Inside America's Secret Global Wars 🌍

The directive given to our Green Berets is to win by All Means Available. Achieving this requires ingenuity, understanding the environment, a clear plan, and precision execution.

Mike Vickers built his career on winning America’s shadow wars by All Means Available. From his beginnings as both a non-commissioned and commissioned officer Green Beret, to a Paramilitary Operations Officer at the CIA, and later as the Undersecretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, as well as the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. He has been at the forefront of American intelligence and special operations for over 50 years.

In this episode, Secretary Vickers joins Fran Racioppi to share the stories behind his new book, By All Means Available: Memoirs Of A Life in Intelligence, Special Operations and Strategy. He recounts his experiences in nearly every American conflict—both known and unknown—since the Cold War, including his role in leading the defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

We discuss:
-The stakes of the New Cold War and why America’s next challenge may be its greatest.
-What it takes to win "by all means possible" in modern warfare.
-The importance of covert action and why intelligence is the foundation of strategic dominance.
-The threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and how America must respond.
-America’s overconfidence in global conflict and why it must be corrected to solidify dominance.
-Mike also shares his Grand Strategy to rebuild a culture of winning in global conflict, to solidify America’s position as the dominant world power for decades to come.

About the Guest:
Mike Vickers is a former Green Beret, Paramilitary Operations Officer at the CIA, and Undersecretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. His career has spanned five decades of American military and intelligence operations, shaping the outcome of conflicts worldwide.

Highlights:
00:00 Introduction
04:58 Definition and Significance of Intelligence
06:45 DoD Intelligence Use
10:06 Joining the Army
15:34 By All Means Necessary
21:34 Politics in War judgment
29:40 China & Russia
40:54 Defining American power
46:17 Nuclear Weapons in Iran & North Korea
51:55 Mobilization of American troops
53:30 Pakistan
54:27 Media on Disunity
56:02 The Arms Race Against China
1:00:14 Covert Action
1:03:05 Denial of Service
1:06:56 Regional and Global Deterrence
1:10:53 Transforming Our Alliances
1:20:11 The Next Threat
1:24:06 SOF integration
1:29:10 America’s overconfidence
1:32:10 10 Principles
1:43:21 Daily Habits

Quotes:
“It became the largest covert action program in CIA history.”
“Drive them out by all means available.”
“Ammunition is what really sustains operational tempo.”
“When America goes to war, we’re going to bring everything and we are going to win.”
“America is arguably challenged right now, like never before.”
“Once the sleeping giant wakes up, look out, they are going to lose.”
“When you think your biggest enemy is another American or group of Americans something’s wrong.”
“Covert action is taking diplomacy operations, paramilitary operations, sabotage and others and just having it be done under title 50.”
“I think the greatest threat is the combination of China and Russia and perhaps adding in Iran and North Korea.”
“Because I can win a big battle doesn’t mean I can win the smaller battles.”

Watch, listen, or read our conversation with Mike Vickers. Don’t miss this deep dive into America's next great conflict and what it will take to win.

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The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation.

The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by the University of Health and Performance, developing the next generation of fitness entrepreneurs from our Veterans.

The opinions presented on The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of our guests and creator and host Fran Racioppi. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy; nor does Green Beret Foundation endorse any political candidate or any political party.

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