Abbi D. is the US Tradecraft Advisor of Fivecast, a global provider of open-source intelligence solutions, provides intelligence, investigative, and collections teams access and analysis of unprecedented amounts of digital data. Rad and Abbigail talk about the advancements in AI and how catching illicit activities and weapons capabilities are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to OSINT’s effectiveness.

In this episode, Abbigail explains how Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) utilizes publicly available knowledge and how the current conflicts in Ukraine and Israel have spotlighted its importance. For instance, getting the order of battle in these warzones can be gleaned from real-time data, leading to better decision-making and other lifesaving intelligence.

Learn more about Fivecast:

Website - https://www.fivecast.com/

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Curtis Fox is a former Green Beret and 10th Special Forces Group member. Fox is also a Russian speaker and the author of Hybrid Warfare, which delves deep into the Russian approach to strategic competition and conventional military conflict. He gives insight into the Russian perspective on security and their basis for wanting back the former Soviet states.

Fox talks about the naval capabilities of Russia, how their submarine fleet is a force to be reckoned with while their sole aircraft carrier is useless and only maintained as a point of national pride. In Ukraine today, Russia's goal is to attack the populace, power grids, and water supply as Ukraine is the fifth largest exporter of grain while Russia is the first, thereby creating demand for Russian grain and subduing Ukraine's capacity to fight back. 

Learn more about Curtis and his work:

Website - https://www.hybridwarfare.info/

Get a copy of Hybrid Warfare: https://amzn.to/4aI6JHn

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

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This episode's guests are Ret. Col. Greg Gadson and Terese Schlachter, authors of Finding Waypoints. Col. Gadson's story is both humbling and inspiring as a hero from one of our nation's military families. During his service in Iraq, he lost both of his legs and has since embarked on a spiritual journey, becoming an assistant coach to the NY Giants that helped propel them from last place to NFC East champions in ‘08.

Terese Schlachter, a three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer and writer, quickly became friends with Col. Gadson during his painful recovery and rehabilitation. By interviewing Col. Gadson's doctors and squad, she pieced together the events that led to his fateful injury, forever immortalizing Col. Gadson's journey of finding peace and purpose in Finding Waypoints.

Get your copy of Finding Waypoints: https://amzn.to/3vlkkUX

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

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Ben Williams is a former US Navy Surface Warfare Officer and current CEO of Exyn Technologies. Drones serve a vital function in search and rescue missions, like in Acapulco recently, providing valuable information to rescuers on the best routes and plans that mean the difference between life and death.

Williams shares dicey situations back in the Navy when he led small boat boarding teams and encountered a caricature of the quintessential Russian captain—a half-finished bottle of vodka in one hand and pistol in the other. He also talks about how he transitioned from the military to civilian life and how combat-specific duties comprise just 10% of a serviceman or woman's skill set.  

Learn more about Ben:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentropy/

Website - https://www.exyn.com/

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

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Cyrus Norcross is an acclaimed journalist from the Navajo Nation recognized for his coverage of cases involving missing and murdered indigenous people. He served as an Army Ranger in units like the 4th Infantry Division and 75th Ranger Regiment, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

He shares stories of his actions in the field, from preventing miscommunications through his lifesaving Arabic training and picking up sketchy individuals with gold bars in their homes. His entry into journalism started when he left the Army. Norcross talks about coming face to face with the real dangers of covering cartels and the mafia and the alleged abuses happening in the Navajo Nation. 

Learn more about Cyrus and his work as an investigative journalist:

Website - https://norcrosscyrus.journoportfolio.com/#/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/navajo_ronin/

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrus-norcross-0b1064264/

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

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Dr. Melvin Stith is a transformative leader in and out of the military. He joined the Army as a commissioned officer after earning his bachelor's degree in sociology at Norfolk State in 1968, serving with the Military Intelligence Corps. He served in Vietnam until 1972 and retired as a Captain. 

After returning from the war, Dr. Stith pursued further education, obtaining his MBA and PhD from Syracuse University. He would dedicate the following decades in the academe, holding prestigious positions as the chairman of the marketing department at Florida State University, dean of Florida State’s business school, and Jim Moran Professor of Business Administration, among others.

Dr. Stith is also notable as a founding member of the PhD Project, a national program that advocates for diversity in the business world. Dr. Stith talks about the importance of improving recruitment in the military and highlighting the benefits of making a career from serving the country.

Learn more about the PhD Project: https://phdproject.org/

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Jim Whaley is a former US Army Aviation Officer and CEO of Mission Roll Call. This nonprofit provides veterans with a unified voice to the nation’s leaders and communities. The American public supports the military but there is a chasm between what people know and what veterans have to live through everyday.

There are 18.5 million veterans and over 1 million are homeless. Suicide and food insecurity remain rampant. The military today is falling short of recruitment targets and there is a gap between what the military needs to do and the available people actually to do it. Get your voice heard and support vets with Mission Roll Call. 

Learn more about the Mission Roll Call: https://www.missionrollcall.org/

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

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Bruce Wright is a US Navy Veteran who served in the Vietnam War and has since become a patient and advocate for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), helping increase awareness of the long-term complications of Agent Orange exposure. He shares his difficulties going through the VA and dedicates himself to helping other vets maximize their benefits for themselves and their families.

Wright recalls his time serving on a Navy destroyer and carriers. He explains what a "polliwog" is, the Navy tradition of not washing cups, and the failure of the F-14 that killed Goose because the Navy did not perform spin tests on it. For vets who served in Vietnam from the 1960s to 1971, get in touch with the CLL Society and see what the VA can do for you.

Learn more about CLL Society: https://cllsociety.org/

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

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Remi Adeleke is a former Navy SEAL, filmmaker, memoirist, and #1 New York Times bestselling author. During his service as a SEAL, Remi specialized as a medic and in Human Intelligence (HUMINT). He sheds light on how he uncovered "rat lines," on-the-ground routes used to move people and equipment in challenging environments. Adeleke also recounts harrowing stories from jump school, sharing how guys had parachute malfunctions and pulled their reserve parachutes first.

Transitioning to the entertainment industry, Adeleke discusses how his military background seamlessly aligned with the needs of Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight. He has taken on acting roles in Ambulance (2022), Special Forces: World's Toughest Test (2023), and Plane (2023). Lately, he has delved into new roles behind the camera as both a writer and director. His most recent literary endeavor, Chameleon, marks the first installment in his Black Box Thriller series.

Check out the Down Range Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/down-range/id1713364300

Get your copy of Chameleon: https://amzn.to/3ucwOhb

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

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Miles Lagoze is a Combat Camera Marine veteran and the critically acclaimed director of Combat Obscura, a 2019 documentary that utilizes footage he captured during his unit's historic mission to secure ground in the northern Sangin and Kajaki districts of Afghanistan. His debut book is titled Whistles from the Graveyard. 

Lagoze recounts his enlistment at the age of 18 and the controversy he faced while using a government-issued camera for his film. The documentary presents a raw and graphic portrayal of the Afghan War, often evoking polarized reactions from audiences. Meanwhile, Whistles from the Graveyard uncovers the grim reality faced by the men and women deployed to fight America's longest war.  

Watch Combat Obscura: https://www.amazon.com/Combat-Obscura-Miles-Lagoze/dp/B07N8JZG1C

Get your copy of Whistles from the Graveyard: https://amzn.to/3s34Eoa

Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.