The CI-Press Podcast

Hosts Dave Turner and Jeremy Clark sit down for a candid, wide-ranging conversation on the evolving landscape of modern counterintelligence. The discussion opens with a real-world case study, the Security Service of Ukraine’s disruption of a GRU drone attack, using it as a lens to examine how emerging technologies are reshaping intelligence threats and operational realities.

The episode also traces Ken Keppler’s three-decade career across Army Military Intelligence, the FBI, ODNI/NCSC, the private banking sector, and congressional oversight, drawing out hard-earned lessons on tradecraft, leadership, and institutional change. Together, the hosts explore why drones increasingly resemble the IEDs of past conflicts, the renewed importance of offensive counterintelligence operations and human intelligence in an era of technical collection, and the persistent gaps in U.S. counterintelligence strategy.

The conversation makes the case for a coherent, Intelligence Community–led national counterintelligence strategy, including discussion of the SECURE Act and its implications for reform, coordination, and accountability. The episode closes with practical, candid advice for aspiring counterintelligence professionals navigating career paths in government and beyond, what skills matter, what experience counts, and how to prepare for the next era of the CI fight

CI Press hosts Joe Sheridan and Jeremy Clark sit down with COL Dave Acosta to unpack the evolving counterintelligence fight inside today’s information battlefield.

Drawing on a career spanning information operations, deception, and counterintelligence, Dave discusses the rising tempo of adversary influence activity, recent disruptions, and why countering these threats demands a true whole of government approach. The conversation explores modern challenges including AI enabled influence, deepfakes, and algorithm driven manipulation, and what they mean for defenders.

The episode closes with practical takeaways for today’s CI professionals, including integrating information operations with counterintelligence, preparing for cognitive warfare, mentoring the next generation, and staying technologically fluent to detect and deter adversary campaigns.

This episode offers valuable insight for intelligence professionals, defense leaders, policymakers, and anyone focused on strengthening counterintelligence, preparing for cognitive warfare, and navigating the future of the information environment.

In this episode of CI Press, Joe Sheridan and Ryan Rambo sit down with Damon Mathews, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Counterintelligence and HUMINT professional, for a candid discussion on operational tradecraft, leadership, and emerging national security risks.

Damon shares his journey from enlistment to becoming a CI/HUMINT leader, recounting deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, conducting sensitive operations across CENTCOM, and confronting insider threats, contractor infiltration, and adversary targeting within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB).

Damon also outlines future priorities for counterintelligence professionals navigating an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Retired FBI Special Agent Brigg Barker joins CI Press to share frontline counterterrorism experience spanning the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings, post-9/11 investigations, and years of operational work targeting extremist networks.

In this episode, Brig breaks down his structured interviewing methodology (RQRD), explains how to identify stages of radicalization, and outlines the tactical roles individuals play inside terrorist cells. The discussion examines modern counterterrorism challenges, including online recruitment, lone-actor attacks, Salafi-inspired recruitment tactics, returning foreign fighters, and the national security risks tied to unvetted migration flows.

Brig also provides strategic insight into why portions of Africa are emerging as potential extremist strongholds, and what intelligence professionals, security practitioners, and informed citizens can do to mitigate risk.

This conversation offers practical, experience-driven insight into counterterrorism investigations, radicalization indicators, and national security threat prevention.

Listeners are encouraged to read Barker’s book, The Dark Trajectory of Jihad, follow him on LinkedIn for continued analysis, and remain vigilant in reporting suspicious activity through proper authorities.

In this episode of CI Press, hosts Joe Sheridan and Jeremy Clark sit down with LTG Anthony R. Hale for an in-depth conversation on the evolution of Army intelligence and counterintelligence (CI) in an era of great power competition. Drawing on nearly four decades of service, LTG Hale provides a candid and strategic perspective on where Army CI has been, where it is headed, and what must change to remain effective against sophisticated adversaries.

The discussion explores CI transformation and modernization across the Army, including early pilot programs that demonstrated the operational value of centralized CI authorities and the importance of unity of effort. LTG Hale also breaks down the significance of incorporating Title 10, Section 7377 authorities into the National Defense Authorization Act, and what this means for the future of Army CI authorities, resourcing, and operational agility.

Beyond policy and structure, LTG Hale shares leadership lessons from his nearly 38-year career, insights into the integration of Army Counterintelligence Command and human intelligence, and his assessment of near-term strategic risks facing the force. He closes with practical advice for intelligence professionals on training, professional development, mentorship, and building the next generation of leaders.

This episode offers valuable insight for intelligence professionals, defense leaders, policymakers, and anyone focused on the future of Army modernization and CI reform.

In this episode of CI Press, Mr. Andrew Evans, a former U.S. Army fixed-wing aviator and Director of the Army’s ISR Task Force, now the Directorate for Strategy and Transformation, joins the show to discuss his unconventional path to Pentagon leadership and his work within DAMI-ST.

Evans provides a candid look at how the Army is reshaping its acquisition culture, embracing calculated risk, and institutionalizing rapid modernization to deliver real operational capability to soldiers faster and at scale. He explains why incremental change is no longer sufficient and why dismantling legacy processes is essential to maintaining overmatch.

The conversation explores:

Throughout the episode, Evans reinforces a soldier-first mindset and offers practical guidance for industry, technologists, and defense leaders navigating today’s rapidly evolving threat environment.

In this episode, cohosts Jeremy Clark and Ryan Rambo clearly differentiate counterintelligence (CI) and human intelligence (HUMINT): definitions, core purposes (CI defends inside the wire; HUMINT collects outside), tradecraft, placement vs access, and indicators of espionage like undue affluence, foreign contact, and behavioral changes. They cover practical corporate implications, insider-threat prevention, and the R3 approach — Recognize, React, Report — inviting listener feedback.

This is a replay of Episode 17, released in 2025.  

In this episode of CI Press, cohosts Ryan Rambo and Dave Turner sit down with Marine Counterintelligence veteran Dan Williams, who shares his unconventional journey from high-school dropout to a highly skilled CI, HUMINT, and technical operator supporting Marine Expeditionary Units, SEAL teams, and MARSOC.

Dan recounts frontline experiences from Kabul and Mosul, breaks down how Marine CI enables special operations and interagency missions, and offers hard-earned guidance for transitioning into the commercial sector—highlighting the importance of mentorship, relationship-building, and delivering real value to employers.

In this episode of CI Press, co-hosts Ryan Rambo and Scott Sparks sit down with retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent James “Jim” Gaylord to unpack his book Chasing Chi and the landmark espionage investigation of Chi Mak.

Jim walks listeners through the painstaking realities of counterintelligence work from opening an Unknown Subject (UNSUB) case and conducting trash pulls and covert entries, to securing FISA warrants and navigating complex courtroom strategy. The conversation highlights how years of disciplined tradecraft, combined with close interagency cooperation across NCIS, ICE, DOJ, and others, ultimately led to multiple espionage-related convictions.

Beyond the case itself, Jim reflects on how the Chi Mak investigation changed the way Chinese espionage cases are pursued, the evolution of CI tools and charging strategies, why prosecution matters as a deterrent, and where counterintelligence efforts must focus in the years ahead.

CI Press examines the growing intersection of illicit massage businesses, human trafficking, and national security near U.S. military facilities. Experts detail how coercion, organized crime, and money laundering create vulnerabilities that jeopardize force protection and operational readiness.

Listeners will learn common indicators of illicit establishments, geographic hotspots, and why awareness and reporting by service members and leaders are critical to protect victims and mitigate counterintelligence risks.