AFIO Podcast

AFIO Now presents Alex Finley, former CIA operations officer, author, and the owner of the wildly popular Twitter feed #YachtWatch.  In this episode, Finley discusses her career, her three satirical novels about the CIA, and her her expertise in Russian intelligence and influence which informs her Twitter account that tracks the international movements of the mega-yachts owned by Russian oligarchs. Recorded 23 May 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Ron Estes - a former senior CIA Operations Officer - reflects on his career and remembers his friend and colleague, Dick Welch, the CIA Chief of Station in Athens, Greece who was assassinated in 1975 by the Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N). Recorded 10 May 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Enrique 'Ric' Prado - a former senior CIA operations and paramilitary officer - discusses his memoir, "Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior," which reveals the covert wars that America has fought since the Vietnam era and sheds light on the elite officers who are often the tip of the spear. Recorded 19 April 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Carol "Rollie" Flynn - former Senior CIA operations officer and current President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute - discusses her ground-breaking 30-year career as one of the first women operating abroad as a Clandestine Services Officer and later as Chief of Station. Also covered are the wide variety of career opportunities available at CIA and the traits, interests, languages, lifestyle, experiences, and skills potential intelligence officers should consider before applying. Recorded 22 Mar 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Andrew Hammond - former Royal Air Force officer and current Historian and Curator at the International Spy Museum - discusses the Soviet-Afghan War which ran from December 1979 – February 1989 and was a period that produced major shifts in Cold War geopolitics. Recorded 17 Mar 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In his second AFIO Now interview, Bruce Riedel, former CIA analyst and current Director of the Brookings Intelligence Project at the Center for Middle East Policy, discusses Jordan and America's enduring friendship. Recorded 3 March 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Melvin Gamble, a 40-year career CIA Senior Intelligence Officer, discusses Havana Syndrome - the mysterious set of symptoms experienced by a number US government employees overseas. Mr. Gamble also explains the need - and benefits - of diversity in the intelligence community. Recorded 15 Feb 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, senior National Security Reporter for The Washington Post Shane Harris discusses his extensive reporting on the Ukraine-Russia War and the unusual role the US Intelligence Community is playing in the current conflict. He also reveals how reporters are selected for posting overseas in dangerous war zones, the training they receive, and the career steps he took on the path to becoming a nationally-recognized and award-winning journalist. Recorded 19 April 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, prize-winning investigative journalist Margaret Coker discusses her book "The Spymaster of Baghdad: A True Story of Bravery, Family, and Patriotism in the Battle against ISIS." It tells the dramatic yet intimate account of how a covert Iraqi intelligence unit called “the Falcons” came together against all odds to defeat ISIS. Recorded 9 Feb 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Mike Howard discusses his leadership journey, first as a police officer in Oakland, CA, then as an operations officer with the CIA, and finally as chief of security for the Microsoft Corporation and Bill Gates. He highlights the elements required to develop a successful leadership style and his book, "The Art of Ronin Leadership." Recorded 3 Feb 2022.  Interviewer: Ralph Mariani, former CIA Operations Officer. Host: James Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.