The Jedburgh Podcast

There’s a difference between the elite and everyone else. Elite by definition means superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society. Elite is not good. It is not great. It certainly is not above average. To be elite means you’re among the best.

The Stars and Stripes Classic pitted America’s two most elite Special Operations Forces against each other on the lacrosse field. 

To talk about what it means to be elite, not just in sports but in anything you do, Fran Racioppi sat down with Paul Rabil. Paul is the co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League and undoubtedly one of the most elite lacrosse players to ever play the game. 

Paul is multiple time NCAA champion, a four year All American, he holds NCAA records for the most goals, assists and points. He is a multiple time Player of the Year and two time champion. He holds the most points in professional lacrosse. He is what every young lacrosse player ascribes to be. 

Paul is also an elite visionary and businessman. He developed the PLL out of the gaps he saw as a player. Now he’s changing professional sports and how athletes are treated by owners. 

Check out our conversation from the endzone of Gillette Stadium to learn how anyone can be elite if you're ready to put in the work and relentlessly execute. Head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch all the action from the Stars and Stripes Classic. 

Don’t forget to go to Green Beret Foundation to  join our 18 Series Match Challenge to support our team as the Snakeeaters took on the Frogmen. 

Highlights

0:00 Introduction

2:33 Stars and Stripes Classic

4:18 The level of play

5:57 Toughness & extra work

8:31 Earn it every day

12:49 Building an elite sports league

18:15 How does it feel?

22:08 How to process the hard times

Quotes

• “Lacrosse is sloppy. That’s also the beauty of it.” 
• “Those that choose to be elite, it’s a lifestyle.” 
• “Earn the right to stay here and be here.” 
• “You just don’t really fake integrity. Someone will suss it out.” 
• “If you don’t go all in, you’ll never reach your potential.” 
• “Attempting to become a subject matter expert is so important in entrepreneurship.” 

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special thanks to the Premier Lacrosse League and Kraft Sports and Entertainment for hosting the Stars and Stripes Classic.

Toughness defines Special Operations and the sport of lacrosse. Toughness requires a person to deal with hardship, overcome difficult situations, persevere through mental and physical challenges. Toughness is one part natural, one part learned, and one part the result of consistency. To excel as a Green Beret, Navy SEAL or a lacrosse athlete, you better be tough. 

Joe Alberici and Ben Harrow are two tough men. Joe is the head coach of Men’s lacrosse at West Point, and Ben is a West Point lacrosse alumni, Green Beret and double leg amputee.

Coach and Ben joined Fran Racioppi to recap the Stars and Stripes Classic, what it meant for our Green Berets and Navy SEALs to face off on the lacrosse field, how to build teams based on being tough, and what it takes to win no matter the challenge; whether that’s on the playing field, the battlefield or the boardroom. 

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation, then head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch all the action from the Stars and Stripes Classic. 

Don’t forget to go to Green Beret Foundation to  join our 18 Series Match Challenge to support our team as the Snakeeaters took on the Frogmen. 

Highlights

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:05 Stars and Stripes is in the books
• 3:17 Break down the game for us
• 4:57 Ben Harrow is toughness
• 6:46 Why is toughness important?
• 10:39 West Point lax is a player
• 15:01 Put in the extra work
• 16:22 What did you tell the team after the game?

Quotes

• “Clock got a little short on us. Time ran out.”
• “Toughness is when you're 100%, 100% of the time.” 
• “Grateful for everything. Entitled to nothing.” 
• “If you can be an elite human being…you’ll probably be a pretty darn good Army lacrosse player.” 

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special thanks to the Premier Lacrosse League and the Kraft Group for hosting us the Stars and Stripes Classic.

The greatest entrepreneurial adventures take a lot of sleepless nights, a bias for action and a commitment to people. Starting a professional sports league is no different.  

As we gear up for the first ever Stars and Stripes Classic, Fran Racioppi is joined by Mike Rabil, the co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League. Mike and his brother Paul, started the league with a vision to put the players at the center of the business model.

From better pay, to open marketing, to benefits and equity in the league, they’re redefining how professional sports embraces their athletes.

Mike shared the market opportunity he and Paul saw in lacrosse and how they relentlessly pursued investment and support. He explained how giving players equity, access to marketing content and a seat at the table have created a more inclusive league. And he showed us where the sport is headed with regional affiliation. 

They also previewed the Stars and Stripes Classic coming September 2 to Gillette Stadium where the bonds between lacrosse and Special Operations will face off for the very first time. 

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with the business mind behind the PLL, then head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch all the action from the Stars and Stripes Classic. 

Don’t forget to go to Green Beret Foundation to  join our 18 Series Match Challenge to support our team as the Snakeeaters take on the Frogmen. 

Highlights

• 0:00 Welcome to Fairfield University
• 4:15 What was the vision for the PLL?
• 6:21 How do you start a pro sports league?
• 8:10 How does the open marketing concept help promote the game?
• 10:20 Why introduce regional affiliation?
• 12:07 Why keep the 2-point shot?
• 12:48 How do you recruit the best athletes to lacrosse?
• 15:46 The Stars and Stripes Classic?

Quotes

• “I slept on a lot of hotel floors. Cried, bled a lot.” 
• “People ask us who our competitors are. I say ‘all the other sports.’” 
• “We know we need to continue to pay the players more.” 
• “Each time these guys stop on the field they get five stock options.” 
• “The lacrosse community is really tied into Special Forces.” 

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special thanks to the Premier Lacrosse League for hosting us at Fairfield University and for sponsoring the Stars and Stripes Classic.

Performing at an elite level isn’t about doing special things. It’s about focusing on the basics and the fundamentals; then executing them with precision. A coach’s job is to harness the energy of the players and direct it towards a common goal. 

As we gear up for the first ever Stars and Stripes Classic, Fran Racioppi sat down with the Head Coach of the California Redwoods and Army Reservist Nat St. Laurent.

Nat’s primary mission is to take a group of elite alpha lacrosse athletes all capable of big things and get them to focus on the little details; a skill he learned teaching soldiers to throw hand grenades as an instructor. He shares his Army lessons learned and how they made him a better coach.

Nat also provided his perspective on the growth of the Premier Lacrosse League, how regional affiliation has enhanced the fan base, and how everything the PLL does is all out; including the 2-point shot. 

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with one of the PLL’s inaugural coaches, then head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch all the action from the Stars and Stripes Classic. 

Don’t forget to go to Green Beret Foundation to  join our 18 Series Match Challenge to support our team as the Snakeeaters take on the Frogmen. 

Highlights

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:27 Welcome to Fairfield University
• 3:14 PLL regional affiliation
• 5:06 Growing the PLL fan base
• 6:47 What Army lessons do you use as a coach?
• 9:28 PLL player development
• 11:32 The 2-point shot
• 13:12 Staying focused in down times
• 14:54 Stars and Stripes Classic

Quotes

• “Whatever the PLL does it’s all out.” 
• “Being part of something bigger than yourself…it becomes an honor.” 
• “It is extremely important to do those little things right and to do it with a purpose that’s bigger than yourself. 
• “Our mindset every game is 1-0. We can’t do anything about the results from previous games.” 
• “They’re not going to be able to turn over their compete level.” 

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special thanks to the Premier Lacrosse League for hosting us at Fairfield University and for sponsoring the Stars and Stripes Classic.

The United States doesn’t play for second place. Not on the battlefield and certainly not on the lacrosse field. As we gear up for the first ever Stars and Stripes Classic, Fran Racioppi sat down with Head Coach of Team USA Seth Teirney. Seth is also the Director of Competition at the Premier Lacrosse League and the Head Coach of Hofstra University. 

He’s involved in every aspect and level of lacrosse from the pros down to youth. He’s a national champion as a coach and played in the National Lacrosse League as a player. 

Seth’s attitude about lacrosse is gold medal or bust. Fran and Seth covered why it takes “feeling the sport” to compete at the highest level as both an athlete and a coach. Seth shared the launch story of the PLL from a broken down bus in Israel and how the PLL honors the Indigenous legacy of lacrosse. 

Seth also gives his tips to parents raising athletes and explains what it means to coach the US National Team. Plus he makes his prediction for the battle of the year, as the Green Berets take on the Navy SEALs September 2 at Gillette Stadium.

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with one of lacrosse’s greatest players and coaches, then head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch all the action from the Stars and Stripes Classic. Head over to Green Beret Foundation and join our 18 Series Match Challenge to support our team as the Snakeeaters take on the Frogmen.  

Highlights

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:27 Welcome to Fairfield University
• 3:30 Setting the lacrosse example
• 5:16 Growing the PLL
• 7:12 The origins of lacrosse
• 8:58 Lacrosse is about feeling
• 10:49 How have the players evolved?
• 12:48 Gold medal or bust
• 14:08 How coaches have changed
• 16:01 Is junior level competition healthy?
• 18:00 A tribute to Andy Towers
• 19:53 The PLL’s next phase
• 21:48 Recruiting the top athletes
• 22:46 Stars and Stripes Classic

Quotes

• “This whole thing started when a bus broke down in 2018 in Israel.”
• “This sport. Where it came from. It was not just playing. It was understanding.”
• “It’s not written down in a handbook. You’ve got to be able to feel the game.” 
• “It’s an all-in sport that is on fire right now.” 
• “There is no second place. We’re not playing for second place. It’s gold medal or bust.” 
• “When we get the Stars and Stripes Game going…that’s a forever day.” 

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special thanks to the Premier Lacrosse League for hosting us at Fairfield University and for sponsoring the Stars and Stripes Classic. 

For decades the Middle East has been America’s top national security challenge.

From terrorism, to war, to regional instability, it takes more than a military effort to find solutions.

As America navigates one of the most volatile times in history, Fran Racioppi sat down with retired General Joseph Votel, one of America’s most influential leaders and scholars in Middle East policy. 

General Votel served as Commander of United States Special Operations Command, US Central Command, Joint Special Operations Command and 75th Ranger Regiment; organizations critically responsible for America’s Middle East operations. 

General Votel unpacked the reasons why Hamas chose to attack Israel, Iran’s malign influence, and the responsibility of the other Gulf states in preventing regional instability. 

He also broke down the opportunities the United States has across the diplomatic, information, military and economic spectrum; including America’s ability to mobilize for a peer-to-peer fight. Plus he talked all things Ranger Regiment, the officer-NCO relationship, and keys to effective leadership. 

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with one the Army’s most respected leaders then head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch up on our entire national security series from Washington, DC and Fort Liberty, NC. 

Highlights:

• 0:00 Welcome to Odgers Berndtson
• 3:07 The rise of China and Russia
• 13:47 Why is Iran on the offensive?
• 21:14 Using the elements of National Power
• 24:34 The impacts of the Israel-Gaza War
• 32:55 General Votel’s call to serve
• 42:35 Advice to new leaders
• 47:42 How the NCO corps separates the US military 
• 56:46 The role of Special Forces in the peer-to-peer fight
• 1:05:09 Solving the recruiting challenge
• 1:13:28 General Votel's Three Daily Foundations

Quotes: 

• “In a word, they’ve had it and they're trying to reassert themselves.” 
• “Putin has pretty much told us what he wants to do. He wants to eclipse the United States.” 
• “The Gulf partners, the other Arab states, aren’t that keen on having a new Palestinian state in the region.”
• “We have over-militarized a lot of our foreign policy in these areas. We need to be leading with diplomacy.”
• “If you open these humanitarian corridors, are you arming your adversary?” 
• “When I showed up to West Point…instant buyer’s remorse.” 
• “To me, leadership has really become about the basics.” 
• “I had a Sergeant Major. Bill Thetford. We were together for eight plus years; longer than the average American marriage.” 

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special thanks to Odgers Berndtson for hosting this conversation.

The responsibility for recruiting, training and retaining US Army soldiers sits on the shoulders of the Sergeant Major of the Army; a job in which there is no training course and where experience is the defining factor. 

To break down what the Sergeant Major of the Army does, the current state of the Army, and where the Army is headed, Fran Racioppi traveled deep into the center of the Pentagon for a conversation with Sergeant Major Mike Weimer, the 17th Sergeant Major of the Army and the first Green Beret selected for the role. 

The SMA defined professional warfighting and the importance of an all volunteer force. He broke down the art and science relationship between commissioned and non-commissioned officers. He shared how his experience in the Special Forces shadows prepared him for the limelight of the SMA role. 

And they talked about the future, including his vision for solving the recruiting challenge, how warfare is evolving from the kill chain to the kill web, how he’s planning to retain the right people, and how the integration of Special Operations and the regular Army is more important now than ever. 

Highlights:

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:53 The Army is busy 
• 3:52 The Professional Warfighter
• 11:40 People are the Army’s weapons system 
• 15:53 The relationship between Commanders and NCOs
• 22:24 SMA Weimer’s transition from the shadows
• 25:55 The Army’s recruiting challenges
• 34:51 CTCs and the Kill Web
• 40:12 Retaining the best and brightest
• 43:50 Integrating Special Forces and the regular Army
• 50:36 The Army’s biggest opportunity
• 52:17 Daily Foundations to Success

Quotes: 

• “Those that are committed, I remind them; the audio and video has got to match.” 
• “All of the services are platform centric. The Army’s platform is its people.” 
• “The non-commissioned officer is the asymmetric advantage.” 
• “The things that are usually the hardest in life are the things that are usually the most rewarding.”  
• “Whatever you’ve done prior to coming into this seat is how you’ve prepared.” 
• “We’re on track to make our numbers this year….We need those numbers to be higher in upcoming years.” 
• “I have a fair amount of combat…I’ve never been to war.” 
• “You don’t necessarily get do-overs in the fight that we’re preparing for now.”
• “It’s not just about retaining people; it’s about retaining the right people.”
• “Standards and discipline can’t just be some whimsical thing we throw around.”

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with the Army’s most senior non-commissioned officer, then head over to our YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform to catch up on our entire national security series from Washington, DC and Fort Liberty, NC.

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media.

Lethality, audacity and creativity. That’s the culture of the Special Forces Regiment and the values each Special Operator is expected to live by. They’re also the foundation of what it takes to be the premier partnered irregular warfare force in the arsenal of the United States Military. 

Our nation’s Green Berets, Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations soldiers are led by Major General Gil Ferguson; the Commanding General of 1st Special Forces Command. For the final interview of our Fort Liberty series, Fran Racioppi sat down with General Ferguson for a conversation on what it takes to man, train and equip our Special Forces units. 

They dug into his goal to enhance the culture of the Regiment, how the Special Forces Groups are preparing for regional conflicts with unknown enemies, at unknown times; and just how Green Berets are solidifying themselves as the go-to option in the deep sensor fight against our peer adversaries.

General Ferguson also explains the SOF-Space-Cyber Triad, where he sees Special Forces in a decade, and as our units evolve, what needs to stay the same.  

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with America’s top Green Beret, then head over to our YouTube channel to watch General Ferguson share the lineage of America’s first Special Forces in the Jedburgh Media Channel’s first documentary, Unknown Heroes, Behind Enemy Lines at D-Day, the story of Operation Jedburgh.    

Highlights:

• 0:00 Welcome to the JFK Special Warfare Museum
• 4:04 The premier partnered irregular warfare force
• 7:18 Man, train, equip for any theater
• 9:40 The culture of 1st SFC
• 13:52 The misperceptions of Special Forces
• 18:50 SOF in the Peer-to-Peer Fight
• 27:16 How is SOF keeping people first?
• 34:07 SOF, Space Cyber Triad
• 39:43 Where are Special Forces in 5-10 years?
• 42:14 How are Civil Affairs and PsyOps integrating into the SOF battlefield?
• 50:47 What has to stay the same in SOF?
• 54:32 Daily Foundations For Success

Quotes: 

• “The United States fights coalition warfare. We don’t ever want to fight by ourselves.” 
• “We don’t know where the next fight’s going to be, we don’t know who it’s gonna be with, and we don’t know when it’s gonna start.”
• “The guys we are running the Columbian military were all folks that were captains with me when I was a 7th Group Commander.”
• “Technology is not going to win the next fight. The side that most effectively and audaciously employs technology is going to win.”
• “18x make up more than 50% of our force now; and that is a good thing.”
• “I don’t want to spend time in my office. That is not where I’m effective.” 

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special Forces Warrant Officers are subject matter experts in unconventional warfare, operations and intelligence fusion, and planning and execution. They also advise commanders on all aspects of special operations and are responsible for the integration of emerging technologies. 

To explore the unique role of the Special Forces Warrant Officer, Fran Racioppi asked the Command Chief Warrant Officer of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Ostrander to join him from the Special Warfare Museum at Fort Liberty, NC. 

With over 30 years in the Army, Gary advises the commander and sergeant major of SWCS on best practices for training and developing our US Army Special Operations soldiers. 

After they defined what it takes to succeed as a Special Forces Warrant, they explained SWCS 2030, the importance of duration in assessment and selection, how technology is being integrated into training, how to create a training program that prepares people for anything and innovation in recruiting initiatives. 

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation with one of Special Forces most experienced leaders then head over to our YouTube channel to watch CW5 Ostrander share the lineage of America’s first Special Forces in the Jedburgh Media Channel’s first documentary, Unknown Heroes, Behind Enemy Lines at D-Day, the story of Operation Jedburgh.   

Highlights:

• 0:00 Introduction
• 3:01 What’s the role of the Special Forces Warrant Officer?
• 11:51 What is SWCS 2030?
• 17:11 What technology is paramount on the next battlefield?
• 19:04 The evolution of the peer-to-peer fight
• 23:56 What are the innovative ways ARSOF is recruiting?
• 29:30 What are you most excited about in the next generation?  
• 31:18 Daily Foundations to Success

Quotes: 

• “The warrant specifically focuses on those long term planning operations and actions.” 
• “We focus on that end product. How do we produce the best product?”
• “More than likely you will be seen by an unmanned system.” 
• “We’re the melting pot for the operational force’s #1 select cadre to come back and train and mentor the next generation.” 
• “How do they look at a problem set and become the world’s most adaptive problem solvers?” 
• “If you show up for the minimums there’s a very slim chance that you are going to be one of the ones selected.”

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. Learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Special thanks to Roxanne Merritt and the entire team at the Special Warfare Museum for graciously hosting this series.

The 80th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion included many reenactment jumps, but none as visually captivating as the one in Mont St. Michel. A jump that featured multiple sorties of C-47s and some of America’s most important leaders donning the battle uniform of our airborne predecessors. 

Included in this stick was Florida Congressman and fellow Green Beret Mike Waltz. After a quick exit and soft landing, Congressman Waltz spent some time with Fran Racioppi on the drop zone to talk D-Day, World Order and the current state of Congress. 

With Mont-Saint Michel in the background, and jumpers still falling, they dug into our national security challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine and China; and how immigration policy is rapidly becoming the decisive issue. They also unpacked the need for professionalism in Congress, how polarization is affecting getting things done and what we can expect from our political leaders as we gear up for an election cycle that looks more like a night combat jump with high winds and a small drop zone. 

Take a listen, watch, or read our conversation from one of the most surreal spots on the globe then head over to our YouTube channel to as we share the lineage of America’s first Special Forces in the Jedburgh Media Channel’s first documentary, Unknown Heroes, Behind Enemy Lines at D-Day, the story of Operation Jedburgh.   

Highlights:

• 0:00 Introduction
• 02:10 Jumping into Mont St. Michel
• 5:20 What is NATO’s role in global conflict?
• 9:35 Can America mobilize a whole of society approach?
• 12:34 Why is DOD calling for a reduction in Special Forces?
• 14:14 Why can’t we just close the border? 
• 17:01 What can we expect during the upcoming election cycle?

Quotes: 

•  “Vintage birds. Vintage uniforms. But the parachutes are new Mr. Speaker.” (2:53)
• “We can’t keep asking the American taxpayer to dig deeper and deeper into their pocket while the European taxpayer isn’t being asked to do the same thing.” (7:09)
• “We should be flooding the world with cleaner, cheaper American oil and gas.” (8:00)
• “What I want is that every time Chairman Xi gets out of bed and looks across the Taiwan Strait he says ‘ah…they're still too tough, we’re not ready.’" (10:56)
• “The more the Chinese Communist Party are looking over their shoulder, the less they’re looking across the Pacific.” (12:25)
• “Those support men and women for the Special Operations community keep us out of wars. Those are the left of bang.” (13:55)
• “The cartels are behind all of this…We know from Plan Colombia how to take down cartels.” (16:04)
• "The world is a calm place when America is strong.” (18:35)