From Intel Officer to White House Adviser: A Chat with The Museum’s Executive Director
SpyCast15 Jul 2025

From Intel Officer to White House Adviser: A Chat with The Museum’s Executive Director

This week we spoke with the International Spy Museum's Executive Director, Colonel Chris Costa. His decades-long career in the intelligence community spanned multiple continents, running sensitive operations in Panama, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where he earned two Bronze stars for his human intelligence contributions. Later, Costa advised Navy Seals as a civilian and eventually assumed the role of Executive Director here at the International Spy Museum. In this interview, we zeroed in on 2017 when he was detailed to the White House as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism. Looking for more thoughtful analysis of contemporary intelligence issues? Check out our program Spy Chat – Each month, Chris sits down with a special guest for a live online discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news. Check our program calendar to register! If you liked this episode, check out these links: Spy Chat with Chris Costa | Special Guest: Tal Sullivan An Evening with H.R. McMaster Operación Jaque - The Daring Rescue Mission That Freed 15 Hostages Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts. Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org. This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(747)

The Weather Report that Changed History

The Weather Report that Changed History

"If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone." This is the end of the announcement Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight David Eisenhower had prepared in June 1944 in case the D-...

2 Jun 35min

From Cartels to Terrorists, the CIA, FBI, and White House: The Vast Career of Karen Schaefer

From Cartels to Terrorists, the CIA, FBI, and White House: The Vast Career of Karen Schaefer

Karen Schaefer retired from the CIA in 2019, after 26 years of service. She started out in Latin America and ended with a stint at the FBI. In between, she earned numerous intelligence awards and held...

26 Mai 40min

From Ivory Tower to Iron Curtain: The Academics Who Reshaped the CIA

From Ivory Tower to Iron Curtain: The Academics Who Reshaped the CIA

In 1947, a new civilian intelligence agency was established: the CIA. But a series of intelligence failures undermined its credibility. The White House and Congress were up in arms, and a new mission ...

19 Mai 36min

The Civil War Spies and Saboteurs Across the Canadian Border

The Civil War Spies and Saboteurs Across the Canadian Border

It’s 1864, and against the backdrop of the US Civil War- a war the Confederacy is losing- a group of spies and saboteurs have set up a base in Montreal, Canada. Today we would call this a sanctuary or...

12 Mai 40min

How Far the US Went to Rescue Hostage Bowe Bergdahl

How Far the US Went to Rescue Hostage Bowe Bergdahl

In 2009, Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his Army post in eastern Afghanistan, only to be abducted and held hostage until 2014. He was captured by the Taliban and then handed to the Haqqani network, an...

5 Mai 36min

From the Kaiser to the Führer: Inside the World of Lothar Witzke

From the Kaiser to the Führer: Inside the World of Lothar Witzke

One of the more notorious German spies of the 20th century, Lothar Witzke lived a life of intrigue: from escaping the death penalty in the First World War to joining the Nazi party in the Second. It's...

28 Apr 37min

The Hunt for American Turncoats in World War II Europe

The Hunt for American Turncoats in World War II Europe

It’s a story that journalist and veteran Stephen Harding uncovered: a secret component of the FBI’s “European Operation,” whereby agents traveled abroad working undercover to track down American citiz...

21 Apr 41min

The Story Isn't Over: Inside Havana Syndrome and the CIA’s Response

The Story Isn't Over: Inside Havana Syndrome and the CIA’s Response

Confusion and controversy are growing around the intelligence community’s handling of Havana Syndrome. This is what the government refers to as Anomalous Health Incidents, or AHIs. The mysterious heal...

14 Apr 40min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
forklart
fotballpodden-2
stopp-verden
nokon-ma-ga
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
det-store-bildet
hanna-de-heldige
rss-gukild-johaug
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
rss-dannet-uten-piano
e24-podden
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk