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In this Mastermind episode of The Leadership Podcast, General Stanley McChrystal returns for a third conversation—his most personal and revealing appearance yet. Stan discusses the defining choices in his life, the moments that shaped his character, and the values that continue to guide his leadership. He talks about how his parents influenced his values through action, not words, and how his mother's sudden death when he was sixteen changed the trajectory of his life and family.   Stan shares his experience including near-expulsion from West Point, and another in his early Special Forces days when he learned that trying to be liked is not the same as leading well.  Stan describes what it was like to work under leaders who lacked character, and how those experiences helped him define the kind of leader he never wanted to become. He discusses how having strong peers and a grounded spouse helped him stay true to his principles, even in environments where it was easy to lose direction. Stan shares how aging has narrowed his circle and sharpened his expectations for friendship. He also talks about how his views on war have evolved.  He argues that true change in leadership and values may require discomfort or even crisis to take root. Stan shares why he believes society needs shared standards again—not to suppress individuality, but to maintain mutual respect and unity.  Whether you're a young professional, a seasoned leader, or someone thinking about the legacy you want to leave, this episode will challenge you to reflect. Stan reminds us that we're not passengers in our own development. We can choose the kind of leader we want to be. You can find this mastermind episode wherever you get your podcasts! Watch this Episode on YouTube | Key Takeaways [04:05] Stan shared how the foundation of his character was quietly built at home. His father, a combat infantryman, was steady and soft-spoken—the kind of man young Stan wanted to emulate. His mother, a thoughtful Southern woman, modeled integrity and social conviction. Stan said, “They never sat us down and talked to us about values… they just lived in a way that you thought, well, that's the right way to go.” [07:11] Stan reflected on the emotional toll of losing his mother at 16. Her sudden death shook the entire family and deeply impacted his father, who, despite being a general and a warrior, visibly broke down.  [09:01] When asked how he became the person he is today, Stan talked about trying on different leadership personas. He once tried being the “hard-ass” and even channeled General Patton, only to discover none of them fit. Eventually, through reflection and mistakes, he said, “At some point, there is a you, and you've got to sort of figure out what that is.” [11:43] Stan admitted that he came dangerously close to being expelled from West Point. It's a story he laughs about now, but he acknowledged that if he hadn't graduated, “we would not be laughing about it now.” [13:01] One of Stan's earliest moral tests came during Ranger School. Exhausted and frustrated with a peer leader, Stan and a few others simply refused to follow orders. “There was a right and wrong… and we did the wrong thing,” he confessed. He's carried the shame of that moment ever since, not because of the person they disrespected—but because he remembers what he did. [15:20] Stan looked back on his time as a young Special Forces lieutenant and admitted that he tried too hard to be liked. Over time, he learned that leadership isn't about popularity—it's about standards and setting the tone. A pivotal leadership lesson came when Stan was publicly fired by a seasoned commander after making a cocky remark in a meeting. “I've decided relieving you is wrong,” the major later told him. “You're going to stay here, and I'm going to teach you to be an Army officer.” That humbling moment became a turning point—one Stan says he was lucky to receive. [20:19] Early in his career, Stan served under a battalion commander who taught him how not to lead. “He humiliated himself,” Stan realized, after being screamed at during a march. Later, that same leader quietly reenlisted an unfit soldier just to hit a metric—an act that shattered any remaining trust. “You don't need a lot of examples like that to say: I will never do that.” [24:04] When asked if a public figure ever failed the character test, Stan said yes—and the disappointment stuck. “You start to say, well, if they're really good at what they do, is it okay they do things they shouldn't?” His answer: No. “Everybody's got weaknesses… but there are bounds of acceptability,” and if someone crosses them, he simply steps away. [26:20] Stan shared that as he's gotten older, his circle has gotten smaller. “I actually have a very small number of friends,” he said. While he's become less judgmental, he's also more selective. “I'm going to have people that I really respect and like—because that's who makes me respect myself.” [27:50] Reflecting on whether younger people can shortcut the wisdom that comes with age, Stan emphasized the power of reading. Books like Once an Eagle offered different lessons at each stage of life. “Life is nuances forever,” he said, and engaging with deep, thoughtful material can guide us when experience hasn't caught up yet. [28:54] Stan talked candidly about how his views on war have evolved. “Wars don't actually solve the problem that we hope they will,” he said. After seeing combat firsthand, he became more cautious. But he also noted how those who sacrifice gain legitimacy in shaping national decisions. “They now felt legitimate,” he said of Israeli soldiers after Gaza—ready to sit at the table. [34:13] Stan's call for a national conversation on character is rooted in concern for our systems. “We've let character erode,” he said. Good people enter politics and emerge changed—warped by the system's demands. He doesn't believe politicians will lead this movement. “It'll start in schools, on teams, in churches,” he said. “Most of you are not being the people you even want to be.” [38:11] On the question of whether pain is necessary for change, Stan said plainly, “Yes, I think there has to be more pain.” He saw it during the transformation of JSOC—reform only came during failure. While he believes powerful leaders could spark change, he warned, “The history of very powerful leaders is you get something you don't want.” [39:35] Stan acknowledged the tension between individuality and unity. “There need to be standards of decorum,” he said. He isn't advocating for hats and skirts, but for shared norms that show respect. “The society doesn't work without some kinds of rules,” he warned—rules that give us common ground. [42:18] Stan offered this insight: “Who you are is not an accident… make it intentional.” He believes we each have agency over our convictions and our discipline. His advice to young people: “Expect to stumble, expect to make mistakes… but move toward who you want to be. Don't drift.” [45:07] And remember...“I think. Therefore I am.” - René Descartes Quotable Quotes “A leader is not an individual rock that everybody comes around. It's a group of people, and you reinforce each other.” “Everybody's got weaknesses… but there are bounds of acceptability.” "Leadership is never about the leader. It's about the mission, the people, and the values we refuse to compromise." “Life has nuances forever.” “Wars don't actually solve the problem that we hope that they will.” “Who you are is not an accident. That just happens.” “Make decisions on who you want to be and then move toward that.” “Expect to stumble, expect to make mistakes.” "Why do we allow politicians to lie to us when we know they're lying and they know we know it? Why do we put up with that?" “Becoming who you want to be starts with deciding what that is.” “Character is the only metric that matters.” "You may not control your physical surroundings, but you control your mind." “Reaching our convictions demands deep reflection.” “The most critical discipline is to think for ourselves.”   Books mentioned in this episode:   Resources Mentioned The Leadership Podcast | Sponsored by | Rafti Advisors. LLC | Self-Reliant Leadership. LLC | General Stanley McChrystal Website | General Stanley McChrystal X | General Stanley McChrystal LinkedIn | Facebook |  

Send us a textLet's get one thing straight—Charlie Faint isn't just an intel officer. He's the intel officer that made it through JSOC, the 160th, and now West Point without once becoming a PowerPoint nerd with security clearance delusions. In this episode, we dig into his warrior-scholar journey—from nearly drowning in a flight suit during selection to launching the Havoc Journal and mentoring cadets who think Platoon is a recruiting video.We cover everything: JSOC mythos, combat intel screw-ups, the Rangers' OPSEC paranoia, mentoring Gen Z cadets with TikTok attention spans, and what happens when your daughter accidentally drops a no-strike target's name over a monitored call. You'll laugh. You'll learn. You'll probably get flagged by the NSA.

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. Go to www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader Stanley McChrystal is a retired four-star general. Stan is the former commander of the nation's premier military counter-terrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command (also known as JSOC). His command included more than 150,000 troops from 45 allied countries. Since he retired from the Army, Stan has written multiple best-selling books including, Team of Teams, and most recently, On Character. The most crucial discipline is to think for yourself. To a sad degree, we're lazy. People comment on things they haven't watched or read, but have seen comments by others who align with their political party. They aren't thinking for themselves (this is why it's almost impossible to align completely with one political party for me). If you find yourself saying “I just do” or  “that's what I heard,” that's not thinking. Being Obsessed – “I am convinced that few truly great achievements are reached by individuals with an impressive work-life balance, and the price of greatness, in a word, is great. In the end, I'm an advocate for obsession." The Ranger Effect – The value of unwavering standards.Created near the end of Vietnam when the Army had lowered its standards. They created 2 units of Rangers to raise the standard. It permeated the entire Army. How does a leader do this in Corporate America? Clearly establish expectations. You cannot have a “say-do” gap. The leader must demonstrate the values on a constant basis. BE what you want. Discipline to hold people accountable. “My major takeaway at almost 70 years old is conclusive. I wish I'd thought more, been more contemplative about my convictions, and been more deliberate about the person I sought to be.” Stan's mom — she died on New Year's Day 1971 at age 45. Stan was 16. Had 6 kids. Mary Bright McChrystal. Writes about her in the civil rights chapter. “I accept no belief or claim to truth automatically or unconditionally.” White Water Rafting – When the subject of America's involvement in Afghanistan arises, Stan is frequently asked, what he might do differently if given the chance to do it all over again. Answer: “Go white water rafting.” In Patient Pursuit of Greatness – In the spring of 2012, Stan was teaching a leadership class at Yale. That's when he met their football coach, Tony Reno: “Not many things materially affect my trajectory. But this time was different. What was different? Coach Reno.” Choosing to Lead – Leadership is not a title or position. It's a choice. “Embrace the suck” – “Why suck a little, when you can suck a lot?” Eat one meal a day. It's built on being undisciplined with food. If you only eat dinner, you can eat a lot for that one meal. Self-Discipline - Most important attribute for a leader. Wife Annie - Dependent on her. Kind, thoughtful, caring. Life/Career Advice: Have the discipline to decide want you want to be. Be intentional. LISTEN: Don't just talk. Be respectful. Don't be afraid to fail. Try it, get back up. Try again.  

The last days before the Great Hunt.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.“Can the scorpion ever stop being a scorpion? “"Do we get our legally permitted weaponry back?" The bishop still held my hand."Sure. If it makes you feel better.""I would like to meet your people then," he gave my paw one last shake then released me. "Shall we go?""I will have someone take you to your car. I want to briefly meet with the President, of Havenstone, then I'll join you in the garage. We'll drive over to JIKIT and I'll make the introductions. Good enough?""That is acceptable," he nodded."What about you two?" I regarded the nun and the Swiss Super-soldier. The nun remained vigilant, and silent. The Swiss' eyes flickered to his boss before settling back on me."It is what I volunteered for," he stated firmly."Okay. Please never say I didn't give you a chance to take the sane way out. Also, Bishop Nicolö, circumstances have conspired to up my prospective wedding date to January 1st.""That will be more difficult. Why the change?" he remained grim."We are having twins. By March, this will be very visible.""That is, unfortunate," he shook his head."You have no idea," and then a brainstorm. "And I am curious about resurrecting the Order of the Dragon, the Societas Draconistarum." Technically that meant 'Society of the Dragonists' which was more appropriate than the literal Ordo Draconis."Precisely how do you plan to recreate a crusading Christian Order which was the purview of the Hungarian monarchs?" he didn't sound the least skeptical, just curious."I have billions of euros to fund such a thing," I winked. "Of far greater critical importance, I know where I can find the supernatural guidance and spiritual imperative for such an organization.""You are going to produce a dragon?" his eyes grew larger even as he fought down his fear. Good man. He was adaptive. He'd need to be."I never said such a thing. That would make me sound crazy," I smiled broadly. "Besides, when I say 'dragon', you think 'devil' and that's way too pedestrian for where we are going.""I am not a moral relativist.""Neither am I. I'm out to save lives and nurture the drive in the human spirit to reach for freedom, love and liberty. As you might imagine, I'm pretty freaking outnumbered.""I think you are crazy," he re-evaluated things."I just might be. In all honesty, you should back out now. Take your two compadres back to 25 East 39th Street (the Holy See's Permanent Observer Offices to the UN in NYC) and report 'Mission Failure'. You'll most likely live longer," I reasoned."I am not afraid to die," Sister Rafaela Sophia finally voiced an opinion."That's idiotic," I scoffed before the bishop could reprimand her for opening her mouth. "You should be.""My soul is in God's hands," she set her jaw."Does he talk to you?" I countered."His message is clear.""Not what I asked. I asked if he specifically directed you to toss your life fruitlessly away as an object lesson for the reckless, or careless?""This is uncalled for," Nicolö intervened."Nope. I bet you a phone call to my Brother to physically restore your bishopric that there are four people in this room who have murdered in cold blood," I kept eye contact with the nun, "and she's the odd one out. Right Juanita?""Yes, Ishara," Juanita slipped up. Her spycraft, like mine, needed work."You were in the military?" the bishop asked my bodyguard."Was? I am. Right now," she related. "I will be until I die."That earned me looks from the three Catholics."She is loyal," Nicolö nodded slightly toward her, referring to Juanita's declaration."Huh? To me? Nope. She's loyal to my office, which we shan't get into right now. Back to you, Sister Rafaela Sophia. Are you out to be a martyr, or has some saint, or angel, given you a directive the other two seem to be unaware of which causes you to devalue your life?""I am devoted to the One True God, Christ, our Savior," and Juanita snorted, "and the Virgin Mary," the nun stated firmly. "I don't hear voices in my head.""Juanita, that was rude. Apologize to our guest," I kept looking forward."No." Well, fuck you too."Gun," I commanded. I held out my left hand."What? No. I will not give you one of my guns," she resisted."Juanita, give me your primary weapon, or I will ask Pamela to beat you up the moment I depart for the Great Hunt. After yesterday's stunt, you know she will," I threatened. Fair, I was not. She drew a Glock-20 and handed it to me. I went through the routine, dropped the magazine then ejected the round before opening the door.Oh look, there were four SD chicks outside, ready to escort my visitors downstairs. I didn't even need to waste a phone call. It wasn't like the conference room wasn't being monitored."Excuse me," I took a half step out the door then hurled all three items down the hall. Looking back at Juanita. "Go fetch.""Fuck you," she snapped."And insulting her faith was as degrading to both her faith and her as me doing this to you is degrading to you right now," I lectured her. "It is important to her, therefore it is important to me because she is my guest in the same way it is important to me that I let my bodyguard do her job without being a total asshole all the time. Now go get your God-damn weapon," I barked. Off she went. I left the door open."Now Sister Rafaela Sophia, the point of all this is: I don't give a crap if you are willing to die for God. In fact, that makes you less than worthless to me and the team. I want to know if you are willing to put other motherfuckers in the ground so that Bishop Nicolá, or Mathias, might get to keep doing their jobs.""Murder is a sin," she declared."Go home," I sighed while shaking my head."She answers to me, the Church and God, not you, Mr. Nyilas," the bishop stepped forward."Then you can go home too," I shrugged. "I'm not asking for remorseless killers. I'm asking for people willing to kill to get the hard work done and best of all, for people who know the difference.""Everyone on JIKIT is a professional soldier, or killer?" he asked."No, but the ones who aren't don't carry guns and know to get down when things get funky," I bantered."I vouch for her," he insisted. Juanita came running back into the room."Cool beans. I don't know you either.""You apparently know my service history," he volleyed."Yeah. Ten years a foreigner in the service of France, then you went straight into a university which turns out Jesuits," I riposted."What turned your life around?" he evaded. That was okay. I'd gotten what I wanted. I was willing to bet he had read every bit of public information about me and it was rumored the heavy Catholic membership in the FBI had its benefits to the Church as well. Not so much as to give them insight into JIKIT, but,"Someone risked their life for me. It's been pretty much downhill from there," I confessed. It was the truth. After Katrina gave me the life line on Day Two, it had all spiraled to the revelation of my heritage, Dad's death, Summer Camp, the Hamptons, Romania and Aya's kidnapping."A person, a soldier, died saving my life," the bishop empathized. "Her story is similar. She seeks redemption. She is not suicidal. I am staking both our lives on it."Did he mean him and Mathias, or him and me? I wasn't certain. Still, it was good enough for now. I'd gotten a look at their emotional make up, even the relatively quiet Swiss."Very well," I agreed. "I have to go see the President about my new job description. I'll catch up with you at your car." To the SD team leader, "Take them to the garage. I will join the group of you very soon.""Yes Ishara," she nodded. I exited the room, Juanita in tow. Two SD entered. I was gone before the Papal team left. Upstairs we went, with one last chore to discharge. I had to check on Ms. French to be absolutely freaking sure it was Shawnee, because anyone else would spell disaster.{8:30 am, Monday, September 8th. Last day}A Room full of asistants:Well, there it was, the office of the Executive Director to the President, and not 'Executive Assistant', because this was Katrina's final 'fuck you, no, just her final 'fuck you' before the Great Hunt got underway. I shouldn't assume things, dang it!Anyway, according to the gray-haired matron running gatekeeper to the Office of the President, this was where I was supposed to show up. I shot Juanita a worried look. She glanced my way and shrugged, momentarily willing to not give me shit about the past 24 hours because where I was situated would determine how easily she could do her job.In we went. In the suite were three desks, the 'big' desk situated at the far end of the office space and two far more modest ones on either side of the entryway. The room expanded beyond the chokepoint formed by the two closest desks into a cluttered area. The walls were cluttered with inset bookshelves and portraits of women. Facing one another were a loveseat on my left with bookend plush chairs in an 'L' facing and a full sofa on the right. There were end tables at the ends of the sofa and the corners between the loveseat and each chair.As the door opened, I hadn't knock as this was my office, or so it seemed, the occupants, who had all been sitting in quiet conversation in the central section, began reacting. Oh look ~ Constanza! I nearly had a heart attack before I realized there were three other Amazons also in the room. Sadly, none were behind the 'big desk', so I couldn't tell who was in charge. Two of the other three choices weren't too much better. First off,"Ishara," Marilynn Saint John stood to greet me. I'd last seen her when I'd dedicated her grandmother's (Hayden's) spirit to the halls of my ancestors, not hers, after forcing the political crisis leading to Hayden's suicide ~ her taking herself to the cliffs and in doing so, destroying the Amazon Cult of Blood Purity. Marilynne was clearly still bitter with me. Umm, I could still incite passion in women I hadn't slept with, yet, woot?"Cáel," the senior-most and only friendly face in the room spoke next. Thank goodness it was Beyoncé Vincennes, Head of House Hanwasuit and House Ishara ally."Cáel Ishara," the third individual was deferential which I wasn't sure how to take as the last time I'd encountered her, yeah, things hadn't gone well either."Beyoncé," I started off with a smile. From there, I had to figure out, ah, Beyoncé's eyes flickered to Constanza then Sabia. I knew Marilynn, with her young age, had the least seniority, "Constanza, Sabia, Marilynn. How's tricks?"Glum faces by everyone except Beyoncé. I didn't ask about Sabia's particular well-being. It had been months since I'd beaten her into the mats of the Full-blooded gym. She'd attacked Yasmin, the Brazilian Hottie and my Brazilian Jujutsu sparring buddy, and I'd retaliated by ambushed her when she turned her back on us. Besides, she'd been giving me shit before I even could see straight.Constanza was minus her left eye because of her dire insult to me. If she wasn't capable of working, she wouldn't be here. If she appreciated my 'mercy' in sparing her life ~ her insult was worthy of her death ~ Constanza hid it well. I hadn't spared her expecting a change of heart. I hadn't felt words alone warranted anyone's death. I was a big boy and could take a few insults. House Ishara, as represented by me, could care less. These days, my sisters would be less understanding despite them knowing my heart."Constanza Landau of House Jaya and Marilynn Saint John of House Anahit are Assistants to President Shawnee French," Beyoncé eased things along, "so will be working closely with us, at least for the short term. Sabia Noel of House Guabancex, who I now think you know as well, has joined you as the other 'Assistant' to the 'Executive Director to the President', (that would make me an 'adept', but adept at what?), and since two of the three Regents are unfamiliar with the workings of Havenstone proper, Shawnee has asked me to perform in that role."Beyoncé was, or had been, Havenstone HQ's CFO (Chief Financial Officer). From what I was quickly piecing together, she would essentially be making all the day-to-day decisions concerning the running of Havenstone (how the Host made the majority of its money) until the Regents got up to speed.Only Buffy had actual experience with the New York office and, from what she had told me, solely within Executive Services. While ES knew 'who' did what inside Havenstone, they weren't aware precisely how those Amazons got their jobs done. That would have been an impossible task. Katrina could do it, but she knew it was beyond the ability of most of us 'mere mortals'. Since we were currently at war, the Host needed Katrina completely focused on her duties as Chief Spy-mistress, not baby-sitting the adults.Shawnee indeed had much gravitas among the other House Heads. Not only had she risen up to lead a First House, she had performed heroically during the final days of the last Secret War. Afterwards she had moved into the realm of Amazon jurisprudence and mediation. Until yesterday, she had lived in a House Arinniti freehold in Minnesota's Great Lakes region thus her desire for the 'Training Wheels' period.The Regency would not rule through telecommunication (the upper echelons feared being eavesdropped upon beyond the standard Amazon (read: paranoid) levels) and Havenstone: New York was the center best situated for the current war-fighting operations, so here she lived. I was sure a team from Executive Services was buying, outfitting/spy-proofing and fortifying a dwelling suitable for the President of a Fortune 500 company. Hayden's home would remain the domicile of Sydney thus Marilynn.The same rigmarole would be done for Rhada and Buffy (though I imaged Buffy would bitch endlessly). Publically, they were VP's of a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars and they had to present the public trappings of such leaders.Why did the Amazons do this ~ unmask their leadership to public exposure? Legal-simple: they could request and expect all levels of public and private security for their executives who happened to also be important officials of the Host. Certainly not all executives at Havenstone were officeholders, House Heads, or House Apprentices, but the high level of competence which permitted one often led to the other.Beyonce:As an example: Beyoncé wasn't the most 'bad-ass' lethal chick in House Hanwasuit. As she was preparing to be casted, her intelligence, creativity and diligence at her future craft, finances, was noted by the Host and the members of her House. In due time her name was circulated as Apprentice and the elders approved. When her elder cousin, the prior House Head, took herself to the cliffs, Beyoncé assumed the top spot. Beyoncé wasn't even one of that woman's three daughters.Mirroring her advancement in her House was her advancement in Havenstone's Accounting, Acquisitions and Banking Divisions until she was appointed CFO Havenstone HQ ~ the supreme financial authority inside Havenstone, though the individual regional branches had a greater degree of autonomy than you might normally expect from a 21st century conglomerate, or a Bronze Age autocracy.I had to constantly remind myself, despite the near-constant feuding, Amazons exhibited a phenomenally higher level of trust than I'd ever found in any other society I'd ever witnessed, or read about, before. Though technically Beyoncé could have gone to President Hayden to enforce her decisions ~ or now the Regency ~ she was far more diplomatic in her approach in dealing with the other 'continental' CEO's and CFO's.That meant she had to wrangle the aspirations and resources from:North America (including Latin America, the 'Canadian Arctic' and the North Pacific Ocean),South America (includes both the South Atlantic and South Pacific as far as Samoa),Europe (mostly Central Europe these days plus Antarctica, the 'Russian' Arctic and the North Atlantic),Africa (mostly West-central Africa),India (the subcontinent plus the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean) and,Southeast Asia (which includes Australia)All of which suggested Havenstone hadn't redrawn the Amazons' geographic demarcations since the late 19th century. As an example, an East African venture, say in Tanzania, was as likely to be under the purview of Havenstone: India (due to its control over the Indian Ocean) as Havenstone: Africa (which traditionally had no East Coast holdings due to their constant struggles versus the Arabic slave trade).Returning to Beyoncé: initially she had held the proper 'conservative' (aka man-hating) mindset. My behavior during that first Board Meeting began to change her opinion of me and the New Directive. After the Archery Range incident, Beyoncé became a vocal proponent of the New Directive and faced challenges within her ranks. House Heads do not have to accept challenges and Beyoncé didn't, reasoning with her detractors they had no alternatives save the 'Old Ways' which spelled doom for the Amazon Race.Bing-bang-boom ~ I became the Head of a resurrected House Ishara by the Will of the Ancestors and Beyoncé was vindicated. Not necessarily in the New Directive, but in her support of me thus the rebirth of a sister First House. The purge following High Priestess' Hayden's death was her ultimate absolution. The Ancestors and Destiny had spoken and shown Beyoncé had been piloting House Hanwasuit along the proper course all along.Back to my current circumstances:Oh, why was I Assistant to the Executive Director to the President? It gave me direct access to the finances of Havenstone which was a critical leg of the war-fighting stool ~ people, morale, money and equipment. As Chief Diplomat, I helped with all four of those in varying degrees, allied troops, allied victories, allied bank accounts and allied armaments.The Great Khan, my spiritual 'Blood-Brother', was ramping up his logistic support for my Amazons in Africa, Asia and the Americas. We were 'Allies in the Struggle' and he wasn't going to wait for the Condottieri to begin coordinating with the Seven Pillars to declare them to be his enemies. They were already fighting the Amazons and 9 Clans, his allies, so their fates were sealed.In Japan, my Amazons provided small yet highly effective strike groups which the Ninja families furnished all the support services for. Everything from food to bullets to medical attention as needed. Without reservation, we shared their death-grapple with the Seven Pillars.From the dispatches I was getting back from my family members and envoys in Japan, we were making serious diplomatic inroads with the Ninja. Once again, it was the Amazons shocking capacity for violence as well as their fanaticism, professionalism and proficiency which all impressed our hosts and terrified our enemies, and this from people of a philosophical mindset which had them historically battling samurai.The Black Lotus were running around like rhesus monkeys on crack cocaine unleashed in a China Shop and given RPG's. While the Amazons couldn't help them in China, Indochina & Thailand ~ the Khanate could and was. The Amazons were of more help in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, where the Black Lotus and Amazons were going everywhere on the offensive against the Seven Pillars while the normal tight cohesion and iron-clad confidence, traits which made the 7P's so dangerous ~ were shaken by their horrendous losses in the 'Homeland' aka Mainland China.Less we forget, the 'military intelligence' wing of their organization had been decimated by the Khanate's Anthrax attack due to members of the Earth & Sky sacrificing themselves by being injected with the toxin then allowing themselves to be captured, which always ended in torture and death.Furthermore, the People's Republic of China, while having a scary 18% of the population either captured, imprisoned, dead, or displaced due to the Khanate invasion, that had come with the loss of 63% of their landmass (they had lost all of Nei Mongol, Ningxia & Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Regions, Qinghai and Gansu as well as 90% of Yunnan, 80% of Sichuan and 20% of Shaanxi provinces) to the Khanate and the 'abomination' that was a free Tibet.Then came the Russian 'stab in the back' which entailed the loss of another 10% of their people falling under foreign dominion as well as losing 8% of their most industrialized territory, Manchuria (Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces ~ the Nei Mongol portion of 'Manchuria' was in the Khanate's greedy clutches, from the viewpoint of a Seven P's warrior).Don't get me wrong, they weren't about to throw in the towel. If anything, they were becoming more dedicated to trying harder, digging deep into their knowledge of every atrocity, inhumanity and perversion now deemed necessary to re-chart history back onto its 'correct' path. It was this willingness to act in an even greater sociopathic manner which was being used against them. After all, the 7P's had plenty of proxy allies, who were starting to get really nervous about what their paymasters were now asking them to do,We Amazons were getting some extra special help too. The Booth-gan (Do not call them Thuggee ~ the confederate 9 Clan member based out of India though long since ensconced within various Hindi enclaves across the Globe) had created an all-female group of ultra-fanatical Kali-devotees ~ a gift for the upcoming battle fomented by the Will of the Goddess herself.While Aya was our Queen and the Regency would rule until she wished to assume command of the Amazon People, the nuts-and-bolts of the Host's activities were handled by Saint Marie as Golden Mare (our Minister of War) (technically she held the top spot due to our State of War, though no Golden Mare had ever exercised such authority over a Queen (and she definitely believed Aya was our Queen)), Katrina (as Minister of Intelligence and Security), Beyoncé (as Havenstone (the multinational corporation) ~ our Treasurer/Economic Tsarina) and me (our Foreign Minister).Saint Marie had decided to forgo a public face in order to better facilitate her moving around to various battle fronts and holding clandestine meetings with her junior regional commanders. Her Havenstone corporate title was 'Chief of Security Training and Certification'. As an extra level of deception, the head of Security Services wasn't even a Director-level position, instead being folded into the duties of the Office of the President.To my current circumstances ~ I had been given Constanza's house name which could only mean she wasn't currently assigned to the Security Detail; a fact that couldn't have made her bad attitude any better. Marilynn had completely lost her way as an Amazon when I first met her, burying her pain and confusion in endless partying and intoxicants. I believed only her grandmother's status as High Priestess kept her from the severest of reprimands, or death. I didn't even know what Marilynn's caste was. Sabia,"While I'm sure you are both far more qualified than I, precisely how did you two get these jobs?" I had to ask my two non-coworkers. Constanza glowered. Marilynn flinched."I have an in depth knowledge of Havenstone security procedures and resources," Constanza replied."Shawnee requested me," was Marilynn's comeback. "I also have intimate knowledge of the City of New York and its environs.""Actually, Buffy Ishara recommended you both to Shawnee," Beyoncé corrected their misconceptions. I knew the score. I'd be working intimately with the tight community around the President (Shawnee) and Vice Presidents (Buffy & Rhada). Buffy wanted me to be surrounded by women who hated my guts, so I wouldn't end up boinking them. It rarely worked that way. All too often ladies who hated my still-beating heart ended up punishing me with sex. I wasn't sure why that happened, but it did."Beyoncé, didn't the Chief Diplomat of the Host have her own office? I'm pretty sure Troika had one before her unfortunate collision with Saint Marie," I felt entitled to inquire."Do you feel you've earned that office space?" she riposted."Oh, fuck no!" I waved my hands one over the other to accentuate my denial. "I was just wondering where I could stick Juanita while I'm hanging around, here.""She has the desk right outside the door, Cáel," Beyoncé smiled knowingly. "So there is no way you can sneak past her.""Oh," I grunted. "Buffy again?""No. Pamela Pile put in that particular request.""Oh, Sweet Mother of God, now she is conspiring against me too?""Yes. Some of us realize the greatest hazard to your health is yourself, Ishara," Beyoncé chided me. "We'd like to keep you around, so we listen to those charged with that nigh impossible task.""Is she going to be hanging around the office often?" Constanza asked, either myself, Juanita, or Beyoncé; I wasn't sure. She = Pamela."Please, Constanza," I attempted to intervene, "don't make Pamela kill you. It will upset Mona." Constanza's scowl was accentuated by the eyepatch covering her ruined left socket, the one Pamela had carved out when Constanza had insulted me and House Ishara on our first day of rebirth. I didn't tell Juanita this, because Juanita might just shoot Constanza over the insult before Pamela got a chance to finish the job.The tension was palatable."Mona and I have talked, about Romania, and other things," Constanza grudgingly allowed. It took me a second to realize there was a hidden meaning to what she said. Mona was part of my personal Security Detail bodyguard unit. If she felt Constanza, the woman who had raised her after her birth-mother had died, was a threat to me, she'd feel duty-bound to snuff Constanza first. Amazons were hard-ass bitches alright and I think Mona had made that clear."I hope things can improve between us," I offered to Constanza. "Beyoncé, I just stopped in to say 'hey'. I'm off to JIKIT and I've got three of the Pope's people waiting on me in the garage so,""Vice President Varma requested a moment of your time," Beyoncé smirked. "She is in 2604.""Who?""Vice President Rhada Varma, a moment of your time, alone?" she clarified."Sure thing," I backed out of the office. Once I had some space, I turned to Juanita. "Give me three minutes then bust in and say, I don't know, a tsunami is about to overwhelm the city, or something. Otherwise, I won't get out for at least an hour and I think I've put the Bishop and his people through enough delays as it is.""Are you actually asking me to stop you from having an in-office liaison?" she studied me intently as we walked in the direction of Rhada's office."Yes. It's not likely to happen often, believe me.""Oh, I do, in that you won't ask me to do it often," she grumbled. I'd deal with Juanita's morale problem later. Right now, I had to gird my loins so they wouldn't do anything else with Rhada. I had work to do, damn it!Rhada was sitting at her desk, working on something, stylus raised up so she could chew on the end. Her hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail, the type that captured the rear half of the hair in a ponytail while leaving the front and bangs free to flow down. Rhada's blouse was white & billowy and, as I was soon to discover, her pants were ultra-tight and contour hugging."Mr. Nyilas," she greeted me. "I would like a moment of your time," she relayed what I already knew. She was more than a tad nervous to boot."Vice President Varma," I started off."When in private you may call me Rhada," she interrupted."Rhada, you look more ravishing than ever."That got up her and coming around her desk, which revealed her ultra-tight pants with no sign of her wearing underwear. Yikes! My cock was preparing to do what a cock was meant to do and I just didn't have the time, Really!"Do you have any time?" she let her bosom heave."Not today, ugh," I groaned. See, Rhada took the stylus and dragged it down her chin, throat and in between her bountiful mounds.All of which exposed the top of her black bra."Are you sure, Master?" she enticed me by turning around and then leaning over her desk, point that ass in my direction. My mouth began salivating and my groin ached. I found myself quick-stepping to her and giving those buttocks two firm slaps, one on each cheek."No, damn it, though I'm going to make you pay for this when I get back," I rumbled."Master will make me wait?" she taunted me."That will cost you even more," I growled. "I have business which simply won't wait and here is my captive teasing me with the treasures of her flesh. Bad, war captive," I spanked her yet again, hard. "Bad!" and I spanked her a fourth time. With each beating, Rhada gasped in pain and then exhaled in pleasure."If I've been bad, Master must be extra harsh with me when he returns in triumph from the Great Hunt," she gloated. Rhada had gotten what she wanted, which was another affirmation of my lust for her and our 'game'. I could provide her the release she so desperately craved while allowing her the safety of remaining in the Amazon fold. It was a perfect pairing, for her.I had other problems, such as all the other baby mamas in my life plus the extra-marital affairs I was contemplating. I still took the moments we had to snuggle with Rhada, her grinding that tush into my rod while I held both her arms tightly to her side while raining kisses down onto her neck and head."Sir! A giant tsunami is approaching the city!" Juanita exploded through the door."What?" I coughed. I had a face full of hair."Huh?" Rhada pushed up and away from me. I let her go."Right now," Juanita insisted. She really needed to stop taking me so seriously when I gave her such advice."Really?" from Rhada. She shot me a curious look so I shrugged. What else was I supposed to do with such a flimsy lie forcing our separation? At least I got out of there on time?{9:50 am, Monday, September 8th ~ Last day}(JKIT HQ)"Is this a common occurrence?" Sister Rafaela Sophia whispered to the closest woman, who happened to be Wiesława, the Polish Amazon. Since she hadn't arrived with us from Havenstone, the nun might have assumed she was with the 'Americans', or British."What?" Wiesława responded evenly."Weapons combat, they look real," the nun clarified."They are real. We always practice with real weapons.""Really?""Of course," Wiesława smiled at her. "We believe a few cuts and scrapes now will save lives when the true tests come.""Oh, you are with, Havenstone?" Rafaela clued in."Yes. I am Wiesława of House Živa. I am currently assigned to Unit L, Cáel's unit within JIKIT," she offered her hand to shake. Despite being a full-blooded Amazon from a freehold, her 'human' skills were progressing nicely. The nun shook it."I am Sister Rafaela Sophia of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that is a Roman Catholic Religious Order." Pause. "Do you hate Catholics too?""Yes. We have lived beside your people for many centuries and found your clergy to be much more dangerous than your pagan predecessors. Still, Cáel thinks you can be relied on and he's proven we can trust outsider women, which I was raised to believe was unlikely, and outsider men, which was basically anathema, so I'm willing to set aside my prejudices and judge you as an individual," the Pole imparted."Outsider men?" Rafaela mumbled."Well, yes," Wiesława smirked. "You are a nun, right?""Yes.""So you set aside the World of Men to live mostly among women, right?""Not entirely," the nun chose her words carefully. "We still rely on priests for religious rights and of course obey the life teachings of Christ and follow the leadership of his Holiness, the Pope, a man.""No one is perfect," the Amazon bantered back."Do you know the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ?" Rafaela ventured into dangerous waters."Yes. He was the semi-historical Son of your supposed One True God. We are not monotheists. We are Polytheists. Živa is my House's matron Goddess. It is also the name of the first woman to lead the House, her birth name surrendered to Destiny so all the daughters who came afterwards would be equals.""Oh, is Mr. Nyilas also pagan?" she inquired."I am unsure. From what I have been told, he has commended the spirit of his fallen father to your Jesus in a sacred ceremony then, in the presence of your Trinity and the Goddess Ishara, brought in new members to his House. I suspect he may be both," Wiesława reasoned. "Why don't you ask him?""Because he's fighting for his life?" Rafaela looked my way.See, the entire time their discussion had been going on, I had been sparring in a spare room at JIKIT HQ with Estere Abed, the Hashashin assassin (rather redundant ~ like saying the Sahara Desert). I had two tomahawks while she had a scimitar and curved dagger. While we sparred using the furniture as obstacles, Agent-86 was briefing me on various World events to get my input.Addison Stuart (CIA) and Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke (MI-6) were having a chat with Bishop Nicolé de Santis, verifying for themselves he was worth adding to the team. Juanita was having a similar discussion with Rikki Martin (US State Department) concerning my earlier encounter with the Papal team. Nicolé's buddy, Wachtmeister Mathias Bosshart of the Swiss Guard, was getting acquainted with the other security personnel.In comparison, those two had it easy. Both men were in their elements. Nicolé was a spook who pretended to be a diplomat for the Pope and was well acquainted with terms like 'deniable assets', 'plausible deniability' and your direct superior referring to requests concerning your identity/diplomatic status by saying 'I never heard of him and if I had, I have no idea what he was doing when you caught him doing what I don't know what he was doing', or something like that.Mathias was in the company of military-security specialists, brother professionals who were introducing him to his 'sister' professionals. Our Homeland Security gang were almost entirely former military by now. They got along with our JSOC folks and both had gained a limited acceptance with the Amazon security contingent.They bonded over the fact they were forced to work with really shady characters ~ the 9 Clans menagerie ~ who didn't always appreciate JIKIT operational security. Without going into particulars, the Wachtmeister was given the impression the abnormal was the norm and if you didn't think there was a 'down-side' to being able to carry your personally favorite bang-bang (the SG 552-2P Commando in his case) with some serious attachments (read: grenade launcher) around in downtown Manhattan, you probably didn't belong on this team.Back in the room,"He's not fighting for his life," Estere laughed. "He is fighting for mine.""Right," I responded sarcastically. We went through a flurry of exchanges, ending up with me kicking a chair at her. Estere stepped over it, colliding with me.I blocked her dagger, disarmed her scimitar and,"You are dead," she panted down at me, smiling. I was on my back, her straddling me. She had a belt-knife to my throat. I hadn't see her draw it. The scimitar 'disarm' had been a distraction."Woot!" I exhaled."But you're dead," Sister Rafaela misunderstood my good humor."He survived a minute and thirty-four seconds more today than his previous record," Estere responded. She slithered off of me, doing my arousal no good whatsoever, then offered me a hand up."And that's better?""He's a rank amateur with a few months on the job. I've been training to kill people for nearly two decades," Estere smiled. "Care to have a go?""With him, or you?""Either," Estere offered."I don't have a knife, or any hand weapons," she stated."We'll need to remedy that," Wiesława stated. "You should at least carry a knife.""Really? Why?""It is a nearly universal tool," I verbally stepped up. "Even if you are disarmed, you should be able to find one relatively easily, people are less likely to miss a stolen knife than a purloined gun, and a concealed blade could come in handy.""Do you train in knife-work?" Rafaela eye-balled me."Absolutely. It is part of my culture," I grinned."Okay. Can we spar, hand-to-hand?""Sure," I nodded. I put my tomahawks in their harnesses then put my harnesses aside. Estere gave me a wink before giving us the fighting space."So," Rafaela began to circle, "are you Christian?""By your definition, or mine?""By the definition of the Catholic Church."Oh cool, she went for a Savate stance. This was going to get ugly.My "no," was followed by her kick and my block, lunge and grapple. She wasn't nearly as good as Felix. I had her down and in a choke hold within fifteen seconds.Perhaps she thought I'd take it easy on her. She tapped out. I released her, retreated and flowed back to my boxing stance. It took her a moment to realize this was 'practice', not 'an interview'. She hadn't failed in anyone's eyes. We were both doing this to get better."See, I really, truly believe I have talked to supernatural entities ~ some who are considered divinities," I continued. This time she was more careful, trading jabs and blocks with me. "They don't claim to be the One True God. I believe in such a thing, but I also believe having been given the Message, Humanity has been left to muddle things out for ourselves."Whoops, she popped me one."The Woman-Thing this morning?""Yep," I evaded another flurry. She got cocky and I landed three blows, dropping her to the ground. I didn't help her up. Instead, I withdrew and let her get back up on her own before deciding if she wanted to continue. She did."I believe I've seen dragons and ghosts. I have felt legions of my ancestors give me quiet encouragement when I needed it. I know the dead have been brought back to life," I came at her. This time we both went for body blows, knees, elbows and fists. She was not SD-caliber and she needed to be. I grappled and she was forced to tap out again. After she regained her feet, she held up a hand for a pause."Do you believe any of that?" she addressed Estere."I am an adherent of Ismaili Islam yet nothing Cáel has encountered is contrary to my belief system. The Universe is a complex place and the Divine Light is often seen through a fractured lenses," she counseled the nun."Among the escapees were lawyer Francisco Luemba, Catholic Priest Raul Tati, economist Belchior Lanso Tati and former policeman Benjamin Fuca who are serving jail sentences of between three and six years each for supposed links to the rebel group FLEC (Frente para a Libertaé'o do Enclave de Cabinda), which carried out the attack on the Togolese football team at the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in January, 2010," Agent-86 read off yet another bit of global minutia."We need to get to them," I half turned. Sister Rafaela punched me in the gut and I folded up."Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry.""Okay," I mumbled. I had to keep with the plan. "Those men. We need to contact our Coils people in Kinshasa and the Warden of the Mountain Ways ('she' was the Amazon Host's leader of Africa ~ in the ancient times, the mountain ways had been the routes of southern vulnerability for the Amazon tribe thus the name).""Okay," both Agent-86 and Estere answered."Why?" 86 added."The Coils and the Host have had a serious problem with no nation in Africa giving them even back room recognition so we are going to take over our own country, Cabinda. It's been struggling to be free of Angola since 1975 and, by latest estimates, we've got strike elements of over 2,000 Amazons ready and waiting next door in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.""So you are going to go to war with Angola?" Estere frowned. "Don't we have enough enemies?""Au contraire," I grinned wickedly. "The resistance movement is genuine," I ticked off my points, "they have tons of offshore oil, and after we set off some spectacular explosions in the two main Angolan ports which are just down the coast, we allow global panic to bully the UN into intervening before the Angolan military launch an effective counter-offensive ~ considering the Angolan Armed Forces (I'd been reading up on a ton of CIA & MI-6 briefings) will most likely involve attrition warfare since they can't beat us in a stand-up fight.""They, the Angolans, have no overland access, they are separated by 60 kilometers of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo over some sad ass roads Plus the Congo River itself which is freaking huge by the time it gets that close to the Atlantic, Cabinda rests on the Atlantic Ocean by the way. No bridges. The Angolan Navy is anemic. Let me think."I began pacing."Hmm, they have no paratroopers though they have some Special Forces, we will need to hit as many of them in the barracks as we can. Their last invasion was from the north, overland, from the Republic of the Congo, in 1975, not likely to happen this time, though I may have my 'Brother' weasel up a battalion of Indian paratroopers to act as convincing peacekeepers after the initial take over.""Perhaps we can recruit some Vietnamese. I'm sure they'll love fighting in someone else's jungle for a change. We'll need some of 'our' guys to seize the port of Soyo, it is on the wrong side of the river, but has the major refinery the Cabindans will need. Since the entire surrounding province are the same ethnic make-up as the Cabindans, we'll have to take that too.""Man-o-man, I bet by the time this is over they'll really wish they'd given little Cabinda independence back in 1975. As for their other refinery, it is in their capital, Luanda, a few big explosions there too will get the markets jittery. Check that ~ the complete and utter destruction of their major petroleum facility will create a stampede for Peace," I continued. I walked over as our resident computer intelligence genius worked his magic."Blowing things up, you mean killing people," the nun blanched."Yes. This is what I do," I spared her a sympathetic glance. "I've got a madman roaming around in my head who provides me truly epic military advice which normally, but not always, means blowing shit up and killing folks. Welcome to the team," then as the data appeared, "Holy Shit! Did they build their oil refinery in the midst of their ghetto?" I was staggered. The refinery in Soyo was isolated from the town so it could be easily (and safely) seized. It was the one in Luanda which was the 'Holy Shit' site."It looks that way," Agent-86 agreed nonplussed. "Hmm, yeah, here is the port facility then your neighborhood of shoddily constructed one- and two-story dwellings between the refinery and the inland storage tanks, the perimeter barrier appears to be a chain link fence. I'd hate to be their Chief of Security.""Oh yeah," I choked. Estere slipped around to get a look."Whoops," she snorted."What are these people thinking?" I continued. "The whole shebang is exposed to the northern quarter of the city. The storage tanks have residential dwellings on all four sides with numerous side streets. Two teams with RPGs and four rounds apiece, Holy Crap. Sorry Sister.""But I want to save lives," she sputtered."Limiting the collateral damage could be pretty tough," Estere frowned. She toggled throw a series of maps to multiple pictures."Oh, look (dripping sarcasm); they light up the refinery at night. You can sit off the coast in a speed boat under cover of darkness and attack from there," she noted."Damn. Those are a lot of lights," Agent-86 agreed."24-7 operation," I suspected."We will need some experts," the government agent nodded."Or we are going to kill a fuck-load of innocent people. Not just the workers, but can you imagine a fire spreading to those neighborhoods? Shit," I muttered."You can't seriously be contemplating doing something like this," the nun sputtered. "It is inhumane. Think of the families, the children.""Lady, yes I am. Do you have any idea what the Human Rights record of the Angolan Army in Cabinda is? It is truly horrific and in case you missed it, one of the guys in dire need of rescuing by me, due to him being a huge rebel leader who has managed to escape, is also a Catholic priest. He's going to be part of the new government we are going to install once we kill a few hundred Angolans ~ mostly soldiers (more like well over a thousand).""We are going to kill a few hundred so a few hundred thousand can live free, democratic lives without worrying about the local police and political establishment torturing and murdering them. It is all part of the plan.""I think I need to talk with the Bishop.""Hang on. Let me finish," I forestalled her. "He'll get briefed along with everyone else. After all, it is a majority Roman Catholic country as is Angola, so I'm sure your guy can be of immense help.""The people you are putting at risk don't deserve this," she protested."They never do," I nodded in agreement with her. "It rarely stops terrible crap from happening to them though."I felt sorry for the Sister. She thought the Bishop was going to put a stop to this. Poor girl; he was going to do the exact opposite. See, the two competing forces at play here were a communistic kleptocracy (currently ruling Angola) and Catholic liberation theology united with a Cabindan national identity dating back to 1885. At stake was 900,000 barrels a day of petroleum. That was a bunch of funding for somebody. Last I checked, the state run energy conglomerate had misplaced $32 billion, in just three years.Mind you, the Coils of the Serpent and the Amazon Host didn't want to help the People of Cabinda out of the goodness of their hearts either. They wanted cover for the importation of weapons and other war-fighting material so they could kill the Condottieri in Africa. If the rebel leaders-turned-legitimate government didn't play ball well, the Coils were in the 'assassinating people' business and somewhere along the line the survivors would figure out keeping 'us' happy kept them alive. Problem solved.It was Bishop Nicolé de Santis' job to facilitate that understanding. If certain people with Vatican credentials explained the 'facts of life' to the new regime a lot more lives could be saved, Catholic lives. In turn, he could work to make sure the new group in power wasn't nearly as corrupt as the gang we were tossing out. Better education and quality of life, improved infrastructure & security and a nice shiny cathedral, or two.We, as in JIKIT and our component members, didn't want to rule the country and dominate the people's lives. We needed the ports and the airfields with a blind eye turned to our skullduggery. Sure, there would be future considerations. Amazons and Coil members would be fighting and dying for these people's freedom ~ public recognition definitely not required. No; the Amazons wanted to be left alone in their deep jungle homes which was an isolation they basically already had. This was a future chit which said 'don't come looking'.The Coils? Let's just say in the future Cabinda would have embassies around the globe and if occasionally they wanted someone to slip through under diplomatic cover ~ they were good for it. And if the Cabindans ever needed help in the future they knew they had friends in dark places who were now invested in Cabinda's survival. It was a win-win-win, unless you were an Angolan big-wig, or one of their foot-soldier currently serving in Cabinda. Amazons weren't big on taking prisoners, or even giving the opposition the option of giving up.For me, it wasn't lunch yet and here I was plotting to overthrow yet another government in yet another country ~ though in only two, small provinces this time. Thank the Goddess I had the rest of the week

Diplomatic Hell Hole.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels."Are we in the right place?" the stranger worried."I'm afraid so. Anais, you need to leave.""Not until you tell me what is going on here," she sizzled."She's not here to have sex, if that's what you worried about," I retorted. "Wait, are you here to have sex with me?""I barely know you.""That rarely stops me," I muttered."He's a master of bedroom antics," Pamela praised me. "He's pretty much at a loss at doing anything else.""Thanks Grandma," I griped."Your welcome, Grandson.""We, are here to meet someone," the stranger hedged."You came to the right place," Pamela preempted me. "He's definitely someone.""Fine, redo. I'm Cáel Nyilas," (deep breathe), "NOHIO, HCIESI-NDI, U HAUL, Magyarorszag es Erdely Hercege plus a bunch of other honorifics that have yet to be confirmed. I am single-handedly bringing back medievalism to the center of Europe and the Near East. The woman to my left is Pamela Pale, and she really is my bodyguard. The woman to my right is Sgt. Anais Saint-Amour, RCMP, my ex-lover and the person that needs to leave   right now.""I'm not sure I should leave at this moment," Anais shifted possessively. I had to recall earlier this morning, the part where we'd broken up by mutual consent. Yep. That had really happened. I had thought I was whittling down my current list of paramours. Why do the Goddesses hate me so?"Told you, she can't give up that cock," Pamela whispered."As you can see, I have limited control of my life," I told the strange woman. "I know you are here to meet somebody who isn't me. Now you know who I am. Who are you and your companions?""I'm Ms. Quincy.""Sorry; I'm on a first name basis with everyone I meet," I interrupted."What's your rank, Honey?" Pamela added."What makes you think,?""She doesn't think. That's what makes her so dangerous." I explained."Hey now," Pamela faux-complained."Okay. She's a fledgling telepath, or medium," I shrugged."Captain, Zelda Quincy.""In case you are mesmerized by her tits," Pamela tapped me, "she's packing some serious hardware.""One of those personal defense gizmos?" I leaned Pamela's way."Close, but no cigar. She's my kind of girl, big 'bang-bang', back-up at the small of her back and knife in her boot.""What!" Zelda gulped."She's his knife-fighting instructor," Anais answered drolly."Are you Special Forces?" Zelda regarded my mentor."Nah, I got kicked out for a consistent failure to observe even the loosest Rules Of Engagement. I'm a free-spirit.""Oh, you're a sniper," Zelda nodded."I like this one," Pamela smiled."Ah, thank you." Then, over her shoulder, "I think we are in the right place." Zelda entered the room, followed by a Hispanic panther of a man (kind of like a tanned, slightly shorter Chaz without the cool accent) wearing a long coat, and a Subcontinent-cast woman who looked at everyone as if she expected us to sprout fangs, or start quoting the Koran any second now. She obviously was a brain seconded to this mission very much against her will.The fourth person had that cagey 'when my lips move, I'm lying' look while seemingly unhappy with her current assignment. The heavy implication was that the lady was a career diplomat. Considering our current company and who we were talking to, she was State Department. She was in her late 30's or early 40's and giving off the sensation she had devoted so much to her career that she was starting to wonder if that was all that life had to offer.The fifth member was a military man clearly uncomfortable about what he was doing here, thus not a spook. His off-the-rack suit wasn't terrible, so he expected to socialize somewhat while performing his duties. He also looked like a man who expected other people to speak half-truths and obfuscated lies as easily as they breathed. Numbers three, four and five were dressed for the weather and unarmed.All of this meant they were good at what they did, though they probably didn't know the particulars of what was expected of them. They had their marching orders. Those orders were about to be made irrelevant in the company they would be keeping. The latter weren't the 'doing it by rote' kind of people they would normally be dealing with."I bet you she's a doctor," I murmured to Pamela, "she's with State and he's some sort of Foreign Service type.""I bet the first guy is Air Force," she countered."Like one of those Para-rescue guys?""No. More like one of those Battlefield Air Operations guys, I'm guessing," she corrected me."That guy?" I nodded to the final guy. "Pentagon wonk?""More likely he's one of those embassy guys. I'm going to take an educated leap here, Office of Military Cooperation, Mongolia?""That is pretty clever of you. Kazakhstan. Major Justin Colbert.""I bet some people in the White House, Pentagon and Langley are disappointed with you right now," I reasoned. His jaw grew tight."Don't worry, Major," Pamela grinned. "We consider that a good thing. We don't like the people in charge and have a low opinion of their opinion on just about everything, including their habit of blaming the blameless for their government's fuck ups.""Who are these people?" the first man whispered to Quincy."She's a telepath." That was Zelda"She's a psychic-medium." That was Anais."She can see through time." That was me. "Nice to meet you. Who are you?""Chris Diaz. Lieutenant Colonel, USAF.""Dr. Saira Yamin," the second woman introduced herself. "Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies. Are you the man from Johnston Island?""Why yes, yes I am," I beamed."The APCSS is in Waikiki, Hawaii," Pamela educated me. "Your arrival probably cost her some prime surfing time.""I was more interested in the fact that he survived a plane crash in a Category Four Cyclone," she admitted."Mother Nature hates me. No matter how hard I try, she refuses to kill me," I confessed. "My suffering is an endless source of amusement to that bitch.""That, that wasn't the helpful answer I was looking for," she stammered."So, Lt. Colonel Chris Diaz, you must be with JSOC, I have a deep and abiding respect for you guys. If you need something, just ask," I greeted him. "Captain Zelda, you are not with JSOC.""She's with the DCS ~ that is the Defense Clandestine Service," Pamela kept going. "Zelda, you love being in your uniform, you're proud, yet happy with the concept of dying in an unmarked grave for Constitution and Country. You are too old to have been in the first female class at Ranger School, so that means no 'in the field' JSOC for you. You've gotten around that stone wall by joining the US Defense Department's own little pack of killers.""Also, you felt it was necessary to bring a Benelli M4-11707. That's a close-in action shotgun, but a bit over-kill considering the paper-thin walls in this building. That tells me you are used to being in the kinds of places where such a tool is a necessity. Or in other words, since you think you are meeting a band of terrorists, you brought along your favorite toy.""Your personal weapon is a SIG Sauer P229R DAK in .357 which is a new weapon still under trial by the US Army and Air Force. Your boot dagger is ceramic so it will pass a cursory exam, or scan. You hate the idea of being trapped on a public aircraft weaponless. You have also given up killing power for a proper balance for throwing. I like a forward-thinking gal.""Air Force ~ you've recently come back from Asia, most likely Tibet. It shows in your breathing brought about by a close call with Altitude Sickness. The only reason for an Air Force guy to be here is because he's familiar with the Khanate military and you are not US Army, or Marine Corp Special Forces. I know the type.""You went with the MP5K in the standard 9mm, so you are more interested in sending bullets down range than looking into someone's face as you kill them. You may be a 'light' Colonel, which means you are almost somebody. What your higher-ups haven't appreciated is that our guests will respect you because they are like that ~ remembering past friends and comrades in arms. Of greater importance, you have Cáel's gratitude which will count for more than you currently believe."I pledged then and there to be as good as Pamela at determining that kind of stuff before I died. She had assured me it was as much a matter of psychology as eagle-eyed perception. People were often a type that gravitated to various forms of destruction, be they old school, or going for the latest gadget."I told you all that firepower was excessive," State softly chastised her associates (what they really were, not the underlings she saw them as)."So, you appeared to have forgotten to tell us your name," I regarded the State lass."Nisha Desai Biswal. I'm with the government.""Oh, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, I've examined your website," I told her. It clearly pissed her off somewhat that I so swiftly disregarded her crude attempt at subtle manipulation."Hey. I've got some real enemies at State, so it pays to know who might be the next suit trying to cock me over," I explained. I had to prioritize. It would take some serious effort to convince Zelda to have a MFF three-way straight out the gate and she was definitely the hotter number."Major, you came here unarmed," Pamela noted. "That won't do. They expect you to be armed because you are a warrior, damn it. Cáel get him one of your Glock 22's.""Gotcha," I nodded. I went to my room, tipped away the false back to my closet (that Havenstone had installed recently so Odette wouldn't accidently fire off one of my weapons) and retrieved one of my spare Glocks, but not the one with the laser sight. Such over-the-top fancy gear would be inappropriate. I only gave him one mag. If he couldn't get the job done with 15 rounds, he wouldn't have a chance to reload.Mind you, I took two in a twin-rig shoulder holster and four 22 round magazines, because I tend to shoot two-handed which doesn't exactly give you a bullseye every time. I returned to our crowded living room, handed the Major his weaponry, and then directed the US group to the far side of the room (towards Timothy's bedroom. Saira and Nisha took the couch.Because this tiny space wasn't crowded enough, there was a knock at the door. I checked. It was Juanita, oh yeah, my real bodyguard."Listen up everybody," I announced to the room. "This is my other bodyguard, my official one. Her names is Juanita Leya Antonio Garza, she's from the Dominican Republic via Buenos Aires and she is armed, so don't freak out." I opened the door."What is going on?" Juanita hissed."I'm having a private meeting with a few heavily armed friends. The other side to this party hasn't arrived yet. Why don't you come in?" She came in."Why didn't you warn me?" she whispered her complaint."Long night, worse wake-up, needed to do some soul-searching. Pamela was looking after me, then this came up and I forgot. I apologize," I lowered my head in shame. Juanita was only trying to do the job she'd been entrusted with and by not thinking of her, I was making that so much harder.I made the introductions, first names only."Juanita, Anais, Pamela; please slip into the kitchenette," I suggested.Anais "Why?"Juanita "Where are you going to be?"Pamela "Sure. I'm starving. I'm going to raid the fridge.""Anais, because I need my faction in one place. Juanita, I will be refereeing this meeting, so I will have to remain in the living room, roughly six feet from you." It was really a small apartment. "Pamela, if it is edible, it isn't mine and you'll have to replace it."Great Caesar's Ghost! No wonder Big Wigs had their personal assistants handle this pre-meeting crap. I was on my last two fucking nerves and one of those was already stressed and tender. And the real reason for being here hadn't even arrived yet."Why am I in your faction?" Anais mulled over threateningly."Because you haven't walked out that door. There are going to be three sides to this meeting, not three plus Anais. That is the way it is going to be. Now, are you going to behave, or are Juanita and Pamela going to toss you out?""You are threatening me!""Finally catching on to that, aren't you, Sweetie?" Pamela chimed in."I'm only staying because I believe you are in trouble," Anais grumped."Why is she (Anais) here?" Nisha inquired heatedly. "This is supposed to be a very, very private encounter.""I know Anais. I don't know you. I trust Anais with my well-being despite the fact she has numerous reasons to distrust me. She's staying because she is a straight arrow. That's good enough for me.""But is she going to keep her mouth shut about what happens here today?" Nisha pressed."Anais, this is a clandestine meeting that isn't going to be recorded by anybody so, barring a crime being committed, you can never discuss this with anyone who isn't already in the room. Agreed?"Pause."I agree," she nodded. I really was going to have to fuck her again. Not today. Well, maybe not today; I had to keep my options open. Her investigator mind was going into overdrive. Give it a week and she'd be knocking on my door late one night. Inquisitive, truth-hungry dames are like that, trust me. Then it would be 'bask in my genius' sex. It had been a while since I'd experienced that, with Lady Yum-Yum.There was another knock at the door. I checked before Juanita could do the checking for me, in case someone was going to shoot me through the door. Fuck it. I was going to talk to Timothy about moving. Him, me and Odette. I couldn't give those two up. It was Kazak bookends. I opened up and invited them in. It turned out they had names besides Bookends #1 and #2, Nuro and Roman.Nuro (I think) checked out the rooms while Roman (I was pretty sure) kept an eye on my guests. I made introductions, first names only and specifying who was with who. Technically, they could trust my side because I was the Great Khan's brother and thus my servants were his servants. Technically.Iskender came next followed by OT. A woman I didn't know (sadly, not OT's daughter) came in behind him while the other two quintuplets stayed in the hallway. Iskender and I hugged."Ulı Khaan s yikti ağası," he smiled. That was 'Prince-something'. My Kazak was a bit rusty. He then whispered into my ear. "OT bows to you first. His title is Hongtaiji." What?"Ulı Khaan s yikti ağası," OT bowed."Hongtaiji Oyuun T m rbaatar," I bowed back. I remembered I had to rise first. It was an etiquette thing. In retrospect, Iskender had stretched the bounds of tradition by hugging me, his titular superior. "Welcome to my humble abode.""I thank you for your hospitality," he 'grinned'. His face wasn't made for that gesture so that faint gesture came across as rather unnatural.My mind finally finished translating what Iskender and OT had called me. It wasn't 'prince'. It was 'beloved brother of the Great Khan'. Mother fucker!"Wait," Justin, the military attach  guy muttered, "we are here to meet this guy?" indicating me."What do you mean?" Saira questioned."The title Mr. Nyilas was identified with means 'beloved brother of the Great Khaan'," he explained. "The Kazakhs don't go tossing honorifics like that around. This guy," again pointing at me, "is a really important somebody.""Thanks for dropping this grenade in my lap, OT," I joked. "I'll get you for this, and your little yak too.""Odette is going to be so miffed that she missed this," Pamela chuckled."Mr. Nyilas," Zelda began."Please, call me Cáel. It is how I roll.""Cáel, can I ask you a stupid question?""Go right ahead," Pamela snorted. "Cáel does stupid real well. It is a critical part of his skill set. It makes him adorable instead of annoying. Trust me, you'll learn that soon enough."Too much 'trust me' was flying around in a room where nobody trusted anybody."Thanks for that encouragement, Teach," I grumbled. "Ask away, Captain Zelda.""Why are you playing this game with us?""I wasn't. Until thirty seconds ago I was sure I was here totally as a spectator," I gripped. "My buddy," the word dripped with sarcasm, "Temujin likes dumping these kinds of surprises on me.""Did you mean what Ms. Pale said about you feeling you owed me?" Chris asked."Absolutely.""We need help defusing this Thailand crisis before a shooting war begins.""What do you suggest?""We want the Khanate to back down," Chris stated firmly."I thought we had agreed that I would spearhead this delegation," Nisha reminded Chris."I think the situation had evolved and we need a different approach," Chris insisted."You should listen to the Lieutenant Colonel," I advised. "He knows a whole lot more about what is going on than you do.""Why don't you explain it to us?" she began her weevil-ling."You are engaging in linguistic niceties with men who have bled together, Ms. Biswal," I instructed. "Not that Chris and I have bled on the same battlefield, we have shed blood in the same cause; and that cause has been bringing our two nations, the Khanate and the US, together. The Khanate owes Chris for his efforts on our behalf and we pay our debts.""How so?" Nisha asked."National Security stuff," I evaded. "If you don't know, you shouldn't know and you probably don't want to know. Suffice it to say, the Khanate is willing to listen to Lt. Colonel Diaz's request as a friend.""But he doesn't speak for the United States Government," she corrected."Why not?" I riposted. "He's dealt with the Khanate longer than you have. He has a clue about the mindset of their rank and file.""But does he know their leadership?" she persisted."I don't know. Chris, do you think you have a handle on me?""Are you really capable of talking for the Khanate government?" Nisha preempted Chris. What she left unsaid was 'are you culpable in their atrocities?'"Let's find out," I then looked over my shoulder. "Hongtaiji Oyuun T m rbaatar, will my words and wishes reach my brother's ear?""That is why I am here," he replied."Don't you have the authority to speak for your leader?" she grilled OT. Nisha was relentless trying to stay in the limelight. "Aren't you a diplomat?""There is no need to insult the man," Pamela snidely commented."I am one of many voices that provide information to the Great Khan. I am not his brother. Cáel Nyilas is and has already proved his familial affection by proposing Operation Funhouse and brought whole nations as gifts," OT schooled her. "He is gifted with both tactical and strategic insight as well as sharing the Great Khan's love for his people and his hopes for their eventual freedom.""I didn't think you were a soldier," Zelda looked me over."Oh no," I wove off that insinuation. "I've never been a real soldier and am unworthy of that distinction. I know quite a few who have earned that title and they scare the crap out of me. I mean, they go looking for trouble. In my case, trouble comes looking for me. I'm damn lucky to still be alive and that's the damn truth.""Bullshit," Pamela coughed."What was that, Artemisia?" I winked at her."Bitch," she laughed "My men have become women, and my women men. At least you didn't call me Cassandra.""Well, she's Greek (a deadly insult to all Amazons), but you could be her Evil Twin because everyone believes whatever you say.""Can we get down to business?" Chris inquired."Damn," Pamela shook her head. "They haven't been paying attention.""What does that mean?" Zelda griped."Iskender, you know what I'm talking about, don't you?" I asked."Not a clue, Exalted One," he stood there like a stone statue. Note, the Khanate contingent really were standing there like the Altai Mountains, doing nothing. You had to carefully examine them to see that they did indeed breathe and blink."Use small words," Pamela advised."You really are a rude misanthrope," Anais told Pamela."Do you know what's going on?" Pamela volleyed."No.""Then sit back and watch how the madness works," she snickered. "It is all you, Cáel.""Okay. One; how did Artemisia escape the battle of Salamis?" I began. Nothing."Oh," Justin nodded. "She rammed an allied ship to make the pursuing Athenians think she was an ally. What does that have to do with our current predicament?""Achieve your ends by using violence as a distraction," I sighed. "The Khanate will invade Thailand in," I looked to OT, "tomorrow?" He nodded."How does that help us?" Nisha complained."Second example, Cassandra. She saw the truth through all illusions and falsehoods and no one believed her. Now, reverse that."Pause."We are waiting," Saira finally joined the conversation. I could hear those little microprocessors inside her noggin firing electrons at light speed."We fight a phony war. The Khanate and their buddies invade in a lightning campaign that appears to be successful. Shit like attacking the opposition where they ain't. Things that look epic on CNN where some retired colonel, no offense...""None taken," Chris responded."Where some colonel talks about seizing resources, severed supply lines and encirclement. We, the Khanate, bomb shit like bridges and supply dumps, things with no civilians to get killed. On the downside, to make this work the Khanate needs to put some level of force into Bangkok.""That will get civilians killed," Nisha reminded me, unnecessarily."Civilians are getting killed right now by their own government. This time they will get a chance to strike back," I stated firmly. "The Thai protestors aren't cowards. They are just grossly outgunned. We can change that.""How does that help the United States?" Nisha queried."The US gets to come in and save the day," I sighed. "The US can t get there until the day after, so you don't look bad about letting the first 24 hours of brutality happen.""Oh," Zelda blinked."The US gets to end the fighting that the Khanate has no desire to continue. The US brings peace, while whomever takes over owes the Khanate. Both sides look good. Both sides claim victory. The President gets a second Nobel Peace Prize (psychic, aren't I?). The US gathers some regional allies like Malaysia, the ROC and the Philippines along with our Marines to ensure free and fair elections. The Khanate isn't seen to be backing down against the Titan of Western Civilization. They are working with them to bring about a better world.""Win-win," Saira nodded in agreement."The Khanate is still an autocratic tyranny," Nisha commented."As opposed to the People's Republic's oligarchical tyranny?" Chris countered."Agreed," Saira said. "I now think we should work with the Khanate to bring stability to Central Asia which which was impossible while those member nations were being squeezed between Russia, Europe, China and India.""What are you a doctor of?" I asked."I specialize in 'failed states', among other things," Saira grinned."This could still turn into one bloody cluster-fuck," Zelda mused."My peopled don't have the resources to devastate Thailand," OT finally spoke. "If you, the US, agrees to intervene on our timetable, you will have our thanks, off the record, of course.""How do we know this isn't some ruse to allow the Khanate to overthrow Thailand's existing government?" Justin questioned."You have my word," I replied. No one said anything for several heartbeats."Really?" Nisha balked."Mr. Nyilas, Cáel, do you give me the Great Khan's word?" Chris studied me intently."Without reservation," I answered. "For what you have done for us and more, the Great Khan will honor this deal. We and the Thai's will do the bleeding. You will get your accolades. We avoid a pointless clashing of forces, which is why we are all here today.""I will give you my written recommendation in a few hours," Saira told Nisha.Chris stepped forward to shake my hand. He was an alpha-type alright. I gave as good as I got. His eyes bore into mine, looking for a faltering of will."What did you do in Romania?""I got a lot of good men killed.""Okay.""Okay?" Nisha squawked. "A handshake, a pat on the back and the deals done? Since when did our democratic republic do business this way? He admitted he got men killed in Romania. What is to say this won't be Romania writ large?""Ms. Biswal, he told the truth. He got good men killed and he isn't happy about it. I would be worried if he claimed one bit of glory from that episode. He didn't.""Nisha," I took a deep breathe, "When you unleash men with weapons, nothing is assured. Maybe the Thai government will see the hate coming their way and back down. Maybe the people will resist the intrusion. Maybe the Khanate's forces will get slaughtered at the starting line. It isn't like they have enough time to deploy enough forces to win a protracted war.""What happens if the Khanate decides it won't go?" she continued."Then they get destroyed on the ground in a war of attrition," Chris answered for me. "He's right. They can't bring enough in the time allotted to completely overwhelm the roughly 120,000 members of the Royal Thai Army that have remained loyal to the regime.""In three days they will be out of fuel, shells, rockets and bullets. It is logistics, Ms. Biswal," Zelda piled it on. "The Khanate war-fighting systems are not NATO compatible. That means they can't simply capture more material as they penetrate the frontiers. If they overstay their welcome, we can launch missile strikes against their fuel depots. The combat devolves back to World War I and that's a style of war they can't afford to fight.""What about stopping the Khanate from invading in the first place?" Nisha wouldn't give up."Had the US acknowledged the Khanate, none of this would have happened, Ms. Biswal," I became snappish. "Neither superpower talked to the other until other commitments had been made.""If you think you can come in and start dictating Khanate policy, you are dreadfully mistaken. The US doesn't have the power, or the resolve," I glared at her. "Don't try convincing the Khanate that isn't the case. We know better.""You don't know what the US is capable of," she snapped back."Abandoning Iraq with a fractured pseudo-democratic process? Abandoning Afghanistan without destroying the Taliban? The Syrian Civil War? The Donbass Crisis? The collapse of Libya? Boko Haram? Somalia? Yemen? Exactly how has the US's power and resolve solved any of those issues?" I countered."Ms. Biswal," OT spoke again. "We are willing to create a desert and call it 'Peace'. Our enemies know that. Your unwillingness to do so is neither a strength nor a weakness. It is a hallmark of your society in the same way that 'Total War' is a hallmark of ours. We are more than willing to leave you to manage the Peace. Let us manage the War against the forces opposed to civilized discourse.""As ugly and disagreeable as it is, we are willing to keep creating pyramids of skulls on every street corner until either they learn their lesson, or we kill them all. Let us do that and you will have your global stability and reap the economic benefits and accolades of Pax Americana. We are not your enemy. We are precisely the ally you need to keep the peace and we will do that, if you let us.""To allow barbarism is to become barbarians," Saira mused."That is complete fiction," I scoffed. "The United States didn't become communist because it allied with the Soviet Union in World War II. Truman didn't become Stalin. The enemy of my enemy is my friend is older than recorded history.""It is the Carrot and the Stick on a Global basis," Justin agreed. "Listen to the gentle words of the West, or you will end up feeling the wrath of the East.""As long as the Khanate accepts the limitations of is role," Saira added, "this might work. Please understand there will be factions in the Western Democracies who will not accept that status quo. It is not in the nature of our societies to stifle dissent.""Is it possible to get any political concessions from the Khanate's leadership?" Justin requested. "A pledge to hold some level of democratic elections? A Constitution with some strong provisions to protect individual rights and liberties would be nice.""Justin, in case your bosses missed it, the Khanate is still at a state of war with the PRC," I shook my head. "With their limited experience with democratic government throughout most of the Khanate's territories, that would be madness.""With limited concessions to the Imperial State, we have not interfered with the politics of Albania, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey. We are never going to become a Western-style democracy. We have had limited rule by consensus long before White Men arrived in the Western Hemisphere," OT informed them."Discounting the Irish Monks, Vikings and Knights Templar," Pamela interjected."If you say so," OT gave a minuscule bow to Pamela. "Long before your nation was anything more than the scribbled history of a long-faded Greek city-state, we had meritocracies, oligarchies of senior statesmen & warriors, thinkers and religious leaders, and we had codified judicial moral equality into the political arena. We have a far superior record of religious and minority freedom, of genuine multi-culturalism plus a deeper understanding of the arts and crafts as a means of uniting disparate peoples. We find your claims of cultural superiority to be childish.""Oh, snap," I snickered. "You get'em, OT.""I bet the boys in Foggy Bottom felt that pimp-slap," Pamela agreed."I bet the bronzed skull of some Harvard dean just fell off its pedestal.""They are called 'busts'," Anais groaned. "With a name like that, how could you forget it?""So true," I concurred. "All this responsibility must have clouded my normally hedonistic vocabulary.""That doesn't change the fact that you have employed biological warfare and genocide in this current day and age," Justin pointed out."Tell that to our Native Americans," I snorted. "They are easy to find. They live in trailer parks in whatever blasted Hell Hole we stuck them in, or in their casinos where they are buying back their country, one rube at a time. Ask them if they've gotten over it.""We don't claim to be perfect," Justin insisted."No, we merely claim to have the only correct form of government, economic policy and schools of philosophical, political, scientific and educational thought," I pointed out."We definitely should revive ethical utilitarianism," Pamela slapped a fist into her palm. "Oh, and the guillotine. Work houses for orphans and grist mills for the disabled, and A Modest Proposal for those chronically unemployed and terminally homeless, yes, and,""Pamela, what is it with you today?" I snickered."It is nearly sunset,""Ah, and you haven't killed anyone yet.""You know how cranky I get when I don't get my daily dose of homicide.""Are you two done?" Anais frowned. She did that a lot around me."And you don't hand out Mini-Uzi's to your preschoolers," Pamela glowered. "What is wrong with you people?"Pause, waiting for that punch line that was never coming. See, it was more difficult to sense Pamela was an immediate threat to your health if you thought she was completely off her rocker."Hmm, well, on that note, ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a deal. Chris and Justin, I will leave you with my loyal Iskender to work out the gory details. Who wants to grab dinner?" I inquired."Are you serious?" Nashi gasped."Oh yeah. I had the Russian invasion of Manchuria figured out in this amount of time and Manchuria is way bigger than Thailand." Was it? I didn't know. Geography was not one of those subjects which gets you laid."What do you have in mind?" Zelda inquired."Whatever you want."{1 am, Sunday, August 31st ~ 8 Days to go}"How did I end up in bed with you?" Zelda sighed happily, her body splayed halfway over mine and her head resting on my chest, listening to my heartbeat."You aren't the first girl to ask me that question."On the other side, Anais moaned in her sleep. Yeah, she was over me. Abso-fucking-lutely. If you recall, she'd try anything once. I convinced her the military babes were totally different than that Goth chick we'd blown the mind of back in Montreal.Zelda was with me because I had caught her in a lie. She claimed to be a lesbian when I first hit on her. She was adamant. I destroyed her with incontrovertible evidence.A) She hadn't scoped out Anais when she came in. A glance didn't count and Anais oozed sexy when she was angry, which was most of the time.B) She hadn't scoped out Juanita's figure when said worthy went to the kitchenette. I look for such things and Juanita has thighs to die for.C) When I told her she had a wicked sense of humor, she blushed. Honestly, lesbians rarely care about strange men complimenting their personalities.D) Then I double-downed by asking her if she preferred a shower, or bath. She said shower (because that's the butch thing to say). When I asked her 'when was the last time she'd had a bubble bath', she blushed again. Lesbians don't like it when a man imagines them naked. Straight chicks, unless you are a creepy, stalker guy, like it when men fantasize about them swathed in bubbles, thus semi-clothed, thus not creepy.E) In a final and fatal act of evasion, she asked a grumpy Anais what she liked about me. Anais was blunt."He can fucking hammer you all night, sneak in a romantic quickie in the shower, cook you a delicious breakfast then give you another round of mind-numbing intercourse up against the wall before you have to go to work. And still find the time and energy to fuck your neighbor."Woot!"So, this happens to you often?" she mused, it was a trap. She really wanted to know if I was an egotistical scumbag who took advantage of every woman I came across. At the same time, she wanted to know if I considered her a 'whoe' ~ a woman who gives up the goodies for free."Do you mean 'am I taking advantage of you'?" I replied."That is not what I asked," she persisted. That meant 'yes'."Let me see," I laid back and looked up at the ceiling. "I have a fiancée, six women I am close enough to to spend quality time with, a fuck-buddy who is a sweet girl and trusts me too much and a passel of ex-girlfriends who have found my infidelity to be reprehensible.""Six women?" she frowned."Four co-workers (Rhada, Oneida, Yasmin and Buffy), the girlfriend of a co-worker who dumped her in a very public fashion (Brooke) and that woman's friend (Libra). She was the wing-chick who was stuck with me on a quadruple-date and was underwhelmed with me when we first met."I didn't count my 'hook-ups' and I wasn't sure how to qualify Nicole."Ex's?""'No' is not a word in common usage in my vocabulary. I've dated a best friend's girl, a mother, sister and aunt of the same girlfriend, basically, I'm either highly immoral, incredibly loose, or a letch.""Don't you take responsibility for any of those, relationships?""Hell yeah," I tilted her chin up so that we could make eye-contact. "I've never blamed a woman for taking out her frustrations on my flesh, ran away from a screaming fit (Big Lie!), or blamed them for any failing in our relationship. It is always my fault because I can't stay loyal.""That's depressing," Zelda moped."Don't get me wrong. I don't find fault in any of the women I have spent time with. That is my problem, I find women fascinating; never boring, or bland. Quite frankly, it is a gift that I don't regret having. I may be a fuck-up, but I'm a fuck-up who will give you the very best attention.""Full of yourself, much?" her attitude shifted. I had short-circuited her fears; I was a cheater, I confessed to it without shame because I was inexorably drawn to her beauty, personality and charm. With Anais around, I couldn't claim to be solely enchanted with Zelda, so I had to think quickly on my feet. After all, Zelda was energetic and had great stamina."I promised you pleasure," I countered. "Did I deliver?""Yes, you are full of yourself," she slapped my stomach. I wasn't full of myself. I was a confident sex machine."Thank you.""Huh?""Wonderful sex, taking a chance with me, agreeing to a three-way, being awake after," I looked at the bed-table clock, "six hours.""I run five miles a day," she bragged."I try to have ten hours of sex a day," I teased. Zelda slapped my stomach again. Anais stirred."Do any women like you, for any reason beyond your cock?""I'm considered loyal where sex is not concerned, reliable and brave," I offered."What happened in Romania?""Have you ever been in combat?""I've been in violent confrontations, but not a true firefight," she admitted."Hmm,""Is it something that you can't relate?" she asked."No. You are a soldier so you probably know more about combat than I do. It was, not chaotic at all. I never lost perspective of what was going on despite the bullets flying around. The Romanian Captain in charge knew his stuff, directed his company well and all I had to do was figure out where the terrorist leader was.""What happened?" she perked up."I am here talking with you and he's in a morgue in Bucharest.""Oh," She wanted more."I have to live with the knowledge that I set all of that in motion, Zelda. I convinced the Romanians that they had to confront that terror group before they moved on to their next target, me.""I knew they would come after me and my friends, no matter where we were. Which would have ended up as a blood bath in some urban center. So I felt compelled to strike first. Based on information I provided, the Romanian Army sent two battalions, the 22nd and 24th, of the 6th Mountain Troops Brigade into battle.""It was a massacre," I remembered sadly."But you won," she tried to comfort me."Of the four companies involved in the battle, the Romanians suffered nearly two hundred dead and wounded. I hardly consider it anything other than a massacre. Yes, we won. Only three of the terrorists escaped. Their leader died. I don't think I've ever felt so hollow in my life," I finished."Forty percent losses, that is horrific," she crawled on top of me."The kicker is the Romanians sent some men of the 24th to hunt me down when I was kidnapped. A squad was in the group that rescued me and my companion from Johnston Island. I thought they would never want to deal with me ever again.""Don't be so hard on yourself. If they thought well enough of you to send their men out to rescue you, then you must have done right by them.""Chaz said something like that too," I felt sheepish and sleepy."Chaz? Who is she?"Honest to God, one day I want to find a girl who thinks I'm talking about another girl and asks if we can have a three-way, instead of trying to compare herself to this unknown person. Wait... I already had someone like that. Her name was Odette."Chaz is Color Sergeant Charles 'Chaz' Tomorrow of Her Majesty's SSR," I corrected her assumption."SSR? Those are some tough people. How do you know him?""Black Bag directives from the National Security Council, sworn to secrecy upon penalty of death, pinky-promise kind of stuff," I grinned. Maybe I wasn't all that sleepy after all."You really are a Man of Mystery," Zelda purred. She had truly exceptional stamina. "Maybe I can convince you to talk.""Maybe I can find another use for my tongue," I countered and off we went. Somewhere along the process, Anais woke up and joined in.It wasn't all fun and games. Anais' parting words were "You are a pig," then she sauntered out of my room and out of my life. Had she remembered to take her Serge with her, I would have bought the act. As it was,"Is she always so volatile?" Zelda remarked."Volatile? That's not her being volatile. That's Anais being affectionate. Volatile usually is accompanied by thrown objects and bodily harm," I sighed happily. Meeting her one more time couldn't be all that bad, could it? Zelda looked hungry so I shoved that thought to the back of my mind and got to work.That was the highlight of my Sunday. Zelda had to fly back to Washington D.C. and I had to go to work with JIKIT. It seemed that the Khanate and the US military were heading for a showdown. I unloaded all my Saturday's activities to the team and we got to work, no recriminations. I was the Khan's spiritual brother and sometimes that meant I had to do him favors.I asked Addison when she thought he would return the favor. She laughed, then smiled and told me that wasn't how it worked. He was a world leader now and I was merely his kooky kinsman that he would keep throwing problems at until one day I broke. Then it would be some other poor saps turn.Then she told me she was kidding and clearly the Great Khan thought the world of me. I chose to believe the second lie because it made me feel better, and it was promising to be a long weekend/start of the week.Note: Geopolitical DevelopmentsWhat follows are snippets of the Battle for Thailand that takes place late in the night of September 1stand continued into the early morning of September 3rd. If this does not interest you, you can rejoin Cáel's exploits in four pages)On the eve of battle, the Royal Thai High Command had decided to strip all but one armored unit from the 2nd Army in order to give the First Army's offensive against the rebels more of a punch. It's decision to strip the tank battalions from both their infantry divisions as well as the armored and one of the two mechanized regiments would prove to be disastrous. It was as if the leadership of the Royal Thai military were idiots.The least economically valuable part of the country was the northeast which the 2nd Army warded. They had severely underestimated the airlift capacity of the Khanate as well as the willingness of Laos and Cambodia to both use their armed forces in an invasion as well as their willingness to let Vietnamese troops cross their countries.That thinking had led the Thai military to adopt a 'forward defense' strategy, the desire to fight the enemy at the borders, as opposed to having stronger formations deeper within the country. Considering the relative weakness of the Cambodian and Laotian militaries, that policy had made sense:- The baseline Laotian and Cambodian tank was the T-54/55, a 1950's Soviet relic. The normal anti-tank capabilities in all Thai infantry formations was more than equal to such a threat.-Neither country had an air force worth worrying about.In contrast, the Khanate's primary tanks, the T-90SM and T-95 were resistant to most of what the Thai Army could throw at them, at least from the front. The seven hundred combat aircraft the Khanate and the Vietnamese were able to field was an equal catastrophe for the Thais. It greatly compensated for the relative small numbers of invaders.Finally, there was a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Alliance's goals were. Military logic dictated the destruction of Thailand's mobile force followed by the capture of Bangkok. As long as the Thai regime held the capital, it would remain the legitimate power in the country.Due to the altering political landscape, the Alliance's only option was to make the government 'look bad'. The loss of peripheral provinces, while of negligible immediate strategic value, looked great on the maps the world-wide media would be showing to their audiences. It would appear that the Thai army had failed to defend their country. That would (hopefully) make the Thai Third Army look like the legitimate authority in Thailand.That was the plan anyway, and you know what they say about battle plans and the enemy, right? H-hour was 4 am, September 1st.The commander of the Zuun stood up and waited to be recognized. The staff officer from the Yunnan Command pointed at him."Sir, why are we doing this? I am not afraid to fight for the Great Khan, but this action seems to be suicidal. We will be far behind enemy's lines while our offensive force will be grossly under-equipped.""You will have to rely on our ability to supply you by air.""We only have supplies for two days of operations. What happens then?""We rely on the Americans to come and save us," the senior officer responded bitterly."Allah save us from allies," the young commander muttered. What else could he do?He was part of the 2nd Mountain Sultan Mehmet Tumen which had just arrived in Yunnan to replace the exhausted 1st Mountain Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur Tumen. His men were from Turkey, inexperienced in combat and using new equipment they were not familiar with. They would be working with a unit he had never worked with before, the 1st Airmobile Tauekel Khan Tumen, Kazaks, who would be seizing the small airport his men needed to land in.From there, they were to 'run amok'. That was the technical term for racing south down a highway in Central Thailand, attacking the headquarters of the 3rd Cavalry Division, an armored unit. Once that was accomplished, they were to attack the local police precinct. Provided they were still alive after that, they were to return to the air strip to resupply then they were to 'spread chaos' until they were finally hunted down by the vastly larger Thai division his 100 men would be fighting.Of course, there was the plan for the rebel Royal Thai Third Army to force their way through the larger frontline forces of the loyalist Royal Thai First Army and come to his rescue. How would the Thai troops respond when ordered to fight their fellow Thais? No one was sure. If there was any hope in this mission, it was the knowledge that several other Zuuns had the exact same mission in other areas of Thailand.  It was H-hour minus twenty-two.It was 11 o'clock in the evening when the general in charge of the Royal Thai 9th Infantry Division was woken up. The Marines were leaving. That was correct; the three Royal Thai regiments were heading west to Sattahip Naval Base, because they had been ordered to by the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize why this was going on.Seven hours earlier, the Royal Thai Army had seized all the Air Force bases in the 1st and 2nd Army districts as well as ordering the 4th Army to do the same thing (The Royal Thai Air Force had been trying to remain neutral in the upcoming civil war).Undoubtedly the navy had decided to make their assets less 'hijack-able'. A few phone calls later confirmed that most of the Navy had set sail for parts unknown and the naval air units at Ban Sattahip Air Base (U-Tapao International Airport) had also departed either out to sea, or to ports and bases in the South.He made a personal appeal to the commander of Marine Forces to no avail. They wanted no part of the upcoming struggle and advised the general to do the same. The general had other problems. The Royal Thai Marines were the frontline forces facing the southern border with Cambodia. He quickly reorganized his regiments, sending them to take the old Marine strongpoints to await further orders. Stopping the Marines never entered his mind.That was a bloodletting he wanted no part of. The last thing he did was inform his superiors, thus avoiding any stupid orders to the contrary. Suddenly the nebulous movements along the Cambodian border developed a haunting significance. He wondered how much longer he had before something happened.  It was H-hour minus five.At midnight a loyalist commander of a company of mechanized infantry in the 2nd Cavalry's 11th Battle Group (named after their axis of advance, Highway 11) decided to send a motorized section of his command forward to the advance position his battalion was to occupy come sunrise. Either later in the day, or tomorrow morning, the forces loyal to the regime would launch a coordinated assault against the rebels main supply center at Phitsanulok.He had a cot set up in his communications hut and had just nodded off when the radio squawked to life. His lieutenant in charge of the advance made a hurried report. They had encountered serious opposition in a confusing night action, then he went silent. The captain immediately swung into action. He put the rest of his men on alert, then contacted the neighboring Tank Battalion. He needed some armored support. He made a similar call to the attached artillery component.The Tank Battalions night officer quickly put a platoon of light tanks at his disposal. The artillery were ready for any fire mission he sent their way. Before the armor could arrive, the company commander found himself being called to the carpet by the Duty Officer at the 3rd Cavalry (two regiments of the 2nd Cav. had been attached to the 3rd's command) over his 'offensive' action and the relief mission was called off. What had happened to the patrol of 20 Royal Thai soldiers? He was ordered to wait until sunrise to find out.Little did anyone know, these were the first combat casualties of the upcoming rebel offensive. His patrol had stumbled across a battalion of mechanized troops arriving at their jump off point for the attack that was less than six hours from beginning. Neither the commander of the 11th Battle Group, the 3rd Cavalry Division, or First Army was informed that the enemy had already advanced twenty kilometers south of where they were supposed to be.  

This DAV Podcast delves into the often-overlooked struggles veterans face after returning home, where the battles are fought internally against invisible wounds. This episode features an in-depth conversation between DAV's Rob Lewis and Sam Juan, a combat veteran who found relief from severe mental health challenges through ibogaine therapy. Sam's journey is a raw and honest exploration of her experiences, from her time serving with JSOC and Navy SEAL teams to her descent into self-medication and opiate addiction. 

With 28 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL Officer, Bill Wilson has seen it all—leading elite teams in combat, capturing war criminals, and shaping the future of Naval Special Warfare. From the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan to the cutting-edge world of software innovation, his leadership journey is nothing short of extraordinary.In this episode, Bill takes us behind the scenes of his time at SEAL Team ONE, JSOC, and Special Operations Command Africa, sharing insights on high-stakes decision-making, teamwork, and adapting to change. We'll also dive into his transition from military service to the tech industry, where he co-founded Alchemy and now works at Ridgeline Apps.Join us for a compelling conversation about leadership, resilience, and the mindset needed to excel in both special operations and business.Tune in now!

Back Home, One week later.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.There is something worse than waking up and not knowing where you are: you could wake up and not know who you are.Note: World Events Stuff ~ aka Why things are happening in Cáel's lifeThe phone was from Iskender. His boss, Oyuun Tömörbaatar (OT), the former UN ambassador from Kazakhstan and now the informal and unrecognized UN representative and chief diplomat of the Khanate to the same august body, wanted to talk with me, immediately. OT wasn't being diplomatic at the moment, that would come later.{Now this is going to get convoluted}Any inquiries to the Khanate that didn't also include immediate official recognition of the Khanate currently were being steered my (and Hana's) way. For all the behind closed doors crap, he had me, his loyal ass-monkey mutton-head. I held faint hope that this latest meeting would work out to my benefit. For the meeting, I traveled light, only Naomi (the Amazon) and Chaz (British SRR) watched over me.Now fathers who know me, hide their daughters. I'd earned my 'scoundrel' reputation. T. Sarangerel, OT's daughter, was in the room when Iskender ushered me in. She gave me an uncertain look, I shrugged and she smiled. It took me 3 nano seconds to figure that out, OT was scoping me out as a potential son-in-law. I was in Temujin's Inner Circle and a man who he trusted (a rarity). Any union with me would strengthen OT's clan's standing in the new regime.The genetic footprint Temujin, and his immediate family collectively, had put down in the 13th and 14th centuries CE today was vast. He needed that to make his plans for the internal reorganization of the Khanate work. The old republics would go away, to be replaced by a system akin to the Byzantine 'themes, the re-organization of regions based on the recruitment of the Tumens.The Khanate was aiming for an 'Autocratic Republic' ~ a term invented in the 19th century. My use of this terminology was based on my gut instinct, Alal's host of memories involving every form of governance, and my experience with human nature. That clued me in to what Temujin was up to, his Greater Plan. He wasn't going to form a false-front government. He was going to retain the decision-making powers and do so openly, thus 'Autocratic'.He also planned to have a bicameral legislative branch. The Upper House would be based in Tumens and bureaucratic leadership, intellectual standing, religious sects, and tribal entities. This body would be based on merit, not primogeniture. The Lower, main chamber, would be a democratically-elected assembly (aka a democratic republic) that advised him on policy matters, thus 'Republic'.All the power would remain in the Great Khan's hands and would be exercised by his genetic descendants (which some geneticists estimated as being as high as 25% of the Central Asian population.) Marrying into that extended family would be easy, the 'family' itself would have a vested interesting in supporting a state that benefited them.Men and women could exercise power in the government through marriage alliances, identical to the manner Hana was working through me. Being surrounded by very populous countries in various states of belligerence, empowering women wouldn't be an issue since every willing mind and pair of hands mattered. Outsiders who shone through could be offered a spouse and brought into the ruling elite since polygamy was permissible.In the Khanate there would be universal compulsive suffrage (everyone 18+ was legally required to vote) to decide on the representatives in the new legislative body. Everyone was expected to fight, so everyone voted. It would be modeled on the Duma of early 20th century Imperial Russia. Unlike the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas II, Temujin would be much more attentive to the voice of the people, in the Information Age, he had to.Or so I hoped. I spewed forth my ideas to OT who didn't agree, or disagree with my vision. Perhaps Temujin and I did share a bond that went beyond obligation. OT then pulled a 'Pamela'."He told me he knew immediately you were his brother when you and I shared that vision," he commented out of nowhere."His words: You (Earth and Sky) are the old. He (meaning me) is the new. He (me again) will show us the way." My, that was nice, obtuse and not at all helpful. What did OT want? My good buddy, the Great Khan, wanted to cash in on Hana's and my sudden popularity. His most pressing need remained 'time'. He needed to have a cease-fire in the wings when his offensive resumed the next day.The Earth and Sky had moved, well, the Heaven and Earth to get the Tumens and their accompanying national armies up and running after only a two day respite. Thanks to me, Manchuria was a mess. The Russians had carried out my 'Operation: Funhouse' with mixed, mostly positive results.Dozens of smaller Chinese military police units along the border went, 'inactive' was the term most often used in the media. They didn't disarm, yet they didn't fight the Russians either. They sat back and let events unfold. The issue wasn't the Chinese's willingness to fight and die for their country. It was the schizophrenic government in Beijing.The PRC didn't want to wage a war with the Russian Federation at that moment. The Khanate was the priority. There were two fundamentally incompatible courses of action favored for dealing with the Russians:One large group advocated a passive Option A: let the Russians step in and shield the three remaining provinces making up Manchuria that were still in Chinese possession. Later, China would use military, economic and political means to edge the Russians out, once the Khanate was dealt with.A sizable faction favored a more aggressive Option B: play a game of chicken with Vladimir Putin. Tell the Bear not to come across the border while threatening him with a bloody and pointless (for him) guerilla war if he did intervene. Events on the ground were not providing a lot of support for that school of thought,However, this split at the highest levels of leadership left the local and regional commanders to try and muddle through as best they could. To the local commanders defending the Amur River side of the Chinese-Russian border, common sense dictated that they not oppose the Russian crossings, because the Russian 35th Army would kill them.All their military units had gone west to the Nen River line. With no heavy weapons and little air support, the People's Armed Police (PAP) (paramilitary) and the Public Security Bureau (regular police) units would be wiped out for little gain.Russia's GRU (Military Intelligence) sweetened the pot by allowing the police units to remain armed and in formation. It could be argued that they weren't even committing treason. At any time, they could throw themselves into the battle, or form the core of a resistance movement. 'Conserving your strength' had been a hallmark of the Communist Chinese struggle against the Imperial Japanese and Nationalists forces from the 1920's until 1945 and it had served them well.For the party officials, civil authorities and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Army Air Force (PLAAF), and Army Navy (PLAN) who had gone with Option B, things weren't working out. In the north of Heilongjiang province at Morin Dawa/the Nen River line, the regional commander of the ad hoc forces facing the Khanate decided to duke it out with the Russian 36th Army as well. He was boned from the get-go.The PLAAF's overall command and control had been badly disrupted in the first few hours of The Unification War and had never fully recovered. Of the 22 air regiments that the PLAAF had started the war with in the Shenyang Military District (NE China), only 5 remained as effective formations flying, on average, a meager 20% of their original complement of advanced Shenyang J-16's, J-11's, Chengdu J-10's and Xian JH-7's aircraft.Replacing their aircraft losses meant sending up aged Shenyang J-8's (rolled out in 1980) and Nanchang Q-5's (in 1970) to fly and die in droves fighting their technologically superior Khanate foes. To add insult to injury, China's fleet of 97 Su-30MKK/MK2's (built in Russia) had suffered numerous suspicious mechanical and electronic failures, rendering them either flying coffins, or space holders in bomb-proof shelters.Furthermore, of the forces arrayed in the far north, only two of the five air regiments were responding. Two of the other three had begun displacing south into the Beijing Military District and preparing to defend the capital city. The fifth formation had another problem, North Korea (, more on that later.)In opposition to those two Chinese air regiments (roughly 60 aircraft of mixed types) stood seven complete and fresh Russian air regiments (over 400 front-line aircraft) and that didn't include the regiment and elements of the Far East Naval Aviation which was ALSO watching North Korea (, again more on that later.) The latter was of small comfort to the forces trying to hold the already compromised Nen River line.Behind those valiant troops, along the much more defensible Amur River line, the commander of the key city of Heihe sided with the Option A group and let the Russian 35th Army cross the river unopposed. By the time the PLA commanding general of the 'Nen Force' (the 69th Motorized Division and the subordinate 7th Reserve Division) figured that out, he was already in a shooting war with the Russians. So his supply lines weren't in danger, they were lost.The final indignity took place at Zalantun. The commander of the 3rd Reserve Div. had died during the attempt to recapture Zalantun. His replacement died when his helicopter was shot down as he was coming to assume command. In the absence of these officers, the divisional chief of staff told his men, including two hastily hustled forward mechanized brigades, to put down their arms. That meant 'Nen Force' was completely cut-off and surrounded.One battalion of the 36th Russian Motorized Brigade (yes, too many 36's running around) disarmed the Chinese troops while the rest, plus the 74th Independent Motorized Brigade raced for the prize, the city of Qiqihar. The last major mechanized formation of the 36th Rus. Army, the 39th MB was following them. However, instead of manning Qiqihar's defenses, the Chinese garrison in that city was waging war on its own populace.It wasn't only in Qiqihar; chaos reigned throughout Heilongjiang province. The Provincial Head of the Communist Party, Wang Xiankui, supported Option A. The Provincial Governor, Lu Hao, went with Option B. Both figures were rising stars in the PRC. Wang had ordered the still forming Reserve Divisions and the PAP units to disperse, thus avoiding any untimely confrontations with the Russians.Lu, without consulting Wang, ordered the same forces to launch a violent crackdown on all dissident forces, specifically all racial minorities. (It turned out that Lu was also a member of the Seven Pillars and his witch-hunt was aimed at getting the Earth and Sky organization operating in Heilongjiang).For the men and women on the other end of those phone conversations, there was no 'right' answer. Lest we forget, their organizations were already degraded by the Anthrax outbreak. Both men were powerful and represented China's future leadership, so if the person in charge at the ground level obeyed the wrong one, they could be assured of being roasted by the other.Some did try to do both, repress and disband at the same time. That meant that in the process of making mass arrests among an already war-fearful and plague-fearful populace, the law enforcement infrastructure began disintegrating.The problem with Lu's/7P's plan was that there was no 'revolutionary' organization to round up. That wasn't how the Earth and Sky operated in North-East China. They remained in tiny sabotage and reconnaissance cells. While they were scurrying for cover from the police crackdown, an opportunity presented itself.The afflicted minorities were getting furious with their treatment. These minorities saw themselves as loyal Chinese, yet they were being dragged out into the streets, put in detentions centers and (in a few cases) summarily executed. Being less than 10% of the overall population, resistance had never crossed their minds. It seemed all that those defenseless people could do was pray for Russian intervention forces to arrive.Within that mix of fear, betrayal and rage, the E and S discovered a way to start the dominos falling. The small, well-armed and well-trained E and S cells began ambushing police detachments. Weapons from those dead men and women were turned over to the pissed off locals before the cell went off to stalk the next police unit.Wash, rinse and repeat. It became a perverse and bloody case of wish fulfillment. Lu and the 7P's had been looking for an insurrection and they started one. Even though a miniscule portion of the population was involved, from the outside looking in, it reinforced the Putin Public Affairs initiative that portrayed Putin (and his army) as coming in to restore order to a collapsing civil system, which he was helping disrupt.From Moscow, the PRC's indecisiveness looked like Manna from Heaven. For the massive numbers of Russian soldiers riding through the Manchurian countryside, it felt like they were rolling into Arkham Asylum. Unlike the NATO countries' professional armies, Russia remained a largely conscript force whose normal term of service was only one year. These unseasoned troops could never tell if the local military, military police and police would attack until they rolled up on the Chinese units.At the start of that Day One of Operation: Funhouse, the Russian ROE (Rules of Engagement) was 'Ask and Verify'. It was tactically advantageous for the belligerent Chinese forces to lie about their intentions, then begin shooting at the Russians when they got close enough to hurt them. By Day Two, the standard front-line Russian soldier had adjusted that ROE to 'if they look at us wrong, light their asses up'. By Day Three, the officers had stopped trying to enforce Moscow's ROE orders.That was fine for the combat and rear echelon support troops because both the Chinese and Russian governments had another series of problems and they all centered around Pyongyang and Kim Jong-un's declaration that North Korea would intervene as well, without letting anyone know who he was 'intervening' against. To keep everyone guessing, the North Korean' People's Army was massing on all three borders, facing off with the PRC, Russia and South Korea. To prove his diplomatic intentions, Kim pledged to only mobilize half of his reserves, merely 4,250,000 extra men and women to go with his 950,000 strong standing army.It didn't take a military, or economic genius to realize the North Korean's chronically 'near death' economy was stampeding off a cliff. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was in the middle of an oil crisis and Kim was increasing their fuel consumption by 400% while decreasing his workforce by 10%. To put it in perspective, the US unemployment was around 6%. Now imagine that in one week's time it would become 26%. One week, no severance packages. Would the population become unsettled?But wait, it gets better. The Secret War was colliding with the Real World in more places than Manchuria. Setting aside the assassination attempt (Grrr) of Hana Sulkanen, my fiancée, six Nipponese elders (two women and four men) appeared in the personal quarters of the Japanese Prime Minister on the first full night of 'Funhouse' and relayed their urgent requests.Those six were the Head of the Six (formerly Seven) Ninja Families and they were there at, my urging. Cause I'm an idiot and requiring the deaths of Romanians in my personal crusade obviously wasn't enough. Now I was asking the Japanese Defense Forces (JDF) to pony up as well. So take a deep breath and put on the hip-waders.You might be wondering why I would want the JDF, see, there was part of Operation: Funhouse that was hitting a predictable snag, namely the Korea People's Navy Force (KPNF) and the uncertain determination of the PLAN:The KPNF's vessels were rather old, small and crappy. They also had a love affair with anything that could launch a torpedo and they listed over 700 of these floating deathtraps (only 13 of which could be classified as surface warships) and the fanatical crews to take them into battle.The PLAN's numbers were far more realistic and the fleet generally more modern. Only their North (18 surface warships) and East Fleets (22 plus 5 'elsewhere') could play any role in an upcoming FUBAR, and both fleets were heading out to sea, mainly to avoid the sporadic, but increasingly effective Khanate air strikes.The FU to be BAR'ed was the Russian Far East Fleet (RFEF) (6 warships strong, ) that had seized on this crazy idea (per my suggestion) to sail south, around the Korean peninsula so they could land elements of the 55th Guards Red Banner Marine Brigade (the 165th Marine Regiment and the 180th Marine Tank Battalion).Theoretically they were going to be the 'Southern Shielding Force' that would interpose itself between the Khanate and Beijing. It should surprise no one that the RFEF's flotilla was unequal to the task of taking their destination, the port of Qinhuangdao, by amphibious assault. Fortunately for the Gods of War (which did not include me), there were five other navies involved.Meanwhile, South Korea was having kittens because their always crazy northern kin were slathering on the insanity. (In how many Buddhist countries do people flock to the temples and pray that their neighbor attacks someone, anyone else, but them? That wasn't a religious conundrum I wanted to deal with.) N.Korea mobilizing meant S.Korea had to mobilize, which sucked down on their GNP as well.Besides, N.Korean dams and coal-powered plants kept the lights on in Seoul. Erring on the side of caution, the S. Korea (aka Republic of Korea, ROK) Army suggested calling up only one million of their three million person reserve force in order to assure Cousin Kim that this was a purely defensive gesture. It didn't work. Kim Jong-un castigated the ROK for antagonizing him, despite his declaration that he 'might' feel like invading the South in the immediate future.Into the emerging crisis, the ROK Navy could sortie nineteen small surface ships. Japan's Navy wasn't up to its old imperial standards, but could still deploy 45 surface warships. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room was the core of the 7th Fleet stationed at Yokosuka, Japan, the USS carrier George Washington and her 14 escort vessels.If the George Washington was the gorilla, RIMPAC 2014 was King Kong. 22 nations, 50 ships, including the USS carrier Ronald Reagan were engaged in war games in the Central Pacific. With them were 5 vessels of the PLAN, had Kim Jong-un just kept his mouth shut, this wouldn't have been an issue. Hell, if the Khanate had not come into existence and launched its Unification War, but he had and they did,To show the US was taking this escalation seriously (without tipping their hand that they knew about Funhouse, Carrier Strike Group One (CSG 1) (the Carl Vinson +10) was rushing across the Pacific from San Diego. CSG 3 (the John C. Stennis +2) was being assembled hastily so that they could rendezvous with CSG 1 ASAP. So many brave souls running toward the danger, sometimes I hate myself.So now does it make sense that I found myself in a room with a US Senator tasked with riding herd on me?Anyway, there were the other three navies still unaccounted for, Taiwan / the Republic of China (ROC) (22 surface ships), Vietnam (7) and the Philippines (3). Taiwanese involvement was easy to explain, the PRC refused to acknowledge them as an independent country and probably never would.The Vietnam People's Navy was tiny in both numbers and tonnage. Five of the vessels were 1960's Soviet frigates. What Vietnam did have was a huge grudge against the PRC. The PLA invaded Vietnam in 1979 and devastated the northernmost provinces, killing as many as 100,000 civilians.The PLAN had walloped the VPN in 1974 (technically South Vietnam) and again in 1988. Out in the South China Sea were two island archipelagos; the Paracel (occupied by a small PLA garrison and claimed by the PRC, Vietnam and the ROC) and Spratlys Islands (disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, the PRC, the ROC, and Vietnam).The Philippines had a grand total of three frigates (all between 50 and 70 years old). 99% of the time, they faced a hopeless struggle enforcing Philippines' South China Sea claims, except they were now experiencing that 1% where the PRC found itself in a life and death struggle. Even then, the PLAN's South Sea Fleet was hands-down the biggest player with 26 surface warships centered on the Carrier Liaoning.Except (and there always seems to be an 'except') virtually all the PLAN's naval aviation had gone off to fight the Khanate and it wasn't coming back, ever. In the air, the Philippines was next to useless. What did they have of offer in the struggle for the South China Sea? Bases. The ROC and Vietnam had much more to bring to the table.The Vietnamese People's Liberation Air Force (VPLAR) had about 50 front-line aircraft and 175 nearly obsolete models ~ the same models the PLAAF was now piloting. The ROC Air Force could put up 325 almost-new fighters that were now superior to their opponents on the mainland. Why would I give a shit?Things cascade. The Khanate Air Force took a two-day long deep breath as Putin's 'Policeman that only looks like an invading army' started their intervention. Forty-eight hours later, the Khanate started the fourth stage (the first lunge, defeat the PLA's counter-attack then the second lunge) of the campaign.Their initial air power was still skating on thin ice where maintenance was concerned. They need more time to thoroughly rest their pilots and bring all their top-flight equipment to 100% working condition. Against them, in two days the PLAAF's assets increased by over 250 fighters.In turn, the Khanate had added their constituent state air forces plus nearly 80 new cutting edge air planes and 25 drones. Phase Four saw rolling airstrikes all along the forces massing in front of the northern and central Tumens. For a few hours, the PLA thought they knew what was going on.They were wrong and this was where my meeting with OT came in. Jab with the right, cut them down with the left. The left in my case was Tibet. Yeah, Tibet. Economic value = not nearly enough. From the very start of the war, a small number of seemingly inconsequential air strikes had seriously eroded the PLA and PLAAFs combat power in the Tibetan Plateau while leaving the roads, bridges and towns intact.Common military logic dictated that the Khanate had to punch their way further east into Qinghai (to the south) and Gansu (to the north) provinces. That was where the population and industry where. Farther east were even greater numbers of people and factories and the Khanate forces in the North hadn't been strong enough to threaten to cut off the Qinghai-Gansu front. Then the Russians showed up and the Khanate forces threatening that flank doubled overnight.The PLA hastily reinforced their northern flank, using troops from their strategic reserves. The move resulted in incredible attrition by airpower to the freshly equipped formations. The PLA was about to get flanked, but not from the north. Southwest of Qinghai was Tibet. A third of the Khanate's mobile forces now swept around in a huge left haymaker to the south.My job? I needed the 'Free Tibet' forces in the US and UK to provide public and moral support to the Khanate move. As Khanate Special Forces seized crucial bottlenecks in Tibet, they needed the locals to keep their 'liberators' informed of PLA presences and undermine any attempt to create a guerilla movement.The five Tumens dedicated to being the Schwerpunkt (point of maximum effort) of this flanking maneuver were going to be on a tight timetable if they were going to surround the PLA forces in Central China.My plan was to convince the Tibetans that the PRC's 55 years of occupation was coming to an end and the Great Khan wanted to sign a 'Treaty of Mutual Respect' (my invention). This would require both the Khanate and Tibet to recognize each other's right to exist the moment a cease-fire was reached. That was it. No 'armed presence', or 'mutual defense' agreements.The treaty would be formally signed in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, when the city was safe ~ as determined by the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile, CTA). Riki came up with an additional sweetener and proved she was quickly adjusting to our group's extra-governmental capabilities.

Send us a textWhat happens when a Special Operations veteran finds healing through archery? In this powerful episode of Security Halt!, we sit down with Jason McCoy, a former Air Force Security Forces and Office of Special Investigations (OSI) counterintelligence professional, to explore his incredible journey from military service to founding ENDEX Archery—a nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans and first responders combat PTSD through the power of archery.

Join host John 'Rain' Waters as he sits down with recently retired Lt. Gen. Dan ‘Razin' Caine, former Associate Director for Military Affairs at the CIA and F-16 Fighter pilot. In this episode, Lt. Gen. Caine reflects on his incredible journey from flying F-16s in the Air National Guard to leading special operations missions and working at the highest levels of intelligence. Discover untold stories from Desert Storm and SCUD hunts, lessons from the test center in Tucson, and insights on information sharing in the modern joint force

　株式会社ラックは12月9日、これまでのセキュリティ監視センターJSOCの事業を大きく転換する次世代のJSOC事業戦略を発表した。

    What happens when a combat medic's journey leads him to become a physician assistant, navigating both the intense demands of military medicine and the transition to civilian life? Join us as we explore the incredible career of retired Army Colonel John Detro, whose path from the battlefields of Operation Desert Storm to the intricate world of pathology as a PA is nothing short of inspiring. Colonel Detro shares his experiences with elite units like Delta Force, offering insights into the challenges of combat medicine and the evolution of the PA role within military ranks. His story is a testament to mentorship's powerful role and provides a wealth of advice for service members considering life beyond the uniform.     From the chaos of 9/11 to the intense military operations in Baghdad, hear firsthand accounts of an orthopedic physician assistant's experiences managing trauma cases with the Ranger Readiness Force and special forces. Unravel the complexities faced when working with elite units, where rapid responses and collaboration are key, and discover how these lessons translate into leadership challenges in military medical units. We discuss the essential responsibilities in battalion command and pioneering missions like the Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical Team in Africa, highlighting the growth in patience and emotional intelligence that shaped careers beyond the battlefield.     As service members prepare to transition into civilian life, the importance of thorough documentation for VA claims becomes critical. Colonel Detro emphasizes understanding the VA process, ensuring that medical providers and veterans alike can navigate the system effectively. We also delve into the evolution of the Physician Assistant program within military medicine, revealing how advocacy transformed PAs into leaders with significant influence. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to understand the unique challenges and opportunities within military medicine, inspiring listeners with stories of resilience, leadership, and transformation.   Chapters (00:04) - From Combat Medic to Physician Assistant (08:26) - Lessons From Military Medical Deployments (17:30) - Providing Medical Care to Elite Units (27:50) - Leadership Challenges in Military Medical Units (41:56) - Training and Support for Military Medics (46:17) - Transitioning From Military Service (54:51) - Evolution of Military Physician Assistants   Chapter Short Summaries From Combat Medic to Physician Assistant (00:04) Retired Army Colonel John Detro's career journey from combat medic to physician assistant, including mentorship, elite units, and challenges of combat medicine. Lessons From Military Medical Deployments (08:26) Orthopedic PA's military career, including 9/11 response, trauma care, training medics, and deployments with Ranger Regiment and 101st Airborne. Providing Medical Care to Elite Units (17:30) Medical evacuations during military operations, leadership challenges, and specialized counterterrorism capabilities of JSOC and Delta Force. Leadership Challenges in Military Medical Units (27:50) Leadership, responsibilities, personal growth, and transition to a command surgeon role are discussed in this chapter. Training and Support for Military Medics (41:56) Building confidence and expertise through training, validation, stress resilience, and learning from mistakes in preparation for deployment. Transitioning From Military Service (46:17) Exploring a soldier's bravery, mental struggles, and VA claims process for transitioning service members. Evolution of Military Physician Assistants (54:51) The evolution and impact of the PA program in military medicine, including mentorship and leadership opportunities for PAs.   Take Home Messages: Mentorship and Career Development: The episode highlights the profound impact of mentorship in shaping careers within military medicine, emphasizing the importance of guidance and support in nurturing the next generation of medical professionals. Evolution of Military Medicine: The role of physician assistants in military medicine has evolved significantly, expanding from limited positions to leadership roles, underscoring the adaptability and growth within military healthcare systems. Leadership in Complex Environments: Effective leadership is crucial in managing military medical units, especially in complex and high-pressure environments. The discussion illustrates how leadership strategies can influence training programs and mission success. Transitioning to Civilian Life: The transition from military service to civilian life can be challenging, and the episode provides essential advice on documentation for VA claims and the critical support of Veteran Support Officers to ease this transition. Adapting to Changing Military Needs: The episode delves into how military medical teams adapt to evolving combat and peacetime needs, focusing on training, innovation, and the strategic positioning of medical assets to ensure readiness for future conflicts. Episode Keywords: Combat Medic, Physician Assistant, Military Medicine, Deployment, Operation Desert Storm, Delta Force, 9/11, Orthopedic, Trauma Care, Leadership, Mentorship, Veteran Support Officers, Transition, VA Claims, Military Units, Training, Evolution, PA Program, Mentorship, Leadership Challenges Hashtags: #MilitaryMedicine #CombatMedic #LeadershipInHealthcare #VeteranStories #OperationDesertStorm #SpecialForces #MentorshipMatters #MilitaryToCivilian #VeteranSupport #MilitaryPA   Honoring the Legacy and Preserving the History of Military Medicine The WarDocs Mission is to honor the legacy, preserve the oral history, and showcase career opportunities, unique expeditionary experiences, and achievements of Military Medicine. We foster patriotism and pride in Who we are, What we do, and, most importantly, How we serve Our Patients, the DoD, and Our Nation.   Find out more and join Team WarDocs at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/ Check our list of previous guest episodes at https://www.wardocspodcast.com/our-guests Subscribe and Like our Videos on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast Listen to the “What We Are For” Episode 47. https://bit.ly/3r87Afm WarDocs- The Military Medicine Podcast is a Non-Profit, Tax-exempt-501(c)(3) Veteran Run Organization run by volunteers. All donations are tax-deductible and go to honoring and preserving the history, experiences, successes, and lessons learned in Military Medicine. A tax receipt will be sent to you. WARDOCS documents the experiences, contributions, and innovations of all military medicine Services, ranks, and Corps who are affectionately called "Docs" as a sign of respect, trust, and confidence on and off the battlefield,demonstrating dedication to the medical care of fellow comrades in arms.     Follow Us on Social Media Twitter: @wardocspodcast Facebook: WarDocs Podcast Instagram: @wardocspodcast LinkedIn: WarDocs-The Military Medicine Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@wardocspodcast

Do we hear enough about the Judgment Seat of Christ where every Christian must give an account of how his or her life was used? Some theologies dismiss this judgment altogether seeing only one judgment called The Great White Throne. This results in salvation by works because that is the criteria for the GWT judgment. Even in churches and with preachers who believe in the JSOC, this event is not taught much. Maybe as a consequence many Christians live carelessly not knowing or caring that they will be held accountable by Christ. Charlie sits down with Dr. Paul Weaver to discuss this issue from Charlie's GraceNotes no. 105. This podcast is a re-broadcast of Dr. Weaver's Bible and Theology Matters podcast and YouTUbe video. The JSOC is for believers only; the GWT is for unbelievers only. It is crucial that Christians keep an accurate and applicable view of the Judgment Seat of Christ.   Dr. Weaver served with Word of Life as dean in their Bible Institutes in Hungary and New York before becoming an Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. You can get his podcast and YouTube videos at www.BibleAndTheologyMatters.com. #FreeGrace#JudgmentSeatofChrist#GraceNotes#GraceLifeMinistries

Today on The Resilient Show, Chad Robichaux sits down with Azizullah Aziz. He is an Afghanistan native that served the US for 16 years as a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) combat Interpreter, facilitator, and cultural advisor. He served side-by-side with Chad on all eight of his JSOC deployments in Afghanistan. He discusses his harrowing journey to save his family from the Taliban's resurgence, a journey that became part of the largest civilian evacuation in U.S. history. Aziz reflects on the dire situation in Afghanistan, where women and girls face severe oppression under Taliban rule, and how the international community has largely abandoned them. Now living in the U.S., Aziz talks about the freedoms he cherishes that many Americans might take for granted. Shawn Ryan's PETITION: https://www.change.org/p/invite-commander-ahmad-massoud-to-testify-and-cease-financial-support-to-the-taliban Get a copy of "Saving Aziz: How the Mission to Help One Became a Calling to Rescue Thousands from the Taliban": https://a.co/d/gkoprhR RESILIENT:  Follow Us On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientshow/ Follow Us On Twitter:⁠ https://x.com/resilientshow Follow Us On TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@resilientshow Follow Chad: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/chadrobo_official/?hl=en Follow Aziz: https://www.instagram.com/azizullahwaziz Check out Mighty Oaks: https://mightyoaksprograms.org SPONSORS: Smith & Wesson: ⁠https://www.smith-wesson.com/⁠ Vortex Optics: https://vortexoptics.com Gatorz Eyewear: ⁠https://www.gatorz.com/⁠ Allied Wealth: https://alliedwealth.com BioPro+: ⁠https://www.bioproteintech.com/⁠ BioXCellerator: https://www.bioxcellerator.com —------- The Resilient Show is a proud supporter of military and first responder communities in partnership with Mighty Oaks Foundation.

Prepare yourself for a heart-stopping, soul-shaking journey into the darkest corners of human experience with Nathan Reynolds, a man whose life story reads like a high-octane thriller but is grounded in the chilling reality of trauma and redemption. In this unflinchingly honest episode, Nathan Reynolds recounts his harrowing upbringing amidst a criminal empire steeped in exploitation and blackmail. From a young age, Nathan was thrust into a world of abuse and covert operations, groomed in the "arts of silent killing" and trained to navigate the treacherous landscapes of both criminal and military worlds. His life unfolded in the shadowy realms of espionage, elite military units, and dark conspiracies, culminating in a deeply personal battle against the demons of his past. Through the lens of his groundbreaking book, Snatched from the Flames: One Man's Journey to Uncover the Family's Dark Blood Stained Secrets, Nathan exposes the sinister nexus of power and exploitation that plagued his early years. He reveals shocking allegations about organizations like the Knights of Columbus and their alleged collusion with dark forces, shaping a narrative that intertwines historical manipulation with modern-day horrors. Join us as Nathan unveils his raw and riveting experiences, from covert operations with JSOC and the CIA to his disillusionment with military hierarchies and intelligence manipulations. Hear the gripping account of his battle with the military establishment, his descent into despair, and his courageous decision to break his silence, even at immense personal cost. This episode dives deep into Nathan's traumatic brain injury, the cover-ups surrounding it, and his ongoing quest for justice and truth. Discover how his encounters with shadowy figures, covert missions, and unyielding corruption led him to a profound spiritual awakening and a call for a return to moral righteousness. With intense personal revelations, powerful stories of faith, and a clarion call for spiritual and moral awakening, Nathan Reynolds's story is one of extraordinary courage and unyielding resolve. Don't miss this chance to hear a firsthand account of the battle between light and darkness, and how one man's quest for redemption challenges us all to confront our own truths and fears. Tune in for an episode that promises to be as enlightening as it is electrifying.

In this episode we sit down with the Founder/CEO of Horizon3.ai to discuss disrupting the Pen Testing and Offensive Security ecosystem, and building and scaling a security startup - from a founders perspective.From HP, to Splunk to JSOC - all leading to founding Horizon3, Snehal brings a unique perspective of business acumen and technical depth and puts on a masterclass around venture, founding and scaling a team and disrupting the industry!---- For those not familiar with your background who Horizon3AI, can you tell us a bit about both?You are building something special at Horizon3AI and I will dive into that here soon, but you've also been posting some great content about building a security startup, the team, the market dynamics and more, so I wanted to spend a little time chatting about that. - First off, your company was recently listed by Forbes as one of the top 25 venture backed startups likely to reach a $1 billion dollar valuation. How did that feel and what do you think contributed to your team landing on such a prestigious list?- Speaking of venture backed, you recently participated in the Innovators and Investors Summit at BlackHat where you and other panelists dove into the topic of what founders should look for in investors and how VC's can stand out in a highly competitive market. As someone who's navigated that journey and is now being listed on lists such as that from Forbes - what are some of your key lessons learned and recommendations for early-stage founders?- You've stressed the importance of the team over the initial idea and what you've called "pace setters" and "ankle weights" within the team and the importance of both. Can you elaborate on the terms and broader context around building a foundational team to scale the company successfully?- You also have discussed the 4 advantages iconic companies build over time, what are they and why do they help differentiate you?- Pivoting a bit, you have a really unique background, blending both the private and public/defense sector. How do you think that's helped shape you and the way you've build your team and company and approach the market?- Horizon3AI is big on the mantra of "offense informed defense". Why is that critical and why do you think we miss the value in this approach in many spaces in the security ecosystem?- You all have poked some fun at the way many organizations operate, running vuln scans, doing an annual pen test, and having a false sense of security. How is Horizon3AI disrupting the traditional Pen Testing space and leading to more secure organizational outcomes?

Gale Crater JSOC United States Base & SSP Planetary Corporations Base 5 Nearby Cerberus Palus Mars

This is part two of our conversation with Dr. David Walton. Dr. David “Wally” Walton is a retired Army Special Forces officer with 25 years of experience in the SF community. His career spans service with the 7th Special Forces Group, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and the Special Warfare Center and School.Dr. Walton's extensive operational experience includes deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and much of Latin America. Since retiring in 2013, he has transitioned into academia, teaching National Security Studies and Executive Leadership. His extensive research portfolio covers Security Strategy, Organizational Culture and Dynamics, and Human Performance. His deep understanding of security studies encompasses everything from tactical operations to high-level strategic policy discussions.Currently an instructor at JSOC, Dr. Walton is a subject matter expert in Special Forces Assessment and Selection. He specializes in land navigation and runs a prep program for SFAS candidates. This is how we came across one another. We had a BTE client attend one of his land nav courses, and he returned from the experience with great things to say. So, we contacted Dr. Walton and have been recommending his course to all of our SFAS prep clients.As we'll discuss in this episode, land nav is becoming an increasing issue at SFAS, with failure rates due to land nav shortfalls increasing dramatically over the past several years. If you're on your way to Special Forces Assessment and Selection, Dr. Walton's advice and in-person courses should absolutely be included in your preparation training.Contact Info:You can learn more about Dr. Walton, his courses, and his books at tfvoodoo.comHe's also on Instagram at tf_voo_doo.Timestamps:00:00:22 Leaderless Environment: How Different Personalities Stand Up00:04:11 Significance of Peer Evaluation in SFAS 00:06:38 What is "The Sandman"?00:12:43 Importance of Toughening Your Feet in SFAS Prep00:16:23 One Thing You Should Know About SFAS00:20:42 Learning Land Navigation00:27:27 In-Person Land Navigation Training for SFAS 00:29:19 Worst Advice Received00:32:52 Best Advice Received00:34:50 Outro

Dr. David “Wally” Walton is a retired Army Special Forces officer with 25 years of experience in the SF community. His career spans service with the 7th Special Forces Group, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and the Special Warfare Center and School.Dr. Walton's extensive operational experience includes deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and much of Latin America. Since retiring in 2013, he has transitioned into academia, teaching National Security Studies and Executive Leadership. His extensive research portfolio covers Security Strategy, Organizational Culture and Dynamics, and Human Performance. His deep understanding of security studies encompasses everything from tactical operations to high-level strategic policy discussions.Currently an instructor at JSOC, Dr. Walton is a subject matter expert in Special Forces Assessment and Selection. He specializes in land navigation and runs a prep program for SFAS candidates. This is how we came across one another. We had a BTE client attend one of his land nav courses, and he returned from the experience with great things to say. So, we contacted Dr. Walton and have been recommending his course to all of our SFAS prep clients. As we'll discuss in this episode, land nav is becoming an increasing issue at SFAS, with failure rates due to land nav shortfalls increasing dramatically over the past several years. If you're on your way to Special Forces Assessment and Selection, Dr. Walton's advice and in-person courses should absolutely be included in your preparation training.Contact Info: You can learn more about Dr. Walton, his courses, and his books at tfvoodoo.comHe's also on Instagram at tf_voo_doo.Timestamps:00:00:22 Intro to Dr. David Walton00:02:01 Dr. Walton's Books: “Ruck Up or Shut Up” & “Shut Up and Ruck”00:14:38 Where to Find Dr. Walton's Books00:15:02 What Dr. Walton Studied for His Doctorate 00:23:27 How did you Improve the Special Warfare Center?00:31:05 Ratio of Injuries to Voluntarily Withdrawal From SFAS00:37:05 Telling the Story of What Selection Actually Is 00:41:50 The Power of Journaling00:45:55 Important Factors & Failure Points in Prep for SFAS00:52:22 Obesity in America & Standard American Diet00:53:43 No Shortcuts in the SFAS00:58:41 Outro 

Join our live stream with Franc Milburn, who recently revealed an incident of a UFO crash recovery operation in The Daily Mail in the 1980s.  We will dig into other UK UFO sightings.Franc Milburn is a former UK Defence Intelligence officer and alumnus of The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the London School of Economics. He has written peer-reviewed papers for numerous globally ranked think tanks and is an affiliated researcher with the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, which published two UAP reports by him on UAP, cited by Dr Hal Puthoff and Chris Mellon, amongst others. He is a member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies.Recorded 3/24/2024The Good Trouble Show: Linktree:https://linktr.ee/thegoodtroubleshowPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheGoodTroubleShowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGoodTroubleShowTwitter / X: https://twitter.com/GoodTroubleShowInstagram: @goodtroubleshowTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goodtroubleshowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Good-Trouble-Show-With-Matt-Ford-106009712211646 Threads: @TheGoodTroubleShowBlueSky: @TheGoodTroubleShowBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-good-trouble-show-with-matt-ford--5808897/support.

The National Security Hour with Col. John Mills Ret. – Herm Hasken serves with elite U.S. Military units, integrating cyber effects with JSOC and NSA operations. As tensions escalated during the Iraq surge, Herm and Colonel Mike Flynn developed cutting-edge capabilities to target high-value threats. Now an Executive Consultant, Herm reflects on the evolving landscape of global cyber warfare and its implications for national security.

The National Security Hour with Col. John Mills Ret. – Herm Hasken serves with elite U.S. Military units, integrating cyber effects with JSOC and NSA operations. As tensions escalated during the Iraq surge, Herm and Colonel Mike Flynn developed cutting-edge capabilities to target high-value threats. Now an Executive Consultant, Herm reflects on the evolving landscape of global cyber warfare and its implications for national security.

[Jathan got married last weekend! So no new shows until next week.] We dig into reporting on a special forces unit in the Brazilian ministry of environment which is composed of tier one operators who are also all scientists that are driven by a singular righteous mission of protecting the Amazon rainforest, wildlife and Indigenous communities from illegal miners and loggers. It's almost like if the EPA had a wet works team—or, at least, it's a good start. ••• The Brazilian Special-Forces Unit Fighting to Save the Amazon https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/08/the-brazilian-special-forces-unit-fighting-to-save-the-amazon Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.twitter.com/braunestahl)

We dig into reporting on a special forces unit in the Brazilian ministry of environment which is composed of tier one operators who are also all scientists that are driven by a singular righteous mission of protecting the Amazon rainforest, wildlife and Indigenous communities from illegal miners and loggers. It's almost like if the EPA had a wet works team—or, at least, it's a good start. ••• The Brazilian Special-Forces Unit Fighting to Save the Amazon https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/08/the-brazilian-special-forces-unit-fighting-to-save-the-amazon Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.twitter.com/braunestahl)

Christopher Sharp is a journalist and founder of the Liberation Times, a great source for the most up to date and diligently researched news related to the UFO issue. Chris has also written articles about UAP for the Daily Mail. This is our third interview. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and consider sharing. Thank you. Please scroll down ⏬ for links + TIMESTAMPS 

Fighter Pilot Jack Stewart is back again to talk his latest book, Outlaw. It is out today, go pick it up! Outlaw is the follow-up to Unknown Rider from the Battle Born Series. Jack is a fighter pilot, naval academy graduate, and TOPGUN graduate. He is a combat veteran with deployments being a part of Air Force Tactical Control and JSOC. We discuss everything from the origin of his call sign "Farley" to DEI in the airline industry. Go to http://jackstewartbooks.com for more info on Jack and follow him on X @JackStewartBook and on Instagram @JackStewartBooks Follow us: http://instagram.com/battlelinepodcast http://twitter.com/battlelinepod For 15% off all Fort Scott Munitions ammo & gear go to http://fsm.com & use promo code: Battleline PAMAX Tactical has several unique products including their LION blank fire device. Used as a safer and reusable cost-effective alternative for breaching and training for both civilian and law enforcement applications. All PAMAX Tactical product is 100% USA Made and backed with a lifetime warranty. Visit http://pmtactical.com and use the coupon code Tanto for 15% OFF your order. Photonis Defense is the global leader in night vision solutions providing more high-quality night vision capabilities than anyone. Hunters, shooters, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts rely on Photonis Defense systems to make their adventures safer and more successful. Visit http://photonisdefense.com for more information; or look for Photonis Defense product options from your night vision dealer. For 20% off all Bubs Naturals gear and products including collagen protein and MCT oil powder, go to https://www.bubsnaturals.com/?discount=BATTLELINE .. All purchases help to support the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation For full video of this episode now in high res, subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@battlelinepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Dixon served in Australia's elite 2nd Commando Regiment. In this episode, we discuss John's multiple tours to Afghanistan.You can connect with John on instagram: @johns_opYou can become a supporter of the podcast for as little as £1 a month. https://www.patreon.com/vsompodcastThank you to our sponsors! The show doesn't happen without them!Combat Fuel - www.combat-fuel.co.uk Use code VSOM at checkout for a discount on your potions.Zulu Alpha Strap Company - https://zulualphastraps.com/Signup to the email list: https://veteranstateofmind.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=423cabd326f924101bf64629f&id=ab59886d21Audiobooks available at: https://www.audible.co.uk/search?searchAuthor=Geraint+JonesGeraint's latest book, co-authored with Levison Wood, is now available on audio, in hardback, and as an e-book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Kabul-Inside-Levison-Wood/dp/1399718126Support the show

Admiral Robert Harward is one of history's most accomplished US Navy SEALs. After graduating from the US Naval Academy, his NSW career began when he graduated with BUD/S class 128 in 1984 and joined SEAL Team Three, where he served as a platoon commander. From there, he screened for NSW Development Group, the US Navy's tier-one unit, known at the time as SEAL Team Six, where he served as an assault team leader and operations officer. He earned his master's degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Then he served as the task group commander during Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait, the Joint Special Operations Task Force commander for Operation Rugged Nautilus, the deputy commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Bosnia, the Special Warfare Plans Officer for the Commander of Amphibious Forces in the U.S. Seventh Fleet; USSOCOM Aide-de-Camp to the Commander-in-Chief; then as the Executive Officer of NSW Unit ONE and as the commanding officer of SEAL Team Three.Admiral Harward assumed command of NSW Group One in August of 2001 and deployed to Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He commanded a multi-national task force named Task Force K-Bar and directed special reconnaissance and direct action missions throughout the country.The following year, he deployed to Iraq as the commander of Task Force 561, where he commanded NSW Task Group Central. The forces at his command there included not just all the assets in the Naval Special Warfare but also forces from the Polish GROM, the UK Royal Marines, and the Kuwaiti Navy.In 2003, he left NSW Group One and reported to the Executive Office of the President at the White House, where he served on the National Security Council as the Director of Strategy and Defense Issues.He went to the newly created National Counterterrorism Center in Washington from the White House.Then, he served as the deputy commanding general of JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg and did several more combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.In 2008, he assumed the role of deputy commander of the United States Joint Forces Command.Finally, in 2011, at the rank of Vice Admiral, he was assigned the role of Deputy Commander of USCENTCOM before retiring in November 2013. After his retirement, Admiral Harward became the chief executive of Lockheed Martin in the UAE.He is currently the executive vice president for International Business and Strategy for Shield AI, an AI-focused Defense Company. In this episode, we talk with Admiral Harward about his career in Naval Special Warfare, his advice for young leaders in the military, and the evolution of warfare as artificial intelligence takes a greater role on the battlefield. Timestamps:00:00:22 Intro to Admiral Bob Harward00:05:03 Younger Career00:10:30 Going Officer or Enlisted00:14:06 Becoming a Good Leader00:15:34 Advice for Aspiring Special Operators  00:21:13 Always be Prepared for War00:23:38 Well-Educated Warriors00:26:46 Comparison of SOF Units Around the World00:30:00 China and the US00:31:33 The Role of A.I.00:34:31 Half of Our Potential00:36:54 Best and Worst Advice 00:39:16 Outro

Patrick watches, reacts and discusses Former Wrestler turned aspiring Politician turned UFO Investigator Jon Stewart's (Not The Comedian) latest interview on Redacted's Youtube Channel. He claims a whistleblower reached out to him and said the following: - Lockheed Martin has a UFO Crash Recovery Team since the 1970's that is tasked with covertly recovering crashed UFO crafts and protecting Lockheed's secret (more Below). - Lockheed Martin has successfully Reverse Engineered Alien Craft and built Man Made UFOs that fly in and around earth's atmosphere. - Lockheed Martin has kept secret their reverse engineering breakthroughs even from the US government who gave them the craft in 1962 with the task of reverse engineering it. - During one excursion to recover a crashed ARV "Alien Replica Vehicle", the Lockheed UFO recovery team ran into JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command), who also had a UFO crash retrieval team, and a gunfight ensued. During Lockheed's attempts to keep the ARV secret at all costs, two "asian" members of JSOC allegedly lost their lives as a result of the gunfire. The story doesn't stop there as we also dive into Jon Stewart and why a whistleblower came to him with this story. You see Jon Stewart is also making a documentary about the Alien Interview Video from 1996 which is the dubbed the Victor Video. He claims Danny Sheehan is now backing the video - Something he mentioned in Vetted Comments section in one of our videos. Let's dive in because there's even more I didn't mention.

Rob Dyer's extensive career spans over 27 years in military and government service, showcasing a remarkable journey through various high-stakes and specialized roles. His experience includes serving in Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons as an F/A-18D Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) and engaging in high-level operations with Force Recon, SOCOM, and JSOC as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) and Joint Terminal Attack Controller. His expertise extends to the intelligence community as a DoD Civilian and as a Subject Matter Expert for Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Systems. Dyer's decorated service record is punctuated by numerous combat deployments across diverse global theaters such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe, and Africa, where he took on critical roles as an aviator, Force Recon FAC, MARSOC Air Officer, and JTAC. His impeccable service record is a testament to his commitment and skill. In addition to his military career, Dyer has leveraged his experience and leadership in the entrepreneurial world. He is the Director of Sales at Anomaly Six LLC, CEO of Eagle Technologies Group, and CEO of RuckPack LLC, demonstrating his ability to lead and innovate in the business sector. His role at Magpul Industries in International Sales further exemplifies his versatile professional skills. Dyer's academic background is equally impressive, with a focus on economics at the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. His education complements his field experience, providing a solid foundation for his various leadership roles in both military and civilian sectors. Throughout his career, Rob Dyer has exemplified the qualities of a dedicated leader, skilled aviator, and innovative entrepreneur. His commitment to service and ability to adapt to multiple high-level roles across different environments make him a distinguished professional and an inspiring figure in both military and business communities.   We extend our sincere gratitude to our sponsors for their unwavering support of the VinnyRoc Podcast. Their commitment enables us to consistently deliver content that informs, educates, and engages.   Core Medical Group: Striving to pioneer in wellness solutions and help you achieve optimal well-being. Visit https://www.coremedicalgrp.com to discover more. GMR Gold: Offering premium gold and silver investment options to elevate your wealth. Explore more at https://www.gmrgold.com. Everest: The ultimate marketplace for the great outdoors. Embark on your adventure today at https://www.everest.com. Modern Gun School: Dedicated to enriching your firearms knowledge with a comprehensive curriculum. Find out more at https://mgs.edu.   We value the contribution of each sponsor and appreciate their dedication to our shared goals.   For those who haven't yet, we invite you to watch our latest episode on YouTube, subscribe to our channel, and follow us on social media to stay updated on upcoming content. If you find our discussions valuable, please share them within your networks.   Thank you for your continued support of the VinnyRoc Podcast.   #VinnyRocPodcast #ThankYouSponsors  

THIS VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL VIEWING: A Leader's Testimony Unleashing the Power of Transformation in the Depths of Darkness! | Mighty Oaks Testimonials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mSD6hbeVH8 POLARIS GROUP WEBSITE: https://polarisgroup.federalgovernment.info/ POLARIS GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC is a dedicated organization committed to community service, emphasizing integrity and compassion, particularly in the realm of disaster relief. Our team comprises highly skilled veterans, including JSOC tier 1 operators and special operators, with extensive real-world experience. Focused on preserving lives, our missions unfold in challenging environments. Presently, we're establishing a forward operating base along the Ukrainian Poland border, featuring a comprehensive command operations center and logistics base. Our active missions encompass triage, evacuations for vulnerable individuals, security measures, and targeted humanitarian aid for orphans and children. By fostering a culture of empathy and lifesaving efforts, we aspire to inspire collective assistance, contributing to the overall well-being of those in need. In this week's episode of the Team Never Quit Podcast, join Marcus in an exclusive one-on-one conversation with Dennis Price, a USMC Force Recon, Scout Sniper, Ranger veteran, and the International Program Manager for the Mighty Oaks Foundation. With six military deployments and three stints as a Private Military contractor specializing in sniper/mobile DDM roles, Dennis brings a wealth of experience to the table. Having attended various Special Operations schools and served as the Head instructor for Field craft and stalking for the Army's Special Forces Sniper Course, Dennis shares his personal journey, including the difficult decision to end his military career to be close to his daughter battling two rare diseases. A devoted Christian, loving husband, and father of four, Dennis is also a martial arts enthusiast—engaging in boxing, Muay Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu, and actively participating in various tournaments. Tune in to hear Dennis's inspiring story of resilience, faith, and commitment. Sponsors: - Hims.com/TNQ In this episode you will hear: • If another man comes to me and tries to steal what is mine in front of my children, do I have the self-confidence to stop him?  I'm a man of violence. I know what I can do to him. Now I don't have to back up in fear. (10:07) • I try to encourage males to take up Jiu Jitsu – anything – because you shouldn't have to live in fear. (12:43) • If the only tool in the toolbox that you have is a hammer, then everything's a nail. (14:43) • How do I say my story and not be too bible thumping. However I tell it, it leads to one conclusion. (17:03) • God uses war-torn warriors and exposes us to certain things and then uses us through Christ. (18:23) • We're coming back here, trying to fit in; we came back to what we thought we left. (21:24) • Taking Christ out of the household, and taking the man out of the household is why we're seeing chaos. (22:38) • On a dark night, I almost took my own life and that's when I came to God and gave it all to Him. (26:21) • Guys like us come back and we're looking for something to fill this void. Only a relationship with Jesus Christ and God will quench that thirst. (47:08) • My co-partner is a Green Beret. We teach “dual survivor”. Marine special operations, Army Special Forces; we teach of both of our experiences in combat, and we give you formal instruction. (65:47) • Alphas, when they walk into a room, they assess the possible threats. (76:24) • Speech made in anger will be the best speech you ever spoke that you'll regret. (89:05 • Years of love are forgotten, in minutes of anger. (89:18)

"Larpers" overview of the new Q echo chamber and their narratives encroaching on everyone from everywhere, Victor Davis Hanson piece on Trump, DJT in public vs Biden in public, Jack Singlaub's past connections, McChrystal and the history of JSOC, "Defeat" disinfo counters Trump's resurge and messaging, Parkland connection to Israel/Stone, narratives will intensify, and much more...

Jack Stewart is a fighter pilot, naval academy graduate, and TOPGUN graduate. He is a combat veteran with deployments being a part of Air Force Tactical Control and JSOC. He is currently an airline pilot and has made his debut as a thriller author with "Unknown Rider," the first of his Battle Born series which is available now! Pick it up, this interview will give you some great insight into his work. We would also like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving, and stay safe to any of you deployed or working at home to protect us. Go to http://jackstewartbooks.com for more info on Jack and follow him on X @JackStewartBook and on Instagram @JackStewartBooks Follow us: http://instagram.com/battlelinepodcast http://twitter.com/battlelinepod Check out The Battleline Podcast Vault for limited edition gear from the show: http://battlelinepodcast.etsy.com/ For 15% off all Fort Scott Munitions ammo & gear go to http://fsm.com & use promo code: Battleline Ned's Mellö Magnesium is an instant hit! Nourish your entire body with their proprietary superblend with 3 forms of chelated magnesium, GABA, L-theanine, and over 70 trace minerals. It propels memory, mood, brain function, stress response, nerve and muscle health, and SLEEP. And about 75% of Americans are deficient in it!! Go to http://helloned.com/BATTLELINE For full video of this episode, subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@battlelinepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew Fraser is  New York City's Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI). The Chief Technology Officer plays a central role in City government, coordinating technology-related projects and policy Citywide. The Chief Technology Officer leads the Office and Technology and Innovation which is a consolidation of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, and the former NYC Cyber Command Center, the Mayor's Office of Information Privacy, the Mayor's Office of Data Analytics, and the Algorithms Management and Policy Officer. Consolidating the City's entire IT agency portfolio, CTO Fraser is uniquely qualified to put forward a central strategy that will bring agility, efficiency, and modernization to the City's IT infrastructure. He is committed to democratizing technology. He oversees projects to expand broadband and make City services easier to use for all. CTO Fraser also runs the Joint Security Operations Center (JSOC). JSOC is a new cybersecurity hub that allows city, state, and federal entities to coordinate efforts against cyber threats.Key Topics:NYC's Cybersecurity EffortsHow NYC is Handling the Use of Artificial IntelligenceNYC's Ban on TikTokNYC's Use of Facial Recognition NYC's MyCity PlatformNYC's Initiative to Provide Access to Broadband with Big Apple ConnectSign up for the Some Future Day Newsletter here: https://marcbeckman.substack.com/To join the conversation follow Marc here:YoutubeLinkedInTwitterInstagramMarc is a Senior Fellow of Emerging Technologies at NYU, the CEO of DMA United, and is on the New York State Bar Association's Taskforce for Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets.Some Future Day is produced and edited by Jon Bumhoffer at Make More Media

Snehal: Co-founder and CEO of Horizon3, providing autonomous penetration testing capabilities Ex-CTO of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Ex-CTO of Splunk Worked under CIO at GE Capital Worked under CTO at IBM Check out the episode for our conversation about veterans in cybersecurity, how Snehal applied lessons from JSOC to Horizon3, how Snehal thinks about being a late-career founder, and more!horizon3.ai

Tonight, I'm talking to Brian Andrews, author of the Tier One, Sons of Valor, and Shepherd series from Andrews and Wilson. Brian Andrews is a US Navy veteran, Park Leadership Fellow, and former submarine officer with a psychology degree from Vanderbilt and a master's in business from Cornell University. Brian also is a principal contributor at Career Authors, a site dedicated to advancing the careers of aspiring and published writers. He and writing partner Jeffrey Wilson are the authors of multiple series including the Tier One, Sons of Valor, and Shepherd series. They have also written for the W.E.B Griffin and Tom Clancy franchises. In Sons of Valor III: War Machine, Chunk and Whitney are forced into a deadly match of wits with a terrorist mastermind and a terrifying weapon, unlike anything they've ever encountered. After a shootout in Dubai left Hamza al Saud dead and elevated brilliant aeronautical engineer Qasim Nadar to hero status in England, everyone assumes the terrorist threat from al Qadar has been eliminated. Everyone except JSOC counter-terrorism analyst Whitney Watts. But when she decides to help MI6 penetrate Nadar's secret network, Watts she gets a little too close to the truth and finds herself in a deadly situation not even her teammates from Tier One can save her from. As Lieutenant Commander Keith “Chunk” Redman and the rest of Tier One fan out across London in search of Watts, Nadar prepares to unleash his most dangerous weapon yet—an advanced drone with artificial intelligence and stealth technology. To stop a horrifying attack on London, Chunk and his Navy SEAL brethren must seek help from an unexpected ally and find a way to stop a war machine that was designed to be unstoppable. Find Brian and Jeff on IG @andrewsandwilson or https://www.andrews-wilson.com/ Don't forget to check out ⁠Blood Red Ivory⁠ on amazon or where ever books are sold. Ty Benhoff two coming soon. Thanks to ⁠Crush Limbo⁠ for the music. Tripecoh Media LLC. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thatscriminaljs/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thatscriminaljs/support

Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga, the commander of United States Army Special Operations Command joins Joe to share lessons from his military career. Joe and LTG Braga cover a wide-range of  topics to include:Regrets and self-selecting out of opportunitiesNot being satisfied with the status quoWhere great ideas come fromThe performance triadManaging the tension between work and personal lifeGetting ideas from booksStaying curiousMyths about SOFLt. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga assumed command, August 13, 2021, of U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Prior to commanding USASOC, Braga held the position of deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific in August of 2020. Previous to that, he served as the commander of Special Operations Command Pacific.Braga was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts in June 1969. He attended the United States Military Academy and was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1991.Braga served in multiple positions as an infantry officer as part of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. Following these assignments, he graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course and went on to serve in multiple commandpositions in the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico from 1995-2001. He completed numerous deployments and humanitarian relief operations throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Upon completion of this tour he returned to Fort Bragg, to serve in a United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) Special Mission Unit (SMU) and completed multiple deployments as a task force commander to Afghanistan and Iraq for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Willing Spirit in Colombia from 2002-2005. He then achieved his master's at the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island. Following this assignment, he served as the operations officer for the Joint Reconnaissance Task Force as part of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in Washington, DC and deployed to lead a Special Operations Task Force across three geographical commands from 2006-2008.He then returned to Fort Bragg and served in several command and staff positions in the same USASOC SMU from 2008-2012. Afterwards, Lt. Gen. Braga would go on to serve as an Army War College Special Operations fellow at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California.Lt. Gen. Braga served as the garrison commander of the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA from 2013- 2015 and subsequently as the chief of staff at JSOC from 2015-2017. Braga also served as the director of operations, Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve, Iraq.

49: September 20, 2023 - Is JSOC “Zodiac” Program the Real U.S. Gatekeeper of UFO/UAPs? Saturday is Autumnal Equinox 
The Conversation post - NASA report finds no evidence that UFOs are extraterrestrial Hearing Ryan Graves, David Grusch, David Fraver “non-human biologics found” hard evidence of extraterrestrials Communication from insider on secret program called ZODIAC “ZODIAC is run by a partnership between JSOC..with Raytheon..to recover downed craft…not from earth” “JSOC and ZODIAC are the primary force interacting with non-humans”   #LindaMoultonHowe #Earthfiles — For more incredible science stories, Real X-Files, environmental stories and so much more. Please visit my site https://www.earthfiles.com — Be sure to subscribe to this Earthfiles Channel the official channel for Linda Moulton Howe https://www.youtube.com/user/Earthfiles. — To stay up to date on everything Earthfiles, follow me on FaceBook@EarthfilesNews and Twitter @Earthfiles.  To purchase books and merchandise from Linda Moulton Howe, be sure to only shop at my official Earthfiles store at https://www.earthfiles.com/earthfiles-shop/ — Countdown Clock Piano Music:  Ashot Danielyan, Composer:  https://www.pond5.com/stock-music/100990900/emotional-piano-melancholic-drama.html

Back on with us from The Sawmill Traning Complex in South Carolina is Chris "Dutch" Moyer. Dutch was last on with us for Episode 129, and has had a decorated career as a JSOC operator, Army Ranger, and combat veteran. He is currently a shooting instructor and we get into a lot of the happenings sorrounding that for him this episode, along with some major news stories in the 2A world. Be sure to follow him @DutchChrisMoyerActual and visit his website at https://dutchchrismoyer.com/ Follow us: http://instagram.com/battlelinepodcast http://twitter.com/battlelinepod Check out The Battleline Podcast Vault for limited edition gear from the show: http://battlelinepodcast.etsy.com/ For 15% off all Fort Scott Munitions ammo & gear go to http://fsm.com & use promo code: Battleline For 20% off all Bubs Naturals gear and products including collagen protein and MCT oil powder, go to https://www.bubsnaturals.com/?discount=BATTLELINE .. All purchases help to support the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation Photonis Defense is the global leader in night vision solutions providing more high-quality night vision capabilities than anyone. Hunters, shooters, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts rely on Photonis Defense systems to make their adventures safer and more successful. Visit http://photonisdefense.com for more information; or look for Photonis Defense product options from your night vision dealer. For full video of this episode, subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@battlelinepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back on with us from The Sawmill Traning Complex in South Carolina is Chris "Dutch" Moyer. Dutch was last on with us for Episode 129, and has had a decorated career as a JSOC operator, Army Ranger, and combat veteran. He is currently a shooting instructor and we get into a lot of the happenings sorrounding that for him this episode, along with some major news stories in the 2A world. Be sure to follow him @DutchChrisMoyerActual and visit his website at https://dutchchrismoyer.com/ Follow us: http://instagram.com/battlelinepodcasthttp://twitter.com/battlelinepod Check out The Battleline Podcast Vault for limited edition gear from the show: http://battlelinepodcast.etsy.com/ For 15% off all Fort Scott Munitions ammo & gear go to http://fsm.com & use promo code: Battleline For 20% off all Bubs Naturals gear and products including collagen protein and MCT oil powder, go to https://www.bubsnaturals.com/?discount=BATTLELINE .. All purchases help to support the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation Photonis Defense is the global leader in night vision solutions providing more high-quality night vision capabilities than anyone. Hunters, shooters, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts rely on Photonis Defense systems to make their adventures safer and more successful. Visit http://photonisdefense.com for more information; or look for Photonis Defense product options from your night vision dealer. For full video of this episode, subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@battlelinepodcast

IN THE NEWS Food Insecurity In U.S. Military And Veterans Doubles National Average THIS WEEK'S GUEST Navy veterans Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson have penned multiple covert ops and action-adventure thriller series including TIER ONE, SONS of VALOR, and THE SHEPHERDS. The duo joins the podcast to talk about how they got started, how they make the co-author process work, and how they are using their success to help fellow veteran authors and entrepreneurs. RAPID FIRE A corporal gave a speech in front of the top Marine — and got promoted United States Is Growing A Robot Army 988 +1 challenge coins Special Guests: Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson.

This week we head to GUNSITE to shoot the newest from Military Armament Company, a new “retro-oriented” brand from SDS Imports. Included is a super 1911, the JSOC, and two of the best value, best shooting semiauto shotguns available, the MAC M2 and the Mac 1014! Also, how about a Re-Declaration of Independence?   MichaelBane.TV - On the Radio episode # 163. Scroll down for reference links on topics discussed in this episode. Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed here are our own and may not represent those of the companies we represent or any entities affiliated to it. Host: Michael Bane Producer: Flying Dragon Ltd. More information and reference links: GUNSITE Academy Military Armament Corporation Tisas 1911 Stingray Carry 9mm “A Re-Declaration of Independence”/Jeff Goldstein The Official Website of Author James Tarr The Music of the Southside Aces The Music of Ty Simon

"Dutch" Chris Moyer served 31 years in the Unites States Army, 26 of which were Special Operations Command with experience with the 19th Special Forces Group, 1st/75th Ranger Battalion culminating with 14 years as a JSOC Operator. This episode that was taped at Line Creek Brewing Co. in Fayetteville, GA _______________ Please leave us a review on Apple/Spotify Podcasts: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mentors-for-military-podcast/id1072421783 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3w4RiZBxBS8EDy6cuOlbUl #Delta Force Operator #CAG #JSOC Operator #mentors4mil #mentorsformilitary Mentors4mil Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Mentors4mil Patreon Support: https://www.patreon.com/join/Mentors4mil Mentors4mil Shop: https://www.youtube.com/c/MentorsforMilitary/store Guest Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dutchchrismoyeractual Website: https://www.dutchchrismoyer.com BOJoWG1DSrErYXcn5gHi

Bryan Callen was the founder of JSOC and a plank owner at both CAG and Devgru. He first tasted combat during the civil war and has fought for Truth, Liberty, and Justice since that time. He will occasionally moonlight as an assassin, traveling the globe in his continuous and continual fight against evil...... This episode will likely be censored due to the sensitivity of the tactics, techniques, and procedures discussed. Enjoy it while you can.

In this episode, we welcome Azizullah Aziz to the show. He is an Afghanistan native of Afghanistan that served the US for 15 years as a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) combat Interpreter, facilitator, and cultural advisor. He served side-by-side with Chad Robichaux on all eight of his JSOC deployments in Afghanistan. He's the Aziz that is the main subject of the new book Saving Aziz: How the Mission to Help One Became a Calling to Rescue Thousands from the Taliban. In this interview, we go over what it was like for him growing up in Afghanistan, how learning English helped him build his country and eventually save his life, what he thought about the United States when our military invaded his country after the 9/11 attacks, the close calls he had with the Taliban as he was trying to escape the country following the Biden Administration's withdrawal, if he ever thinks he'll be able to see his home country again, and much more. Let's get into it…  Episode notes and links HERE Donate to support our mission of equipping men to push back darkness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is Chad Robichaux's JSOC interpreter Aziz? During their eight deployments together in Afghanistan, Chad and Aziz saved each other's lives more times than either could count, providing invaluable intel and establishing connections all over the region. But when the Afghan government fell and interpreters began being hunted by the Taliban, suddenly Aziz and Chad had bigger problems. Because it wasn't just getting Aziz out that was the problem - it was getting his family out safely too. And of course, neither could have known at the time that they were building the foundation for Save Our Allies, an organization that's helped thousands of families escape since.----------Chapters:00:00 - Intro01:20 - Merry Christmas from Mike Drop05:00 - How Chad Met Aziz08:00 - Bashir 14:00 - A Firefight Exit16:00 - Buying Russian Weapons20:00 - It's Not 'Corruption', it's 'Business Facilitation'22:00 - Born in Kabul24:30 - Escaping the Taliban29:00 - Living under Mujahideen Rule35:00 - They're Kind of Like Gangs, but Worse41:00 - Nobody Really Thought about the U.S. until the War44:00 - A Hairy HVT Story49:00 - John Wick Academy50:00 - A Shockingly Effemninate Talib54:00 - An Administration Gone Quiet1:00:00 - Learning to Culturally Blend In1:09:00 - Encouraging Cooperation1:11:00 - Close Calls at the Bank1:16:00 - Hearing about the Withdrawal for the First Time1:23:00 - Holding Leadership Accountable1:26:30 - Crafting the Daily Caller Story1:36:00 - Five Days in Hell1:40:00 - Through the Taliban & Getting Shot at Along the Way1:45:00 - Evaccing the Family1:48:00 - One Backpack, One Pair of Clothes1:53:00 - From Chad's Perspective1:59:00 - 300,000 People Are Still Trying to Get Out2:04:00 - Acclimating to America2:06:00 - Chad, Meet Hatra2:11:30 - 9 Months in Abu Dhabi2:15:00 - Dennis' Perspective2:19:00 - So There's a Man in a Ghillie Suit...----------Support Aziz & Chad Robichaux: Saving Aziz (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Aziz-Mission-Calling-Thousands-ebook/dp/B09YNH4SF2Save Our Allies: https://saveourallies.orgMighty Oaks Foundation: https://www.mightyoaksprograms.orgIG: https://www.instagram.com/chadrobo_official------------Sponsors:MyBookieSign up at MyBookie, use my promo code MIKEDROP and you'll instantly get a deposit bonus up to $1000!------------Black BuffaloUse promo code MIKEDROP at checkout for 15% off your first order on BlackBuffalo.com. And check out their store locator to see if Black Buffalo is sold at a retailer near you.------------Bubs NaturalsThe BUBS namesake derives from Glen ‘BUB' Doherty, who was heroically killed in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. In addition to remembering Glen for the patriot he is, the BUBS ethos centers around the passionate and adventure seeking life that Glen lived. BUBS Naturals products are rooted in sustainably sourced ingredients and controlled consistency to provide our customers with the highest quality Collagen Protein & MCT Oil Powder that help you feel amazing and live a fuller life.Our mission is simple. FEEL GREAT. DO GOOD. 10% always goes back to charity, helping military men and women transition back into civilian life. Go to bubsnaturals.com and use code MIKEDROP for 20% off your order.------------USCCAhttps://www.uscca.com/mikedropLEGAL DISCLAIMER -The USCCA is not an insurance company. A policy has been issued to the USCCA. That policy provides the association and its members with self-defense liability insurance, subject to its terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions.------------Fueled by TeamDog | www.mikeritlandco.com | @Teamdog.petALL THINGS MIKE RITLANDSHOP for Fueled By Team Dog Performance Dog Food, Treats, Apparel, Accessories, and Protection dogs- MikeRitlandCo.com - https://www.MikeRitlandCo.comTeam Dog Online dog training- TeamDog.pet - https://www.TeamDog.pet

Chad McCoy served in the Air Force for over 22 years, 18 of which with the 24th STS. (24th Special Tactics Squadron). Chad has been on 17 deployments the majority of which with JSOC and earned the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.  Check out Chad here: Foxtrot3 http://Foxtrot3.com LifeLine Rescue Tools  https://lifelinerescuetools.com/ Firestorm Labs https://www.launchfirestorm.com/ Today's Sponsor: BUB's Naturals  https://www.BUBSNATURALS.com/ Use the code "TEAMHOUSE" for 20% your order! Pick up their collagen protein, MCT oil, and apple cider vinegar gummies today! BUBS Donates 10% of all profits to charity in Glens honor, starting with the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation GO TO: https://www.BUBSNATURALS.com/?discount=TEAMHOUSE  or Use the code "TEAMHOUSE" at checkout for 20% off your order! FEEL GREAT. DO GOOD. Words that we live by. To help support the show and for all bonus content including: -2 bonus episodes per month  -Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests -Ad Free audio feed Subscribe to our Patreon!

Sweeping from frozen mountaintops to dusty city streets, and everything in between, this is the gripping and deeply personal account of an elite Ranger who nearly lost his life “leading the way” in America's longest war.As part of an elite special operations unit at the fighting edge of the Global War on Terrorism, Nicholas Moore spent over a decade with the US Army's 75th Ranger Regiment on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. In this compelling biography now available in paperback, a detailed narrative of grueling life on the ground combines with accounts of some of the most dramatic search and rescue operations of the period to tell the true story of life on the line in the War on Terror.Charting his rise from private to senior non-commissioned officer, this title follows Moore as he embarks on a series of dangerous deployments, engaging in brutal street combat and traversing inhospitable terrain in pursuit of Taliban fighters and Iraq's Most Wanted. Including revelatory first-hand accounts of high-profile special operations missions including the tense rescue of Private First Class Jessica Lynch and the search and rescue mission for US Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell, Moore recounts, in vivid detail, the realities of life on the front line.Check out his book at: https://www.amazon.com/Run-Sound-Guns-American-Afghanistan/dp/1472827090To help support the show and for all bonus content including:-2 bonus episodes per month -Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests-Ad Free audio feedSubscribe to our Patreon!

Sam and Emma host Jonah Furman of Labor Notes and author of the Who Gets The Bird? newsletter on SubStack to discuss the recent negotiations between rail workers, railroad companies, and the Biden administration. Then they are joined by investigative reporter Seth Harp to discuss his recent reporting surrounding the recent deaths and opioid abuse at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Emma and Sam first run through updates on the Fed's plan to discipline labor by tanking the economy into a recession, migrants file a class-action suit against DeSantis for his stunt, and DeSantis discusses his “Ultimate Solution.” Jonah Furman then joins as they get right into the three-year leadup to last Thursday's sudden climax of a potential rail strike in the US, walking through separate processes for labor organizing in the rail industry, the need for a 30-day cool-off period, and why Biden got involved, before parsing through the federal deal recommended and why it got so much pushback from the various railway unions. Next, he, Sam, and Emma explore how the rail industry came to be under different processes, with 19th Century unrest leading to the 1926 Railway Labor Act that works to keep the country's infrastructure moving, and leading up to the conditions we see today, where workers are expected to constantly be on call with no right to call out for an emergency and the workforce getting cut more and more while production increases. After a brief conversation on the role of monopoly and the leverage that the federal government could hold in this situation, they wrap up by tackling the state of their strike fund, and where this action is likely to head next. Emma is then joined by Seth Harp to get into the developing controversy coming out of the Fort Bragg military base, with a series of murders and executions piling up from 2020 through 2021 alongside increased overdoses and various drug possession and dealing charges all coming out of an institution that was supposedly the pinnacle of US Special Operations, with JSOC, Green Berets, and more all stationed there. They tackle the history of the US Military and Special Operations in mass drug trafficking, the incredible autonomy and power held by these unelected officials, and how this controversy encapsulates the myriad failures of the US Wars on Terror and Drugs. And in the Fun Half: Sam hosts Brad Polumbo, journalist and policy correspondent at the Foundation for Economic Education, on the immorality of student debt forgiveness, whether debt cancellation is debt transfer, the benefits of college, why daddy paying for college is okay but big brother doing so is bad, and how to grapple with being anti-regressive policy and anti-taxation. Sam and Emma also touch on Ronna McDaniel responding to accusations of Republican fear-mongering by pointing out how scary the world is, Matt DePerno on Michigan's potential abortion ban, and Stephen Crowder talks with a gay guy about how much women SUCK, plus, your IMs! Check out Jonah's newsletter here: https://whogetsthebird.substack.com/ Check out Seth's on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/sethharpesq?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Check out ESVN's YouTube channel here! https://www.youtube.com/c/ESVNShow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Sam hosts Matthew Cole, investigative reporter at The Intercept, to discuss his recent book Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six. Then, Sam is joined by Jack Crosbie, writer for Rolling Stone and Discourse Blog, to discuss the recent developments in Ukraine.  Matthew Cole begins tracing by SEAL Team Six's origins to the combat-swimmer units in WW2, known as “Frogmen,” known as the most elite soldiers in the navy, before the failure of the US Military in the 1979 hostage rescue in Tehran inspired President Carter's creation of a new counter-terrorism special ops unit, JSOC, with control over the Army's Delta Force and the newly created Navy SEAL Team Six. Next, Cole dives into the origins of the corruption in the unit, reaching back to their creation under Carter, and Commander Marcinko's lasting imprint on its culture, which he built to resemble a mafia, with himself as the Don at its center, pushing an outrageous lifestyle that included alcohol and drug abuse, fraud, and a code of silence when it came to the outside world – even the rest of the military. They then look to the wake of 9/11, as SEAL Team Six saw their first real extended warfare, beginning a twenty-year period in Afghanistan that saw unprecedented levels of violence for any individual unit. Cole and Sam parse through the little accountability that the unit faces, with their only superiors besides JSOC being the Pentagon and White House, so when things began to spin out of control, with war crimes and bodies piling up at the feel of SEAL Team Six, they were able to escape any incident with the leverage of their supposed “results.” Matthew Cole then explores Admiral Collin Green's public rebuke of an internal review of the team, calling out the cultural virus running rampant through the community, and bringing forward the clear and obvious need for an investigation into the history and facts of SEAL Team Six, with a genuine (even if non-criminal) system of accountability for the generations of brutality and corruption. Jack Crosbie then joins the show as he covers his return from Ukraine and what he has thought of coverage at home and abroad. They also touch on Jack's history, covering the conflict beginning in 2014, as he walks through the original violence and the eight years of constant war that followed, before he dives into this year's Russian invasion and the much higher levels of bloodshed, alongside the absurd horror of Putin's propaganda and what, if anything, could see us get closer to a ceasefire. Sam also covers the Texas courts' injunction on their abusive legislation targeting trans and queer children, the Texas Supreme Court's shutting down a final challenge on the Abortion ban, undermining that fight even further, and Rachel Maddow promoting a brand new Russian conspiracy, this time invoking the Holocaust (as a more positive example). And in the Fun Half: Sam discusses the role of satire in a society rife with ironic and unironic misinformation, Bill Maher claims his libertarian conservatism is actually the fault of trans people and anti-police activists for suddenly coming into existence five years ago, and Dave Rubin has Nikki Haley walk him through why the US's fear of leading with violence would lead the world into catastrophe, not something like nuclear war. Jordan Peterson relies on some low-budget misinformation to promote Ivermectin in the year 2022, only to be met with corrections by the first author of the experiment he supposedly cited. Matt Lech makes his return, plus, your IMs! Purchase tickets for the live show in Brooklyn March 26th and Boston on May 15th HERE:   https://majorityreportradio.com/live-show-schedule Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here:  https://madmimi.com/signups/170390/join Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Check out today's sponsors: ZipRecruiter: Some things in life we like to pick out for ourselves - so we know we've got the one that's best for us - like cuts of steak or mattresses. What if you could do the same for hiring - choose your ideal candidate before they even apply? That's where ZipRecruiter's ‘Invite to Apply' comes in - it gives YOU, as the hiring manager, the power to pick your favorites from top candidates. According to ZipRecruiter Internal Data, jobs where employers use ZipRecruiter's ‘Invite to Apply' get on average two and a half times more candidates — which helps make for a faster hiring process. See for yourself! Just go to this exclusive web address, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/majority to try ZipRecruiter for free! Headspace: Has your mind been sprinting for years, leaving trails of stress, anxiety, and fatigue that are eroding your mental health? If the answer is ‘yes' then it's time to adopt small daily practices that will have a huge impact on your long-term happiness and wellbeing. Headspace is scientifically proven to help you manage your feelings and your mental health. In fact, a recent study proved in just 2 weeks Headspace can reduce your stress by 14%. Once you download the Headspace app and try their mindfulness routines, it takes just a few minutes a day to change your relationship with stress and anxiety to start feeling better. However you're feeling, try https://www.headspace.com/code?code=MAJORITY and get one month FREE of their entire mindfulness library. This is the best HEADSPACE offer available so go to https://www.headspace.com/code?code=MAJORITY today. Support the St. Vincent Nurses today! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Matt's other show Literary Hangover on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/literaryhangover Check out The Nomiki Show on YouTube. https://www.patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out The Letterhack's upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Jamie's podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein's podcast News from Nowhere. https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere  Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Mail supplies to help Ukrainian refugees in Poland here: Urzad miejskiw Przemyslu ul. Rynek 1 37-700 Przemysl, Poland Check out Jack's piece at Discourse Blog "How NATO Could Help Millions of Ukrainians Without Firing a Shot" here. Check out the Twitter exchange with Jordan Peterson and UMiami medical student Iakov Efimenko here. Check out Prof Greg's video "Watching Ivermectin Covid-19 misinformation spread in real time" here. The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/