February 21, 2025

#156: Integrated Deterrence - Lt. Gen. E. John Deedrick, Former Commander 1st Special Forces Command & Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan

55 minutes

Retired Lt. Gen. E. John Deedrick served as the final commander of the Combined Security Transition Command –Afghanistan (CSTC-A). He also held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff for Security Assistance (DCOS SA) at the Headquarters of Resolute Support; the NATO mission in Afghanistan. He was the United States Military Representative to NATO and commanded 1st Special Forces Command.

The Jedburgh Podcast, the Jedburgh Media Channel and the Green Beret Foundation are proud to announce our partnership with the University of Health and Performance outside of Bentonville, Arkansas.

To kick off our combined investment in the development of our Special Operators post service, Fran Racioppi sat down with Lt. Gen. Deedrick to discuss his take on the Army today, where it came from and where it’s going.

As one of the last senior leaders in Afghanistan he gave his honest assessment of the withdrawal, the impact leaving has had on our allies and Special Forces Operators, and what the void left has done for the Taliban and American national security.

They also discuss the importance of our allies, why NATO works, the Russian-North Korean Alliance in Ukraine, and counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism in the Grey Zone through integrated deterrence.

Finally, they talk about the effect of politics on our military and why our leaders all want the same goal, but have different paths to get there.

Watch, listen or read our conversation from the UHP. Don’t miss our full Veterans Day coverage from UHP. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

HIGHLIGHTS

0:00 Introduction
2:23 Welcome to University of Health and Performance
5:02 Why did we leave Afghanistan
8:02 Did we abandon our Afghan partners
11:04 Withdrawal Effect
13:24 The Taliban and Al-Qaeda
15:22 Enabling Iran
16:59 NATO’s importance
22:30 NATO vs Russia
28:38 The Ukraine conflict today
32:30 North Korea’s involvement
34:12 What makes a Green Beret different?
38:24 Changes to the ODA
41:14 Is China the next fight?
45:51 Politicizing the military
48:02 US forces deployed across America
49:38 Lt. Gen. Deedrick’s Sergeant
51:53 Daily Habits

QUOTES

04:10 “It was a pretty low cost to keep an eye on Al-Qaeda. And also off chutes that are as dangerous.”
13:23 “I hope we aren’t paying them not to attack us”
17:49 “Nobody freelances at NATO. NATO is an expression of the sovereign will of their capitals.”
26:30 “Don’t start a shooting war with Russia. I mean the two nuclear powers”
29:10 “When you are so reliant on other nations for your supply chains, you put yourself at risk.”
31:09 “You’ve got to go to North Korea to get weapons and soldiers. That’s just sad.”
45:20 “The most difficult fight would be China, so I think you have to use that as your pacing item and optimize your fight for that.”
45:52 “Lethality on the battlefield is critical.”
50:23 “What I would love to see is less personality and more policy.”
52:53 “It is a really bad idea to use the active duty US Military in a domestic capability.”

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation.

The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of my guests and myself. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy, nor does Green Beret Foundation endorse any political candidate or any political party.

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By Fran Racioppi

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