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The Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) is a non-profit, non-political, educational association for current and former intelligence professionals and supporters of the US Intelligence Community. Part of our mission is to foster an understanding of the important role of intelligence in national security and to nurture student interest in careers across the many US intelligence agencies. To this end, the channel features podcast versions of our AFIO Now episodes - a series of recorded interviews and presentations that features experts, historians, and officers from across the US Intelligence Community who have fascinating stories to tell.
Episodes
Monday Sep 25, 2023
Monday Sep 25, 2023
In the first of a two-part series, former CIA Operations Officer and Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers discusses his new memoir, "By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy." Recorded 9 Jun 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday Sep 11, 2023
Monday Sep 11, 2023
In this episode, historian and author Matthew Black discusses his book "Operation Underworld: How the Mafia and U.S. Government Teamed Up to Win World War II." Black reveals the full story of how American Mafia boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano was recruited by U.S. Naval Intelligence in 1942 to aid the Allied war effort in the U.S. invasion of Sicily - which was a turning point in WWII. Recorded 2 Jun 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday Aug 28, 2023
Monday Aug 28, 2023
In this episode, Richard Lawless - a former CIA operations officer - discusses his book "Hunting Nukes" which chronicles Lawless's half-century quest to seek out and expose undeclared nuclear weapons activities by countries of the highest concern to the US government. In particular. Lawless reveals the successful takedown of the South Korean strategic weapons program in the mid-1970s. He describes in detail the CIA's operation that detected, penetrated, defined, and eventually blocked that country’s covert effort. Lawless also recounts his duties during the 2002-2008 talks with the rogue North Korean regime—the so-called “Six Party Talks." Recorded 1 Jun 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday Aug 14, 2023
Monday Aug 14, 2023
In this episode, LTG Michael Groen - the former Commander of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center - delves into the meaning, uses, adoption problems, and ethics of AI in the military and beyond. Recorded 4 May 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday Jul 31, 2023
Monday Jul 31, 2023
In this episode, Brittany Butler - a former intelligence officer - discusses her first novel, "The Syndicate Spy." Based on her experiences as a CIA targeting officer, the thriller tells the tale of two female spies as they race to uncover terrorist conspiracies and ultimately change the course of war. Recorded 2 May 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
In his third episode, senior National Security Reporter for The Washington Post Shane Harris discusses the recent shocking events in Ukraine - from the Wagner Group's march towards Moscow, to missing Russian generals, to Putin's renewed threats to use tactical nuclear weapons. Recorded 7 July 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday Jul 03, 2023
Monday Jul 03, 2023
In the first of a 2-part series for AFIO Now, award-winning journalist/author, James Bamford discusses his latest book, "Spyfail: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America’s Counterintelligence." Bamford describes the expanding capability of foreign countries to conduct large-scale espionage within the US and how the FBI and other agencies are struggling to prevent it. Recorded 14 Apr 2023. Host: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. Interviewer: John Quattrocki, AFIO Treasurer and former Senior FBI Officer.
Monday Jun 12, 2023
Monday Jun 12, 2023
In this episode, Alma Katsu, a former intelligence officer and award winning author, discusses her newest novel Red London. The second book in this spy thriller series is set in a post-Putin Russia which has been financially devastated by its loss in the war with Ukraine. Alma also discusses her career experiences at NSA and CIA, gives pointers to women considering careers in the Intelligence Community, and reflects on the path that led to her success as a fiction writer. Recorded 29 March 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
In this final installment of a three-part series, acclaimed intelligence historian and author Nigel West discusses his book, "Hitler's Trojan Horse: The Fall of The Abwehr." Recorded 19 Jan 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.
Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
In this episode, Naval professor and author Erik Dahl discusses his latest book, "The COVID-19 Intelligence Failure: Why Warning Was Not Enough" which explores the roles that both traditional intelligence services, medical intelligence, and surveillance systems play in providing advance warning against public health threats ― and how these systems must be improved for the future. Recorded 2 March 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.