AFIO Podcast

In this episode, Geoff O'Connell - Senior CIA Operations Officer and former Chief of Station Tel Aviv -  discusses the 2002 siege by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the Church of the Nativity -- the purported birthplace of Jesus Christ -- in Bethlehem in the West Bank, which targeted Palestinian terrorists who had taken shelter in the church. Recorded 8 Nov 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

Former CIA Division Chief and National Intelligence Manager for ODNI, Norman Roule provides an update to his March 2021 interview by reporting on the state of Iran today and how current and future administrations should approach the regime. Recorded 11 Nov 2022.  Host: James Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.

In this episode, Bruce Henderson - author of "Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II" -

In this episode, former CIA historian and author Nicholas Reynolds discusses his recently released book "Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence" which details the birth of the first American spy service and the role of the original US codebreakers. Dr. Reynolds also reveals how WWII histories are researched and written and examines their continuing popularity. Recorded 11 Oct 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In her third AFIO Now episode, Shelby Pierson - now the NGA Deputy Director for Source Operations & Management Directorate - reveals how the processing and availability of commercial imagery has grown and fundamentally changed the landscape for satellite imagery. She describes the newest (unclassified) imagery capabilities and how they have impacted the GEOINT Team, including how they help uncover war crimes and assist in responding to natural disasters worldwide.  Recorded 11 Oct 2022. Host: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. Interviewer: Jennifer Daniel, former Senior NGA Officer and current AFIO Board member.

In this episode, Col. Itai Shapira, a former Deputy Head of Analysis for the Israeli Defense Intelligence Service, discusses the Israeli national intelligence culture - including the system of beliefs, values, and approaches which are unique to Israeli intelligence and the themes that are shared with other intelligence services across the world. Recorded 26 August 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Chris Rasmussen, Founder and Program Manager of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's "Tearline Project," discusses the  unique NGA program which delivers unclassified, original GEOINT content to a customer’s mobile device. The remarkable program also engages universities, nonprofit agencies, think tanks, and other entities -- public and private -- with unique public-facing collaborative efforts to maximize external information sharing. Recorded 16 Aug 2022. Host: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. Interviewer: Jennifer Daniel, former Senior NGA Officer and current AFIO Board member.

In his second episode, senior National Security Reporter for The Washington Post Shane Harris gives an update on the dangerously fluctuating situation in Ukraine - from Putin's sudden conscription of 300,000 unwilling troops, to nuclear weapons threats, and the mysterious sabotage of the Nordstream Pipeline. Recorded 4 Oct 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, author Nathalia Holt discusses her newest release, "Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage" which illuminates the lives and careers of four trailblazing women who served in the early days of OSS and CIA. Recorded 05 Aug 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

AFIO Now presents Eliot Jardines, former Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source (ADDNI/OS).  In this episode, Jardines discusses Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and how publicly available information can provide actionable intelligence and directly impact current events. Recorded 29 June 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.