“The World’s Preeminent Collection of SPY Artifacts” – with Laura Hicken and Lauren VonBechmann

Summary Mike Susong (Website; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss CIA, cyber and corporate intelligence. He won the Intelligence Star for Heroism in the Field. What You’ll Learn Intelligence Applying aspects of Mike’s training to the private sector using “competitive intelligence”  Mike’s role co-founding a pioneering company in the field of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) The role of technology in enabling and constraining espionage  What drew Mike to an annual free-thinking social experiment in the desert  Reflections Entrepreneurial thinking as unwavering belief in an idea The difference between working for Uncle Sam and working for corporate America And much, much more… Episode Notes Andrew sat down with W. Michael Susong for a two-parter to discuss CIA, cyber and Burning Man. Last week in PART I we looked at Mike’s time working for the CIA and in the domain of human intelligence, while in PART II we will focus on his time as an entrepreneur and intelligence leader in the cyber threat intelligence and competitive intelligence spaces. Mike was a U.S. Army major who completed multiple combat tours and a CIA case officer. He went into the private sector and created competitive intelligence programs for Fujitsu and Ernst & Young, and he was a pioneer in the field of cyber threat intelligence or CTI, creating the first programs for Visa and Pacific Gas & Electric. He is both CISM and CPP certified and a Black Rock Ranger. And… Black Rock Rangers are volunteers at Burning Man, an annual event that focuses on artistic expression, spiritual regeneration, and radical inclusion. It culminates in the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, known as “The Man.” If you want to explore the event or the ideas that propel it, including its roots in the Californian counter-culture and its Silicon Valley connections, you can do so here, here, here, here, here, and here. Quote of the Week "I worked with, with two corporations to build competitive intelligence programs, for them…I want to emphasize that's the ethical application of certain aspects of the intelligence cycle, to support a business decision. So, this was more on the analysis piece, some on collection, and certainly when you start to speak of collection within a private sector environment, you have to have clear, bright lines aloud about what is and is not acceptable." – Mike Susong Resources Headline Resource Application of Intelligence Principles to Raise IT Security, M. Susong, YouTube (2012) *SpyCasts From the CIA to Strategic Cyber – Hans Holmer (2022) Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware – Inside Microsoft’s MSTIC (2022) Articles Start a Competitive Intelligence System that Wins, P. Mertens, Sprout Social (2022) Gathering Competitive Intelligence From Twitter, S. Argawal, Startup Grind Websites Competitive Intelligence Resources, SCIP PBR (Projects, Briefs, Reports)  2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, SCIP/Crayon (2022) CTI: Applying Better Terminology to Threats Intelligence, A. Greer, SANS (2021) Understanding Cyber Threat Intelligence Operations, Bank of England (2016) Courses Cyber Threat Intelligence, SANS Cyber Threat Intelligence, Threat Intelligence Academy Podcasts Cyber Threat Intelligence, Hacking Humans (2020) Intelligence Operations: A First Principle of Cybersecurity, CSO Perspectives (2022) Video 2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, YouTube (2022) A CEO’s Perspective on Intelligence, Report Linker (2020) Primary Sources Letter to CIA Deputy Director on Competitive Intelligence (1986) *Wildcard Resource* The Whole Earth Catalog (1968) Steve Jobs called it “the bible of his generation” and links have been made between it and Silicon Valley, Cyber, and Burning Man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Maj 202239min

Summary Mike Susong (Website; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss CIA, cyber and corporate intelligence. He won the Intelligence Star for Heroism in the Field. What You’ll Learn Intelligence The outgrowth of “intelligence” from a nation-state activity to a corporate activity Recruiting and running agents as a CIA case officer His shift from tactical intelligence to strategic intelligence His journey from a curious kid with a short-wave radio to an intel professional Reflections Effective decision-making and intelligence The opportunities and challenges of working in different fields and domains And much, much more… Episode Notes What is it like to do intelligence for Uncle Sam and then for the private sector? What is different and what is similar? How did intelligence go from supporting national security decision-making to business decision-making?  To answer these questions, Andrew sat down with W. Michael Susong for a two-parter. PART I will focus on Mike’s time working for the CIA and in the domain of human intelligence, while PART II will focus on his time in the as an entrepreneur and intelligence leader in the cyber threat intelligence and competitive intelligence spaces. Mike was a U.S. Army major who completed multiple combat tours and a CIA case officer. He went into the private sector and created competitive intelligence programs for Fujitsu and Ernst & Young, and he was a pioneer in the field of cyber threat intelligence or CTI, creating the first programs for Visa and Pacific Gas & Electric. He is both CISM and CPP certified and a Black Rock Ranger. And… Black Rock Rangers are volunteers at Burning Man, an annual event that focuses on artistic expression, spiritual regeneration, and radical inclusion. It culminates in the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, known as “The Man.” If you want to explore the event or the ideas that propel it, including its roots in the Californian counter-culture and its Silicon Valley connections, you can do so here, here, here, here, here, and here. Quote of the Week "It’s analogous to business. So, there's closers, people who are really the salesman…but then they're not good at the kind of that long-term relationship, reassuring, working over time…And so I would say that there are case officers who are better at spotting and recruiting, and there are case officers that are better at handling." – Mike Susong Resources Headline Resource Application of Intelligence Principles to Raise IT Security, M. Susong, YouTube (2012) *SpyCasts From the CIA to Strategic Cyber – Hans Holmer (2022) Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware – Inside Microsoft’s MSTIC (2022) Articles Start a Competitive Intelligence System that Wins, P. Mertens, Sprout Social (2022) Gathering Competitive Intelligence From Twitter, S. Argawal, Startup Grind Websites Competitive Intelligence Resources, SCIP PBR (Projects, Briefs, Reports)  2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, SCIP/Crayon (2022) CTI: Applying Better Terminology to Threats Intelligence, A. Greer, SANS (2021) Understanding Cyber Threat Intelligence Operations, Bank of England (2016) Courses Cyber Threat Intelligence, SANS Cyber Threat Intelligence, Threat Intelligence Academy Podcasts Cyber Threat Intelligence, Hacking Humans (2020) Intelligence Operations: A First Principle of Cybersecurity, CSO Perspectives (2022) Video 2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, YouTube (2022) A CEO’s Perspective on Intelligence, Report Linker (2020) Primary Sources Letter to CIA Deputy Director on Competitive Intelligence (1986) *Wildcard Resource* The Whole Earth Catalog (1968) Steve Jobs called it “the bible of his generation” and links have been made between it and Silicon Valley, Cyber, and Burning Man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Apr 202247min

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 adopters vs. counter responders The changing nature of crime enabled by emerging technologies – spyware, drones, etc. And much, much more… Episode Notes Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, aka El Chapo (shorty) because of his 5-foot 6-inch frame, was called by one of the agents chasing him, “the godfather of the drug world.” So, how did a low-level drug dealer from a provincial state rise to try and subvert the Mexican government to his will? What was the intelligence game that played out with regards to El Chapo? How did the cartels use spytech, tradecraft and cybersecurity to stay one step ahead of the law? How was he caught? To answer these questions and more, Andrew sat down with Noah Horowitz who covered the trial of El Chapo in Brooklyn for Rolling Stone magazine. Noah is also the author of the recent book El Chapo, and his work has appeared in the Village Voice, the Baffler and New York Magazine.  And… In the El Chapo trial, question No.57 asked prospective jurors, “Are you familiar with Jesus Malverde?” If you are not familiar with this angel of the poor (el ángel de los pobres) as well as the Sinaloan narcos (el narcosantón), then you can find out why this question would be relevant here, here, here and here. Quote of the Week "So, in addition to encrypted communications…he was also installing spyware on Blackberry devices that El Chapo was giving out to his lieutenants and his girlfriends and his wives. And then EL Chapo was able to use this, the spyware program to see what was on their phones. He was able to see their text messages. He was able to see their locations. He was even able to remotely activate their mic and listen to them. And he loved that…it was like a toy to him almost. He became obsessed with it." – Noah Hurowitz Resources Headline Resource El Chapo, N. Hurowitz (S&S, 2021) *SpyCasts* Drug Cartels, Sleeper Cells, the Waco Siege & the Mob - Dennis Franks (2021) Books Dope: History of the Mexican Drug Trade, B. Smith (W.W. Norton, 2021) Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs & Cartels, I. Grillo (Bloomsbury, 2021) Articles Drugs, Crime and the Cartels, CFR (2021) The Tech that Took Down Pablo Escobar, Wired (2021) Mexican Cartels Cyber Surveillance, C. Schilis-Gallego, Forbidden Stories (2020)  Spy vs. Spy, El Chapo Edition, E. Groll, FP (2019) The Spyware that Brought Down El Chapo, S. Fussell, The Atlantic (2019) Websites El Paso Intelligence Project (EPIC) Centro Nacional De Intelligencia (CNI)  PBR (Projects, Briefs, Reports)  Mexico: Evolution of the Merida Initiative, C. Seelke, CRS (2021) Mexico Organized Crime and Drug Traffickers, J. Beittel, CRS (2020) Primary Sources EDNY Press Release on El Chapo Trial (2019) Memo in Support of Pre-trial Detention, USA vs. Joaquín Guzmán Loera (2017) Trial Transcripts of El Chapo Text Messages with His Mistress (2012) Official Report on Mexico’s “Dirty War” (2006) Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (1999) Primary Source Collections The Mexican Intelligence Digital Archives (MIDAS) Inside The Cartel: Key Documents (LAT) *Wildcard Resource* “The Original Indigenous People of Sinaloa” To understand Joaquín Guzmán Loera, starting at the year of his birth, 1957, might be enough; but to understand “El Chapo” it might help to go deeper still… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Apr 202258min

Summary Daniel Milton (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the former Caliph of the Islamic State. Al Mawla was killed in a U.S. raid in February 2022.  What You’ll Learn Intelligence The origin of the term “Canary Caliph” The mythology of Islamic State and the reality Battlefield intelligence and understanding an enemy The Combating Terrorism Center being on the radar of terrorists Reflections The presentation of “self” The relationship between organizational priorities and organizational hierarchies And much, much more… Episode Notes Daniel Milton joins us again to discuss a series of interrogation reports of Al Mawla, at the time leader of Islamic law in Mosul for the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). ISI was the successor to Al Qaeda in that country and the predecessor of Islamic State (Islamic State is a larger umbrella category, while ISIS, ISKP, etc. come with geographical designations, e.g., Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Al Mawla gave up the names of over 50 people within his own organization: and that was only in the first 3 of 56 interviews.  One interesting insight you can glean from the documents is that Islamic State while very different from many organizations in many respects, is just like them in others: empire building, clashing personalities, struggles over process, paperwork, committees, territorialism, jealousy, prejudice, insecurity – like The Office, but with much more malevolent intent. And… If you want to read a document that captures (a) an important inflection point in the transition from Al Qaeda to Islamic State and (b) was one of the West Point CTC publications captured during the Bin Laden raid, read “Al Qaeda Secedes from Iraq.” Quote of the Week "I think we get a sense of it as an organization that exists and has similar struggles as any other organization does. Having said that, clearly, it's a clandestine organization, and so one of the overriding imperatives is security. Individuals are trying to stay alive and not get arrested or killed. And that affects a little bit of the way that you carry out business. I do think that you also see some element of the things that you described. There is competition. There are people who don't like each other." – Daniel Milton Resources *Headline Resources* Al Mawla Interrogation Reports “Islamic State,” Mapping Militants, CISAC Stanford Books Enemies Near & Far, D. Gartenstein-Ross (CUP, 2022) The ISIS Reader, Ingram et al. (Hurst, 2020) The Rise of Global Jihad, T. Hegghammer (CUP, 2020) Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad, D. Byman (OUP, 2019) Anatomy of Terror, A. Soufan (W.W. Norton, 2017) The Far Enemy, F. Gerges (CUP, 2005) Best Books on the Middle East (Five Books) Articles ISIS Leader Quraishi Kills Himself, Al-Khalidi & Bose, Reuters (2022) ISIS’S Leadership Crisis, H. Ingram and C. Whiteside, Foreign Affairs (2022) The Islamic State in Afghanistan, A. Jadoon et al., CTC (2022) The Cloud Caliphate, Ayad et al., CTC (2021) Lessons from the Islamic State’s “Milestone” Texts and Speeches, Ingram et al., CTC (2020) Timeline: The Rise, Spread & Fall of the Islamic State, C. Glenn et al., Wilson Center (2019) Documentary Iraq & Syria: After Islamic State, BBC (2018) Confronting ISIS, PBS Frontline (2016) Reports Islamic State’s Method of Insurgency, H. Ingram, GW (2021) Web Operation Inherent Resolve Primary Sources President Biden on a Successful Counterterrorism Operation (2022) Cyber Command’s Internet War Against ISIL (2018) Islamic State Memo for Dealing with New Recruits (2017) Message to the Mujahidin and the Muslim Ummah, Caliph Al Baghdadi (2014) The Management of Savagery (2006)  The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) *Wildcard Resource* “Camp Bucca Newsletter #1” A U.S. forces newsletter from the time-period when Al Mawla was interrogated at Camp Bucca, in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Apr 202238min

Summary Daniel Milton (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Tactical Interrogation Reports of the former Caliph of the Islamic State. Al-Mawla was killed in a U.S. raid in February 2022.  What You’ll Learn Intelligence The ideological feud between Islamic State and Al Qaeda  Islamic State's retreat from a quasi-state centered to a shadowy insurgency Battlefield intelligence such as “exploitable material” and “interrogation reports” The role of the Combating Terrorism Center in analyzing this intelligence Reflections Training your people for the current fight…and the next one  The trade-off between a short-term view and a longer-term view And much, much more… Episode Notes This week’s episode focuses on battlefield intelligence, or more specifically a series of tactical interrogation reports from 2008.  Ok, so why are they significant? Well, the individual being interrogated, Al Mawla, would go on to become the second leader and so-called Caliph of the Islamic State. Ok, so why are they significant beyond that…well, it turns out that Al Mawla was an informant who gave away colleagues and friends to save his own skin, leading to the nickname, “The Canary Caliph.” Daniel Milton joined Andrew to discuss these reports and what they mean in the broader scheme of things. Daniel is the Director of Research at the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point, and he has a Ph.D. from FSU. He has been cited in outlets such as The NYT, BBC, and NBC News and he regularly briefs all levels of the Government, including the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. And… In February 2022, Al Mawla became the second Islamic State Caliph to blow himself up during a U.S. raid. His predecessor Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi had done so in October 2019. I wonder what will happen to the third Caliph… Quote of the Week "I think that's one of my favorite things about looking at this type of material is that it really gives an inside view to organizations that are clandestine and usually not seen very well from the outside, but these documents paint a very vivid picture of struggles, challenges, bureaucratic minutia, whatever the case might be, which is not typically how we think about these organizations, but these documents really allow us to see that." – Daniel Milton Resources *Headline Resources* Al Mawla Interrogation Reports CTC Sentinel  Books Enemies Near & Far, D. Gartenstein-Ross (CUP, 2022) The ISIS Reader, Ingram et al. (Hurst, 2020) The Rise of Global Jihad, T. Hegghammer (CUP, 2020) Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad, D. Byman (OUP, 2019) Anatomy of Terror, A. Soufan (W.W. Norton, 2017) The Far Enemy, F. Gerges (CUP, 2005) Best Books on the Middle East (Five Books) Articles ISIS Leader Quraishi Kills Himself, Al-Khalidi & Bose, Reuters (2022) ISIS’S Leadership Crisis, H. Ingram and C. Whiteside, Foreign Affairs (2022) The Islamic State in Afghanistan, A. Jadoon et al., CTC (2022) The Cloud Caliphate, Ayad et al., CTC (2021) Lessons from the Islamic State’s “Milestone” Texts and Speeches, Ingram et al., CTC (2020) Timeline: The Rise, Spread & Fall of the Islamic State, C. Glenn et al., Wilson Center (2019) Documentary Iraq & Syria: After Islamic State, BBC (2018) Confronting ISIS, PBS Frontline (2016) Web Operation Inherent Resolve Primary Sources President Biden on a Successful Counterterrorism Operation (2022) Cyber Command’s Internet War Against ISIL (2018) Islamic State Memo for Dealing with New Recruits (2017) Message to the Mujahidin and the Muslim Ummah, Caliph Al Baghdadi (2014) Zawahiri’s Letter to Zarqawi (2005) The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) Wildcard Resource “The America I Have Seen” An account of his time living in the U.S. by theorist of violent jihad Sayyid Qutb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Apr 202247min

Summary Thomas Leahy (Website; LinkedIn) and Eleanor Williams (Website; Twitter) join Andrew to discuss the intelligence war during “the Troubles.” Thomas lives in Cardiff and Eleanor lives in Belfast.  What You’ll Learn Intelligence The Troubles through the lens of intelligence Some key intelligence players in the Northern Ireland conflict How the IRA and the British Army adapted organizationally The role intelligence played in the end of the conflict Reflections The fluid nature of motivations and intentions How historic narratives shape and constrain the here-and-now And much, much more… Episode Notes From the late 60’s to the late 90’s Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries, and the British and Irish states, were engaged in a period known as “the Troubles”: a struggle to define or redefine the future of the island of Ireland. This is an issue with deep and complex roots, but the intelligence dimension of the period known as the Troubles is fascinating and often overlooked. To help us get our head around it all, Andrew sat down with two specialists to discuss all things intelligence and the Troubles: from the role that MI5 and MI6 played, to the Force Research Unit and the RUC Special Branch, through to how the IRA played the counterintelligence game and the role that informers, agents and moles, such as the notorious “Stakeknife,” played.  Thomas is the author of the Intelligence War Against the IRA, while Eleanor is a doctoral candidate comparing intelligence use during the Northern Irish and Colombian conflicts.  And… The head of the Republic of Ireland’s police and security intelligence force, the Garda Síochána, is Drew Harris. Drew Harris was a career Royal Ulster Constabulary officer whose father, also a career RUC officer, was killed by the IRA in 1989. He was the first external appointee from outside the Garda. Quote of the Week "What's their [IRA] main role in this intelligence conflict?...one of the key points here…the IRA was quite highly regional regionalized. That's actually quite key to explain why British intelligence had some difficulties against them…Initially, it was set up similar to armed forces. It would have brigades, battalions and companies…the IRA operated this kind of army structure up to 1975…the IRA then switched to this new strategy…And part of this was to prevent mass infiltration, which had started to become a problem, particularly in Belfast pre-1975. So, what it adopted in Belfast and Derry was a cell structure." – Thomas Leahy Resources Books The Intelligence War Against the IRA, T. Leahy (CUP, 2020) Britain’s Secret War Against the IRA, A. Edwards (Merrion, 2021) Thatcher’s Spy, W. Carlin (Merrion, 2019) The Accidental Spy, S. O’Driscoll (Mirror, 2019) Snitch! S. Hewitt (Continuum, 2010) Infiltrating the IRA, R. Gilmour (LB&C, 1998) Fifty Dead Men Walking, M. McGartland (Blake, 1997) Best Books on the Troubles (Five Books) Articles The Murky World of Spying During the Troubles, J. Ware, Irish Times (2017) Alternative Ulster: How Punk Took on the Troubles, T. Heron, Irish Times (2016) Audio MI5 Chameleon Infiltrated New IRA Documentary Spotlight on the Troubles: A Secret History, BBC (2019) The Spy in the IRA, BBC (2017) Web  Operation Kenova MI5 in Northern Ireland  Primary Sources IRA-MI6 Intermediary: Interviews with Brendan Duddy (2009) Good Friday Agreement (1998) Downing Street Declaration (1993) Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) Thatcher Speech at Airey Neave Memorial (1979) IRA Green Book (1977) PM Wilson & Thatcher discuss N. Ireland (1975) Secret Meetings Between Government and IRA (1972) Senator E. Kennedy, Ulster is Britain’s Vietnam (1971) IRA Reports on Intelligence Informants (1922)  W.B. Yeats, “Easter: 1916” (1921) Oral Sources Duchas Oral History Archive (2014) Wildcard Resource “Murals of Northern Ireland” (4500+ Photographs) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Mars 20221h 3min

Summary Sean Maloney (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the secret history of emergency war plans and the nuclear doomsday machine. He was the first Canadian civilian historian to go into combat since WWII.  What You’ll Learn Intelligence Top secret emergency war plans for WWIII The role of human intelligence operations in nuclear doomsday planning Some key terms you need to understand the nuclear issue The policy of “massive retaliation” versus “flexible response” Reflections Movies to scare yourself by The best and worst of humanity Episode Notes Sean Maloney is a force of nature. The first Canadian civilian historian to go into combat since WWII - he went to Afghanistan eleven times, survived multiple attempts on his life, and two bomb attacks. “I’ve been shot at, rocketed, mortared, all of it.” He is also a Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and the author of more than a dozen books, including the “Rogue Historian in Afghanistan” trilogy, as well as another trilogy in the form of the official history of the Canadian Army in Afghanistan.  He is never happier, though, than when wading through secret nuclear war plans and documents. Coming on the back of Learning to Love the Bomb (2007) and The Secret History of Nuclear War Films (2020), he returns to “Nukes” in Emergency War Plan: The American Doomsday Machine. Sean has been described as intense and unorthodox, but I found him intense and unorthodox. “Megadeath” is a unit of measurement for nuclear war, equivalent to the death of one million people. It is crazy that as a species we have reached the point where we now have a term for it. Quote of the Week "We have public pronouncements…We have the media and academic discussion of the public pronouncements, but then there's the strategy itself. Which is usually highly classified…that's what I'm getting at with the Emergency War Plan book…you can see all the factors that fed into that, including the intelligence and the intelligence directly affects the plan…there is a direct relationship between the intelligence and the targeting, but it's also in terms of collection of information to get the bombers to the target…that's important because, to have a deterrent posture, that's credible, you have to demonstrate that you're capable of carrying it out." Resources SpyCasts The Nuclear Emergency Search Team – Jack Doyle Nuclear Information Project – Matt Korda Nuclear Threats – Jeffrey Lewis Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner – Daniel Ellsberg Spooks and Nukes – James Acton  Books Restricted Data: A History of Nuclear Secrecy in the US, A. Wallerstein (UCP, 2021) The Bomb, S. Kaplan (S&S, 2020) Raven Rock, G. Graff (S&S, 2017) My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, W. Perry (SUP, 2015) The Making of the Atomic Bomb, R. Rhodes (S&S, 1987) Best Books on Nuclear (Five Books) Articles How Many Nuclear Weapons Does Russia Have in 2022? Kristensen & Korda, Bulletin (2022) Doomsday Clock at 100 Seconds to Midnight, Bulletin (2022) The Cold Comfort of MAD, J. Castillo, War on the Rocks (2021) Video 282 Interviews: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age, PBS (1986-89) Power of Decision, USAF (1958) Documentary Sources H. G. Wells – The World Set Free (1914) W.S. Churchill - Shall We All Committ Suicide? (1924) Einstein to Roosevelt (1939) The MAUD Report (1941) The Quebec Agreement (1943) Hiroshima, J. Hersey, New Yorker (1946) The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb, H.L. Stimson, Harpers (1946) McMahon Act (1946) Truman Announcing First Soviet Bomb (1949) Atoms for Peace – Eisenhower Speech (1953) History of SIOP-62 (1961) Joint Chiefs of Staff Memorandum (1971) The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977 [1950]) The Effects of Nuclear War (1979) Oral Sources Voices of the Manhattan Project US Strategic Nuclear Policy, 1945-2004 Wildcard Resource Threads, Movie (M. Jackson, 1984) “Arguably, the most devastating piece of television ever produced” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Mars 202259min

Summary Volko Ruhnke (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his life and career in the CIA as an analyst and designer of board games. He is a former World Board Game Champion. What You’ll Learn Intelligence Designing board games to teach CIA analysts Moonlighting as an award-winning board game designer while working at CIA Similarities and differences between intelligence analysis and board-games  The difference between role-play games and board-games in training national security professionals Reflections Humans are good models of humans  Volko’s journey from Virginia to the CIA via William & Mary and the U.S. Army And more… Episode Notes  Volko Ruhnke is a helluva interesting guy. He grew up as an avid board gamer raised on stories of the French and Indian War, which led him to design the 2001 winner of the best pre-WWII boardgame Wilderness War. His time at the CIA after 9/11 then led him to design the 2010 winner of the best post-WWII boardgame Labyrinth, where players were immersed in the operational and ideological aspects of the Global War on Terror. It doesn’t stop there, though, he has also designed a series of counter-insurgency games such as Andean Abyss, which focused on 1990’s Columbia, and Fire in the Lake, a multi-faction treatment of the Vietnam War. While teaching a new generation of intelligence analysts, Volko combined both of his passions to help them understand the complexity and open-endedness of the real-world via board games. As an analyst himself, Volko looked at the Soviet & Russian military and counter-proliferation, before going on to be Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Science and Technology at the National Intelligence Council, and then on the Presidents Daily Brief (PDB) staff to brief cabinet level officials.  And… Volko is now a commercial board game designer, and you can get quite a few of his games here – but not all of them. One day historians, one day… Quote of the Week "Games allow you to get inside and operate the machine yourself and do experiments and pull a lever or push a button and see what happens. And because it's happening on the tabletop, rather than say, in a computer program, you, you can understand it very well. You can see exactly why what just happened. So, I became among others, a promulgator of, of that particular medium for teaching as well as for analysis." - Volko Ruhnke Resources SpyCasts Intelligence Analysis in the 21st Century - Mark Lowenthal Modern Intelligence Analysis: From Art to Science? Books Storytelling in the Modern Boardgame, A. Arnaudo (McFarland, 2018) White King & Red Queen: Cold War on the Chessboard, D. Johnson (Mariner, 2008) Best Books on Play (Five Books) Articles All the World’s a Game, C. Hadavas, Foreign Policy (2021) Digital Version of Counter-Terror Game Labyrinth, J. Bolding, PCGamer (2020)  Winning Edge: Board Game Used by the U.S. Army, P. Suciu, National Interest (2020) Why the CIA Uses Board Games to Train Officers, S. Larson, CNN (2017) The CIA Uses Board Games to Train Officers, S. Machkovech, ArsTechnica (2017) Making Board Games for the CIA, C. Hall, Polygon (2017) Political Board Games Change View of World, M. Thrower, Guardian (2015) Volko Ruhnke Has Become a Hero, J. Albert, WaPo (2014) Video We Review CIA’s Classified Board Game, Two Bats Gaming, (YouTube, 2018) Primary Sources Kingpin: The Hunt for El Chapo (CIA, 2018) Collection Deck (CIA, 2017) Whodunnit? (Wapo, 1985) Wildcard Resource Lego ® Serious Play ® Game Used by Fortune 500 companies, unleasher of talent, and serious fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Mars 20221h 1min