The Team House

We break down what the midterm results could mean for U.S. foreign policy, how much power Congress actually has over the executive branch, and why tools like war powers resolutions and sanctions often fall short in practice. We also discuss CENTCOM’s new Task Force Iron Gate, the Iran nuclear issue, growing concerns about U.S. military readiness, and how Israel’s political shift could affect the next phase of the Iran war.

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Historian Patrick K. O’Donnell returns to discuss Revolutionary Snipers, the story of the elite riflemen, scouts, and frontiersmen who helped shape the American Revolution from Quebec and Trenton to Saratoga, Cowpens, and Yorktown. We also dig into Daniel Morgan, Benedict Arnold, the brutal realities of 18th-century warfare, and how these early marksmen helped pioneer tactics that would echo through American special operations history.

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We break down Tucker Carlson’s claim that the U.S. could use a nuclear weapon against Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain facility, what tactical nukes can actually do, and why the idea is far less straightforward than it sounds. We also discuss the risks of radioactive fallout, whether the leak itself could be strategic signaling, the limits of another air campaign, and whether diplomacy with Iran is starting to become the only realistic path forward.
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We break down the delayed Patriot sale to Ukraine, Washington’s increasingly contradictory Russia policy, and what that dysfunction looks like to U.S. allies and partners. We also examine the possible paths forward with Iran, including renewed strikes, economic pressure, negotiations, the risks of retaliation, and why no option offers an easy route to victory.
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Alex Dekker looks back on his path from conventional infantry in Ramadi to 5th Special Forces Group, combat in Afghanistan, the Special Forces Combat Diver course, the fight against ISIS, and his final decade in a more specialized Army special operations unit. We also discuss his transition out of the military and how his experiences in Special Forces, intelligence, archaeology, and the Middle East shaped his debut novel, Desert Heist.
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We break down Israel’s deadlocked election and coalition fight, what a possible change in government could mean for Iran policy, and the growing counterintelligence concerns around foreign influence, personnel cuts, and recent Iran-linked activity in Europe. We also discuss whether America has lost the initiative in the Middle East, the debate over restrictive rules of engagement during the War on Terror, and what lessons the U.S. military should actually take from 20 years of war.

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original airdate 11-3-23

Pete Blaber looks back on his path from the Ranger Regiment to Delta Force, including operations in Panama, Colombia, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and the leadership lessons he carried from each. We also dig into his reconstruction of the Pat Tillman friendly-fire incident, the command failures that set the conditions for it, and why accountability and common-sense leadership matter so much in combat.

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We break down the mounting signs of another U.S.-Israel confrontation with Iran, including embassy drawdowns, renewed strike planning, Houthi attacks, and the growing vulnerability of Gulf infrastructure. We also discuss Israel’s elections, the war in Ukraine, Russia’s continuing losses, and the controversy over Starlink and Starshield being restricted while Russian attacks continue.
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Steven Woelk recounts his service aboard the USS Pueblo, its 1968 capture by North Korea, and the brutal 11 months he and his shipmates spent as prisoners. We also discuss the crew’s resistance inside captivity, the injuries and abuse he endured, their eventual release, and why he wrote Pig Fat Soup to keep the Pueblo story from being forgotten.

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John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer who worked as both an analyst and operations officer, serving on the Iraq portfolio, in Greece, and in Pakistan, where he helped lead the capture of Abu Zubaydah. He later became a prominent whistleblower on the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program, was prosecuted under the Espionage Act, served time in federal prison, and has since worked as an author, commentator, and lecturer.

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We break down the reported throttling of Starlink in Ukraine, the Trump administration’s shifting Russia policy, and whether U.S. decisions are now putting Ukrainians and Americans on the ground at greater risk. We also discuss Europe’s ability to operate without U.S. support, the danger of a new escalation with Iran, and growing unrest over Israeli settler violence in the West Bank.
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Krishna Thapa looks back on his journey from growing up in Nepal and earning a place in the Gurkhas to passing SAS selection and serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other operations around the world. We also discuss mountain warfare, the culture of the SAS, the loss of fellow operators, and how meditation and the “Warrior Monk” mindset helped shape his life after military service.
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original air date 3|1|24

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Phil Campion takes us from a brutal childhood and conventional infantry service in Northern Ireland through SAS selection, counterterrorism work, operations in the Balkans, and the Sierra Leone hostage rescue. We also discuss his post-military years in private security, the personal cost of that lifestyle, his transition into media, and the launch of Forces Radio.

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We break down the escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the growing pressure on Riyadh’s air defenses, and whether the U.S. could be pulled into a new campaign in Yemen. We also discuss Trump’s Russian diesel deal, Iran’s use of Moscow as a diplomatic channel, and the deeper political dysfunction and public apathy shaping American decision-making.
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Naveed Jamali tells the story of how he went from a family business in New York to working with the FBI as a double agent against Russian military intelligence before eventually becoming a Naval Intelligence officer. We also discuss how the Russians recruit assets, the psychological toll of undercover work, encounters with suspected Chinese intelligence, and why counterintelligence still matters today.
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We break down the return of airline hijacking concerns, suspected covert activity around RAF Fairford, drone threats, and a mysterious pneumonic plague death at a Russian research facility. We also dig into the John Chapman/SEAL Team Six controversy, the politics of valor awards, the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, and how American policy reshaped Iran’s influence across the region.
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We break down the attempted hijacking of Flydubai Flight 1073, the warning signs investigators may have missed, and whether the attack was connected to Iran or a lone-wolf extremist. We also discuss suspected IRGC-linked plots in the UK, the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, what that means for the Kurds and Iranian influence, and whether the latest troop and carrier movements signal a new round of escalation in the Middle East.
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Julia Curlee looks back on a career that took her from DIA and CIA deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan to briefing senior White House officials and serving on the National Security Council. We also discuss her transition while serving at CIA, briefing Mike Pence, the politicization of intelligence, the purges that pushed her out of government, and the consequences she believes that has had for U.S. national security.              
Find Julia here: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/contributors/jcurlee
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original air date 5/13/22

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Ric Prado is a former CIA operations officer who spent more than two decades working in some of the agency’s most demanding assignments, including counterterrorism, paramilitary operations, and overseas intelligence missions. He later chronicled his career in Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior, offering a rare look at the covert side of U.S. national security.

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We break down the suspected plot near RAF Fairford, the growing use of criminal proxies for covert action, and what the incident could mean if investigators ultimately tie it to Iran. We also discuss the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, China’s role in sustaining Iran economically, pressure on Gulf allies, and whether Washington has lost sight of the nuclear issue.
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Kyle Vowinkel looks back on a 25-year FBI career that took him from counterintelligence and SWAT in Los Angeles to the Hostage Rescue Team, JSOC deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some of the Bureau’s most high-profile crisis operations. We also discuss HRT selection, the Boston Marathon bombing manhunt, the Alabama bunker hostage rescue, and the leadership lessons behind his new book, Shaping Chaos.
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We break down the escalating Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia, the growing threat to shipping through the Bab al-Mandab, and whether the U.S. will intervene as Gulf air-defense stocks and regional confidence in Washington come under strain. We also look at Europe’s fears of further Russian escalation, North Korea exploiting America’s divided attention, and Ukraine’s massive drone and missile strike campaign inside Russia.
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Bing West looks back on a lifetime of war and policy, from serving as a Force Recon Marine in Vietnam and writing The Village to working in the Reagan administration and covering Iraq and Afghanistan alongside U.S. troops. We also discuss why America keeps repeating the same strategic mistakes, the rise of autonomous warfare, the growing challenge from China, and whether today’s conflicts are converging into something much larger.
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We break down Russia’s use of gig-economy recruits and online networks for espionage and violence, the growing damage to U.S. bases across the Middle East, and what Iran may be gaining strategically from the conflict. We also discuss the Houthis’ leverage over another maritime choke point, the messy legacy of U.S. proxy warfare in Syria, and how Saudi, Emirati, Omani, and other regional actors are hedging as American influence erodes.
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We break down the Houthis’ advances toward the Bab al-Mandab, the growing pressure on Saudi oil exports, and new reporting that Houthi forces used Claude to help develop and test ballistic missiles. We also discuss the Haaretz report alleging Netanyahu was warned before October 7, the proposed Trump development in Tbilisi and its Russia ties, and signs that Ukraine may be regaining the initiative around Lyman.
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Ambassador Matthew Klimow recounts his path from West Point and a 30-year Army career to the highest levels of U.S. national security, including his firsthand experience inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. We also discuss the chaos of that day, the early War on Terror, working for Vice President Dick Cheney, and his later diplomatic career as U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan.
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original airdate 4/15/22
Erick Miyares recounts his path from the Marine Corps and 7th Special Forces Group into a highly secretive Army special mission unit, conducting intelligence and advanced force operations across Afghanistan, Iraq, and other sensitive environments. He also opens up about being shot in Colombia, hunting high-level targets in Ramadi, singleton missions, hostage rescue work, and the psychological toll of spending two decades operating in the shadows.

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00:00 – Start
02:38 – Erick’s Cuban-American Upbringing in Miami
04:18 – Joining the Marine Corps

We break down the latest U.S. diplomacy with Russia and Ukraine, Iran’s missile threat to American warships, and the growing strain on U.S. Patriot and THAAD interceptor stockpiles. We also look at what the wars in Ukraine and Iran are exposing about America’s defense industrial base, autonomous warfare, and whether the Pentagon can adapt fast enough for a potential conflict with China.
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Jason Allison looks back on 20 years in the NYPD, from growing up in the Bronx and working anti-crime and narcotics to investigating homicides, armed robbery crews, and federal cases with the ATF. We also discuss the darker side of 1990s New York, the club scene that inspired his new noir novel The Killing Yards, and his transition from detective to fiction writer.

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Max Lesser breaks down how Chinese intelligence services are using fake consulting firms, job listings, LinkedIn, and other online platforms to target former government employees and collect sensitive information at scale. We also discuss AI-enabled espionage, covert influence operations, TikTok and data privacy, and why awareness may be the best defense against increasingly sophisticated virtual recruitment.
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Retired Sergeant Major Will Hudson reflects on a 21-year Army career that took him from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 2003 invasion of Iraq to years of combat deployments with 3rd Ranger Battalion, eventually becoming a RASP instructor, LRS company first sergeant, and operations sergeant major. He also opens up about the toll that years of war, injuries, alcohol, and retirement took on his mental health, and how faith and personal loss ultimately reshaped his life.
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In this episode, we break down CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise trip to Moscow, what it may signal about U.S. concerns over Russian escalation, and Estonia’s warning that Putin is increasingly boxed into “only bad options.” We also look at the growing economic pressure inside Iran, divisions within the regime, and whether the U.S. has a coherent strategy for turning military, economic, intelligence, and covert pressure into actual political results.
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Eduardo Garduno recounts his path from a turbulent childhood in Southern California to the 75th Ranger Regiment, with deployments to Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq and combat against ISIS. He also opens up about his difficult transition out of the military, becoming a police officer, struggles with PTSD and alcohol, and the long road toward recovery and writing his memoir.
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Brent Tucker, a 20-year Army Special Operations veteran, takes us through his path from the National Guard and 20th Special Forces Group to Delta Force, including combat in Afghanistan and Syria, getting shot on a mission, and fighting ISIS. He also discusses Delta selection and training, working alongside the SAS, the physical toll of two decades at war, and his life after the military.

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We break down the latest Iran developments, including the fight over Hormuz, new U.S. sanctions, China’s role, and whether Iran could really be pulled into a new Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan security bloc. We also look at Russia’s growing threat to Europe, Ukraine’s air defense crisis, and what America’s shifting military posture in South Korea could mean for the balance of power in Asia.
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Dave Leaning recounts his path from the Royal Marines and Afghanistan to the little-seen world of private maritime security and counter-piracy operations off East Africa. He takes us inside ransom deliveries, hostage recoveries, armed encounters with Somali pirates, and the missions that ultimately gave him a sense of closure after war.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-leaning-04014439
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Anthony Vinci joins us to break down the rapidly evolving AI landscape, from China’s growing challenge and the risks of frontier models to surveillance, national security, and the race to control the technology. We also get into the massive spending behind the AI boom, whether current valuations are sustainable, and what happens if the bubble eventually bursts.
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This episode breaks down the growing strain on the U.S. Navy, from conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and America’s shipbuilding problems to what that could mean in a potential Taiwan crisis. The group also covers Israel’s campaign in southern Lebanon, Israeli politics, and reports of possible CIA covert activity tied to drug trafficking around Ecuador and the Galapagos.
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Giuseppe Weller recounts the little-known story of the Coast Guard’s Drug Interdiction Assist Team, which worked alongside the DEA in South America conducting riverine missions, training local forces, and helping destroy cocaine labs and airstrips. He also discusses Ranger School, hunting traffickers in Bolivia, the eventual shutdown of the unit, and how that experience led him into a career in undercover and organized-crime investigations.
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original air date - 01/19/24
Former CIA officer Luis Rueda reflects on a career that took him from fleeing Castro’s Cuba to covert operations in Central America, Grenada, the drug war, Iraq, and eventually serving as Chief of Station in New Delhi. He also breaks down the failures behind the Iraq War, the reality of intelligence work, and what decades in the CIA taught him about power, policy, and counterintelligence.

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00:00 - Start
01:07 - Growing Up in Cuba and Fleeing After the Bay of Pi...