NatSec Matters

Deputy Assistant to the President & White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Josh Geltzer returns to Intelligence Matters to discuss with Michael the urgent need for Congress to reauthorize FISA Section 702, before it's due to sunset at the end of the month. 

Mike Vickers, former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, talks about his career in the intelligence community and special operations. He discusses his journey from being a Special Forces soldier to a national security policy maker. He highlights his experiences as a CIA operations officer during the invasion of Grenada and the role of the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan in the collapse of the Soviet Union. He also reflects on a career decision and discusses the rebuilding of al-Qaeda after 9/11 and the shift in strategies.

Michael speaks with the Director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Vice Admiral Frank "Trey" Whitworth. They discuss new technologies in satellite imagery and data analysis, careers at NGA, and the vital roles officers at NGA serve in protecting the United States. 

As President Biden prepares to meet today (Wednesday November 15) with Chinese Premier Xi Jingping in San Francisco on the sidelines of APEC, Michael speaks with CEO of China Strategies Group Chris Johnson about relations between the two countries, what they are expected to discuss, and how they might work together and against each other.

Andy talks with Andrea Kendall-Taylor, she's a former CIA analyst and is now a Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at CNAS. They discuss what's at stake in Russia's war on Ukraine, and what could be next. 

Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta discusses the Israel-Gaza war, threats to democracy worldwide, the impact of the September 11th attacks, intelligence and military failures in crisis, the fragility of US support for Israel, media responsibility in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and potential positive outcomes of the ongoing Middle East war.

Michael talks with Josh Geltzer, Deputy Assistant to the President, Deputy White House Counsel, & Legal Advisor to the Nation Security Council, about the pending reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Unfortunately, our recording of Josh falls short of reflecting how he sounds as true to life as he does in person. We'll fix that the next time Josh joins Michael.  

Michael introduces new co-host of Intelligence Matters: The Relaunch, Andrew Makridis. The former CIA Chief Operating Officer, who retired in 2022, discusses with Michael what could be next for Israel, Hamas, Gaza, the West Bank, Iran and the US. It comes as Israel mounts its assault on Hamas, following the deadly surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group that has been designated as a terrorist organization by the US. 

In the debut episode of Intelligence Matters: The Relaunch, Michael speaks with former National Security Advisor to Israeli Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Eyal Hulata, about the Israel-Gaza war following a weekend surprise attack by Hamas.