helps determine whether a given sanctions regime is effective. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host retired Navy Admiral Sandy Winnefeld interviews Norman Roule, who spent decades at the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence managing significant programs related to the Middle East. Roule, who recently returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia, explains how developments in the Khashoggi matter are being received by Saudi citizens and what senior officials in the Kingdom may do in response to widespread calls for transparency and accountability. Roule also details the many other challenges facing the Kingdom - including its domestic modernization push, the Yemen and Syria conflicts on its borders, and its efforts to build a post-oil economy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with top Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about the state of Iran's economy, its domestic politics, and its diplomatic posture vis a vis the West. Sadjadpour offers insight into the evolving dynamics within Tehran's leadership structure and growing discontent in Iranian society, including whether unrest or revolution may be on the horizon. He also assesses the impact of the U.S.'s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, and explains why Iran's medium-term strategy may be to "wait out" the Trump administration. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with the former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers about the case of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared in early October after walking into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Amid reports that Turkish officials have audio and video tapes showing Saudi agents are responsible for the murder of Khasshoggi -- a U.S. resident who had written critically of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- Morell and Vickers discuss the current knowns and unknowns of the case, the implications of Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement, and the necessary course of action for U.S. policymakers. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Senator James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, who serves on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Morell and Lankford discuss the state of the nation's election security, the gamut of ongoing foreign misinformation efforts, and whether social media platforms need regulating. Lankford discusses the need for auditable ballots and his work to move a recently-stalled bipartisan election security bill through the Senate. He also provides an update on the committee's ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Christopher Johnson, Senior Adviser and Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about the current status of and the future possibilities for the U.S.-China relationship. They discuss the implications of a newly competitive economic relationship, the compatibility of domestic, regional and global objectives, and whether compromise is possible - or conflict is inevitable. Johnson explains why he believes America's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership may be "the biggest strategic mistake the United States has ever made." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the national security threats posed by global pandemic, epidemics, superbugs, man-made pathogens and bioterrorism. Fauci provides his assessment of the United States' and the world's level of preparedness for all of them. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, Stephen Hadley. They discuss the need for continued American engagement on the global scene and the merits of a rules-based international system based on democracy, respect for human rights, and free markets. Hadley and Morell also review the major obstacles impeding a functional US-Russia relationship, as well as opportunities to interface strategically with Iran, North Korea and China. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell has a wide-ranging conversation with Jake Sullivan, former senior policy adviser on Secretary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden. They discuss key lessons learned from Russia's 2016 election interference, the Obama administration's response, and how future political leaders should be thinking about the presidency. Sullivan, who was deeply involved in brokering the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, discusses the Trump administration's opportunities for dialogue with Tehran, and shares his views on North Korea, Russia and other foreign policy challenges facing the United States. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices