In Episode 2 of Threat and Theory, former U.S. Navy intelligence officer Howard Hart takes us inside how modern military and intelligence decisions are actually made - using Venezuela as a real-world case study.

We break down the Joint Operations Planning Process step by step, explore how the intelligence cycle feeds commanders and policymakers, and examine how economic pressure, financial intelligence, and targeting decisions shape outcomes long before any shots are fired. From the rise of Hugo Chávez to the current rule of Nicolás Maduro, this episode traces how a once-wealthy nation became a narco-state - and why it matters to U.S. national security.

Along the way, we connect doctrine to history, drawing lessons from Serbia, Desert Storm, and counterterror operations to show how intelligence drives real-world action.

If you want to understand how strategy is built, options are weighed, and decisions move from analysis to execution - this is Threat and Theory at work.

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